"Blasting a governor
from his own party, Assembly Republican leader Sam Blakeslee questioned
the integrity Thursday of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger
in high-stakes
water negotiations ," reports Jim Sanders.
"Blakeslee,
R-San Luis Obispo, said the governor's public pronouncements about
bipartisanship in crafting a water deal have been contradicted
by
closed-door threats from Susan Kennedy, his chief of staff.
"In
Sacramento, whether you're on the right or the left or the center,
people need to know that when you shake their hand,
you can rely upon
their word," Blakeslee said.
"Now, behind closed doors during negotiations, Susan
Kennedy
has made explicit threats that that promise is no longer
operational,"
Blakeslee said, adding that Schwarzenegger was in the
room at the time.
"I
think she was upset, frankly, because we refused to
simply capitulate
and accept the package as presented to us by Democrats," Blakeslee said.
Meanwhile, Central Valley lawmakers are starting to peel of the
federal water plan. E.J. Schultz reports, "The House on Thursday approved a bill to boost San
Francisco Bay
Area water recycling, but only after lawmakers vented
once more their
unhappiness about San Joaquin Valley irrigation shortages.
"The
$32.2 million water recycling bill enjoys widespread support.
It
provoked, though, a broader and increasingly bitter
debate in which one
GOP lawmaker invoked the late Iraqi dictator Saddam
Hussein's water
policies.
"Several San Joaquin Valley Democrats peeled off to
join
Republicans in opposition to the Bay Area measure,
as the House
approved the water recycling legislation by a largely
party line
241-173 vote. The bill funds specific projects in Contra Costa
County,
Petaluma, Redwood City and Palo Alto."
Translation: Send some of that pork our way...
Michael Rothfeld follows the pay-to-play storylin, as he combs through Schwarzenegger's political donations.
"Schwarzenegger's California Dream Team, a political committee that
supports his ballot measure campaign efforts, collected $115,000 from
donors between Sept. 8, three days before the end of the legislative
session, and Oct. 11, the deadline for him to sign and veto bills. Some
of the donors paid lobbyists to influence the governor
or the
Legislature on some of those bills.
"Those included Venoco, an oil company; the California Building
Industry Assn., the California Optometric Assn., Corinthian
Colleges, a
for-profit educational company, and the Western Manufactured
Housing
Communities Assn., which represents mobile home park
owners. The
governor took the action supported by his donors on
some bills, but not
others.
"The governor's aides say he supports a fundraising ban, but is
following the law as it stands today. In any case,
said spokeswoman
Julie Soderlund, Schwarzenegger has demonstrated independence
from
political contributors "time and time again," and makes decisions
"based on what he believes is best for the people of
California."
Steve Harmon reports East Bay legislators took the brunt of the governor's veto pen.
"Over six years,
Schwarzenegger has vetoed an average of 279 bills per year, second only
to George Deukmejian's average of 287, according to the Senate
Committee on Local Government.
"Assemblyman Alberto
Torrico, D-Newark, said he wasn't surprised by Schwarzenegger's veto of
two of his bills, given the apparent tensions between
the two. Torrico
has called Schwarzenegger out publicly for what he
has said are his
"bullying" tactics in dealing with the Legislature.
"One of
Torrico's bills, AB1049, would have added the state Safely Surrendered
Baby Fund to the state income tax return form's voluntary contributions
section. Schwarzenegger had previously signed nine
similar such
checkoff bills, but said simply, in his veto message,
"I have reviewed
the merits of this bill ... I do not believe it is
necessary to sign
this bill at this time."
"Another Torrico bill, AB1270, would have
made it easier for victims to receive compensation
from the Victim's
Compensation and Government Claims Board in a timely
manner.
"It really shows how mean-spirited this governor is, that he couldn't put our differences aside," Torrico said.
And finally, the Daily Breeze says goodbye to former legislator Bob Beverly.
"He wasn't fond of press conferences and didn't mind bucking the party line.
"Friends
and former colleagues say Robert Beverly, one of the
South Bay's
longest-serving state legislators, epitomized the way politics
in
Sacramento used to be: functional, moderate, well-respected.
"He was just a class act," said Los Angeles County
Supervisor Don Knabe, a longtime friend. "If he told you he was going
to do something, you knew it would get done."
Beverly, a Republican who served in the Legislature
for
nearly 30 years, died Wednesday morning of Parkinson's disease. He was
84.
