"Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's
comeback continues: A new poll finds him leading his Democratic challenger, with voters happier about both his job performance and the state's direction," writes the LAT's George Skelton.
"But the poll also contains a cautionary flag for the governor and a roadmap for Democrat
Phil Angelides:
President Bush would be a heavy burden for Schwarzenegger if Angelides could link the two Republicans together in voters' minds."
"So far, that doesn't seem to be happening."
But not from lack of trying from
Bob Mulholland, et al.
"The
statewide poll was conducted June 26 to 30 by the nonpartisan Survey and Policy Research Institute at San Jose State. Interviewers talked to 614 voters. The margin of error is 4 percentage points."
"Schwarzenegger was found to be leading Angelides by 44% to 37%. In March, by contrast, the two were closer, with the governor ahead by 40% to 37%."
The gov's team will point to its good numbers and that the poll is directed by
Phil Trounstine, former
Gray Davis communications director.
Capitol Weekly's Shane Goldmacher reports on the teachers' union's
first ever endorsement of a Republican in a statewide race. "Republican Secretary of State
Bruce McPherson's election bid has received a boost from an unlikely source--several of the state's leading unions, including the powerful California Teachers Association, which has endorsed a statewide Republican for the first time."
"Three unions, which in the last two years have spent more than $50 million opposing Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, have endorsed and contributed to McPherson, a Schwarzenegger appointee. A fourth union endorsed and donated to McPherson in his unopposed primary, but remains neutral in the general election."
CW's Malcolm Maclachlan reports on
new anti-immigration ads that seem to focus on Speaker
Fabian Nunez. "The 30-second spot, financed by a group called Californians for Population Stabilization (CAPS), goes on to warn of "crime, crowded schools and bankrupt hospitals," with the words superimposed over images of Latino immigration protesters. It began running on Sacramento network television last week."
Of course, the speaker won't actually see the ads unless they're running on Berlin television...
CW also has
new legislative salary data, and an update on the arms race between the Legislature's two top-paid staffers --
Dan Eaton and Greg Schmidt.
"The most highly paid legislative employee is Gregory Schmidt, at $176,304, the secretary of the Senate--about $6,200 more than Daniel Eaton, who earns $170,004 as chief of staff to Assembly Speaker Fabian Núñez. The latest figures show a slight change from last year, when Eaton was the highest-paid staffer, slightly ahead of Schmidt's $167,904. The year before, Schmidt was No. 1, with $159,000, about $10,000 ahead of Eaton."
On to a slightly smaller scale. "Despite opposition from business groups, efforts to boost California's minimum wage and provide automatic cost-of-living increases
cleared their first hurdle Wednesday before the state's Industrial Welfare Commission," reports Jim Sanders in the Bee.
"Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and the Democrat-controlled Legislature are deadlocked on tying the minimum wage to inflation, so the independent, five-member IWC ultimately could decide the minimum-wage controversy by itself."
"The Industrial Welfare Commission, as a first step Wednesday, named a 13-person Wage Board to make recommendations on whether to increase the minimum wage and, if so, by how much, when, and whether to tie it to inflation."
"Under a deal cut between Schwarzenegger and Democratic lawmakers, the budget
includes $250 million to pay for deferred maintenance -- everything from paving potholes to restoring crumbling campgrounds --
at California's 278 parks, many of which are dilapidated and fading after years of fiscal neglect," reports Paul Rogers in the Merc News.
"'For years, our limited state budget during hard times has forced us to keep deferring needed repairs to the system,' said state Parks Director
Ruth Coleman. 'This funding will allow us to tackle the worst of the worst.'"
"The money, which will be spent over the next six years, takes a sizable chunk out of a total deferred maintenance list of $906 million. Over the next few weeks, state parks officials from the Bay Area and other parts of the state will rank their priorities from a list of 10,000 pressing projects."
The first report from
Robert Sillen, who was appointed by federal judge
Thelton Henderson to oversee the state's prison health care system came out swinging. "Blaming 'bureaucratic paralysis' and other factors, the report said that "almost every necessary element of a working medical care system' is
either nonexistent or 'in abject disrepair.'"
The report cited prison overcrowding as another major source of health care problems. But Sillen said in an interview Wednesday that
building two new prisons proposed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger would hardly make up for the expected growth in the state prison population in the next four or five years."
"'
I don't think the state will ever be able to build themselves out of this problem,' said the receiver, who was health care chief in Santa Clara County before he took his present job in April."
Not much in the solutions department, is he?
Meanwhile, Dan Weintraub writes that the governor is walking a fine line on prison reform.
