Governor Schwarzenegger is expected "to announce an executive order Monday in New York that
joins California's landmark global warming law with the Northeast's program to reduce greenhouse gas emissions," reports the AP's Samantha Young.
"The order is the first step in creating a system that helps California's biggest manufacturers comply with stricter environmental regulations, a Schwarzenegger administration official said."
"'Gov. Schwarzenegger wants to build a large, robust carbon trading market that will dramatically reduce emissions," said Schwarzenegger spokesman
Adam Mendelsohn. 'The more robust the market, the more effective we will be.'"
"Schwarzenegger was to spend Monday in New York learning about corporate and government efforts to combat global warming, spokesman Darrel Ng said.
The governor was to open trading on the Nasdaq stock market."
"While it's barely been discussed during this year's gubernatorial campaign, whoever is governor will have the power early next year to approve or deny a
bid by the world's largest mining company to build a liquefied natural gas terminal off the Southern California coast. The decision will help settle a continuing debate about liquefied natural gas among environmentalists, big business and local activists that touches on cornerstone issues in California, ranging from coastal protections to electricity supply," reports Mark Martin in the Chron.
"And because state Treasurer
Phil Angelides and Gov.
Arnold Schwarzenegger have staked out very different positions, who wins in November could determine whether the project is built or not."
"Last month, Angelides, the Democrat who is trailing Schwarzenegger in recent statewide polls, announced his opposition to the plan by Australian giant BHP Billiton to import liquefied natural gas from western Australia to a terminal 14 miles off the Ventura County coast near Oxnard and then pipe it into the state's natural gas supply. Angelides also has called for greater evaluation of whether the state needs liquefied natural gas at all."
"The Schwarzenegger administration, however, has consistently supported liquefied natural gas, and the governor has hinted that he would support the BHP Billiton project. The company has paid more than $2.3 million in the last two years to a lobbying firm headed by a Los Angeles lawyer who is a co-chairman of Schwarzenegger's re-election campaign."
Dan Walters writes "[t]he format of this month's one-and-only debate between Gov.
Arnold Schwarzenegger and challenger
Phil Angelides is drawing a lot of criticism in the political media because, one suspects, journalists were denied what had become their traditional roles."
"
The criticism, however, is misplaced. Although the Schwarzenegger-Angelides duel had its rough edges, it's actually a better approach to political debating than having reporters grill the politicians. And with a little format tweaking, it could be even better."
George Skelton
believes the debate gave insufficient attention to one of the voters' top issues: education. "It wasn't until two-thirds of the way through the debate — after an irrelevant question about building a high-speed train and a sophomoric query about personal character in public life — that Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Treasurer Phil Angelides finally were asked about public schools."
"Rather than two minutes on education, the candidates should have been required to spend 20. It might have enlightened voters and certainly would have forced the candidates to think more about how to better spend the taxpayers' billions."
The U-T's Jim Sweeney writes that
Oakland is the top issue in the AG's race. "From his campaign office in a loft above downtown's Telegraph Avenue,
Jerry Brown has a prime view of the city's nagging crime problem. Since he became Oakland's mayor nearly eight years ago, there have been six murders within four blocks of the restored building, where Brown also lives."
"Crime and Oakland have been mentioned in the same breath for a long time. But this has been a particularly bad year for Oakland, with 120 murders and counting, and the timing couldn't be worse for Brown, the Democratic nominee for attorney general."
"Brown's opponent, Republican state Sen.
Chuck Poochigian of Fresno, is trying to make the race a referendum on Brown's long, colorful political past and his record on crime during two terms as Oakland's mayor."
The Chron's Jim Herron Zamora
reports: "An ex-governor is the front-runner for
a job that is traditionally seen as a steppingstone to the governor's office. And the Oakland mayor has shown double digit leads over the Fresno state senator in virtually every public poll this year. Brown, 68, is particularly strong among younger voters, according to one poll.
