California voters, suspicious of Sacramento and mired
in a recession, may face the governor's tough budget choices in a statewide
election by next June, reports the LA Times' Anthony York.
"Brown is holding talks with small groups of lawmakers
and influential interest groups about how to put that
decision before the public. He won't discuss his plans
publicly, but people involved in the private discussions
expect him to propose a special election after enacting
a dire austerity budget in the spring."
State Senate minority leader Bob Dutton (R-Rancho Cucamonga), who met with Brown this week, said the governor-elect told Republican senators he wants to "rip the
Band-Aid off next year" and hinted that a special election
was part of the plan."
Just how tough those choices may be was detailed Wednesday
in a major budget briefing run by Brown and attended
by top state and local officials.
From Wyatt Buchanan in the Chronicle: "Brown also warned that the state's $25.4 billion deficit might grow to $28.1 billion because of reductions in estate tax revenue,
which Congress is considering after a deal crafted
by Republicans and President Obama."
"California is facing, as you know, a very serious budget crisis
that goes back probably more than a decade, but I'm
determined to do everything that I can to get us back
on track," the incoming Democratic governor said, adding
that he wanted the forum to "set that common factual
basis on which and from which we can discuss the full
range of solutions."
Speaking of money, U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry
Reid says his online poker bill is still alive -- despite published reports in Nevada. Capitol Weekly's Malcolm Maclachlan has the story.
"In addition to pre-empting state rules, Reid’s plan would also have trumped key pieces of previous
federal legislation relating to online gambling. Those
include The Wire Act, the pre-Internet 1961 law that prohibits “betting or wagering knowingly using a wire communication
facility for the transmission in interstate or foreign
commerce of bets or wagers.” In doing so, it would end the as-yet legally unsettled debate over whether this law
bans Internet gaming."
"The bill would also end some of the provisions of
the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA), the 2006 law it purports to strengthen, by making exemptions
for horse racing bets across state lines. However,
Reid’s bill would specifically outlaw most other forms of
Internet gaming."
As the nitty-gritty of redistricting unfolds, it appears that Riverside
County will be a major victor as new political boundaries
are drawn across the state. Jim Miller of the Riversidce Press-Enterprise reports.
"Without exception, those in Inland Southern California
are bursting at the seams.Palm Springs Rep. Mary Bono Mack's 45th Congressional District, for example, has 256,000 too many people, according to the study. Hemet state Sen. Bill Emmerson's 37th Senate District has an estimated 319,000 too many people.
"Every Assembly district in the region is similarly
over-populated. The result: More seats next year."
Meanwhile, experts are increasingly skeptical that
California's fledgling high-speed rail program can really deliver what it promises
over the next decade, reports the Fresno Bee's Tim Sheehan.
"Insufficient staffing to supervise the project, an
overreliance on consultants, a murky financial plan,
uncertainty over future costs and other issues threaten
to derail the 800-mile system before the first mile of track is built,
according to a letter to state legislators from the
California High-Speed Rail Peer Review Group."
"The group, headed by former California Department
of Transportation director Will Kempton, was formed
as a requirement of Proposition 1A, the state's $9.95 billion high-speed rail bond measure approved by voters in 2008."
And finally, we turn to our "Deep Six" file to learn the story of Bob, who put his $9.95 Rolex Submariner on eBay. He bought it 52 years ago. You won't guess how much he got. Go ahead,
guess.
"This is a one-owner watch," wrote Bob, the retired neurosurgeon who
listed it on eBay, "purchased by me at the Navy Exchange on Kwajalein Atoll in 1958...."
"Someone might have
indeed scooped it up for a song, except that it started
to draw the attention
of the watch-collecting community. When Bob saw the bidding rise
above $30,000,
he was flabbergasted. "I thought it was a mistake!"
he told the
watch-enthusiast site Hodinkee.com, adding that only then
did he ask
his son for help researching the timepiece's significance
and value."
"When the bidding finally ended, three days ago, Bob
netted $66,100."
Takes a licking and keeps on ticking....
