Jerry Brown, for the third time, will be sworn in as
governor of California -- a moment steeped in history, irony and expectation.
He is likely to offer a mixed message of hope and pain
about the state's dismal finances and uncertain future, and his proposed budget cuts will be wide and deep.
From the Bee's Kevin Yamamura: "The broad set of budget cuts that
Gov.-elect Jerry Brown will
propose in the coming days would touch nearly all Californians,
eliminating
local redevelopment agencies, shrinking social service benefits, shuttering
parks and reducing library hours, according to a source
familiar with his
budget proposal."
"Brown, to be sworn in this morning, wants to slash
virtually every state-funded program to help balance California's massive
deficit, in many cases resurrecting cuts sought by
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger
but rejected by lawmakers. Brown would restrict Medi-Cal access, divert
low-level offenders to county jails and
cut deeply into California
State University and the University of
California."
On Sunday night, Brown attended a reunion on the Delta King of people who
served during his first two terms as governor, from
1975 to 1983. The Bee's David Siders tells the tale.
"Brown said he will talk in his inaugural address about
ancestors who came to California from
across the plains, suggesting their experiences could
put in perspective California's present difficulties, including a budget deficit estimated to be as much as $28 billion
over 18 months."
"When people talk about the tough choices up
ahead," Brown said, "I want to remind them about the
people who came
here when things were really tough."
Speaking of tough times ahead, Brown's chances of pushing
his agenda through may never be greater than during his first 100 days in office, a honeymoon period for an incoming
administration. The LA Times' Anthony York takes a look.
"As Jerry Brown takes the oath of office Monday for his third term
as California governor, he will begin a 100-day sprint that could determine the future success
of his administration."
"The first 100 days for a governor — often described as the honeymoon period — can set the tone for his entire tenure. It will be
particularly true for Brown, who has been clear that
he wants to leverage the political capital he has as
a relatively new governor — he first served from 1975 to 1983 — into decisive action on the state's fiscal crisis."
An array of new environmental laws are on the books, targeting everything from toxics to carbon emissions,
reports The LA Times' Margot Roosevelt.
"The state's brutal recession and high unemployment
were
cited by businesses fighting increased regulation over
the past year. With
industry lobbyists outnumbering environmental lobbyists
in Sacramento
by 10 to 1, according to the California League of Conservation Voters,
"Opportunistic polluters saw the 2010 legislative session as their best
shot ... but [environmental advocates] fended off the worst attacks."
"In its annual report on legislative results, the league
noted that several of environmentalists' high-priority bills were vetoed by
outgoing Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, including measures
for a "polluter
pays" fee on pesticide producers, for expanded recycling
in businesses and
apartment buildings, for green jobs training in clean
technology and energy
efficiency, and for a fund to help low-income communities adapt to climate
change.
Schwarzenegger, the league said, "signed the
no-brainers."
Meanwhile, as he was leaving office, Gov. Schwarzenegger partially commuted the prison sentence of Esteban
Nunez, the son of former Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez, reports Capitol Weekly's John Howard.
"The younger Nunez was one of three young men charged
in a
knife fight near San Diego State University in October
2008, in which Luis Dos
Santos was stabbed to death. The man who wielded the
knife in the fatal attack,
Ryan Jett, entered a plea agreement with prosecutors
and was sentenced to state
prison."
"Esteban Nunez wielded a knife that injured another
participant in the fight. He
pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter with the use
of a knife, and assault
with a deadly weapon."
And now we turn to our "Show Me the Money" file to learn the tale of the Spanish lottery winner
who accidentally threw away his winning ticket -- worth about $12 million. This is when you need your sense of humor.
"After a desperate search of his home and with hope
running out, Mr Gonzalez ran out to his neighborhood
rubbish dumpster."
"Without thinking about it for two seconds and in
front of stunned passers-by, he dumped over the container" and began
rifling through its contents, newspaper ABC wrote in an account of
the incident."
"Mixed in with the dumpster, Mr Gonzalez finally found
the
winning tickets, no worse for wear. He and his friends collected a little more than 600,000
euros (about $780,000) each in winnings."
Vaya con Dios, muchacho...
