"Using her connections with Barack Obama's campaign, Assembly Speaker Karen Bass made a whirlwind trip Tuesday to urge members of Congress
and the next administration to craft an economic stimulus
package that will ease California's financial distress.
"'It was like a reunion,' said Bass, who co-chaired Obama's California campaign, after meeting with members of
the president-elect's transition team. 'There was a big emphasis on infrastructure spending,
which is critical to our state.'
"Obama and congressional Democrats are planning a massive
stimulus bill, worth $500 billion or more, designed for quick passage in January.
The goal is to get money out quickly to "shovel-ready" projects such as road and bridge repair, school construction
and clean technology.
"Bass met with several House members, including Rep.
Barbara Lee, an Oakland Democrat on the Appropriations Committee,
and Sen.
Dianne Feinstein's staff. This week Capitol Hill is preoccupied with
the auto industry bailout, which carried some irony
for Bass.
"'We're trying to raise the issue of the states to the level
of individual industries,' Bass told reporters. 'Our state is poised to go off a cliff in the next few
weeks.'"
Before also heading off to D.C., Mike Villines stopped by the Bee's Capitol Bureau.
"With California's budget crisis worsening, Assembly Republican leader
Mike Villines said Tuesday that his members would consider revenue increases only if Democrats
capitulate to wide-ranging demands that they bitterly oppose," reports Jim Sanders in the Bee.
"Villines said agreement first must be reached on a
strict spending cap, permanent budget cuts, and, to
bolster business, an economic stimulus package that
would make changes in environmental regulations and
labor laws."
Shane Goldmacher posts the demands, which is the length of a four-year-old's wish list for Santa.
"Even if a deal were struck on those issues, Republicans
could not commit now to support a tax increase – only to discuss revenue-generating options in response to the projected two-year, $27.8 billion shortfall, Villines said.
"'If you do all those things, then of course we have
to talk about that piece of the puzzle,' Villines said of revenue increases. 'But we're a long way from going there – and the cart shouldn't go before the horse.'"
"Villines released a list of nearly two dozen labor,
regulatory and environmental-law changes sought by the GOP.
"The list includes proposals to increase flexibility
in work schedules to reduce overtime payments, increase
contracting for state services, simplify rules on workplace
meal and rest breaks, loosen deadlines for greenhouse
gas regulations, and provide various tax credits to
stimulate business.
"Villines said the GOP's plan to cut about $11 billion from the current budget would affect schools,
prisons, Medi-Cal, welfare, in-home support services and other fast-growing programs.
"'It's going to be across-the-board,' he said."
Shane Goldmacher reports on Capitol Alert:
"Art Torres, the chair of the California Democratic Party, is building support to become the next vice-chairman of California's stem cell agency.
"Torres, a former Democratic lawmaker who has served
as chairman of the state party since 1996, has been nominated for the post by state Treasurer
Bill Lockyer, Lt. Gov. John Garamendi and State Controller
John Chiang, all Democrats.
"Lockyer argued Torres "represents the best our state has to offer" in his nomination letter.
"'I'm very interested,' Torres said of the job. 'At this point, I think it's a good transition for me to go back to my public
policy roots.'
"The post comes with a salary range of $180,000 to $332,000, according to CIRM documents."
That always makes the transition a little easier.
"Authorities say a former Assembly speaker's son charged with murder is out of a San Diego jail on bail," reports the AP.
"Shana Richardson, a processor at the San Diego Central
Jail, says 19-year-old Esteban Nunez posted bail at about 5 p.m. Tuesday, just a few hours after a judge had halved
his bail amount from $2 million to $1 million.
"Nunez, charged with the murder of a college student
in San Diego, is the son of former Assembly Speaker
Fabian Nunez.
"Nunez and three other defendants, all from Sacramento,
pleaded not guilty last week to murder in the death
of student Luis Santos."
The Chron's Zach Coile runs down the Californians in line for potential cabinet posts.
"Obama is expected to name his energy and environment
team as early
as late this week, and two Northern California officials
are candidates
for key posts: Rep. Mike Thompson, D-St. Helena, is being considered
for interior secretary, while California Air Resources
Board Chairwoman
Mary Nichols is on Obama's short list to be Environmental Protection
Agency administrator.
"Two Bay Area residents are being eyed by Obama for
Energy secretary:
Steven Chu, a Nobel laureate in physics who heads the Lawrence
Berkeley
National Laboratory, and Dan Reicher, a former assistant energy
secretary in the Clinton administration who now directs
the Google.org
foundation's energy and climate change initiatives.
"Rep. Xavier Becerra, a Los Angeles Democrat, met with Obama in
Chicago last week to discuss the U.S. trade representative
job. After
Commerce Secretary-designate Bill Richardson, Becerra could be the
highest-profile Latino named to Obama's Cabinet. He's seen as so likely
to get the job that there's already a scramble in the House over who
may replace him as vice chairman of the Democratic
caucus.
"California officials also believe that Rep. Jane Harman, D-Venice
(Los Angeles County), a former chairwoman of the House Intelligence
Committee, has a good chance of capturing a top intelligence
job in the
new administration, possibly as CIA director."
