Well, the Assembly returns today from it's month-long recess, and the Senate from it's whatever it was doing. And whatever else may or may not happen today, the Gods of the World Wide Internet have deceided yet again to smile upon us to help us bring you this Roundup.
"Verbal donnybrooks from California's budget impasse
have set a tense stage for a four-week frenzy in which legislators will decide the fate of more than 800 bills on issues ranging from health care to low-flush toilets," writes Jim Sanders in the Bee.
"As millions in state bills go unpaid and pressures mount for passage of a state spending plan, lawmakers returning to the Capitol today after weeks of summer recess face a mountain of other key issues as well.
"
Decisions on political blockbusters ranging from expanding health care for millions of uninsured Californians to granting marriage-like rights to live-in couples must be made before legislators adjourn Sept. 14 to avoid being shelved for the year.
"'The hope is that even though it has been a difficult budget, legislators still are concentrating on solving problems, rather than gridlock,' said
Adam Mendelsohn, communications director for Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. 'I don't think it's too late.'"
For what, exactly?
Sen.
Don Perata doesn't intend to move bills until the budget is complete.
"'
No committees will meet, no bills will get through until we have a budget,' spokeswoman
Alicia Trost said.
"Committee agendas will be published on the Senate Web site but canceled each day that a budget pact is not reached.
"By contrast, Assembly Speaker
Fabian Núñez plans a 'business as usual' approach until budget negotiations produce at least one additional GOP vote in the Senate, which would break the current impasse."
"We're going to hold hearings and move bills forward," spokesman Steve Maviglio said. "There is no advantage to allowing the whole Democratic agenda and the work of the Legislature to be held up because of the failure of one Republican senator to have a conscience on the budget."
Steve Geissinger catches up with
Nuñez, who says the coming weeks are a political mystery. "All this could lead to a frenzied race through a mountain of unfinished business that includes another vote on gay marriage, the politically sensitive issue of revamping how political boundaries are drawn and a controversial bill to create a sentencing commission.
"'
It's a very unique situation where legislation is being held hostage and we don't have a lot of time,' said Assembly Speaker Fabian Nuñez, D-Los Angeles. "The Democrats and the Republicans need to be focusing on several important issues beyond the budget. '
We could set a new record as the first Legislature to hold up an entire legislative session.'"
The LAT's Evan Halper writes: "Scores of people who run nursing homes, medical clinics, day-care centers and other facilities
complain of being gouged by lenders while they wait to receive their state payments. The fees quickly add up to thousands of dollars, and it will come out of their own pockets."
"Late budgets happen almost every year in California. But while many hospitals, community colleges and other large institutions that rely on state money have prearranged credit to fall back on until state funding resumes, most state contractors have smaller facilities that must rely on local lenders.
"This year's budget impasse crept up on contractors. The umbrella organizations that represent them in Sacramento had signaled that a prolonged deadlock was unlikely, because the spending sought by Democrats was nearly identical to that proposed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.
"But in a surprise move, Senate Republicans refused to approve a spending plan until certain environmental regulations were rolled back. The standoff is now 50 days old.
"Checks to contractors have stopped. Many say they received a frosty response from their bankers."
After all, it's a great time to borrow money.
Meanwhile, the Student Aid Commission
can't send aid checks to students starting school this week. "The Student Aid Commission administers financial aid to hundreds of thousands of California's college students. This year, the commission is projected to release $809 million to more than 266,000 Cal Grant recipients and another $6 million to more than 1,600 former foster youths under a program known as the Chafee Grant. The commission also administers other grants.
"We are bound by the budget so we cannot issue any money," said commission spokesman Tom Mays. "Once the budget is passed, we will make every effort to expedite that cycle of the award money."
"
Paul Browning, a spokesman for the California State University system, said campuses are being urged to figure out ways to help students expecting grants. At least one, California State University, Chico, has decided to float the grant money to recipients until the money is reimbursed by the state.
"'This is going to be an accounting nightmare for the campuses as they work to figure out which students need the funds the most, and how to direct funds to them,' Browning said. 'It will take months to clean it all up.'
"While some colleges like the University of California are planning to front students cash,
many private higher education institutions and the California community college system say they lack the resources to fill in the gap."
