Hopes of a deal on the state budget in time for the scheduled summer recess are dwindling, as the rhetoric between the parties increases, reports E.J. Schultz in the Bee.
"In separate interviews this week, Assembly Speaker
Fabian Núñez accused Republicans of having a 'lackadaisical attitude' about reaching a deal while Assembly Republican leader
Mike Villines shot back that '
Fabian is frustrated he can't get everything he wants.'
"Deals can come together relatively quickly in the Legislature, and both sides are still talking. But at this point -- nearly two weeks past the start of the fiscal year -- there are few signs of a breakthrough as the two parties fight over about $2 billion in spending that Republicans want cut.
"Things took a turn for the worse Monday when, by most accounts, a meeting among legislative leaders and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger went very badly. Legislative Democrats
advanced their plan on Wednesday to provide health care for millions of uninsured Californians while admitting it remains a rough draft, setting up summer negotiations with Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger," reports Kevin Yamamura in the Bee.
"The Senate Health Committee approved Assembly Bill 8, which would require employers to devote 7.5 percent of payroll to health care or contribute to a state-run insurance plan. The concept has drawn sharp criticism from businesses and general support from consumers and labor, though nearly every group wanted amendments of varying degrees Wednesday.
"Assembly Speaker
Fabian Núñez, the bill's author, and Senate President Pro Tem
Don Perata back AB 8 as a joint Democratic solution to the state's rising health care costs and growing number of uninsured. Their plan would provide health care to an additional 3.4 million Californians.
Capitol Weekly's John Howard reports on
Jerry Brown's fundraising. "State Attorney General Jerry Brown is a former governor and an
author of the landmark California law that created the state's political watchdog. He's also proficient in tapping into a little-known form of political contributions in which well-heeled donors give unlimited amounts to charitable and nonprofit groups of the politician's choice.
"'I don't think that just because someone runs for office that they give up their charitable responsibilities or lose a part of their citizenship,' Brown says.
Since January 1, Brown has directed 'behested payment' donations totaling $900,000 to two entities:
the Oakland Military Institute, a charter-school military academy that he founded in 2001, and the Oakland School for the Arts, which he helped establish the year before. Both target Oakland's underserved and minority communities.
"As mayor of Oakland, the creation of the Oakland military school became a top priority for Brown. His strong support for charter schools rankled local teachers' unions and other Oakland activists ...
State law limits the amount of money an individual or group can give to Brown directly. But there are no limits on contributions made to the military institute of school for the arts, even if those payments come at Brown's request."
CW's Daniel Macht makes
the connection between Dungeons and Dragons and Debra Bowen. "If Florida 2000 was the year of pregnant and hanging chads, California 2008 could be known as the year Joe Six-Pack meets a 10-sided die--a la Dungeons & Dragons, the fantasy role-playing game. The idea is that rolling dice is an easy and efficient way to prove to citizens that precincts chosen for post-election audits are truly random.
"
The D&D recommendation is one of a few scenarios that academics recommended to a new working group formed by Secretary of State Debra Bowen last month to re-examine the state's 40-year-old post-election audit law."
"A prominent Latino businessman from Los Angeles
has resigned as Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's appointments czar after only five months on the job," reports Andrew McIntosh in the Bee.
"
Ricardo Sarmiento, 36, quit his $133,728-a-year job last week, Schwarzenegger spokesman Aaron McLear confirmed Wednesday.
"Sarmiento told The Bee in an e-mail that he resigned because he and his wife are expecting their first child "in the coming weeks."
"'I am sure you understand that this is quite an important and busy time for us, which requires nothing but my undivided attention,' Sarmiento wrote. 'While I truly enjoyed working for the governor's office, this is a personal decision to be close to my family.'"
"A
bill to require Californians to spay or neuter their pets or face stiff fines was pulled from consideration for this year by its author Wednesday after it ran into strong objections from members of a state Senate panel," writes Patrick McGreevy in the Times.
"Assemblyman
Lloyd Levine (D-Van Nuys) said he hopes to resurrect the idea in January.
"Levine said he would consider amending the legislation, as suggested by a member of the Senate committee, to limit a proposed $500 fine to owners whose unaltered dogs and cats are picked up while running loose by animal control officers or are discovered at homes during investigations into other violations.
"'I think we can get to a solution,' Levine told the Senate Local Government Committee and an overflow crowd at a Capitol hearing room. 'But the first thing opponents must do is to acknowledge that there is a problem and work with me to solve it.'"
"The troubled lottery
has run out of time to change state law by a court-ordered deadline aimed at ensuring participation in multistate lotto is fair to education, officials said Wednesday," reports Steve Geissinger in the Contra Costa Times.
"The lottery's bill making the needed change -- extension of California's prize-claim period to match 11 other Mega Millions states -- remained stalled on the eve of Friday's deadline.
"Experts said the situation leaves only avenues of a plea for more time or an administrative fix that might not satisfy the judge.
"Lottery spokesman
Rob McAndrews refused to comment Wednesday on the agency's intentions, saying only that it would respond to the order with something other than legislation by its Friday deadline."
CW's Malcolm Maclachlan reports on
the GOP's strategy on crime bills. "Republicans don't win a lot of votes in the California Senate, but they have a clear strategy when key public-safety votes come up:
mobilize victim's rights groups and a target moderate Democrats.
"This strategy has failed so far this year when it came to appointments requiring only a majority vote. But it worked last month when they were able to pick up three Democratic votes and deny a $75,000 payment to a man they claim is a rapist.
"The payment was one of 176 payments, amounting to a total of $215.8 million, to people owed money by the state contained within SB 242 by Appropriations Committee chairman
Tom Torlakson, D-Antioch. That was this year's version of a bill generally carried by the Approps chairperson to approve outstanding payments to various citizens for reimbursements, contract payments and unclaimed checks.
"GOP senators, led by Jeff Denham, R-Merced, chose to fight a $75,000 payment to one
David Allen Jones. In 1995, Jones was convicted in of three homicides and a rape in Los Angeles. In 2004, Jones was cleared of the murder charges when DNA evidence pointed to another suspect. At that point, he's served almost nine years--746 days longer than called for under his rape conviction. He asked for a fairly standard compensation of $100 per day of wrongful imprisonment.
"Jones later was granted a retrial on the rape conviction, and his conviction was voided when the victim died of unrelated causes before the retrial could occur. But based on testimony that he committed both the rape he was convicted for and several others, GOP senators said Jones is very likely a rapist--an assessment that Torlakson said is likely true."
From our
Always Worse in the Movies file: "A man using a portable toilet at Pismo Beach Pier got a jolt when a sports utility vehicle
struck it and pushed it 10 feet, police said.
"
David Fear, 56, of Grover Beach was momentarily knocked unconscious when the SUV accidentally backed into a curb and the toilet, police said.
"The driver, Terrance Sterling, 17, put his car in reverse instead of drive.
"'You could hear the scooting of a porta-potty on the ground,' said police Sgt.
Steve Weir. 'The guy inside bumped his head.'"
Next time, Mr. Fear should selectively choose Japanese public toilets instead. "Envelopes
containing 10,000 yen ($82) bills and well-wishing notes have been discovered in municipal toilets across Japan, media reports said, baffling civil servants and triggering a nationwide hunt.
"Local media have estimated that over two million yen ($16,400) worth of bills were found at men's rooms in city halls in at least 15 prefectures (states) in recent weeks.
"Each package of 10,000-yen bills, some wrapped in traditional Japanese washi paper, was accompanied by handwritten letters that read '
Please make use of this money for your self-enrichment,' and 'One per person,' according to reports."
