"Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger
demanded Thursday that the 2008 presidential candidates stake out clear positions on domestic issues Californians care about -- such as immigration, climate change and health care -- instead of focusing solely on the Iraq war," reports the Chron's Mark Martin.
"Schwarzenegger, in a speech that illustrated his intent to be part of next year's election even if he's not on the ballot, also insisted that candidates move beyond 'applause lines or rhetoric,' as he put it, and provide detailed platforms -- something the governor's detractors mocked.
"It was Schwarzenegger who ran in the 2003 recall race on a campaign of largely broad-stroke ideas, saying he would repair the state budget, ensure that 'everyone in California has a fantastic job' and sweep out special interests from the Capitol.
"And last year, as he ran for re-election, he pledged to tackle health care reform but offered few specific ideas on what he would propose.
"'
Taking advice from Arnold Schwarzenegger on getting away from catch-phrases and one-liners is like listening to a lecture from Barry Bonds on steroid abuse,' said
Roger Salazar, a spokesman for the state Democratic Party.
"Speaking in Sacramento, Schwarzenegger argued that Californians want to hear where Democrats and Republicans stand on things like decreasing demand for fossil fuels and their position on building a wall between the United States and Mexico. He also said California voters should ask whether the candidates would pledge to help bring more federal dollars into California."
At the same event, the governor said "that it may cost California money to advance its presidential primary by four months, but that
the campaign has the potential to bring more federal dollars to the state," reports Aurelio Rojas in the Bee.
"'
We can turn $60 million into billions and billions of dollars,' the Republican governor said during the conference at a Sacramento hotel. 'It's the greatest investment California ever can make.'
"Schwarzenegger said that after ignoring California for more than three decades, and focusing on states with earlier primaries, presidential candidates will have to campaign vigorously here.
"'You should not let them come out here and give us the rhetoric,' Schwarzenegger told reporters attending the conference. 'You have to ask the tough questions and really find out if the candidates are really interested in California.'"
Speaking of dough, the Bee's Shane Goldmacher notes that "[e]ight top-ranking executives at AT&T
have given $5,000 apiece to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's campaign committee in recent weeks, just months after the governor approved a bill easing access for the telecommunications giant to California's multibillion-dollar cable market."
"None of the donors -- seven of whom reported addresses in Texas -- had previously given to Schwarzenegger.
"The executives' donations -- which total $40,000 -- will help Schwarzenegger retire the $2.4 million campaign debt left from his re-election last year, and come on the heels of a $500,000 gift by AT&T to an after-school nonprofit founded by the governor.
"'
Basically they are saying thank you very much for the bill last year,' said
Robert Stern, president of the Center for Governmental Studies."
The LAT's Duke Hefland and Patrick McGreevy report on
Antonio's road show. "When Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa travels to Washington on Monday to lobby for federal money, he won't be in any danger of feeling lonely: He's packing a gaggle of aides.
Santa Monica Mayor
Richard Bloom and Councilwoman Pam O'Connor will make the trip, too — but with just one city staff member between them. Anaheim Mayor
Curt Pringle is traveling solo.
As nearly 200 leaders around Southern California gear up for next week's Access Washington trip, some government watchers are shaking their heads at the sheer number of people traveling with Villaraigosa — seven members of his staff, plus a police security detail.
"'
Most people who travel with that much staff are addressed as Mr. President or Your Highness,' said
Kris Vosburgh, executive director of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Assn."
Villaraigosa said he would settle for either title...
"Citing fears of identity theft, Secretary of State
Debra Bowen on Thursday announced she
is shutting down part of a state Web site that made available individuals' Social Security numbers," reports the Bee's Peter Hecht.
"Bowen said in a statement that she was shutting down Web access to copies of thousands of bank lender statements and lien documents.
"Many of the Uniform Commercial Code documents contain Social Security numbers -- potential targets for identity thieves.
"Bowen's announcement came as Assemblyman
Dave Jones, D-Sacramento, announced a bill to ban California public universities and community colleges from making available documents containing Social Security numbers.
"Meanwhile, Jones charged that the secretary of state's office, which three years ago began posting certain bank lending and loan collateral statements online and selling copies for $6 each, was effectively exposing Social Security numbers for sale.
"'We live unfortunately in an age of identity fraud,' Jones said. '... It's very hard to explain to the average Californian why their government would sell these Social Security numbers over the World Wide Web.'"
"
Bay Meadows, a Bay Area horse racing fixture since 1934,
will close after fall racing ends in November, the track's president said Thursday," the Chron's Larry Stumes reports.
"Commercial and residential development of the Bay Meadows property has long been planned and was expected to eventually cause the track to close.
"For that reason, the San Mateo track sought an exemption from installing an expensive artificial racing surface. The California Horse Racing Board denied that request in a 4-2 vote at Bay Meadows on Thursday.
"'I think it means there will no longer be racing at Bay Meadows starting in 2008,' Bay Meadows track President
F. Jack Liebau said of the board vote."
"An oil and gas engineer at the state Department of Conservation
could face thousands of dollars in fines and jail time for getting too cozy with oil companies he regulated, according to a probe by the state auditor released Thursday," writes Matt Weiser in the Bee.
"The employee, whose name was withheld, allegedly concealed stock holdings in numerous oil companies, which are not named in the report.
"He also solicited donations from those companies for a charity where his wife worked, and failed to curtail his activities even after warnings from his supervisor.
"The investigation found that the employee's supervisor failed to disclose his own stock holdings in regulated oil companies, and that one of those companies paid his way to events that the employee organized for his wife's charity.
"The employee's actions "discredited" the state, according to the audit.
"'We will not tolerate this kind of behavior,' said
Sandy Cooney, spokesman for the state Resources Agency, which oversees the Department of Conservation."
Speaking of misbehaving, "The state said Thursday that its
continuing probe into improper use of public money by government employees nabbed one person living the dream of many - earning wages while commuting to work," writes Steve Geissinger in the Mercury News.
"With about 100,000 employees in the nation's most populous state to keep track of, California Auditor
Elaine Howle's staff conducts surveys year-round looking to uncover abuses.
"One of those involved a Health Services Department employee who, the bureau found, failed to subtract his daily commute time from the total work time he claimed during a four-month period he attended a training academy.
"As a result, the employee received a potential overpayment of $7,453, according to the report.
"Other cases were just as eye-opening: One boss sold his used car to his own agency for top dollar and several state departments that own rental housing were subsidizing the cost for employees.
"One personal phone-call case stood out: A woman who works for a tax collection agency spent 495 hours on the phone to friends and relatives, earning an estimated $16,000 in wages from taxpayers while on those calls."
Finally, from
the report:
"An administrator at California State University, Bakersfield (CSU Bakersfield) used his university computer to view Web sites containing pornographic material. Specifically, CSU Bakersfield found that the administrator visited pornographic Web sites on his university computer on at least three days in April and May 2003. CSU Bakersfield was unable to review the administrator's complete Internet usage because he had improperly installed a computer program that erases Internet usage history."
On that note, while you're wiping that sweat off your brow, we hereby proclaim today
"Clean Off Your Computer Day."
