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Air pollution, global warming and other environmental woes are becoming increasingly important to California voters and
they're backing Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger as the man to deal with those problems, a new poll shows," reports John Wildermuth in the Chron.
Amazing what a few days of 1 million degree heat will do...
"Schwarzenegger
has a strong 43 percent to 30 percent lead over Democratic state Treasurer Phil Angelides among likely voters in the Public Policy Institute of California
survey released today and 85 percent of those same voters say a candidate's position on the environment will be either very important or somewhat important when they vote for governor in November."
"'This is a pretty unusual finding, since Democratic candidates traditionally have the upper hand when it comes to environmental issues,' said
Mark Baldassare, director of the non-partisan poll."
"Even more surprising, Schwarzenegger's backers are even greener than Angelides' supporters. Seventy-eight percent of those planning to vote for the governor's re-election say that his position on the environment is at least somewhat important, compared to 67 percent of Democratic backers who feel the same way."
Maybe that's why former Westly strategist
Garry South has
been so critical of Angelides, as CW's Shane Goldmacher reports.
"South has become
Angelides' most vocal Democratic critic. One of the most common threads of South's posts--and a theme Westly harped on during the primary--is what South perceives as Angelides' lack of electiblity."
"'In the face of what should have been a sobering contrast in viability, the big-shot Democratic politicians and interest-group poobahs continued to cheerlead for Angelides and badmouth Westly,' South wrote on July 11."
"Regarding the state party endorsement at the convention, South continued, '67 percent of the delegates! The level of self-delusion about Angelides in that hall was so high you could drown in it standing on a step-ladder.' South's comments underscore the awkward balance for past political foes trying to unite after intra-party battles."
Further, "'[T]he numbers
show that voters don't believe Schwarzenegger and Bush are twins,' Baldassare said. 'It makes it difficult for Angelides to convince voters that one Republican is the same as another.'"
"'Schwarzenegger has absolutely changed voters' perceptions,' Baldassare said. 'The perception of his leadership is very different from what it was a year ago and even from what it was after last November's special election.'"
"The poll also shows Democratic Sen.
Dianne Feinstein with a 42 percent to 21 percent lead over Republican
Dick Mountjoy, a former state senator from Monrovia. But there is surprising support for Green candidate
Todd Chretien and Libertarian
Michael Metti, each with 5 percent of the vote, and
Don Grundmann of the American Independent Party, with 4 percent. More than a fifth of the voters are undecided."
Speaking of the environment, CW's John Howard reports on
changes sought by the governor's office to this year's major environmental legislation.
"Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, hoping to dramatically rewrite landmark legislation to curb global warming, wants to make an end-run around the California Air Resources Board (ARB) and create a new, high-level panel with sweeping authority over greenhouse gases. Environmentalists are suspicious of the governor's plan, and Assembly Speaker
Fabian Núñez believes it could weaken pollution fighters."
"While we think that the air board is very appropriate to continue doing what they do to meet the governor's aggressive emission-reduction targets, we also need a market-based entity," said
Linda Adams, head of the California Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the point person for Schwarzenegger's greenhouse-gas-emissions policy. 'The way that [the bill] was originally written, it would have given all authority to the ARB. They [ARB officials] are very much in agreement that they are not the entity to do everything.' Privately, two ARB officials confirmed Adams' assessment. 'We're not the ones to be doing this,' one said."
In other polling news, an "overwhelming majority of California voters
favor allowing illegal immigrants to stay in the country, if they meet several conditions, according to a
new Field Poll," writes the Bee's Aurelia Rojas.
"Regardless of political ideology, most respondents consider illegal immigration a serious problem -- and they want policymakers to do something about it."
"Eighty percent support creating a program that would allow illegal immigrants living in the United States for a number of years to stay. But to do so, they would have to hold a job, apply for citizenship, learn English and pay back taxes."
Matier and Ross look at why California's Golden Boys--
Gavin Newsom and
Antonio Villaraigosa--
skipped the governor's health care summit. Newsom was scheduled to present his San Francisco health care proposal, but "then came the news that the California Nurses Association, which has battled Arnold continuously since last year, would be throwing up a picket line around the event."
"Newsom spokesman
Peter Ragone said that after a round of calls to key political folks -- including to the campaign of Schwarzenegger's Democratic challenger,
Phil Angelides -- Newsom decided late Friday to bow out."
"Instead, he sent an aide."
"The next day, the mayor jetted down to Los Angeles to pitch his health care program at the more Democratic-friendly AFL-CIO labor convention."
"As for Villaraigosa, who was scheduled to make the introductions at the health summit, he cited a scheduling conflict for his no-show."
"Apparently, Villaraigosa was tied up dealing with the state's energy crisis and a premature news leak that he was about to appoint onetime San Francisco schools Superintendent
Ramon Cortines as L.A.'s new school czar."
Matier and Ross also take a look at the politics behind the invites to
Don Perata's public safety summit in Oakland. "State Senate President Pro Tem Don Perata's sudden decision to get involved in Oakland's crime problem came as a surprise to many people -- including some local officials who have been working on the issue for a couple of years."
