Matier and Ross promised us a deal today, but as of last night, legislative leaders were still
talking about a budget deal.
"The state's most powerful politicians negotiated privately for several hours Sunday in their latest attempt to reduce California's record $40 billion budget deficit," writes Edwin Garcia in the Merc News.
"But once again, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and the
top legislative leaders failed to come to an agreement,
or if they did, they weren't saying.
"'We are working to get a budget,' was the only comment Senate President Pro Tem
Darrell Steinberg made as he headed into the afternoon meeting.
"
The group met for about two hours; Schwarzenegger left early to attend a commitment out
of state.
"It's no longer uncommon for negotiators to meet on weekends
or after hours, but this latest round came amid speculation
from some legislators that a budget vote was on the
agenda for this week.
"
A vote has not been announced, and leaders refused
to answer questions about whether progress was being
made in the meetings."
Although no progress was reported yesterday, Darrell
Steinberg has hinted at a vote on Tuesday or Wednesday.
The Chron's Matthew Yi runs down the options.
"Drill: Democrats, who control both houses of the Legislature,
may put up a plan they favor for a vote even though
it's unlikely any Republicans would support it. This has
been done in the past and never resulted in anything
passing, which is why it's called a drill.
"Pass and dash: Remember the summer of 2007, when the Assembly passed a budget, sent it over to
the Senate and left for their summer break?"
Can we just take a safety?
"The problem was that while Assembly Democrats garnered
just enough Republican votes to approve the plan in
the lower house of the Legislature, Senate Democrats
had no such luck with their GOP counterparts in the
upper house."
"Senate Republicans held out for over a month and finally
decided to vote for the budget after Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger
agreed to $700 million worth of cuts.
"Deal: Schwarzenegger and legislative leaders strike a compromise
and lawmakers approve the plan.
"No deal: Which gets us to back to square one."
The Chron's Carla Marinucci previews a DiFi-free gubernatorial race, including the fact that, as a kid, Gavin Newsom sat on Jerry Brown's lap.
And yet, now Newsom is ready to run against Santa Claus...
"The sharp contrast between the Gen X mayor and the
state attorney general - one of the so-called "Silent Generation" of Americans born between 1923 and 1943 who predate Baby Boomers- is reflected in the two men's appeal, agendas and their comfort with technology.
"Newsom, who has staked his claim to the 35-and-under millennial generation with his green and tech-savvy agenda, has already declared his intention to
run. Brown, a two-term California governor, a former secretary of state,
a three-time Democratic presidential candidate and former mayor
of Oakland - is widely expected to follow suit.
"Other leading Democrats who may become a factor: U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, who has refused to count herself out, Lt. Gov. John Garamendi and Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, rumored to be considering a run.
"'This will no doubt be the first governor's race in California history - if not nationally - where one candidate sat on the other candidate's lap as a little kid,' crows Newsom political consultant Garry South, who argues that the generational differences - in outlook, in voter outreach and in political themes
- will become critical to the race."
Actually in the recall, we're not too sure that at least one candidate didn't sit in Mary Carey's lap, but we digress...
The Bee's Buzz reports:
"San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom isn't yet an official candidate for governor in 2010. But the 41-year-old mayor already boasts of 25,000 friends on Facebook and 50,000 e-mail subscribers. And he's out to add to the numbers with eight town hall-style campaign stops planned across California in the
next few weeks. First stops will be Tuesday in San
Jose, Thursday in Stockton."
"Some California lawmakers haven't let the state's financial calamity keep them from enjoying the good
life; they've been using campaign cash for first-class travel abroad, expensive dinners, salon makeovers
and visits to luxurious spas," report Patrick McGreevy and Eric Bailey in the Times.
"Spending reports filed with the state covering the
last three months show:
"* Several lawmakers checked into the Fairmont Hotel
on Maui on donors' dimes two days after the start of an emergency session
on the budget in November.
"* The lead state senator on budget issues joined colleagues
who left the fiscal crisis behind to go to India, where
they toured the Taj Mahal and stayed at a Four Seasons
and other luxury hotels.
"* The former state Senate leader used campaign donations
to pay $2,163 in membership fees to an exclusive Northern California
social club.
"'It's so stomach-turning,' said Doug Heller, executive director of the nonprofit
Consumer Watchdog. 'There should be a self-imposed prohibition on living the political high life
when California's budget is in such disarray.'"
Will somebody get Doug some Tums?
Willie Brown says junkets are the key to stimulating the economy.