"Schwarzenegger doesn't take campaign donations from public employee labor unions, including the guards. But his recent actions have left many in the Capitol convinced he is trying to gain favor with the correctional officers, who have the ability to raise and spend $15 million or more from their members in the coming election."
"The governor is definitely trying to make nice with the union to, at a minimum, keep it from endorsing his Democratic opponent, Treasurer
Phil Angelides. Schwarzenegger's new chief of staff,
Susan Kennedy, has opened doors that her predecessor had closed, and the new attitude seems to be that no real change can ever come if the guards are not included in the discussion."
Meanwhile, "advocates for immigrants, foster children and the poor are worried that a new federal law requiring proof of citizenship for millions of Medicaid recipients
may leave many of those eligible for services without access to care."
"The law officially took effect July 1, but state officials say it will not be implemented until August, at the earliest."
"State officials say they are doing everything to ensure that eligible recipients of Medi-Cal, the state version of Medicaid, are not affected by the rule change."
"Sacramento County human services chief
Bruce "Wagstaff said he is concerned about the elderly, who may not have birth certificates, for example, and about children in foster care."
"'You have to remember the situations these kids are in: these are children who have been taken away from their parents who have abused, neglected or abandoned them,' he said."
"'These parents aren't likely to cooperate in submitting evidence for children removed from their custody.'"
"Farm labor unions
scored a major legal victory Wednesday when a state appeals court
upheld a law designed to end lengthy contract talks by allowing a state mediator to impose a contract on a grower," reports the Chron's Bob Egelko.
"The law was backed by the United Farm Workers and other unions and opposed by farm organizations. It was signed by Gov.
Gray Davis in 2002 but has been largely dormant during a court challenge by a Napa Valley wine grower."
"The law allows a farm union that has won a representation election to demand mediation if the grower has not agreed on a contract within 90 days, a period that can be doubled in some cases. If mediation does not produce an agreement within 30 days, the mediator decides on the contract. Either side can appeal the terms to the state Agricultural Labor Relations Board, whose members are appointed by the governor."
"Assemblyman
Ronald S. Calderon (D-Montebello) defeated Assemblyman
Rudy Bermudez (D-Norwalk) by 305 votes
to win the Democratic nomination in the 30th state Senate District, Los Angeles County election officials said Wednesday," reports the AP.
"In another race that was too close to call on election night, Inglewood City Councilman
Curren Price edged Gardena City Councilman
Steve Bradford by 113 votes to win the Democratic nomination in the 51st Assembly District, according to vote tallies certified by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors."
"Bermudez and Bradford said they were considering asking for recounts."
"The Los Angeles City Council on Wednesday
inched closer to a controversial proposal to use taxpayer funds to fully finance municipal election campaigns, although some council members balked at the hefty price tag," writes Patrick McGreevy in the Times.
"Despite some members' misgivings about spending more taxpayer money for campaigns, the council voted unanimously to have its staff draft a measure that could be placed on the March ballot. The measure would call for increasing public financing of campaigns from the current $2 million a year to $9 million or more. Council members directed the city attorney and chief legislative analyst to draft a "detailed full public financing program" for the council to consider putting on the ballot. The panel also asked for a report on possible sources of funds other than the general fund, but including an increase in the property tax."
"Council members
Wendy Greuel,
Eric Garcetti and
Bill Rosendahl said the voters should be allowed to decide whether they want to pay more for more competitive elections in which special interests presumably would have a smaller role.
"'We believe very strongly that we need to help restore the public trust in government and help make our elections much more competitive,' Greuel said."
From the Roundup's
Our Kids Win Too files: "You could be $110 million richer today."
"That is, if you are the
one lucky lottery player who bought a Super Lotto Plus ticket with the numbers 2, 9, 12, 20, 34 and Mega number 16. The odds are one in 41.4 million, but someone has done it."
"Wednesday's jackpot was the best payout in four years and the sixth largest prize in Super Lotto history."
"The ticket was sold at the Foremost Liquor Market at 301 Monterey Road, South Pasadena."
From our
Something They'll Never Forget Files, "Hunters shocked a boatload of tourists on a whale watch off Norway's Arctic during the weekend,
harpooning a whale in front of them."
"About 80 tourists were aboard the trawler Reine, which was headed for areas off the Arctic Lofoten Islands known for their abundance of whales, when the incident happened on Saturday, the boat's skipper
Geir Maan said by telephone on Wednesday."
"'This was definitely not what we came to see,'
Leontien Dieleman, of the Netherlands, was quoted as saying in Wednesday's Andoeyposten newspaper. '
We wanted to see live whales.'"
See you at Sea World.
