Capitol Weekly takes a look at
the strange alliance that is working to repeal four recent tribal gaming compacts. "For more than three years, the Pala Band of Mission Indians and the United Auburn Indian Community have been locked in a legal struggle with racetrack owners over the validity of gaming deals the tribes signed with Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.
"But now, even as their internecine legal battle continues, the courtroom combatants have joined forces in an effort to repeal four new compacts ratified by the Legislature earlier this year.
"
The legal fight is largely motivated by one man's struggle to bring slot machines to the racetracks his company owns and operates. Terry Fancher is the managing partner of Stockbridge Capital Group, the parent company of Hollywood Park and Bay Meadows racetracks. Since September 2004, Fancher and the racetracks he runs have sought to have the Pala and Auburn compacts ruled invalid by the courts."
"
The lawsuit has been long and contentious.But now, in a relationship of convenience, forces on both sides of that legal question are fighting against the 2006 compacts signed by Schwarzenegger for some of the state's largest gaming tribes. "
CW's Malcolm Maclachlan looks at
the upcoming race between Nicole Parra and former Assemblywoman Sara Reyes.
"In the early years of Sarah Reyes' time in the Assembly, she was known as a rival to then-Assemblyman Dean Florez. By the end, she'd become a Florez ally--and seatmate to Florez's new rival, Assemblywoman Nicole Parra, D-Hanford.
"
These days, Reyes is chief of staff to her own replacement. She's also a likely 2010 opponent to Parra, as both will seek Florez's Senate seat when he's termed out, unless Florez's mother, Fran Florez, decides to seek that seat instead of Parra's 30th Assembly District seat.
"Got all that? Because it could all change on February 5 if voters approve an initiative to change term limits."
"
"I have the same kind of relationship with Dean that I have with my younger brother,' Reyes said. 'No one else gets to beat him up.'"
John Howard
breaks down the water debate. "The Special Session debate over California's water system is zeroing on the governor's revised proposal for the construction of some $10 billion worth of new dams and reservoir expansion, and a payment scheme that would lock in funding for the projects in perpetuity, say some parties to the negotiations. Thus far, there are no signs of an agreement."
"The governor's office noted that an agreement has not yet been reached, but 'negotiations are going very well,' said Schwarzenegger spokesman Aaron McLear. 'Those who are involved in the solution are saying positive things.' McLear said that the Special Session is still young, and that support for the proposal is building.
Speaker Fabian Nunez is expected to introduce his special session bills later today.
"Lt. Gov.
John Garamendi on Wednesday
called on California's higher education leaders to create a long-term strategic plan that would prepare students for the work force while making college accessible for students across all socioeconomic backgrounds," reports Judy Lin in the Bee.
The Chron's Carla Marinucci
makes the connection between butt-biting and electoral college reform.
"Until this week, Missouri attorney
Charles "Chep" Hurth III was best known for a headline-grabbing incident a decade ago in which he bit a young female law student on the butt in a bar. Now Hurth, the city attorney for New Haven, Mo. (population 1,800), is
the agent for a deep-pocketed group that donated $175,000 to fund a Republican-backed effort that would reshape the landscape of presidential politics in California.
Man, Lexis-Nexis is a bummer, isn't it Chep?
"The state's strategic plan should include technical training at community colleges, which is essential to keeping the state's economic engine running, Garamendi said during a luncheon speech at the Sacramento Press Club.
"As a University of California regent and California State University trustee, Garamendi said the notion of a free higher education has disappeared as public university systems have allowed tuition to rise year after year. He opposed another fee increase -- 10 percent at CSU and 7 percent at UC campuses -- in the 2008-09 budget.
"'In the last four years, the fees for the students at the university systems have gone up nearly 100 percent,' Garamendi said. 'That simply slams the door on lower-income students as well as our middle-income students. It cannot continue.'"
"A state panel
heard testimony Wednesday over whether computer technology can safely protect the public's right to know about campaign spending in California and also eliminate hundreds of thousands of paper pages documenting money-raising for candidates and causes," writes Peter Hecht in the Bee.
