"The state Legislature, in a special session to tackle the state's fiscal crisis, today
is expected to approve nearly $1 billion worth of budget cuts and payment deferrals for the current fiscal year in an effort to help close California's gaping budget deficit," reports Matthew Yi in the Chron.
"The cuts, which will affect spending through June, are expected to have minimal impact on current public services including K-12 education, which makes up the largest chunk of the proposed budget decrease at $507 million.
"Savings in the education budget come from the state's withholding of unspent funds in the past two years from wide-ranging programs such as after-school child care and teacher training. Other cuts include delays in cost-of-living adjustments on some welfare payments, deferring the appointments of judges and reducing the spending of many state agencies.
"The package of bills that lawmakers will consider also include additional cuts worth $1.2 billion for the next fiscal year with a decrease in Medi-Cal reimbursements making up the largest portion.
"Assembly Speaker
Fabian Nuņez, D-Los Angeles, said cuts for the current year are aimed at solving the immediate danger of the state running out of cash.
"'
I know a lot of people are not happy (about this) ... but what's coming in the (upcoming) budget year will be some devastating cuts,' he said."
Dan Walters writes that the Legislature
didn't accept the governor's deepest cuts, which will cause more pain next year.
The Merc News's Mike Zapler writes that Senator
Joe Simitian lost his chairmanship of the Senate Environmental Quality Committee after pushing for deeper education cuts.
Don "Perata, an Oakland Democrat, and fellow Democrats had agreed to a current-year cut of $506 million, using unspent money they said schools were not depending on. Simitian argued, in essence, that lawmakers should try to lower the benchmark for next year's guaranteed funding by an additional $400 million - or at least leave flexibility to do so in the coming months.
"Although Simitian was arguing for fiscal prudence, the committee's chairwoman,
Denise Ducheny, D-Chula Vista, said his approach would result in a bigger cut in school funding next year than Democrats were prepared to make at this point."
Simitian will have more time to push for his
bill to require climate change to be covered in school curriculum.
Meanwhile, "New rules imposed by the Fair Political Practices Commission
will force politicians to publicly explain how meals, gifts and out-of-state travel paid for with campaign money are connected to political or governmental business," report Nancy Vogel and Patrick McGreevy in the Times.
"The panel's unanimous vote comes four months after The Times revealed that Assembly Speaker
Fabian Nuņez (D-Los Angeles) spent tens of thousands of dollars from special interests and other political donors on overseas travel, meals, wine and high-end retail goods with no obvious connection to his official duties. The new regulations will take effect for campaign expenditures after July 1."
Also at the FPPC, the Commission
has tallied the increase in independent expenditures since campaign finance reform was approved in 2000.
The Merc News's Steve Geissinger writes: "The report by the state Fair Political Practices Commission specifically examined the use and impact of independent expenditure campaigns, which are allowed to receive unlimited amounts of contributions but are not coordinated with candidates.
Labor unions and Indian tribes have been especially active donors."The idea is that the money is spent on behalf of a candidate, but not under the candidate's direction, though some have questioned whether that's really the case.
"
The report revealed the amount of money such campaigns spent on legislative races surged from $376,000 in 2000 to $23.5 million in 2006. Over that same period, statewide candidates - such as those running for governor - saw indirect donations soar from $526,000 in 2002 to $29.5 million in 2006."'The astounding increase in independent expenditures benefiting candidates for state office is clearly thwarting the will of the people to limit campaign spending," said FPPC Commission Chairman
Ross Johnson."
"Los Angeles County Supervisor
Yvonne B. Burke, who nearly two years ago announced she would retire from one of the region's most powerful elected positions,
endorsed Los Angeles City Councilman Bernard C. Parks on Thursday in the hotly contested race to succeed her," reports the LAT's Jean-Paul Renaud.
"The veteran politician's endorsement of Parks, whom she called "dedicated and thorough," comes as the former Los Angeles police chief competes with state Sen.
Mark Ridley-Thomas (D-Los Angeles), who has the backing of the powerful Los Angeles County Federation of Labor."
"As California's highest court prepares to take up a case seeking to legalize same-sex marriage,
two groups that failed to get gay-marriage bans on the state ballot two years ago are trying again, one with backing from a prominent Christian conservative organization," reports Lisa Leff for AP.
"The groups, ProtectMarriage.com and VoteYesMarriage.com, have filed ballot language with the California secretary of state that would, if approved by voters, amend the California Constitution to limit marriage to one man and one woman regardless of how the Supreme Court rules.
"They have until late April to gather signatures from 694,354 voters to qualify the measures for the November election and have begun circulating petitions, fundraising and recruiting volunteers through churches.
"The Supreme Court will hear arguments March 4 in four cases brought by 15 same-sex couples, the city of San Francisco and a gay-rights group challenging state laws limiting marriage to opposite-sex couples."
And from our
Going Out With a Bang Files, retiring Assemblywoman Nicole Parra came
awful close to endorsing a Republican to succeed her. The Fresno Bee's Jim Boren writes, "Parra, D-Hanford,
spoke glowingly of Republican Danny Gilmore during an interview this morning with KMJ radio's Ray Appleton. It appeared to me that she was endorsing her former Republican opponent for her 30th Assembly District seat.
She didn't say the word "endorse," but she came very close to saying Gilmore should be the next Assembly member in the 30th."
Did we mention that Gilmore is running against
Dean Florez's mother?
Has Britney been reaching out to Arnold? CBS reports, "Britney Spears is desperate for California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's help in her ongoing custody battle, according to reports.
"Britney says her civil rights have been violated and she wants to talk to Arnold about it.
"She wants the governor to look into why she can't get an attorney. Sam was chewing on his dinner while he was saying all this into the phone.
"He wanted Schwarzenegger to call him, and he said he'd hand Britney the phone."
This was the same manager who was allegedly
drugging Spears and brainwashing her, right?
