The governor may not be drawing a salary for his work as governor of California, but he's
making $5 million from the deal that made him executive editor of a series of fitness magazines, the Bee reports. (The LA Times
puts the dollar figure at $8 million.)
"The governor's aides noted that many California legislators accept outside income." And since he's only making your average journalists salary, it's really no big deal. "But the disclosure immediately opened Schwarzenegger to
new criticism over his activities promoting bodybuilding magazines, which are
fat with ads for controversial dietary supplements. He vetoed a bill last year, for instance, that sought to restrict supplement use among high school students."
From our
Let's Call the Whole Thing Off Files, Dan Weintraub reports the Director of Finance confirmed yesterday that
negotiations on a ballot box deal are ongoing. "In an editorial board meeting with the Bee on Tuesday, Finance Director
Tom Campbell said
negotiations with the Legislature over an alternative to the governor’s Live Within Our Means proposal were alive and well."
Meanwhile, our
Roundup tipsters report there was
a meeting yesterday between the Speaker and pharmaceutical industry leaders to talk about some kind of compromise on the two prescription drug initiatives on the ballot.
On pension negotiations, Weintraub concludes: "Sounds to me like the governor’s office is
looking for any kind of package that it can call “reform” with a straight face and is prepared to settle for accounting, actuarial and rules
changes short of addressing the long-term problem with bigger benefits granted during the stock boom, especially in local government, that will be difficult to sustain."
In
They Do It in Washington News, Sen.
Joe Dunn has
issued a series of subpoenas in his committee's investigation into
allegations of spying against the California National Guard.
From our "
Look, up in the sky! Files ...
George Skelton sits down with the attorney general and talks gubernatorial and initiative politics. "He has scared off a proposed public pension overhaul. He has titled a spending cap proposal with words that strategically help opponents, led by teachers unions ..." It's a bird! It's a plane! It's ...
Bill Lockyer! In conversation with the Times columnist, the A.G. offers some free political advice to the governor he voted for.
"Settle those matters on the November ballot.
We don't need to have a special election. All those issues could be and should be resolved with legislators. [This, remember from the A.G. whose spokesman denied there was an in-house opinion saying the special election could be canceled.]
"Second thing," adds Lockyer, "
don't act like a bully."
If we were advising the governor, we'd add: Don't run with scissors, look both ways before you cross the street, and wash after you wipe...
With the commission's constitutionality now affirmed by the state Supreme Court, Speaker
Fabian Nuñez made two appointments to the panel yesterday. " Assembly Speaker Fabian Núñez, D-Los Angeles, has reappointed Monterey County Supervisor
Dave Potter to the California Coastal Commission." Chula Vista Mayor
Steve Padilla was also appointed to the board.
In
you Sunk My Battleship News, Sen.
Dianne Feinstein teed off on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors for refusing to allow a U.S. battleship to park in the bay, and serve as a floating museum. ""I thought that in view of what's going on and in view of the loss of lives of our men and women,
it was a very petty decision.''
The SF Board of Supes, petty? Say it ain't so, Senator.
