"Californians
will choose presidential candidates in February, not June, under a proposal that cleared the Legislature on Tuesday and that Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is expected to sign," reports Nancy Vogel in the Times.
"Legislative leaders say an earlier primary will give California some influence in selecting the next president and force candidates to address issues such as immigration that don't resonate in Iowa and New Hampshire, where voting will take place in January.
"Whether five states or 20 hold their primaries Feb. 5, 'we will be a big fish in that pond,' said Assembly Speaker
Fabian Nunez (D-Los Angeles).
"The Assembly passed the bill, SB 113 by Sen.
Ron Calderon (D-Montebello), 46 to 29.
Republicans refused to vote for it because, they said, it did not include explicit language to require the state to reimburse counties for the $48-million to $80-million cost of holding the extra election."
No Assembly Republicans voted for the measure yesterday, arguing that the state should first reimburse counties the
up to $90 million for the extra election. PE's Jim Miller reports, "But opponents of SB 113, including Schwarzenegger's fellow Republicans in the Assembly, complained Tuesday that the measure fails to ensure that the Legislature will reimburse counties the estimated $60 million to $90 million it would cost to hold a presidential primary in February instead of June."
Dan Walters writes that
the move is about more than presidential politics. "And then there is the side agenda of putting a measure on the February ballot to modify term limits so that those who would be forced out of the Legislature next year -- such as [
Fabian] N��ez and Senate President Pro Tem
Don Perata -- could extend their careers.
"That's a huge motive for having an election on Feb. 5, 2008, because were a term limit extension to be approved then, it would give termed-out lawmakers enough time to file for re-election.
"A term-limit extension initiative has already been written, but Schwarzenegger has indicated that he would support an extension only if lawmakers also agreed to place redistricting reform on the same ballot, which complicates matters even more.
"When one reduces the push for a February primary to its essentials, then, it's an ego trip for politicians and a bad deal for 37 million other Californians."
"The governor's latest nominee for the board that regulates the multibillion-dollar energy and telecommunications industries
has been in bankruptcy for more than four years, and faces questions about his qualifications and his commitment to consumer protection," writes Peter Nicholas in the Times.
"
Timothy A. Simon was one of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's top-level aides, screening applicants for positions in the administration, until the governor selected him Feb. 15 for a vacant seat on the powerful Public Utilities Commission.
"In December, while Simon was still working for Schwarzenegger,
a judge ordered the state to deduct $1,795 per month from his monthly salary as part of a plan to repay his debts, according to filings in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Oakland. A month later, a court trustee said Simon was in default of his repayment plan.
"Simon, an attorney, has already begun his $124,000-a-year job at the commission, though he must still be confirmed by the state Senate. Opposition to his appointment looms.
Don "Perata said he also worried that Simon would emerge as another industry-friendly voice on a commission already laden with members sympathetic to business. Before the appointment, Perata said, he told Schwarzenegger aides that he wanted someone who would favor consumers in skirmishes over energy rates and cellphone disputes.
"That simply didn't register very high," Perata said."
"Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger toured a prison for low-level offenders and drug addicts Tuesday
while campaigning for an $11 billion reform and building package that he says will alleviate severe overcrowding at the state's 33 prisons," writes the AP's Gillian Flaccus.
"The governor toured parts of the California Rehabilitation Center accompanied by Assemblyman
Todd Spitzer, R-Orange, and the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation Secretary
James Tilton.
"The prison, about 50 miles southeast of Los Angeles, was built for 2,300 prisoners but now holds 4,500. A gym that was meant for rehabilitation and job training now holds 300 metal, double-decked bunk beds.
"Schwarzenegger said such overcrowding leads to California's 70 percent recidivism rate because inmates are not given adequate job training and addiction counseling.
"California's prisons were designed for 100,000 inmates but hold nearly twice that number."
"A state panel on Tuesday
released practical recommendations aimed at reducing medication errors -- an effort the Schwarzenegger administration says it has begun addressing through the governor's health care overhaul package," reports the Bee's Judy Lin.
"The Medication Errors Panel, which was convened through legislation by former Sen.
Jackie Speier, D-Hillsborough, issued the report suggesting simple changes: getting doctors to convert to electronic prescriptions, adding the purpose of a pill to a prescription label and labeling bottles in different languages.
"The report, 'Prescription for Improving Patient Safety: Addressing Medication Errors,' was compiled by a panel of health care, consumer advocacy and academic representatives.
"Speier, who said previous efforts haven't cleaned up the problem, urged the Legislature to adopt what she described as practical changes that can drastically reduce medical medication errors, saving both money and lives."
And yesterday was Election Day in Los Angeles, and AP reports, "
Richard Alarcon is coming back to the City Council after serving in the state Senate and Assembly.
He won the special election to fill the seat that became vacant after
Alex Padilla was elected to the state Senate.
Meanwhile, two Council members facing challengers in yesterday's election are holding on to their posts.
Tony Cardenas defeated four opponents to retain his East San Fernando Valley seat, while
Jose Huizar defeated two opponents to win his first full term for an Eastside seat."
Alarcon's victory means there will be a special election held for his seat. It also means Democrats and Gov. Schwarzenegger will be one more vote short of 54 when it comes times to pass a budget...
Rep.
Joe Baca came out on top of a recent flap over his chairmanship of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus,
earning a vote of confidence from the group at a special meeting Tuesday.
"A splinter group of the all-Democratic caucus challenged his chairmanship and questioned his leadership and decorum, particularly when it comes to women.
"However, a 90-minute Tuesday meeting in Washington resulted in a vote of confidence for Baca, D-Rialto.
"'We're all united,' Baca told reporters after the meeting. 'This is basically a step in the right direction.'
"Rep.
Loretta Sanchez, D-Garden Grove, has been most outspoken against Baca, saying he used a slur against her in a conversation with California legislators. She quit the 21-member group - although her name remains on the caucus' Web site - saying she would not return until Baca apologized for calling her 'a whore.'"
"
Ernest Gallo, the steely business impresario and visionary who, with his late brother Julio, turned a rough, post-Prohibition winery into the nation's dominant winemaking empire,
died Tuesday at his Modesto home. He was 97."
Proving the old addage that a lifetime of bad wine will help you live longer...
