"Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's top campaign advisor is
being paid to provide marketing strategy to AT&T Inc. at a time when the governor's office is involved in negotiations on legislation potentially worth billions of dollars to the telecommunications giant," writes Marc Lifsher in the Times.
"Political consultant
Matthew Dowd's involvement with the governor and AT&T at the same time presents, at minimum, the appearance of a conflict of interest, government watchdogs warned."
"Dowd and his consulting firm are currently assisting San Antonio-based AT&T with the rollout of its U-verse service in Texas."
"At the same time, in California, AT&T is lobbying for passage of a bill being carried by Assembly Speaker
Fabian Nuñez (D-Los Angeles),
AB 2987, that would ease the financial and regulatory burdens of installing the new technology for the industry.
"'
If AT&T hired Dowd to sell TV, and Dowd also has been hired to sell Schwarzenegger on TV, you've got to wonder if Dowd also is selling your governor on AT&T's legislative agenda for TV,' said
Andrew Wheat, a public interest activist. Wheat is research director of Texans for Public Justice, which tracks the influence of money and corporate power in the state's politics."
"'The firm does no work for AT&T in California and has had no conversations with the governor's campaign or state staff regarding AT&T,' [Schwarzenegger spokeswoman]
Julie Soderlund said. '
The scope of their work in Texas [for AT&T] is limited to consumer branding in the marketplace.'"
This one comes from our
I Know a Moving Train When I See One Files: "In a move to enhance his law-and-order credentials, Democratic gubernatorial candidate
Phil Angelides threw his support Monday behind a Republican ballot measure — co-sponsored by his rival, Gov.
Arnold Schwarzenegger — to toughen the penalties for sex crimes," reports Michael Finnegan in the Times.
"The Angelides announcement, coupled with accusations that Schwarzenegger has failed to protect children from child molesters, came after weeks of efforts by the governor's reelection campaign to cast his challenger as soft on crime. Schwarzenegger advisors have accused Angelides of ducking his responsibility to take a stand on the November measure, Proposition 83."
"The initiative would increase penalties for child molesters and other sex offenders, bar them from living within 2,000 feet of any school or park and require them to wear a tracking device for life."
That will give
Steve Maviglio something to talk about. The deputy chief of staff to
Fabian Nuñez has taken a leave to help out Angelides' communications team.
"Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger
pleaded Monday for heat-plagued Californians to avoid rolling electricity blackouts and, say analysts and foes, spare him a political jolt that could short-circuit his re-election campaign," reports Steve Geissinger for the Oakland Tribune.
"Ironically, Schwarzenegger bumped Gov. Gray Davis from office in a 2003 gubernatorial recall election, partially due to Davis' handling of a power crisis that had caused outages."
Why is that ironic, again?
"On Monday, the threat was back, with an ongoing heat wave and a record peak demand for electricity in California."
Nevertheless, the state found enough juice, while Dan Walters offers the
good news and bad news about California's energy situation amidst the heatwave. "The good news is that California's power grid, with more generation on line and some transmission bottlenecks fixed in the last few years, handled Mother Nature's test with aplomb. While statewide power consumption approached 60,000 megawatts as air conditioners battled the late afternoon heat,
California maintained a relatively comfortable cushion against the failure of one or more power plants."
"The bad news is that the state Energy Commission, in a new projection published this month, says that the state's power reserves will shrink as its population continues to grow by more than a half-million people a year, with especially heavy growth in hot interior valleys."
"California will need more power supply, whether it comes from solar or wind or natural gas-fired turbines or hydropower. And given the time lag for such projects, we'd better get cracking."
"A
recount began Monday in the 30th state Senate District Democratic June 6 primary where Assemblyman
Rudy Bermudez trailed Assemblyman
Ron Calderon by 305 votes," reports Mike Sprague in the Press-Telegram.
