"Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and seven other governors vowed Sunday to press the Bush administration, Congress and the presidential candidates
to commit more federal spending to upgrade the nation's roads and bridges," reports Frank Davies in the Merc News.
"They plan to lobby Bush officials and members of Congress today as the National Governors Association holds a conference in Washington. The governors will meet with President Bush this morning in the White House and will call for infrastructure spending to be part of any new economic stimulus package.
"Schwarzenegger, a Republican, and Gov.
Ed Rendell, a Pennsylvania Democrat, last month formed a bipartisan coalition called Building America's Future, along with New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, an independent. Citing crumbling roads nationwide and last year's bridge collapse in Minneapolis, the group seeks a big boost in spending on such projects.
"The governors cited a study by the American Society of Civil Engineers that said $1.6 trillion should be spent over five years to fix the nation's roads. The study found that 71 percent of California's roads are in poor or mediocre condition.
"'
We are going to ask the federal government, we are going to inspire them, we are going to force them to rebuild our infrastructure,' Schwarzenegger said."
"[W]ith his health care expansion on the rocks and the state facing a multibillion-dollar budget gap next year, Schwarzenegger
has proposed a plan to make most enrollees of state-sponsored medical care fill out more eligibility paperwork as a means of saving money - a move that critics say is insidious," writes Tom Chorneau in the Chron.
"Administration officials expect the rule will result in 122,000 people being dropped from the rolls next year, saving the state $92 million - money that the governor's staff has already counted against the state's deficit.
"The plan calls for about 4.5 million of the 6.5 million enrollees of the Medi-Cal program to file eligibility forms with the state four times a year. Under existing law, children, some disabled people and pregnant women must reapply once a year, while parents are required to report twice annually."
The Bee's Jim Sanders checks in on the
wooing for speaker votes.
"Assemblyman
Mark Leno, D-San Francisco, said that choosing a favorite among Democratic colleagues can be awkward but rewarding, particularly if you commit early to the eventual winner.
"'It's like buying stock,' he quipped. 'If you buy low, the returns are greater.'
Charles "Calderon tried a different tack, dropping off a bouquet of yellow roses to female Democratic colleagues on the eve of Valentine's Day.
"'
If I can't have your heart, I'll settle for your vote,' said a note accompanying the flowers. 'Please be mine, Chuck Calderon.'
Fiona "Ma, a protege of former Senate President Pro Tem
John Burton, sent colleagues what amounts to a two-page resume, with a political twist.
"'
Since California was founded, the Assembly has never had a Democratic woman as its speaker, and I believe that time has finally come,' she wrote.
Anthony "Portantino issued a formal press release to announce his candidacy and vow -- in Schwarzenegger-like fashion -- to 'move California forward.'
Alberto "Torrico is padding his prospects with promises of reform, including proposals to alter term limits in a way that would not benefit himself and strip the Legislature of authority to draw its own political districts."
Meanwhile, Dan Walters
looks at the other consequence of the failure of Prop. 93--competitive elections. "While the leadership shuffle is the most public manifestation of Proposition 93's rejection, it will also result in a broader shake-up in the Legislature this year as Nunez, Perata and Ackerman are joined by 23 other Assembly members and eight other senators being forced out of their seats.
"And while the state Republican Party and most of its political figures (except Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger) lined up against Proposition 93, its defeat, ironically, will likely bring GOP losses in the Assembly and could give Democrats a pivotal two-thirds majority in the Senate.
"As many as four GOP-held Assembly districts could shift to the Democrats this year as their incumbents depart due to term limits.
"Two of the termed-out Republicans,
Bonnie Garcia of Cathedral City and
Shirley Horton of San Diego, hold seats that were designated for Democrats in the bipartisan gerrymandering of districts in 2001 but went Republican in 2002. Both districts, however, have retained their Democratic edges in voter registration and could easily change parties.
"The other vulnerable GOP seats are now held by
Guy Houston of San Ramon and
Greg Aghazarian of Stockton. Their adjacent, commuter-heavy districts were designated for the GOP in 2001 but are now virtually tied in voter registration and could also shift to the Democrats.
"On the flip side, one of the 12 Democrat-held seats being vacated this year due to term limits, that of
Nicole Parra of Hanford, could go Republican. Parra is engaged in a long-running political feud with Sen.
Dean Florez, D-Shafter, whose mother, Fran, is running for Parra's seat. Parra has virtually endorsed the likely Republican candidate,
Danny Gilmore. But Democrats still have an eight-point registration advantage."
Speaking of competitive seats, looks like
the race to replace Nunez is getting interesting.
"A labor organizer who is also Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's cousin said Friday that he is running in the June 3 election for the legislative seat being vacated by state Assembly Speaker Fabian Nuñez," reports the LAT's David Zahinser.
"
John Perez, 38, described his plans a day after stepping down from the board of the Los Angeles Community Redevelopment Agency, where he spent two years as a mayoral appointee.
"
His candidacy quickly injected some drama into a race that also features a Nuñez aide and an aide to state Sen. Gil Cedillo. Both legislators are Democrats representing neighborhoods in and around downtown Los Angeles."
And you're never going to believe this one --
Steve Poizner may be running for governor! The Merc's Mike Zapler reports, " Now, after pivoting to the world of politics, Poizner, 51, has apparently trained his sights on a run for governor in 2010.
Political pundits say it's not a fantasy to think the moderate Republican from Los Gatos could succeed.
" As a social moderate and fiscal conservative, Poizner's challenge will be to woo the GOP's right wing in a primary election without alienating the independents and rogue Democrats he'll need to win a general election.
Toward that end,
political experts called Poizner's high-profile opposition to the recently failed term-limits initiative a political masterstroke. The move, they said, could boost his stature among Republican activists."
If there are any left after this weekend's meeting in San Francisco...
George Skelton looks at the
dysfunctional relatonship between the governor and the prison guards union, and how that will likely block any attempts at prison reform.
"There are major policy disputes between the Schwarzenegger administration, the prison guards union and lawmakers of both parties.
"
But they're a Sunday picnic compared to the poisonous atmosphere that has evolved among the prison powers at the Capitol. The pollutants include vengeance, disrespect and mistrust. It's as bad as I've ever seen on a single issue -- a program that is the state's fourth largest and gobbles up roughly $10 billion annually."
And congratulations to Los Angeles which was voted to have
the world's best tap water in a recent taste test.
"The 18th Annual Berkeley Springs International Water Tasting was held Saturday, with more than 120 waters competing for top honors.
Sparkling, tap and bottled water from 19 states and 9 foreign countries, including New Zealand, Romania, Macedonia and the Philippines, were judged by 10 journalists and food critics.
Judges based their rankings on taste, odor, mouth feel, aftertaste — and checked to make sure nothing was floating in the water."
The title for Best Municipal Water in 2008 is shared by Clearbrook, British Columbia, and the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, which serves Los Angeles."
Apparently, whether or not it was stolen from Northern California was not a factor in the contest.
