Jerry Brown acknowledged that his wife did, in fact, yell at Bob Dutton during budget negotiations, but the governor said the GOP leader was a windbag who had gabbled along for 45 minutes. Dutton, the governor noted, deserved it.
From David Siders in the Sacramento Bee: ""If you were talking to Robert Dutton, you
would have yelled at him, too," Brown said on NBC 4's "News
Conference," taped Saturday. "The fact is that he was filibustering
for 45 minutes. Now, I understand that's his right, and I was listening. But my
wife, you know, is from business. She's not used to the games and antics of
politicians."
"Brown said, "Quite frankly, you know, I think she
has some level of impatience with that kind of nonsense."
"The Democratic governor told reporters Friday that he
would consider signing a budget that includes immediate tax extensions subject
to a later vote. The measure would still require two Republican votes in each
house. Brown, who failed to secure that level of support for a June ballot
measure, said he believes pressure from law enforcement leaders in Republicans'
districts could change their minds."
The governor spent the weekend in on the road in Southern California, making his case to extend current taxes in order to help balance the state's books. Wyatt Buchanan in the Chronicle tells the tale.
"Brown took his message - that a failure to act will have
dire consequences for public safety and other issues dear to voters - to a pair
of public events on the turf of two important Republican state senators, the
Senate Republican Leader Bob Dutton of Rancho Cucamonga (San Bernardino County)
and Sen. Tom Harman, R-Huntington Beach (Orange County).
"Harman was one of only a few GOP members to personally
negotiate with the governor on a budget compromise before the talks broke down
last month."
"Throughout the weekend, local Republican officials stood
with Brown as he made his case for an election on continuing current tax rates
in order to close the remainder of California's $15.4 billion deficit. Even
some who are opposed to the idea of continuing the taxes - along with other
parts of the governor's budget plan - said they wanted the opportunity to vote."
Sepaking of budget shortages, public pensions aren't the cause of them -- not by a long shot, notes the LA Times' George Skelton.
"Here are the dollar data on the state's pension costs:
For the next fiscal year, pension payments out of the $85-billion general fund
are slated to total $3.7 billion. Of that, $2.4 billion is earmarked for state
employees (CalPERS). The other $1.3 billion is for teachers (CalSTRS). An
additional $1.8-billion payment to CalPERS will come from special funds that
don't figure in the deficit."
"The projected general fund deficit, after roughly $11
billion in spending cuts and funding shifts last month, is $15.4 billion."
"So, hypothetically, even if the governor and Legislature
eliminated all payments to the state and teacher pension funds, they still
would face a budget deficit of nearly $12 billion. And, of course, that's not a
realistic scenario. They're not going to completely stiff public employees and
provide them with no retirement benefits at all."
In Orange County, the Children and Families Commission is filing suit to block Brown's proposed cuts to the First 5 program. Tracy Wood in the Voice of OC has the story.
"The suit's premise is that it is illegal to take the
money from Orange County programs, and a total of $1 billion statewide, because
the source of the funds is the First 5 program, which was created by voters in
1998 specifically to aid children from birth until age five."
"But in case the lawsuit doesn't succeed, commission
members have begun discussing how to shave a variety of programs that provide
health and wellness care for children during their first years of life."
"The Children and Families Commission is going to
have to reinvent itself over the next 30 days," said Supervisor Bill
Campbell, chairman of the Children and Families Commission.
The First 5 program uses funds generated by a 50-cent per
pack tax on cigarettes that voters approved when they passed Proposition 10.
Voters reaffirmed the program two years ago when they rejected a plan by
then-Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to use the money to offset the deficit.
Schwarzenegger unsuccessfully tried again last year to take millions from the
program."
One of the hottest political issues in L.A. is a proposal to build a downtown football stadium. Among the many hurdles -- traffic, cost, feasibility, etc -- is one that many people hadn't thought of -- approval by both city and county governments. The LAT's Rich Connell tells the tale.
"In a political twist few
officials appear to have anticipated, the proposed downtown National Football League stadium
could require an approval from the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, not
just officials at City Hall."
"A Times review of records spanning nearly half a
century of financial and development issues involving the Los Angeles
Convention Center, where the stadium would be built, shows that the county
board has had to consider and vote on a range of city proposals involving the
complex. That is because since Mayor Sam Yorty's era, the two governments have
been bound by a joint powers agreement created for construction and operation
of the Convention Center."
"The firm behind the stadium proposal, Anschutz Entertainment Group, has a track record and political
allies at City Hall, where the plan generally has been well-received. But the
company hasn't sought county assistance or involvement in the project."
Politicians preparing for a 2012 run may be in for a surprise: As political boundaries are redrawn to reflect the latest census, the districts of today may not be the districts of tomorrow. Jean Merl at the LAT takes a look.
"This year's redistricting carries heightened uncertainty because California voters took the job away from legislators, who previously drew boundaries that protected incumbents. Observers expect at least some changes in every district. Some legislators and would-be candidates could find themselves without a district to run in, or could be included in the same district as another lawmaker, or could face less favorable registration and demographics."
"It's more of a wild card than it's ever been," said Los Angeles Democratic consultant Larry Levine. "I've had a parade of people coming into my office and wanting to talk to me about running and I always ask them, 'Where?'"
"A few candidates have hedged their bets by signing up in two places at once, including Assemblyman Stephen Knight (R-Palmdale), who filed intention statements in both his own district and the one in the state Senate recently won by fellow Republican Sharon Runner of neighboring Lancaster. He can pivot later to whichever ends up the better fit for him."
