"More than two years after it nullified nearly 4,000 weddings of gay and lesbian couples performed at San Francisco City Hall,
the court voted unanimously Wednesday to decide whether state law, which defines marriage as the union of a man and a woman, violates a constitutional right to marry the partner of one's choice," writes Bob Egelko in the Chron.
"The justices granted a hearing on appeals by same-sex couples and the city of San Francisco after a state appellate court voted 2-1 on Oct. 5 to uphold the state law, which the Legislature passed in 1977 and voters reaffirmed in 2000."
"The appellate panel said the state can stick to the traditional definition of marriage as long as it continues to grant substantially equal rights to same-sex couples who register as domestic partners."
Capitol Weekly's Malcolm Maclachlan reports on a
potential primary showdown between Mark Leno and Carole Midgen. "
Leno commissioned the David Binder telephone poll of 600 voters in the district, conducted in the first weekend of December. He characterized the results as "very encouraging."
When asked whether it was Migden's negatives or his own positives that were the most encouraging, Leno replied: "A combination.""In an age where few California Legislature races are competitive, it's unusual to be talking about a sitting senator being vulnerable in her own primary--particularly one with Migden's experience and tough reputation. But the combination of Leno's star rising after his gay-marriage legislation with some well-publicized gaffes by Migden may put the seat into play."
"Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger
is preparing a prison overhaul plan that would spend $10 billion on new lockups, allow more inmates to serve time in county jails instead of prisons and form a commission that would recommend revisions to the state's criminal sentences," report Mark Martin and Greg Lucas in the Chron.
"The administration is also expected to propose giving more money to counties to work with 18- to 25-year-olds who are on probation to keep them out of trouble. The governor's top prison official is also pressing for changes to the state's troubled parole system that would decrease the number of ex-cons on parole and allow parole agents to focus on parolees most likely to commit new crimes."
Capitol Weekly's Malcolm Maclachlan
previews the coming legislative fight over prisons and public safety issues.
And in the middle of that fight is a Freshman Assemblyman, Jose Solorio,
the new chairman of Assembly Public Safety. CW's Colin Rigley talked with the new chairman.
"When the Assembly reconvenes in January, groups with business before the Public Safety Committee will notice a marked change. Gone is the liberal chairman, Mark Leno, D-San Francisco, who has moved on to chair Assembly Appropriations. In his place is a Latino freshman from Orange County who is significantly less liberal than his predecessor.
The new head of the committee is Jose Solorio, a former Santa Ana councilman who may bring a new tone and direction for the Assembly's top crime committee."
"A former acting corrections secretary testified Wednesday that her plans to reform California's sentencing structure
were pushed aside by top aides to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger who suggested that such an overhaul might hurt his re-election bid," writes Andy Furillo in the Bee.
"
Jeanne Woodford, the one-time top official in the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, said former gubernatorial Cabinet Secretary Fred Aguiar twice injected politics into her discussions with top administration officials, including Schwarzenegger, about sentencing reform -- a topic the Governor's Office is now embracing to ease the state's massive prison overcrowding problem."
"Woodford testified that she told Aguiar shortly after her appointment to the acting secretary position in February that she wanted to make sentencing change one of her top priorities. Woodford said Aguiar told her he brought up the topic with gubernatorial chief of staff
Susan Kennedy,
who responded that merely discussing the idea would be "harmful to the governor" in his re-election effort."
"The hearing was held to determine whether undue political influence exerted by the California Correctional Peace Officers Association with the Schwarzenegger administration impeded federal Judge Thelton Henderson's efforts to make changes in the use of force, discipline, internal investigations and other aspects of the state's prison operations."
"After leading Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's campaign to a landslide victory last month,
Steve Schmidt on Wednesday
joined U.S. Sen. John McCain's presidential exploratory committee as a senior adviser," reports Kevin Yamamura in the Bee.
"Schmidt received credit for shifting the Republican governor's political image to the center in a left-leaning state and in a Democratic year as Schwarzenegger's campaign manager. Now he'll try to help the Arizona senator win a Republican primary battle that tends to favor conservatives."
"Schmidt, 36, will also continue as Schwarzenegger's political adviser, according to the governor's communications director, Adam Mendelsohn. The Republican consultant will live in Granite Bay and become a partner in the Mercury Public Affairs firm, which has offices throughout the country."
Capitol Weekly takes a look at the
changes in the governor's communications operation. "On the first floor of the Capitol, there is a door across the hall from the governor's office marked with a large red sign, "Authorized Personnel Only." Step through the door and you are in the bowels of the Capitol--mired in a serpentine maze of cubicles and small offices. In one corner, there is an alcove with an oversized L-shaped desk, five laptops, four television screens and no windows. This is the new communications hub in the governor's office.
But don't call it a War Room. Around the governor's office, they refer to this place as the "News Room," where stories are monitored and tracked in real time through a series of news feeds and a barrage of internal e-mails.
The news room is staffed by a team of young staffers and interns who all work for Communications Director Adam Mendelsohn. The new operation will be overseen by deputy communications director
Elizabeth Ashford Perry and former reporter
Jeff Barker, who worked on the governor's campaign."
"Public Utilities Commissioner Rachelle Chong is
waging a closed-door campaign to protect her Senate confirmation as Democrats grill her over allegations she surreptitiously sought to ease commission sanctions against AT&T," reports Capitol Weekly's John Howard.
"Chong, a Schwarzenegger appointee, is scheduled to have her confirmation hearing before Senate Rules next month, and Democratic sources say her job is in jeopardy."
The Times' Jordan Rau reports: "Several
consumer groups are trying to derail the confirmation of Rachelle Chong, Schwarzenegger's latest nominee to the five-member commission. They say Chong has been unwaveringly deferential to the industry and inappropriately stands to benefit financially from decisions she makes."
"Schwarzenegger placed Chong on the commission last January to finish out the term of
Susan Kennedy, a Democrat whom he had hired as his chief of staff. By several accounts, Kennedy — who was also faulted for being too accommodating to industry — played a crucial role in the selection of Chong, a lawyer for telecommunications companies who had served in a Republican seat on the Federal Communications Commission during President Clinton's administration."
"In an attempt to improve eating habits, [
Bonnie Garcia] has
introduced a bill that seeks to ban the use of trans fats in fried foods and baked goods at restaurants and school cafeterias," reports Matthew Yi in the Chron.
"The
proposed legislation follows action taken in New York City, where the city's health department earlier this month started banning trans fats in restaurants."
"Garcia said she has personal motivations for introducing the bill."
"'My mother had a heart attack at 50. She is a chronic diabetic, and she has heart disease. I'm 44 -- I'm six years away from when my mother had her major heart attack,' she said Wednesday."
"But critics of regulating trans fat argue government has no business telling restaurants how to serve their food and its customers what they can or cannot eat."
"'Very few people understand that trans fat is basically Crisco and margarine,' said
Jot Condie, president and chief executive officer of the California Restaurant Association. '
And if the Legislature thinks that margarine is a critical issue ... then we need to move to a part-time Legislature.'"
