As Democrats launched another anti-Meg Whitman radio ad, Whitman peeled off a former supporter of Steve Poizner. Meanwhile, the great GOP debate debate is apparently
over, with the state party announcing there would be
no forced debate at this spring's convention.
Steve Poizner's bad day began with an announcement
from Sam Blakeslee that he was switching his endorsement
from Poizner to Whitman. ""As the former Assembly Republican
leader, I understand the importance
of a unified team if we are going to win," Blakeslee
said in a
statement Wednesday. "A bloody primary battle is not
in the best
interest of our party. Meg is best positioned to solve
the state’s
problems and win in a competitive election against
Jerry Brown.”
Could Abel Maldonado be a way for Republicans to make
inroads with Latino voters? Malcolm Maclachlan says the party is using the Maldonado fervor to try.
"On the popular Univision show Voz y Vota (“Voice and Vote”) last
weekend, Sen. Abel Maldonado, R-Santa Maria, squared off with Asm. Tony
Mendoza, D-Artesia, over the Assembly’s rejection last week of
Maldonado’s nomination to be lieutenant governor. Mendoza, who
helped lead Democratic opposition to Maldonado, found
himself explaining why, in Spanish.
"For his part, Maldonado talked about how much it hurt
that his major opposition was coming from Latino Democrats.
"This was music to the ears of Hector Barajas, a spokesman
for the California Republican Party. The GOP has not
traditionally been very popular among Latinos, but
with the Democratic-led defeat of Maldonado, the party sees an opening,
he said."
John Howard looks at the return of the crash tax.
"A recession-spawned move to bill
out-of-area drivers for the locals’ costs of cleaning up traffic
crashes, once limited
to a handful of municipalities in California, is gaining
ground across the state. But dozens of local municipalities
and fire protection districts are levying the “crash tax,” which
typically ranges between $500 and $2,000, to replenish local coffers.
"Laws have been on the books for years allowing local
cities and governments to collect for the cost handling
accidents – and many have. The idea is that the charge – called an
accident-fee or crash tax – allows the locals to recoup lost costs
spent on handling
accidents.
"Strapped for money and shouldering the responsibility
to deal with emergencies, the locals see any way of
covering their costs as worthwhile."
Shane Goldmacher reports Darrell Steinberg promised
no more overnights in the Legislature. "Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg pledged
Wednesday that
the Legislature would no longer hold marathon all-night sessions to get
its work done. Such sessions were commonplace last
year, as lawmakers
snored and slept on the Legislature's floor, bills
were passed at all
hours of the night and the state became fodder for
late-night comedy
shows.
"I had more sleepovers last year than my 15-year-old daughter," Steinberg said in a speech at the Sacramento Press
Club.
A new University of California study extoled the virtues of medical marijuana. The LAT reports, "A report based on findings from
five separate clinical trials
testing marijuana's medicinal uses was submitted to
the Legislature on
Wednesday.
“These findings provide a strong, science-based
context in which policymakers and the public can begin
discussing the
place of cannabis in medical care," said Dr. Igor Grant, executive vice
chairman of the department of psychiatry at the UC
San Diego School of
Medicine and director of the school's Center for Medicinal
Cannabis
Research.
The research was commissioned by the Legislature 11 years ago to test
whether or not marijuana did have any medicinal value.
"The
report said there was “reasonable evidence that cannabis is a promising
treatment” for some specific, pain-related medical conditions. It also
said marijuana was helpful in reducing spasticity associated
with
multiple sclerosis."
Karen Bass made it official, as the Assembly speaker
announced her run for congress with the blessing of
Rep. Diane Watson. Jean Merl reports, "Watson, who announced last week
that she would not run for reelection
after 35 years in public office, said she was pleased to back Bass.
“I 100% -- maybe 300% -- endorse Karen Bass,” said Watson, 76, whose
Los Angeles-area 33rd Congressional District is among the most diverse
in the nation."
Bass will join Isadore Hall and other lawmakers on
the Capitol steps today to speak out against a party at UC San Diego that they
say is racist.
"The so-called Compton Cookout event urged all participants
to wear
chains, don cheap clothes and speak very loudly, the
San Diego Union-Tribune
reported. Female participants were encouraged to be
"ghetto chicks.''
and finally, Jerry Brown may be playing hard to get,
but at least Zsa Zsa Gabor's husband has declared his candidacy
for governor. "
Sporting alligator-skin cowboy boots and a bright red campaign cap,
Prince Frederic von Anhalt, a flamboyant Los Angeles
socialite and
eighth husband of Zsa Zsa Gabor, officially joined
the California
governor's race on Wednesday.
"Von Anhalt's political platform includes legalizing
marijuana and
prostitution, lifting the import ban on Cuban cigars,
then taxing them
all.
"A former Republican, von Anhalt described Whitman
as someone who
lacks innovative ideas and the "charm" required for
political success.
He had nothing but praise for Brown.
"If he announces, he's probably going to win," von
Anhalt said. "He's a tough guy – tough on crime – and he's also a gentleman."