"Secretary of State
Debra Bowen and the state Fair Political Practices Commission are reviewing the state's online public access system for political finance information and considering
whether campaigns that file reports electronically can be exempted from submitting disclosure statements on paper.
"On Wednesday, attorneys for both Republican and Democratic campaigns argued that they are burdened with excessive staff costs in submitting paper copies of political spending reports under California's disclosure laws.
"But while campaign treasurers argued that the entire process can be handled electronically, they got a lecture from Ross Johnson, chairman of the FPPC, and a former lawmaker.
"
Johnson argued that the duplicate, paper copies that clog voluminous shelves and storage space at the secretary of state's office and state archives protect a fundamental right 'to make available to ordinary citizens information on who is funding political campaigns.'"
"Most companies that sell H2O hate the idea, but
the California Legislature wants to make it easier for people to find out what minerals, chemicals or bacteria are in the water they buy and whether its provenance is a well, an artesian aquifer, a spring -- mountain or otherwise -- or a municipal reservoir," reports Marc Lifsher in the Times.
"'People pay a premium for bottled and vended water because they believe it is healthier,' said state Sen.
Ellen Corbett (D-San Leandro), the author of a bill that is on Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's desk. 'But in many cases, it is the same water that is coming out of the tap.'
"The bill would impose labeling and reporting mandates on purveyors of bottled water and operators of commercial water-purification machines in California.
"The companies would, essentially, be required to do what the state compels water agencies to do, which is make details about its their products' contents and sources readily available. The water districts would do this with posts on their websites and inserts in water bills; bottlers would have to include contact and source put information on how to contact them and the source of their water on bottle their labels."
"Thousands of inmates
could soon be reassigned from Los Angeles County jails to home detention to relieve overcrowding, under legislation signed Wednesday by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger," reports Patrick McGreevy in the Times.
"'This bill provides local law enforcement with the tools to relieve severe overcrowding in county jails,' said
Bill Maile, a spokesman for the governor.
"Sheriff
Lee Baca pushed the measure to help address the criticism he has received for releasing thousands of prisoners who served only a fraction of their time behind bars.
"The new law, effective immediately, 'helps to ease overcrowding, although it's not the final answer,' said
Steve Whitmore, a spokesman for Baca. 'It's a step in the right direction.'"
"Baca has indicated he plans to order about 2,000 inmates at a time who have committed low-level offenses to be reassigned to their homes, where they will be monitored by electronic ankle bracelets."
"A Bay Area lawmaker Wednesday
called for the governor to sign bills curbing what he calls runaway salary increases and sweetheart deals for state university administrators at a time when students are paying more for tuition," reports Steve Geissinger in the Merc News.
"Sen.
Leland Yee, D-San Francisco, also released a report from the California Faculty Association - a union representing 23,000 professors in the California State University system - that he said reveals CSU executives' 'waste, fraud and abuse of taxpayer dollars.'
"Yee asked Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to sign two bills - SB 190 and AB 1413 - that were backed by Yee and Assemblyman
Anthony Portantino, D-Pasadena.
"Portantino will take a turn at promoting the bills as he releases another faculty association report attacking executives today.
"Together, Yee said, the bills 'would ensure that discussions about executive pay and perks would be held publicly and that executives could not sneak in sweetheart deals.'"
A New Hampshire man says two men
hypnotized him and then robbed him.
"Patel said the scam began with a simple mind game. The men asked him what his favorite flower was, and they opened a paper with the correct answer on it: "Rose." They then told him to think of a wild animal, and they again had written down his choice.
The scam quickly escalated to personal information involving family members and a former girlfriend.
"'They also said my wife's name that not too many people know,' Patel said. 'My mom's name, they told me. And they told me what was my future goal.'
"Patel said he believes the men were able to hypnotize him into giving them money. Surveillance tape shows him putting cash into a hollowed-out book before getting more money from the safe.
"After watching the tape, police said Patel seemed to have fallen under their sway.
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