"Bermudez, D-Norwalk, picked up a net three votes after 21 precincts in the city of Norwalk were counted. The recount continues today."
"Calderon picked up an additional four votes, while Bermudez picked up seven."
Never one to miss a fundraising opportunity, the recount likely explains the creation of the
Tom Calderon legal defense fund, which allows him to raise money without Proposition 34 limits.
The LAT's Nancy Vogel provides the background on
the budget's $38 million increase for foster youth. "The rare agreement of Sacramento Democrats and Republicans to increase social services spending makes foster youths one of the few groups to get more money this year than last, an increase of more than $83 million."
"The funds will help the 75,000 or so California children, from infants to teenagers, who are taken from their parents for their own safety, sometimes for a few days, sometimes forever."
"'These kids get into this critical situation through no fault of their own doing,' said Assemblyman
Bill Maze (R-Visalia), 'yet through our system we have brought additional disadvantage to them. I don't think we are by any means doing all we can for them.'"
The Bee's Aurelio Rojas
checks in with Maria Elena Durazo, widow of
Miguel Contreras, who is now running the L.A. County Federation of Labor. "Durazo, 53, has been busy flexing her muscles. She was one of the chief architects of two big marches in the city this year in support of illegal immigrants -- including one that drew more than 500,000 people."
"She is working to help thousands of legal immigrants become citizens and voters."
"The federation will work to elect Angelides, she said.
But even if the unions do not succeed, Durazo is confident they have withstood what she considers Schwarzenegger's anti-union attacks."
"'He's changing because of what labor did last November,' she said, citing the governor's support for an increase in the state's minimum wage."
Not exactly a strong vote of confidence for Phil...
From our
Dead in the Water Files, Rick Orlov reports "the Los Angeles City Council is fast-tracking a measure that would
give its members four more years in office by extending term limits."
"During a special meeting today, the council is scheduled to consider placing a measure on the Nov. 7 ballot that would amend the City Charter and allow the 15 members to serve three four-year terms rather than the current two."
What, no redistricting?
Dan Weintraub takes a look at
the man appointed to fix the state's prison health care system, saying "court-ordered takeover of the prison medical system now under way could have far-reaching implications for all of government, because the man who has been put in charge of the effort has already concluded that the system cannot be fixed within the laws, rules and regulations that are in place today...
"This inability to effectively discipline underachievers or get rid of bad apples has led to a situation in which managers simply give up in frustration, Sillen wrote in a report to the court earlier this month. To make matters worse, the lack of qualifications, training and, in some cases, competence of certain employees has created what he calls a "culture of incompetence and nonperformance which, unfortunately, is more rewarded than not within state employment."
"Sillen, thanks to the court order creating his job, has more power than even the governor to cut through the problems he has encountered. He hopes to demonstrate what can be done by overhauling the health care system at San Quentin Prison. In my next column, I will take a look at what he has in mind."
Meanwhile, the LAT's Stephan Clark reports "The Internal Revenue Service is warning churches and nonprofits that improper campaigning in the upcoming political season
could endanger their tax-exempt status."
"The agency also launched a program to expedite investigations into claims of improper campaigning, prompting an advocacy group to charge this month that the program could restrict the free speech of nonprofit groups and churches."
"Such investigations came to light last year when the IRS warned All Saints Church in Pasadena that it was reviewing the Episcopal church's tax-exempt status because a priest criticized the Iraq war shortly before the 2004 presidential election. Church leaders say they have no intention of scaling back their criticism of the war."
And finally, from our
World's Largest Blow-Up Doll Files, "America's Mattress co-owner
Jim Sather is left puzzled after a rustler
stole Serta Mattresses' inflatable 14-foot sheep from their store here."
"'
I can't figure out what someone would do with a 14-foot sheep,' Sather said. 'It can't go in your basement and if it's in your back yard, your neighbor will notice.' If it's target practice, it only lasts once."
But it makes for one hell of a bachelor party...
