"California residents overwhelmingly oppose Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's idea to tap the state lottery to close a $15 billion state budget deficit and believe the state is heading in the wrong direction,
according to a new poll," reports Mike Zapler in the Merc News.
"The survey conducted recently by the Public Policy Institute
of California contains grim news for the governor and legislators,
whose approval ratings are declining along with the
state's fiscal fortunes.
"'People are worried,' said institute president Mark Baldassare, 'and they want something to be done.'
"Schwarzenegger last week proposed a plan that would,
in essence, borrow $15 billion from Wall Street investors and pay back the
money over 30 years with profits from an expanded lottery. Arguing
that the lottery is an "under-performing asset" - its annual per capita sales are about half the national
average - the governor wants to ask voters in November to loosen
restrictions on the types of games and prize payouts
the state is currently allowed to offer.
"If voters rejected the idea, a temporary 1-cent sales tax would automatically kick in.
"But to hear poll respondents, Schwarzenegger got it
backward. Only 33 percent favored the lottery plan, while 58 percent opposed it. By contrast, 54 percent approved of the sales tax backup plan, while
41 percent opposed it.
"Baldassare said one possible explanation for that is
that Schwarzenegger told voters four years ago that
he was finished asking them to borrow money to fix
the budget and "now we're talking about borrowing again to deal with deficits."
In the survey, voters were split over the idea of a
generic tax increase.
Do you think tax increases should be included in the
governor's budget plan?
Yes: 48%
No: 40%
Don't know: 6%
George Skelton thinks the voters will swallow a tax increase, but
it'll take the governor's leadership .
"Californians will listen and can be sold. But there
needs to be a credible salesman who believes in the
product. From Sacramento, that must be the governor."
Dan Walters writes:
"The new PPIC poll indicates that the plan will be a
hard, and perhaps impossible, sell not only in the
ideologically polarized Legislature but among voters
as well, since just 35 percent of those surveyed by PPIC endorsed it.
"The perpetually optimistic Schwarzenegger says those
poor numbers don't bother him, citing instances in which he was able
to turn around polls on ballot measures. But, characteristically,
he doesn't mention the other times he lost badly in ballot battles."
PPIC also asked about the ballot measures:
Proposition 98 (rent control/eminent domain):
Yes: 30%
No: 48%
Don't know: 22%
Proposition 99 (eminent domain)
Yes: 44%
No: 36%
Don't know: 20%
"State legislators killed a plan Wednesday to ban legislative pay raises
in lean fiscal years," reports Kevin Yamamura in the Bee.
To the surprise of whom?
"The Senate Rules Committee decision came hours after
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger called the proposal a "good idea."
"The proposed ballot measure by Sen. Abel Maldonado, R-Santa Maria, would have prohibited raises for legislators
and constitutional officers when the state faces an
operating deficit. Maldonado portrayed Senate Constitutional
Amendment 23 as a symbolic move as lawmakers consider cuts to social
services and other state programs.
"Some senators saw the plan as unnecessary because the
independent California Citizens Compensation Commission
already can freeze salaries each year. They said the
proposal may deter qualified legislative candidates
from seeking office because the $116,208 salary could be seen as uncompetitive with private-sector pay.
"Sen. Jim Battin, R-Palm Desert, said using the deficit to guide raises
could lead to poor public policy. He said lawmakers
would be tempted to pass a tax increase to stave off
a deficit and receive a pay raise.
"Sen. Gil Cedillo, D-Los Angeles, said lawmakers do not receive a pension,
and another pay restriction would be further disincentive
to serve."
"Former Assembly Speaker Fabian Núñez, saying he now can speak more openly, is blasting accusations that he spent lavishly on overseas
trips and retail purchases as racially motivated," writes the Bee's Jim Sanders.
"Núñez, who is termed out of the Assembly in December,
lashed out Saturday during an interview on Spanish-language television.
"The Los Angeles Democrat said he has no regrets over
his spending of campaign funds, despite controversy
over tens of thousands of dollars spent on high-priced hotels, wine, gifts and other purchases.
"'Everyone's done it like this,' Núñez said of previous legislative leaders. 'The difference is there are some in politics who want
to judge me in a certain manner.'
"'Because of the fact I am Mexican, they think I have
to sleep under a cactus and eat from taco stands.'"
Whoa, there. How long has he been wanting to say that?
“CW’s Malcolm Maclachlan reports on the medical marijuana bills moving through the Legislature.
“California’s ongoing revolt against the federal ban on medical
marijuana is moving forward with a pair of bills from
Assembly Democrats.
"AB 2743 from Lori Saldana, D-San Diego, now sits in the Assembly Appropriations
Committee. It would instruct local governments and
law enforcement agencies to “not assist in federal raids, arrests, investigations,
or prosecutions” of medical marijuana patients or providers.
“Meanwhile, Assemblyman Mark Leno, D-San Francisco, pulled his AB 2279 from a floor vote on Monday due to absence of a pair
of key Democratic supporters. This bill would bar employers
from firing workers for valid use of medical marijuana
under state law. Leno said he would bring the bill
back to the floor in the next few days.
“Both bills are strongly opposed by several law enforcement
agencies. Lobbyist and attorney John Lovell represents
the California Narcotics Officers, Peace Officers and
Police Chiefs Associations. He characterized these
agencies as being in opposition not only to these particular
bills but the entire system of pot clubs and dispensaries
created when voters approved Proposition 215 in 1996."
CW’s Nick Brokaw chats with the Lite Gov, who all but declares his candidacy for governor.
