"Federal Receiver
J. Clark Kelso put state lawmakers on notice Monday that he could not wait long for their approval of his $7-billion plan to build healthcare facilities for prison inmates," reports Michael Rothfeld int he Times.
"Kelso, in testimony to a state Senate committee, told legislators that he wants to cooperate with them in his plan to bring state prison healthcare up to constitutional standards.
"But his firm tone underscored the receiver's power to seek permission from a federal judge to move forward if the Legislature delays.
"'I am very pressed on time,' he said. 'The federal court is anxious to get on with it.'
"U.S. District Judge
Thelton Henderson appointed Kelso in January. He has said he wants to turn around the prison healthcare system -- in which inmates wait too long for care and get poor treatment in inadequate facilities -- in three to five years.
"Lawmakers, already facing a tough budget year, reacted with dismay to Kelso's proposal, which was submitted to them by the Schwarzenegger administration on Friday."
The Bee's Andy Furillo reports on the
response to the spending proposal. "Legislators gulped hard Monday as the financial toll of future prison construction rang loud and clear.
"
Add up the interest and principal on two years' worth of prison bonds, and the annual hit on the general fund over the next 25 years would be $1.2 billion."'
It borders on the incredible,' said state Sen.
Christine Kehoe, D-San Diego, at a budget hearing on prison bonds."
But the gulping was good practice for when the May Revise is released in a few weeks.
"West Sacramento Mayor
Christopher Cabaldon got the boot Monday, but not by voters," reports Hudson Sangree in the Bee.
"He came out of a coffeehouse and found an orange device attached to the tire of his sports car.
"Cabaldon had accumulated too many unpaid parking tickets.
"It could have been worse. The incident happened in downtown Sacramento, not in the mayor's own city.
"But it also could have attracted a lot less attention.
"After Cabaldon's car was booted, who should drive by but the campaign chief for Cabaldon's political rival, Yolo County Supervisor
Mariko Yamada. Cabaldon and Yamada are competing for the 8th Assembly District seat in the June election.
And, said campaign chief
had a camera and
was happy to call News10.
Did we mention how much we love campaign season?
The Bee's Aurelio Rojas writes that the
effort to recall Jeff Denham is about more than last year's budget stalemate.
"Ostensibly, the Democratic leader's effort to unseat a Republican who was easily re-elected in 2006 stems from last year's 53-day state budget stalemate. Denham joined his GOP colleagues in voting against the spending plan.
"But beyond the bad blood over the budget, a successful recall would move Democrats, who hold a commanding 25-15 lead in the Senate, to within one vote of being able to pass a budget and raise taxes without a Republican vote.
"
'Besides pure vindictiveness, what's obvious is (Perata) is making an attempt to see if he can get a veto-proof state Senate,' said Allan Hoffenblum, editor of the California Target Book, which tracks legislative races."
Dan Weintraub writes that the governor
appears politically ambivolent on the issue of gay marriage.
"The Republican governor has always said that he believes marriage should be between a man and a woman. But he has never been adamant about his stand.
"It is simply not an issue on which he chooses to try to lead.
"Schwarzenegger's open-minded stance on the issue is exactly what seems to bother people on both sides."
Wait, are we talking about gay marriage, or tax increases?
"A measure that could force consumers to pay sales tax on downloaded music, books, ring tones, games and movies
was narrowly rejected by an Assembly panel Monday after strong opposition from companies that do business in Silicon Valley," reports Edwin Garcia in the Merc News.
"AB 1956 failed in the Revenue and Taxation Committee when Assemblywoman
Fiona Ma, D-San Francisco, voted "no" and Assemblywoman
Mary Hayashi, D-Hayward, abstained. The measure drew four votes; five were needed for passage.
"Hoping to keep his revenue-raising measure alive, Assemblyman
Charles Calderon, D-City of Industry, who chairs the committee, will be granted a "reconsideration" vote possibly as early as next week.
"Ma, though, said she would again oppose the bill.
"The measure asks the state Board of Equalization to reclassify digital downloads as "tangible personal property." That, in turn, would require companies doing business in California to charge sales tax to California residents who buy their electronic downloads."
The Chron's Tanya Schevitz
profiles UC Regents chair, and husband of Dianne Feinstein, Richard Blum.
"And he's gotten results: the imminent departure of a university president who was seen as ineffective, support for streamlining the university's bloated headquarters structure and the hiring of a new president with a strong administrative resume.
"Blum's gangbusters style, however, has ruffled some in the university community, where people are used to a softer, more collegial approach.
"Take the impending departure of UC President
Robert Dynes, who was urged to leave by Blum during a private dinner in August. Only a handful of the 26 regents knew beforehand of Blum's move to ease Dynes out.
"'It is the most important decision a board can make,' said one regent who spoke on condition of anonymity.
'It is just not the way you are supposed to run these kinds of things. This is not a corporate board. I just wish he could tackle some of these same issues with a little bit more grace.'"
From our
We Got It Wrong Files, although Karen Skelton and Steve Maviglio have been elected as Hillary Clinton delegates, they will have to pay their own way. We reported yesterday that delegates get a free ride to the convention. While they do get a hard-to-get hotel room reservation, they have to pay the bill themselves.
Alas...
Malcolm Maclachlan celebrates tax day with
a look at tax freedom day.
"For years, the conservative Tax Foundation has been trying-with some success-to get Americans to look at another day each year: Tax Freedom Day. This is the theoretical day when the "average" person has made enough to pay off all their taxes for the year and starts working for themselves instead of the government. Each year the Foundation calculates what percentage of overall income is taken up by all the income, sales, business and other taxes, and compares it to the total national income.
"This year, according to their calculations, government is taking up 31 percent of all the money Americans make. So, according to Foundation spokesman William Ahern, Tax Freedom Day comes when we're 31 percent of the way through the year, or April 23. But if you're a Californian, it comes a week later, on April 30. Only Connecticut, New Jersey and New York come later."
And in these tough economic times, it's good to see that
the San Diego City Council has given itself a 24 percent raise. The U-T's Matthew Hall reports.
"
The City Council voted to increase its own salaries yesterday – the same day the mayor presented a budget that cuts pool hours and playground inspections and eliminates 130 jobs."An aide for Mayor Jerry Sanders quickly promised a veto of the increase. But under the city charter, the council can override the veto simply by sustaining yesterday's 5-3 vote.
"The raises would increase annual council salaries 24 percent to $93,485 and mayoral pay 29 percent to $130,000. They would take effect Jan. 1, after term limits force four of the eight council members from office."
And finally, some in Congress may think
waterboarding is torture. Some in Utah apparently view it as a team-building exercise. The Washington Post's Karl Vick reports, "No one really disputes that Chad Hudgens was waterboarded outside a Provo office park last May 29, right before lunch, by his boss.
"
There is also general agreement that Hudgens volunteered for the 'team-building exercise,' that he lay on his back with his head downhill, and that co-workers knelt on either side of him, pinning the young sales rep down while their supervisor poured water from a gallon jug over his nose and mouth.
"And it's widely acknowledged that the supervisor,
Joshua Christopherson, then told the assembled sales team, whose numbers had been lagging: 'You saw how hard Chad fought for air right there. I want you to go back inside and fight that hard to make sales.'
"'
I don't know if this would even be an issue if it weren't for Guantanamo Bay,' said company lawyer George Brunt. "But look at the damage it did to America's reputation,' Brunt pointed out. 'And it's going to hurt our image."
Uh, good point?
"The victim, in his defense, said '
Keep in mind, the last time we did a team-building exercise outside, we did an egg toss.'"
