"Delegates at the California Republican Party convention in San Jose on Sunday
rejected a resolution pushed by conservatives that was considered a veiled criticism of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger," reports Kate Folmar in the Merc News.
"Facing re-election this year, Schwarzenegger has been grappling with unrest in the GOP's right wing. Some activists are unhappy that he has a Democrat as his chief of staff, supports raising the minimum wage, and advocates $68 billion in borrowing as part of a $222 billion plan to improve the state's levees, schools and roads."
"The discontent manifested itself as a resolution that the party yank its endorsement of Schwarzenegger. That measure died Saturday."
Bode Miller had more success in Turin than conservative activists had in San Jose this weekend.
"Conservatives who have been critical of Schwarzenegger tried repeatedly to get the resolution passed. They cited Robert's Rules of Order, tried to split the resolution into three parts, and insisted on having a standing vote -- in which delegates stand up to register their opinions -- rather than a voice vote."
"In the end, they lost.
It's impossible to say by what margin, because a formal vote tally wasn't taken."
Schwarzenegger
didn't wait around for the votes at the convention, report Michael Finnegan and Robert Salladay in the Times.
"Schwarzenegger, who is on a three-day trip to Washington, D.C., said Sunday that he had not — and would not — change his political philosophy and would govern for Democrats and Republicans alike."
"'There are some on the right wing who are not happy about that, who think I should only govern for Republicans, but that's not what I promised the people of California,' he said on NBC's 'Meet the Press.'"
Speaking of Meet the Press,
Tim Russert asked the governor about his $120 million dollar fundraising figure, and the guv went micro-ballistic. "That number didn’t come from me, may I remind you," said Schwarzenegger. "
It was some outsider that has nothing to do with us has said that, OK?"
Um, wasn't that
Rob Stutzman who was
quoted saying that? George Skelton writes that the governor
missed an opportunity to unify his conservative base.
"So came the big convention banquet Friday and everybody was excited to hear from the gov. But he didn't even sit down and eat with the delegates, let alone work the tables, meeting and greeting. We'll just assume he was attending to urgent state business, but that's not an acceptable excuse for a pol who badly needs to restore relationships within his own party."
"Then his speech, with minor word changes, could have been given just as well to a Democratic group. It was a formula speech when the situation called for fire."
"The formula: Thank delegates profusely for hanging with him during the special election debacle, point to his initial record of accomplishment as governor and pitch his unprecedented $222-billion infrastructure plan that many delegates consider far too excessive."
Meanwhile, Clea Benson writes in the Bee that the
deadline is quickly approaching to reach a bond deal for the June ballot. "With the March 10 deadline for placing bond measures on the June primary ballot less than two weeks away, it appears more likely that this is the beginning of negotiations rather than the end."
"Though Schwarzenegger and legislative leaders are still talking publicly about cutting a deal in time for the June ballot, there is little optimism within the Capitol that it will happen."
"'
I'm not under the illusion that we're going to make that deadline,' said Sen.
Kevin Murray, D-Culver City, chair of the conference committee that will vet the infrastructure bills before the full Assembly and Senate vote on them."
"'For the first time in a generation, the governor and the Legislature are talking about addressing the state's infrastructure,' said Schwarzenegger's communications director,
Adam Mendelsohn. 'There's a window of opportunity here. What's important is that it get done and it get done right.'"
Over his busy weekend, the governor took time to
accept the resignation of Dept of Corrections chief Roderick Hickman. Andy Furillo reports in the Bee "Hickman informed the administration Saturday that he was stepping down as secretary of the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation after a tenure that corresponded almost to the day with Schwarzenegger's November 2003 inauguration as governor."
"
Jeannie Woodford, who had been serving as chief of the agency's adult division, has been appointed acting secretary, Schwarzenegger said in a statement Sunday."
And put another notch in the belt of Times reporter Dan Morain, who can take credit for
Rob Reiner's decision to
step aside as head of the First Five commission.
"In a letter Friday to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, Reiner said his leave from the First 5 California Children and Families Commission will end June 7, the day after voters cast ballots on Proposition 82. That bill would establish a state constitutional right to preschool for 4-year-olds."
But it was clear from the gathering in San Jose this weekend that Reiner is quickly becoming Public Enemy No. 1 among members of the right.
Jordan Rau takes a look at the
insurance industry's success in killing the "Homeowner's Bill of Rights."
"In the wake of the Southern California wildfires, lawmakers proposed six bills that, among other provisions, would have forced insurers to provide consumers with more information about policy choices, made it harder for companies to raise rates or cancel coverage and reduced the documentation that homeowners must provide to collect on a claim."
"Those provisions, like others strongly opposed by the insurance industry, never made it to the Assembly floor. The less ambitious bills that passed into law, with insurers' consent, extended living expenses for those awaiting rebuilt homes, gave homeowners more options for mediation as an alternative to lawsuits and prevented insurers from canceling coverage while a home's reconstruction was underway."
"'A lot of the bills were written because a natural disaster had happened, and people were writing bills that weren't fully thought out,' said
Juan Vargas (D-San Diego), chairman of the Assembly panel."
"Vargas has received more than $325,377 in campaign contributions from the industry, most of it since he took over the panel in 2003. Insurance donations were 17% of the money he raised for his two Assembly races. He is now making his third run for Congress, trying to unseat U.S. Rep.
Bob Filner (D-Chula Vista) in the June Democratic primary."
"In addition to the campaign donations, insurers with interests before the committee bought Vargas 13 meals, including one for $181 at Morton's steakhouse in 2004. They paid for his flight to Boston to attend an industry conference and for rounds of golf."
It's just one sign of the industry's influence in California politics. "Insurers have spent
$25 million on lobbyists, campaign contributions and perks for lawmakers — even some who regularly cross them — since 2003. Their money shows up particularly prominently in the campaign coffers of members of the Assembly Insurance Committee, a pro-business, relatively conservative bastion within the generally liberal Legislature.
And from our
Reports With No Foundation in Truth Files an Australian outlet says Warner Bros. money may be pouring in to the Angelides campaign. Well, sort of. See, we at the Roundup read
Australian gossip sites so you don't have to, and come up with drivel like this "
Jeff Robinov (President of Warner Bros. Films) is definitely hoping that Arnold looses (sic) the race for a 2nd term as governor so he can make his place back into feature films with King Conan," the sequel to Conan the Barbarian.