George Skelton writes that this impasse demonstrates
why it's time to ditch the two-thirds vote requirement for the budget.
The U-T's Ed Mendel says this year's stalemate has
a lot of people talking about reforming the budget process.
"The state has entered the new fiscal year that begins July 1 without a budget 16 times in the past two decades – twice going into early September before a budget was signed.
"'I think that everyone now has come to the conclusion, all the leaders, that we must work – as soon as the budget is over – work on a system that allows us to have a budget on time,' Schwarzenegger said.
"The governor said former
President Clinton told him that when he was governor of Arkansas, there were
lists of prearranged spending cuts to keep the budget in balance when revenue fell.
"
Schwarzenegger mentioned another possible change certain to be controversial: 'A simple majority to pass the budget rather than a two-thirds vote, maybe that's the solution.”'
This year, something new could be happening. The governor and legislative leaders are talking about meeting after a budget is enacted to discuss an overhaul of the process.
"With no end in sight, California's budget impasse
is threatening to derail Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's top legislative priority -- universal health care," reports Aurelio Rojas in the Bee.
"But some health care advocates remain optimistic that the governor's proposal to expand health care for children -- perhaps through opening more clinics in elementary schools -- might have a chance.
"'It seems a no-brainer that the very least that we should be able to get accomplished is to cover all the kids, because it's so widely supported in diverse communities,' said
Kristen Golden Testa, director of the California health program for the advocacy group Children's Partnership."
However, the Administration isn't interested in a children-only plan.
"
Kim Belshé, Schwarzenegger's secretary for health and human services, dismissed such talk and said the governor remains 'committed to comprehensive health care reform.'
"'
The folks who advocate a particular piece of health care reform are people who believe that if comprehensive reform doesn't pass, their piece can,' Belshé said."
LAT's Tim Reiterman pens a strange Sunday
ode to Jerry Brown, and sits down with the AG and his wife.
For us budget watchers, the money quote is buried in the middle of a paragraph toward the end of the story. "
Brown said he is optimistic he will settle his suit against San Bernardino County alleging that its long-term growth blueprint fails to adequately assess the effects of increased greenhouse gases."
Somebody tell
Dick Ackerman...
As for the rest of the story, it's a happy tale of how Jerry Brown, true believer, is a hands-on attorney general. And that, apparently, is a good thing.
"A former high school debater and Yale Law School graduate,
Brown hashes out issues so expansively that his wife at times intervenes to focus on key questions. Employees say decision-making often is slower than during Lockyer's tenure.
"'On issues he explores, it does take longer,' acknowledged
Jim Humes, Brown's chief deputy. 'But
decisions are better. . . . He challenges staff recommendations more than Lockyer. This is a guy who wants to make his own decisions and not rubber-stamp things.'
Matier and Ross write: "One thing departing University of California President
Robert Dynes won't have to worry about is money.
"It turns out that Dynes -- who was nudged out as UC's top dog after a string of embarrassing stories about the university's liberal pay and perk packages for top managers -- is in for a few goodbye goodies himself.
"Goodie No. 1: A year off with pay.
"Dynes, 64, says he plans to return to teaching physics -- presumably at UC San Diego, where he used to be a professor and chancellor and where his new wife works as a lawyer.
"Under his contract, if Dynes does go back to the classroom,
first he will be entitled to a full year's paid leave to brush up on his studies. UC spokesman
Brad Hayward said Dynes plans to take the leave,
during which he will be paid his $405,000 president's salary.
"Goodie No. 2: Now that he has to vacate the UC-provided president's mansion in Kensington, Dynes -- like all senior administrators -- is eligible for a low-interest home loan to help him relocate. Hayward said it's uncertain whether Dynes will take advantage of the benefit."
And it looks like
Red Bull can do more than give you wings, reports the AP. "A man whose
heart stopped after he consumed eight Red Bull energy drinks in five hours has called for an overhaul of the product's warning labels.
"Matthew Penbross, 28, collapsed after downing the popular drinks, each containing 80 milligrams of caffeine, last Sunday. His heart stopped and he needed defibrillation from ambulance officers.
"He said
warning labels on the products should be revamped to alert people that excessive consumption could lead to death. Labels currently warn against consuming more than two cans, or 1.5 bottles a day, without describing the consequences."
