Nancy Vogel takes a look at
the governor's deals with Indian tribes. "A barrage of television ads says that the gambling expansion compacts on Tuesday's ballot would pump $9 billion into the state's empty coffers and help avert a tax increase.
"But it would take decades for the state to get that kind of money from the agreements reached with four Southern California Indian tribes -- and there's no guarantee it would ever happen.
"The compacts dictate that the state get at least $3 billion from the four tribes' casino business over the next 22 years. Whether it gets more depends on how much, and how quickly, the tribes expand their casinos and whether their customers keep new slot machines busy."
For a minute, we thought the LA Times was just running reruns, what with the writers strike and all. But just because the story had a familiar headline, "
Nuñez's spending is questioned," doesn't mean the story wasn't new.
"Assembly Speaker
Fabian Nuñez, who drew heavy criticism last fall for using campaign funds for world travel and luxury purchases, continued to spend thousands of dollars on airfare and gifts in the last six months, according to financial reports made public Thursday.
"The reports show the Los Angeles Democrat spent $20,916 on Delta Airlines, $2,701 at Falconhead boot company, $579 for a "meeting" at a wine bar, and $4,074 at Nordstrom, Macy's and Williams-Sonoma stores between July 1 and the end of December."
But Jim Sanders reports, "Assembly Speaker Fabian
Núñez has passed a state audit of campaign record-keeping covering nearly $6 million in donations.
"Auditors from the Franchise Tax Board found that Núñez's record-keeping 'substantially complied' with state requirements during the period examined, from 2004 through 2006."
The LAT's Richard Paddock looks into the
complex strategy the Democratic presidential candidates face in winning delegates in Tuesday's primary. Since delegates are allocated by congressional district and the number of delegates within a district varies from three to six, not all districts were created equal.
"In one peculiarity of the process, a candidate who wins by a big margin in one district could end up with fewer delegates than a candidate who wins by a narrow margin in another.
"For example, in a district with four delegates, a candidate who wins 62% of the vote would get two delegates -- so would a candidate who wins 38% of the vote.
"But in a district with three delegates, a candidate who wins 50.1% of the vote would get two delegates, and a second-place finisher with 49.9% of the vote would get one."In practical terms, this means that congressional districts with three or five delegates offer candidates a shot at a bonus -- the chance to pick up an extra delegate with a low margin of victory. The chance of picking up extra delegates in districts with four or six delegates is lower."
Okay, we take back what we've said about those overpaid political consultants.
And what couldn't get done at the state level
might become law in Los Angeles.
"The council today takes up a proposed ordinance that
would require pet owners to spay or neuter their dogs and cats at the age of 4 months or older.
"If it passes -- and it has a good chance of doing so -- the measure would make Los Angeles the largest municipality in the country with a mandatory sterilization law."
Meanwhile, Shane Goldmacher is
looking toward 2010. "California Attorney General
Jerry Brown may well run for governor in 2010. But you wouldn't know it by his fundraising in 2007. In fact, he barely raised any campaign funds at all, collecting only eight donations all year. His campaign account, which had more than $800,000 left over from his 2006 run, earned more in interest than in new contributions, according to the annual campaign filings made public Thursday. He ended the year with $851,000 in the bank."
Add to the long list of awards we didn't win:
sexiest people in Sacramento. OK, so maybe we don't have "round bases" or "blown deadlines" worthy of double entendres, but really,
who does?That's OK. We're probably not going to win the
Hannah Montana karaoke contest in Tustin this weekend, either.