"How about this uproar over Wells Fargo and its
supposed junket
for execs to Las Vegas? I have a stake in this - I do my banking at
Wells - but I have to say, they got a bad rap on the whole
deal," Brown writes.
"It wasn't just high-flying execs who were going to Vegas. My teller
was going as a reward for his years of work. Now he
gets nothing.
"And what about the hotel workers, the waiters and everyone
else who
stood to make money off the party? Now they get nothing,
too.
"It's time to put an end to all of this nonsense about
these events.
Of course it's about spending money, maybe even government money.
But
isn't that what this whole stimulus package is about?
"An empty hotel, whether it's in Vegas or San Francisco, means
people aren't working. And we are supposed to be putting people
back to
work."
George Skelton offers a prescription to fixing California's fiscal woes.
"Lower the vote requirement for a budget to 55%. That's still a supermajority, but one that's practical given California's increasing diversity of people and interests represented
in Sacramento. A budget then would need 44 votes in the Assembly and 22 in the Senate, rather than 54 and 27. Democrats normally could handle that by themselves.
"Also drop the two-thirds vote requirement for taxes to 55%, with one caveat: All the new revenue must be used to help balance a
status-quo budget -- not a penny for spending increases above inflation
and population growth.
"If they still don't pass a budget by the July 1 start of the new fiscal year, the lollygagging lawmakers
forfeit their pay and per diem for every day the spending
plan is late. For most, that would be a hard hit. Legislators
make $116,208 a year; house leaders get $133,639. Per diem is $173 tax-free each day -- even weekends -- while the Legislature is in session.
"Sever the governor's pay, too, although Schwarzenegger is so wealthy he
doesn't take his $212,179 salary. He does, however, mooch off special interests
for Sacramento lodging, as have previous governors.
That's because California doesn't provide an official governor's residence. Pretty tacky."
"Former state Assemblywoman Bonnie Garcia is ending her Senate campaign — and ending our hopes for more colorful times in Sacramento," writes Erica Solvig and Jake Henshaw for the Desert
Sun.
"The Cathedral City Republican, a recent appointee to
the Unemployment Insurance Appeals Board, told The
Desert Sun that she is closing her 40th Senate campaign. Instead, she said she'll “be a catalyst for change as a private citizen.”
"'I like my life,' Garcia said of her post-Assembly days. 'I decided that my six years in office was a wonderful
and exciting experience.
"'I believe that I already had an opportunity to serve.
It's other people's turn.'"
By serving, she's not referencing that $128,000 job on the Unemployment Appeals Board the governor
recently gave her.
"Even before being replaced by Assemblyman Manuel Perez in November, Garcia had been looking at Democratic
Sen. Denise Ducheny's seat. The district spans San Diego, Riverside and
Imperial counties and includes parts of the Coachella
Valley.
"Assemblywoman Mary Salas, a Democrat, and former Republican Assemblywoman Shirley Horton are also running."
"UC Berkeley officials have acknowledged misleading the public in the controversial case of a high-paid executive aide who left her job at the university's headquarters and the next day began a new job on
the Cal campus - qualifying for a $100,202 severance check along the way," reports Jim Doyle in the Chron.
"In November, when the severance payment became public,
The Chronicle asked for an explanation of how Linda Morris Williams could get a buyout for leaving her $200,400-a-year headquarters job in Oakland and starting her new
job paying the same salary in the office of UC Berkeley
Chancellor Robert Birgeneau.
"Williams and UC Berkeley spokesman Dan Mogulof released a statement suggesting that the Berkeley
job opportunity had developed coincidentally after
she had applied for the buyout.
"'At the time of my Voluntary Separation Program application,
the associate chancellor position on the Berkeley campus
was not open and therefore played no role whatsoever
in my decision making,' Williams said at the time.
"A review of documents and e-mails obtained under the state Public Records Act showed
Williams was well aware of the UC Berkeley job when
she filed for the buyout on Jan. 22, 2008 - including talks with Birgeneau."
And finally, from our Stop! Hammer Time Files, "A burglar who left behind the sledgehammer that
he used to break into
cars - a sledgehammer with his name on it - is behind bars, South San
Francisco police said Friday.
"Officer Mindy Lopez, investigating a report of two
car burglaries,
found a sledgehammer inside one of the cars. On it
was written, 'Jerry
O'Grady,' police said. Lopez found that O'Grady was on probation,
searched his San Bruno home and found stolen items,
police said."
