"Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's
universal health care plan finally received a hearing in the Legislature on Wednesday – 10 months after he unveiled it amid much pomp -- and was greeted with bipartisan skepticism," writes Aurelio Rojas in the Bee.
"Assembly Speaker
Fabian Nuñez, D-Los Angeles, hailed the hearing before the Assembly Health Committee 'as an historic opportunity' to 'engage Californians in a more positive attitude about the work that we do.'
"But the six-hour hearing, which included a two-hour presentation by
Kim Belshe, Schwarzenegger's secretary for health and human services, reaffirmed that both Democrats and Republicans remain opposed to major provisions of the plan."
Other than that, what's the problem?
"Panel members expressed admiration for Belshe's command of details but disagreed with the administration about how to pay for the $14 billion plan and provide coverage for 6.7 million uninsured Californians."
"Rep.
Darrell Issa, who heavily bankrolled the petition drive that led to the 2003 recall of Gov. Gray Davis,
said yesterday he would dip into his personal fortune again to help rescue a Republican plan to change the way California's presidential electoral votes are allocated," writes John Maurelius in the Union-Tribune.
"The Vista Republican, who became a multimillionaire manufacturing and selling car alarms, would not say what his financial commitment would be, but that it would be far less than the $1.7 million he spent on the recall campaign.
"'My involvement in this is as a minor contributor and a major supporter,' Issa said.
"California awards its 55 electoral votes to the candidate who receives the most votes statewide. The initiative, which would take effect for the 2008 election if voters approve it, would award electoral votes to the winners in each of the 53 congressional districts with the other two votes going to the statewide winner."
Geroge Skelton
isn't quite ready to declare a water deal dead. But..."If this were football, it would be fourth down and long yardage with time running out, the fans pretty much resigned to losing, but the key players still not giving up. Same thing with the current Capitol games.
"
Hey, let's salute Skelton for at least keeping his sports metaphors seasonal!!
"
The year's legislative session, already in overtime, seems to be fizzling out in depressing disappointment. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Democratic legislative leaders still haven't achieved their top priorities: expanding healthcare and updating the state's waterworks.
"But these key playmakers haven't packed it in. Although the odds are poor, based on recent performance, they're still trying to fashion compromises by Thanksgiving. That's apparently the deadline to qualify a water bond for the Feb. 5 presidential primary ballot."
Orange County's sheriff is out on bail.
"Sheriff Mike Carona, the county's top law enforcement officer, sat handcuffed in a federal courtroom Wednesday and answered “yes, sir” to a judge's question of whether he understood the public corruption charges he faces," reports the OC Register's Peggy Lowe.
"With his wife to his left and his former mistress sitting behind him, Carona held his head high and kept his jaw square as a federal judge ordered him to post $20,000 bond, give up his passport, undergo a mental health review and reappear for another hearing on Monday.
"Carona, 52, was indicted by a federal grand jury last week for illegally using his elected office by taking bribes of cash and lavish gifts in exchange for favors. He allegedly accepted $350,000, a Cartier watch, lavish vacations and tickets to big sporting events. In return, he is alleged to have offered his well-heeled friends a concealed weapons permit, badges and, in one case, a “get out of jail free” card that gave the buddy free access to the department’s resources, according to the indictment unsealed Tuesday."
CW's Malcolm Maclachlan looks at
a feud amongst members of a California tribe whose gaming compact just expired, without ever getting a deal through the Legislautre.
"An internal disagreement over whether to continue the relationship with their longtime business partner is threatening to split the Los Coyotes Band of Cahuilla and Cupeño Indians.
"The tribe joined with a Detroit-based management company in 2003 as part of their effort to land a casino. After yet another setback in that effort, the tribe's longtime leader wants to sever ties with Barwest LLC and it's owner, Michael Malik. Another faction in the tribe may be on the verge of attempting to oust her, Saubel said."
CW's John Howard looks at how
a dip in new car sales can mean bad news for the state budget. "New cars have been become an unlikely piece of California's looming budget pinch.
The 2008-09 state budget, facing a hit from a softening economy and dwindling revenues, is all but certain to be squeezed from an unexpected sector of the California economy: new car buyers. California car dealers sell about 2 million new cars and light trucks each year, and the sales taxes from those transactions amount to a hefty piece of change.
"But lately it's getting dicey. New car and light-truck registrations dropped 9.3 percent through the first three quarters of 2007 compared with the year before, a dramatic decline attributed in part to credit tightening, consumer uncertainty and the stresses of an increasing number of consumers facing foreclosures. "A
dispute over state mental health funding appears headed to court following a recent decision by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to eliminate a successful $55-million program for mentally ill homeless people," report Scott Gold and Lee Romney in the Times.
"At issue is a complex provision of Proposition 63, the 1% "millionaires' tax" approved by voters in 2004 to overhaul California's troubled, historically cash-strapped mental health system.
"That ballot initiative, also called the Mental Health Services Act, was modeled largely on a $55-million program that has helped house and treat thousands of people who were mentally ill and living on the street. The program, which has served 13,000 people since 1999, has been a success. Participants spent far fewer days in hospitals and jails or on the streets than they had before enrolling.
"But Schwarzenegger cut the funding for the program in August -- perhaps the most controversial item among the $700-million worth of vetoes he delivered to break a budget impasse.
"The focus of the current dispute centers on a provision in Proposition 63 that prohibits the state from dropping below its 2004 funding levels for mental health -- funding in place when voters approved Proposition 63."
"State Sen.
Darrell Steinberg has solicited more than $1.5 million from groups that do business at the Capitol for two nonprofit causes in which he has a personal interest – including $7,500 for a program run by his brother," writes Jim Sanders in the Bee.
"State law permits such solicitations and Steinberg did not benefit financially from them, but political watchdogs say such fundraising warrants scrutiny because of the large amount and the tie to a member of his family.
"Much of Steinberg's charity fundraising consisted of a $1.5 million pledge this summer,
of which $300,000 has been received, from the Rumsey Band of Wintun Indians to help build a local museum of tolerance, state records show. Steinberg serves as president of the museum effort."
And from our
Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day Files: "
A man was arrested on Thursday after a bizarre series of events that included him crashing his car, getting shot by a homeowner, breaking a restaurant window and stripping to his underwear."Police said it all started when the man crashed his car into a pole and started banging on the door of a nearby house. After he kicked in a window, when homeowner Leroy Bruce shot him.
"Bruce said the man ran off and left his pants and other clothing behind. The bleeding suspect fled to a McDonald's and threw a rock through the front window.
Officers said when they found the man at the restaurant, he had stripped to his shirt and undershorts."
He then immediately announced his nomination for the Republican nomination for governor in 2010.