"Poochigian, 57, who also trails in fundraising, has focused more of his advertising and media efforts on attacking Brown and his long, often controversial record in public office, frequently highlighting votes and statements made 30 years ago."
"
Going negative is new for Poochigian, who has never faced a close race or even a serious challenge since running for Assembly in 1994. He won two Assembly races with 67 percent of the vote in 1994 and '96, and was unopposed in two races for state Senate in 1998 and 2002."
"A $100-million-plus
political battle over taxing oil production in California is underway, and most of the action can be seen in living rooms across the state," reports Marc Lifsher in the Times.
"At issue is Proposition 87, the Clean Alternative Energy Act, one of 13 statewide ballot issues to be decided Nov. 7. But it has been hard to miss this one. So far, dueling opponents have spent $85 million just on TV advertising, helping to make this the most expensive ballot fight in California history."
"'This is one the voters will be aware of,' said
Shaun Bowler, a political science professor and initiative expert at UC Riverside. 'When somebody with deep pockets has his ox being gored, you see the money spigot being turned on.'"
"As of the most recent spending report,
Yes on 87 has collected $47 million, most of it from Hollywood producer Stephen L. Bing. The
No campaign has collected more than $60 million, mainly from oil companies. Chevron Corp. gave at least $22 million and Aera Energy, a joint venture of Exxon Mobil Corp. and Royal Dutch Shell, contributed at least $12.6 million."
The Bee's Jim Sanders
gives Prop. 89 the treatment. "The measure would provide public financing for state candidates and place new restrictions on ballot-measure campaigns."
"'
In politics, you get what you pay for -- and until the public pays for elections, they're not going to get an honest government,' said
Jamie Court, president of the Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights."
"But critics say Proposition 89 would make the election system worse by spending scarce public funds on negative TV advertisements, allocating tax dollars to fringe candidates, and reducing the information that voters receive by restricting corporate spending on ballot measures."
"'I don't think anybody is saying that the current system isn't broken, or doesn't have its problems, but Proposition 89 would make an even bigger mess of the situation,' said
Robin Swanson, spokeswoman for the No on 89 campaign."
"The state's political, business and labor establishment
is making a pitch for capital to invest in highways, schools, housing, water resources and flood-control levees, promising that the money would pay dividends by improving the quality of life in California for years to come," writes Timm Herdt in the Ventura County Star.
"All voters need to do to make it happen is sign $42.7 billion in promissory notes by voting for Propositions 1B, 1C, 1D, 1E and 84, committing to repay the money, with interest, with their state taxes over the next 30 years."
"Berkeley residents won't just vote on taxes next month, they also will
weigh in on impeaching the president and vice president, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and tightening an already restrictive landmarks preservation ordinance," write Kristin Bender and John Simerman in the Oakland Tribune.
"Of the 17 local measures on the Alameda County ballot Nov. 7, Berkeley has more than one-third. Berkeley measures E, F G, H, I and J all need a simple majority to pass. Here is what they would do, if passed:"
"Measure H would make Berkeley the first city in the nation to petition the House of Representatives to initiate impeachment proceedings against President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney."
In more Planet Bay Area news, Matier and Ross report that
a major scandal has erupted among San Francisco socialites. "
San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom's new squeeze, Brittanie Mountz, just turned 20 last month -- and that raises a couple of questions about the couple's nights on the town."
Hat tip to Phoblographer."The biggest question is whether Mountz has been drinking, and it's been swirling since the pair made their first public appearance and walked down the red carpet together at the San Francisco Symphony in September."
"At the time,
Mountz had a MySpace page that said she was 19. It now says she's 26."
Magic.
"But according to the Sonoma County registrar of voters, the Rohnert Park resident turned 20 on Sept. 17 -- three weeks and two days before Newsom turned 39."
"...By the way, Mountz's voter registration revealed something else interesting --
she's a Republican."