"'
My staff was a little put out that I wasn't invited, but I'm just going to keep doing what I have been doing,' said City Councilman
Larry Reid, whose East Oakland district was the site of a press conference Perata held Monday to advertise an anti-crime plan."
"Perata, D-Oakland, said he had made a point of limiting the number of politicos invited to the summit, which was attended by about 40 community leaders and activists."
"Other notable omissions included Oakland Mayor
Jerry Brown and Mayor-elect
Ron Dellums."
"Perata said Dellums hadn't been invited because '
he's not the mayor yet, and I didn't think it was right to saddle him with something like this before he takes office.'"
After all, it's clearly not fair to make the mayor-elect think about 14-year-olds being shot on street corners until after the swearing-in.
"As for Brown, he's running for state attorney general. Perata said he didn't want the summit turned into a political event by either Brown or his Republican opponent,
Chuck Poochigian."
"And Reid? Perata said he wanted just one representative from the City Council, so he picked President
Ignacio De La Fuente."
CW's Jessica Weidling
profiles incoming freshman Assemblyman Mike Feuer. "Bright and brash, Feuer carved out a successful career in the world of public-interest law--he was named executive director of Bet Tzedek Legal Services at the ripe age of 28--and served more than five years on the Los Angeles City Council, where he earned a reputation as being an expert on budgeting, social issues and political ethics."
"'He's a man on a mission; he knows what he wants to accomplish so get out of the way,' said Feuer's former city council seat mate and current Los Angeles city controller,
Laura Chick."
From our
I've Got Friends in Low Places Files: "While he was under investigation by the state attorney general's office for financial improprieties, former J. Paul Getty Trust Chief Executive
Barry Munitz turned to a close friend for consolation — Atty. Gen. Bill Lockyer," write Ralph Frammolino and Jason Felch in the Times.
"California's top law enforcement official acknowledged this week that he and Munitz had met in mid-January for lunch, during which the embattled Getty administrator confided that he intended to quit his $1.5-million-a-year job because of a growing controversy over his use of the nonprofit's resources for personal benefit."
"Faced with mounting evidence against him, Munitz resigned a month later, agreeing to forgo more than $2 million promised in his contract and reimburse the Getty $250,000 to resolve 'continuing disputes.'"
...and then
took a six-digit job as a Trustee Professor at Cal State L.A.
"Lockyer's disclosure, made in response to questions from The Times, comes as his charitable trust division is about to release a report on its yearlong investigation of the $5.5-billion arts nonprofit."
The Bee's Herbert Sample looks at the Chuck Poochigian's
growing attacks against Jerry Brown's public safety record as mayor. "His Republican foe, state Sen. Chuck Poochigian of Fresno, has been lambasting Brown as an "absentee mayor" whose record on dealing with violent crime in Oakland makes him a poor choice to run the state's law enforcement apparatus."
"Brown's campaign responded by extolling the mayor's police union endorsements and urged reporters to look at a crime increase in Fresno -- even though Poochigian, as a state legislator, has no direct control over police matters there."
"What impact the tempest will have on an election that is more than three months away is uncertain, particularly since pollsters have found that crime is not among the top concerns of voters."
Shuffle up and deal: Cities and counties could allow more high-stakes games in card rooms if state lawmakers approve a controversial gambling bill when they return in August," writes the Bee's E.J. Schultz.
"
The bill, by Sen.
Dean Florez, D-Shafter, would allow local governments to do away with wagering limits at card rooms, freeing gamblers to bet as much as they want on Texas Hold 'em, pai gow and other games."
"California schools
could receive hundreds of millions of dollars in school technology funds made available through an antitrust settlement with Microsoft Corp., the state Department of Education announced Wednesday," reports Arin Gencer in the Times.
"More than $400 million will be poured into the education department's coffers, said
Jack O'Connell, State Supt. of Public Instruction. Schools in districts with state-approved technology plans — and with at least 40% of their students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunches, a low-income indicator — would be eligible for funding."
"'The lack of technology in our classrooms hurts students from low-income families the most,' O'Connell said, explaining the criteria. 'This settlement is great news for our schools.'"
CW's Malcolm Maclachlan reports on the rash of
odd injuries that have plagued members of the state Senate. "As far as dangerous government jobs go, serving in the California Senate might not rank up there with policeman, firefighter or press secretary for George W. Bush. But this year our upper house has been hit by a bipartisan trend we're all hoping we've seen the last of--unusual injuries."
"It started in February, when senators
Dave Cox, R-Fair Oaks, and
Nell Soto, D-Pomona, discovered, um, the agony of the feet. Soto--who won a "Best Foot Forward" award in 2000 from a coalition of pedestrian groups for her efforts on behalf of the 'Safe Routes to Schools' bill--broke her right foot in her Sacramento apartment."
Department of Corrections: Yesterday, we mistakingly wrote that Los Angeles County had renewed its lobbying contract with Platinum Advisors. It was San Bernardino County; Los Angeles has no relationship with the firm.