"California's Mary Nichols has an idea for how Washington can respond to global
warming: Start with the Environmental Protection Agency," writes Rob Hotakainen in the Bee.
"Nichols, the head of the California Air Resources Board,
has a big interest in whether that happens. She's believed to be one of two finalists – along with Lisa Jackson of New Jersey – to head the agency for President-elect Barack Obama.
"An announcement is expected this week in Chicago, when
Obama names his environmental team.
"If Nichols gets the post, she would add to California's growing clout in crafting a national response to
global warming. As powerful committee chairs, California
Democratic Sen. Barbara Boxer and Democratic Rep. Henry Waxman of Los Angeles are already positioned to take leading
roles when the new Congress begins tackling the issue
in January.
"If Nichols loses out, it could be a result of geographic
considerations. While officials with Obama's transition team have not given any public indication
of who will be chosen, some environmental groups say
that Jackson may have the upper hand because she would
help balance California's power."
Closer to home, John Howard reports a fight to lead a state environmental panel is coming
to a head today. "The California Coastal Commission is poised to select
a new chairman, culminating a behind-the-scenes struggle that insiders believe has come down
to two principal contenders -- William Burke and Bonnie Neely.
"Burke, who has tried before and failed to become chairman,
has been waging an aggressive campaign for the job.
Burke, the former owner of the Los Angeles Marathon,
currently is chairman of another major regulatory panel,
the Southern California Air Quality Management District.
"But observers familiar with the issue said that the
board members appear to be resisting a Burke chairmanship
and favor Neely of Eureka, although they noted that
a dark-horse candidate could emerge at the last minute. Those
include Commissioner Mary Shallenberger, a Stanford-trained former planner at the Air Resources Board and
a Senate environmental consultant.
"Crime victims in California are getting less financial help from a state victim
compensation fund, and too much is spent on administering the program,
according to a state audit released Tuesday," reports Patrick McGreevy in the Times.
"The amount of victim compensation payments fell from
$123.9 million in the 2001-02 fiscal year to $61.6 million four years later -- a 50% decline.
"The payments last year were $81.2 million, still below the amount paid seven years ago,
according to California Auditor Elaine Howle's report.
"'Despite the significant decline in payments, the costs
the board incurs to support the program have increased,' Howle wrote in a letter to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.
'These costs -- ranging from 26 percent to 42 percent annually -- account for a significant portion of Restitution Fund
disbursements.'"
"Nearly 400 city employees will lose their jobs in February as
part of $71 million in cuts announced Tuesday by Mayor Gavin Newsom," reports the Chron.
"The mayor's plan also includes $17 million in cuts to public health, affecting programs
that help the mentally ill and homeless people. A separate
proposal from Board of Supervisors President Aaron Peskin suggests an additional $8.5 million in possible cuts, including $3.9 million from the Fire Department budget.
"Employees losing their jobs will be told on Friday
but will work until February. An additional 313 vacant positions will be eliminated. The city currently
employs about 28,000 workers.
"The budget cuts are part of a $118 million proposal from the mayor to bridge an expected
shortfall of up to $125 million for the current fiscal year. The savings plan
will also take a bite out of next year's projected deficit of $575.6 million."
The LAT's Jason Song and Howard Blume report:
"The Los Angeles Board of Education voted Tuesday to pay at least $517,500 to buy out Supt. David L. Brewer midway through his four-year contract to run the nation's second-largest school system.
"No successor was named, but board members and other
civic leaders have said they expect that the No. 2 administrator, Ramon C. Cortines, will be offered the job at least on an interim basis.
"Brewer, 62, said he would stay at the helm of the Los Angeles
Unified School District through the end of the month.
"Cortines, a retired superintendent who joined the district
in April, declined to comment on who would succeed
Brewer, saying he intends to focus on his current job.
"'I came here to help,' he said. 'I'm still here to help.' But he added that board members need to clarify leadership
roles quickly because of the current massive budget
crisis: 'I've made it clear. With the kind of budget issues we
are facing and the change of superintendents, everything
we can do to have stability in this system is very
important.'"
Meanwhile, Capitol Weekly reports a signature-gathering gaffe has brought an early end to a fight
for LA school board. "The latest battle in the fight between Los Angeles’ teachers union and City Hall was aborted before it
began yesterday, as Villaraigosa’s candidate for Los Angeles school board failed to
qualify for the ballot.
Ben Austin, who had secured the endorsements of Los
Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and downtown power
players like Eli Broad, missed the ballot when his
signature gatherer collected signatures for the wrong
school board district.
“It’s fairly heartbreaking,” Austin said. “I really believe we can change things, and this is
just heartbreaking.”
And you knew it was only a matter of time. "For sale: One Senate seat. Goes to the highest BLEEP-ing bidder.
Seller's positive feedback rating: since Tuesday, just about zero."
Outraged by the arrest of Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, more than a dozen people have put the state's vacant Senate seat up for bid on eBay.
"The
offers popped up on the Internet auction site after
Blagojevich was
accused Tuesday of trying to benefit financially from
his power to
appoint a Senate replacement to President-elect Barack Obama."
The events of Tuesday sort of make California lawmakers
look downright statesmanlike, don't they?
