Is Proposition 75 a paper tiger? The Bee's Dan Smith writes up the
loophole in Proposition 75's union dues limitation. "But even if the measure is approved,
unions would have nearly unfettered ability to collect and spend members' dues for issue advocacy - a catch-all category in state law that can include voter 'education' or television ads attacking a politician over a particular issue not related to an election."
"'Anybody who competes in the political arena is always adapting to the way the game is played,' said Republican political consultant
Ray McNally, whose clients include the powerful California Correctional Peace Officers Association. 'If the rules change, people adapt.
At the end of the day, this will probably have zero impact -- if it passes.'" And, less than zero if it doesn't pass.
That must be why CCPOA and other labor groups are paying so much to defeat the measure this fall.
John Myers says yesterday's informational hearing on Prop. 75 turned into
a "knock-down, drag-out political brawl.""Particularly notable was an exchange between
[Lew] Uhler and Senator
Richard Alarcon (D-Van Nuys), one of the co-chairs of the hearing. Uhler had said that many of the questions weren't relevant. '
We were elected, not you," shot back Alarcon. 'And we'll decide what's relevant to this committee.'"
Sounds like peace, love and understanding is out of the question.
The OC Register gives one of the governor's new spots the
ad watch treatment and finds the claims in the ad are "vague and open to a wide range of interpretations. But it's unlikely teacher tenure would affect the running of the state. Also, Prop 76 does not preclude the governor from raising taxes to balance the budget.
Maria Schriver has
tapped former Gray Davis aide Daniel Zingale as her chief of staff. "...Zingale, who served under Davis as the link between the governor's office and the vast state bureaucracy, will be the new chief of staff to Shriver, a Democrat. He will return to the governor's suite of offices on the first floor of the Capitol, this time surrounded by many Republicans who labored to oust Davis."
"Davis, in a telephone interview, said Zingale may now be in a position to help shape the Schwarzenegger agenda."
"'I'm not suggesting his views will carry the day always or most of the time,' Davis said. But the Democratic agenda is 'in safer hands with Dan inside the administration rather than outside.'"
Meanwhile, Governor Schwarzenegger
fired all six members of the State Reclamation Board, which "handles flood-control policy in California and oversees a 1,600-mile network of vital levees, primarily in the Central Valley. Its members serve at the governor's pleasure and can be appointed or removed at any time."
"'These appointees represent the Central Valley and are experts in both water issues and engineering,' said
Julie Soderlund, deputy press secretary to Schwarzenegger."
"'I feel we were just beginning to really awaken concern about the dangers that await people who build and live in floodplains behind levees,' ousted board chairwoman
Betsy Marchand said. She called the replacements 'perhaps not unexpected because of some of the bold steps that we've been taking to try to fulfill our responsibilities.'"
The LA Times's Jordan Rau
profiles the California Teachers Association. "'There are people in this state who are trying to portray us as something that has nothing to do with children, nothing to do with students and everything to do with greed,' the union's president,
Barbara Kerr, told organizers and negotiators attending an annual summer training institute. 'And they are wrong.'"
But Senate president
Don Perata said CTA's governance structure leaves something to be desired. "'There's a certain bureaucratic rigidity in [the union's leadership] that I don't think is constructive,' said Senate President Pro Tem
Don Perata (D-Oakland)." CTA erected a billboard and sent mail to Perata's district earlier this year when he suggested modifying Proposition 98 to help fix the state's budget woes.
While the relationship on the Senate side may still be cool, CTA has plenty of friends on the Assembly side.
"The group retains a top Sacramento consultant,
Gale Kaufman, whose client list includes the Democratic leadership of the Assembly. That body is widely considered to be the most sympathetic forum for the union."
"'They've been a very reliable entity that focuses on making sure we get good teachers in the schools," said Assembly Speaker
Fabian Nuñez (D-Los Angeles). 'They have always moved the ball forward, but always knowing they have to be agents of change, not those who promote and perpetuate the status quo.'"
Sen.
Tom Torlakson wants the governor to call a
special session of the Legislature focused on rebuilding California's infrastructure. "Our leaders have said infrastructure is one of their top priorities," the Democrat from Antioch told the Times editorial board Tuesday morning. "Once the special election on Nov. 8 is over, we need to move forward and begin to restore the public's confidence in its government."
And what better way to do that than by telling the public you've got a bridge to sell them...
In media news, LA Observed gets ahold of a memo of LA Times bosses responding to the news that
the paper's parent company owes the IRS $1 billion.
(Director's note: Cue Dr. Evil...) "The painful part, of course, is that Tribune could have settled for far less, but chose to fight and go for the win. They might still prevail on appeal—or they might not."
Finally, the California Nurses Association put
the governor up for sale on eBay.
"'GENUINE CORRUPT CALIFORNIA GOVERNOR ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER NOT AN IMITATION!!!!!!**********,' read the listing, which included a sepia-toned photograph of Schwarzenegger with dollar signs replacing his eyes."
"Bidding started at $12 and peaked at more than $3.6 million before eBay yanked the posting."
"It violated company policies barring the sale of people, trying to sell something you do not own and posting joke listings."
"You can't sell the governor on eBay,' said company spokesman
Hani Durzy."