“'I think I’m in a very good position. I’m well known across the state and have a lot of support,
so when the time comes for a campaign, I know how to
campaign statewide. If you take a look at what’s going on here with the budget and other issues, [California needs] somebody that knows how to be a leader—how to lead on the critical issues and not duck and
let things fester as they have for far too long.'”
"Reversing itself, a Senate panel voted yesterday to restore funding for a team of slot-machine inspectors who represent a leading edge of the state's effort to establish an independent presence in California's Indian casinos," reports Michael Gardner in the U-T.
"The Assembly is expected to follow suit next week,
but the state's gambling commission has not quelled all tribal opposition
to the slot-testing operation.
"The commission, backed by the Schwarzenegger administration,
says random slot inspections are a critical component
of a much broader regulatory effort that the state
is attempting to develop.
“'I'm not saying tribal gaming agencies do not do a good
job. They do,' said Steve Giorgi, the commission's executive director. 'But you have to have that arm's length where you need the outside regulators to come
in.'"
"Jumping ahead of state and federal regulators, the
Bay Area air quality district became the first in the nation on Wednesday to impose
fees on businesses that pump some of the highest levels
of carbon dioxide into the air each year," reports the Chron's Kelly Zito.
"The 15-1 vote by the Bay Area Air Quality Management District
sets the stage for 2,500 companies and agencies - from supermarkets to gas stations to power plants
- to pay 4.4 cents for every metric ton of carbon dioxide they
expel, beginning July 1. The top 10 companies combined would pay more than $820,000. The fee for a large share of businesses would be
less than $1.
"The district took the historic step as federal and
state officials mull how and when to reduce the gases
that many scientists blame for pushing up the Earth's temperatures and changing weather patterns. As much
as the regulation will create a framework for pursuing
the biggest carbon polluters in the region, it also
provided a chance for the district to make a statement
on the speed with which its counterparts in Sacramento
and Washington are tackling the problem.
"'Someone needs to take a first step, and we're running out of time, when you look at the bay rising
3 feet by 2100 and the devastating effects of climate change,' said San Mateo County Supervisor Jerry Hill, the air district chairman. 'This is a more expensive proposition if we do nothing.'"
"An effort to streamline state contracting and perhaps
save taxpayers money has backfired , leaving a legal dispute – and a big unpaid bill," reports Andrew McIntosh in the Bee.
"A New Mexico consulting firm was hired to help California
state managers improve the terms under which they buy
goods and sign contracts. But the consulting contract
has been axed and the Department of General Services
is refusing to pay the firm's $225,731 bill.
"Calling the cancellation of its contract "arbitrary and capricious," Santa Fe-based consulting firm Burger, Carroll & Associates Inc. is fighting back: It has filed a civil lawsuit against the Department
of General Services, the state's procurement arm.
"The canceled contract and lawsuit are the latest blows
to the governor's attempts to improve state contracting and purchasing.
"Under an initiative it called "strategic sourcing," the Schwarzenegger administration attempted to use
the state's purchasing might to leverage better deals for frequently
bought items, ranging from office supplies to police
cars. Yet the effort has had mixed success because
it forced some departments to pay higher prices for
goods under its new strategic sourcing deals than they
paid for the same items under old contracts."
"Six months after it was announced, a plan by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to help struggling
California homeowners appears to have had limited impact
on preventing foreclosures," reports Jim Wasserman in the Bee.
"A key reason: Things were a lot worse than anticipated.
"Ten lenders and loan servicers that manage more than
half the state's subprime loans reported modifying about 24,000 loans during the first quarter of 2008. Nearly 11,600 more borrowers were offered temporary relief from
payments.
"Lenders who joined Schwarzenegger's agreement last November – at the time the nation's first – also said they refinanced 10,831 borrowers into new loans, while 8,400 borrowers managed to catch up with their payments.
"Foreclosures, nonetheless, remained stubbornly persistent
and rose sharply in California during the same quarter.
"More than 47,000 households surrendered their keys to banks during
the period, a 49 percent jump from the previous quarter, according
to DataQuick Information Systems, a La Jolla-based researcher.
"State officials acknowledge that changes in the mortgage
market have overshadowed an agreement forged in a different
environment. Federal proposals for government-backed mortgages to aid refinancings are seen now as
a bigger weapon against foreclosures."
And CW’s gossip column speculates on the ongoing chatter about the Democratic Assembly race
in the San Fernando Valley.
"Latinos have long wanted a congressional seat in Howard
Berman’s neighborhood, a traditionally Jewish part of Los
Angeles which has become increasingly Latino over the
last 15 years. The grassy knoll theorists surmise Bob Blumenfield’s support from Felipe Fuentes, Alex Padilla and others
is part of a plan to get that Latino Congressional
seat in the Valley, a move that may come at the expense
of incumbent Brad Sherman. But that’s not until 2012. And that may a little early to think about, even
for us”
And if you missed this story yesterday, you’ve gotta hear the amazing tale of Yosuke the parrot.
"When Yosuke the parrot flew out of his cage and got
lost, he did exactly what he had been taught — recite his name and address to a stranger willing
to help.
"Police rescued the African grey parrot two weeks ago
from a neighbor's roof in the city of Nagareyama, near Tokyo. After
spending a night at the station, he was transferred
to a nearby veterinary hospital while police searched
for clues, local policeman Shinjiro Uemura said.
"He kept mum with the cops, but began chatting after
a few days with the vet.
"'I'm Mr. Yosuke Nakamura,' the bird told the veterinarian, according to Uemura.
The parrot also provided his full home address, down
to the street number, and even entertained the hospital
staff by singing songs.
“But Yosuke apparently wasn't keen on opening up to police officials.
"'I tried to be friendly and talked to him, but he completely
ignored me,' Uemura said."
Now, that’s a well-trained bird…
