Capitol Weekly releases it's annual partisan rankings of all 120 legislators.
"
Every political scorecard has its problems, and this
one is no exception. The selection of bills is subjective,
chosen after conversations with Capitol staff and experts,
and our own observations of big debates over the last
two years under the dome."
Meanwhile, in the real world ...
"Hoping to break a partisan logjam and prevent the Legislature
from borrowing its way out of a state spending crisis,
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger went public Wednesday with his own budget blueprint, the backbone of which is a tax hike and a large rainy-day cushion," reports Evan Halper in the Times.
"The governor made the unusual move 51 days into the fiscal year, as private talks between
him and legislative leaders appeared to be collapsing.
Typically, governors do not publicize new spending
plans after submitting their revised budgets in May.
The governor's May plan included no taxes.
"Schwarzenegger is eager to take control of the budget
process as lawmakers begin drafting borrowing plans
that the governor warns will saddle his administration
with a $9-billion shortfall next year. The governor, who prefers
the new tax to borrowing, hopes to use his popularity
with the public to pressure legislative Republicans
to break their vow to never raise taxes. He is lining
up business groups to join him.
"'This budget will not get done by taking it easy or
doing easy things,' Schwarzenegger said at a Sacramento news conference.
'This budget will only get done by making tough choices
we thought we would never make.'
"The most controversial element of the plan -- the one-cent-on-the-dollar sales tax hike -- would remain in effect for three years. After that
time, the tax would be reduced by 1 1/4 cents on the dollar, putting it below the current
rate of 7.25%. The temporary increase would not apply to diesel,
gasoline or jet fuel. The new tax would raise $4 billion this year."
But Republican leaders didn't seem impressed.
Both Sen. Dave Cogdill and Mike Villines issued statements
criticizing the governor's newly revised budget plan.
CW's John Howard looks at how the budget standoff, and possible sollution, may
impact rural counties .
"As lawmakers struggle to reach agreement on a state
budget that is 52 days overdue and counting, Dave Cox's district is representative of the financial problems
facing rural California. Like their urban counterparts,
money is tight and residents are concerned about jobs,
the quality of schools and public safety. But in sparsely
populated rural areas, the combination of vast distances,
scattered services and fragile economies magnifies
the impacts of state and federal budget problems. Ranching
and farming sustain the economies in some areas, tourism
in others. Unlike growing urban counties, rural areas
typically have a modest sales-tax base, which crimps local finances."
Capitol Weekly's Andrea Weiland marks the 20th anniversary of the FBI's raid on the Capitol. "Late one night 20 years ago, while the Assembly was in session and the
Senate had just closed up shop, several dozen strange
men quietly entered the Capitol. Dressed in black suits
and bearing search warrants, 30 FBI agents descended upon the Capitol, raided the
offices of four legislators, and blew open one of the
most sweeping public corruption scandals in the state's history.
This Sunday marks the 20th anniversary of the FBI's Capitol raid, the
climax of a two-year "sting" investigation to uncover corruption in the
California
Legislature, in which FBI agents posed as businessmen
looking for favors from legislators. The agents set
up shop at 11th and K, above what is now the Pyramid Alehouse.
"The raid on the Capitol offices was the result of an
undercover probe in which he FBI set up a network of
implausible dummy companies (such as the shrimp-processing company in West Sacramento that gave the
scandal its moniker) to attempt to catch corrupt politicians accepting
bribes. The companies wrote special-interest legislation that would benefit the companies.
Agents then went undercover as sleazy businessmen to
attempt to buy the legislators' support for the bills.
"And they succeeded. Two of the fake bills made it
all the way through the Legislature, and they might
have become law if Republican Gov. George Deukmejian,
who had been tipped off about the sting by an FBI agent
in 1986, had not vetoed them."
"California workers targeted by a gubernatorial order
to cut their pay to federal minimum wage have dodged that bullet – at least for August," reports Jim Sanders in the Bee.
"A Sacramento Superior Court judge Wednesday set a hearing
to decide the pay dispute for Sept. 12, too late to affect this month's payroll.
"Judge Timothy Frawley's timetable ensures that 145,000 state employees and an additional 30,000 managers and supervisors will receive full pay for
August."
"The Legislature is on the verge of adopting the nation's first law to control planet-warming gases by curbing sprawl. The bill, sponsored by incoming state Senate leader
Darrell Steinberg (D-Sacramento), is expected to pass the Assembly today and the Senate
on Friday," writes Margot Roosevelt in the Times.
"Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has not taken a position
on the bill, but sponsors expect him to sign it once
the state passes a budget.
"The legislation, SB 375, would offer incentives to steer public funds away
from sprawled development. The state spends about $20 billion a year on transportation, and under the new
law, projects that meet climate goals would get priority.
"An earlier version of the bill was blocked last year
by the building industry and by organizations representing
cities and counties. Developers feared their suburban
projects would be delayed or halted. Local officials
were wary of ceding zoning powers and transportation
planning to the state."
George Skelton urges the governor to sign the bill.
"The governor can think about it this way: Los Angeles would probably be a lot more livable today
if this law had been passed 50 years ago."
"Republican Assemblyman Tom Berryhill of Modesto and
Democratic Sen. Ron Calderon of Montebello have crafted legislation designed to put the screws
on metal thieves and shady recyclers," writes Aurelio Rojas in the Bee.
"Berryhill's Assembly Bill 844, which the Senate passed Wednesday, would require
people selling metals to recycling yards to provide
their thumbprint and photo identification and wait
three days before they are paid by check.
"Recyclers who fail to collect and maintain these records
would be fined $1,000 for the first offense, $2,000 for the second offense and $4,000 for the third and subsequent offenses.
"Berryhill calls metal theft an "epidemic." Across California, thieves have stolen manhole covers,
disabled streetlights by removing copper wire, and
taken guardrails from freeways."
And finally, fans of Bob Dutton and Space Invaders,
this one's for you. Gerald Clift, an intern in
Dutton's office, programmed the
following game to help the general public understand
how hard the
Senator is working to solve the state budget crisis.
Good to know someone in the Capitol is thinking creatively.
For anyone who's ever wanted to see Bob Dutton shoot missles out of
his head,
the epic time waster can be found here.
