"
Maria Shriver says she won't resume her TV news career, citing media coverage of the late
Anna Nicole Smith," reports the AP.
Well, just for kicks, let's say it would interfere with her campaign to be California's first woman governor.
"Shriver, speaking this week at a women's conference, noted the media circus surrounding Smith's accidental drug overdose death in February.
"'It was then that I knew that the TV news business had changed and so had I,' she said. 'I called NBC News and told them I'm not coming back.'
"Shriver took an extended leave from the network when husband Arnold Schwarzenegger ran for governor in 2003. After his victory, she made two appearances as an anchor for 'Dateline NBC.'"
"Assembly Speaker
Fabian Nuņez has appointed a former Democratic legislator to the state board that regulates accountants,
despite the ex-assemblyman's sponsorship of a controversial bill last year on behalf of the accounting profession.
"The bill sponsored by two-term Assemblyman
Rudy Bermudez (D-Norwalk) would have gutted state accounting regulations and exposed Californians to illegal tax shelters had it been passed in its initial form, consumer groups and former Atty. Gen.
Bill Lockyer warned at the time.
"Now Bermudez, who left the Legislature after losing a Senate bid last year, is one of eight public members on the 15-seat Board of Accountancy, which by law is supposed to protect consumers. Bermudez received nearly $50,000 over five years in contributions from accountants, more than most legislators collected from the industry in that period.
"But in an interview, he said he owes nothing to the accounting industry.
"'I have a history of protecting the public from harm, and I'm going to continue to do so,' Bermudez said."
Meanwhile, "[t]he state board that oversees 15,000 chiropractors
is cutting its staff in half and may have to reduce disciplinary actions, the fallout of a dispute between the Legislature and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger over the board's autonomy," reports John Hill in the Bee.
"The Board of Chiropractic Examiners' $3 million budget was slashed in half when Schwarzenegger vetoed Senate Bill 801 by Sen.
Mark Ridley-Thomas, D-Los Angeles. SB 801 would have put a measure on the June ballot to strip the board of its historic autonomy.
"The board, whose primary purpose is to protect consumers, will now have to prioritize disciplinary cases, executive director
Brian Stiger said at a meeting Thursday.
"'We will stretch every dollar to protect the public as much as we can,' Stiger said."
The Bee's Jim Downing reports: "The California Air Resources Board
advanced the state's global warming fight on two fronts Thursday.
"By a unanimous vote, the board adopted strict standards for measuring the "carbon offsets" generated by well-managed forests. Separately, it started the regulatory wheels turning on a suite of new emissions-cutting schemes, including a plan to make big rigs more aerodynamic and fuel-efficient.
"The carbon-offset move aims to foster the use of California forests as sponges for carbon dioxide. The trade in carbon offsets provides a way for forest managers to earn money for pulling carbon out of the air, and is likely to figure in the state's strategy for cutting overall emissions 25 percent by 2020.
"But the lack of a respected standard for counting the carbon stored in a forest has slowed the development of the domestic offset market and soiled its reputation.
"'This stuff isn't easy, which is one of the reasons why it hasn't been done, or has been done badly,' said
Mary Nichols, the board's chairwoman."
"New York Sen.
Hillary Rodham Clinton maintains a commanding lead over her Democratic challengers in California's Feb. 5 presidential primary, holding more than a 2-1 margin over Illinois Sen.
Barack Obama, according to a Field Poll released Thursday.
"The poll, conducted Oct. 11-21, also found Clinton handily beating all potential Republican opponents in California in hypothetical general election matchups.
"Among those likely to vote in the Democratic primary, Clinton had support from 45 percent, Obama had 20 percent and former North Carolina Sen.
John Edwards had 11 percent. New Mexico Gov.
Bill Richardson had 4 percent, while Ohio Rep
Dennis Kucinich and Delaware Sen.
Joe Biden each had 3 percent. Fourteen percent were undecided."
Finally, from our
Japanese Innovations Files: "If you're stuck in traffic when Mother Nature calls, Japan's Kaneko Sangyo Co. has developed the loo for you.
"The manufacturer of plastic car accessories drew back the curtain on Tuesday on its new portable toilet for cars.
"The toilet comes with a curtain large enough to conceal users and a plastic bag to collect waste.
"'The commode will come in handy during major disasters such as earthquakes or when you are caught in a traffic jam,' a company official told reporters, according to Kyodo News."
Not to mention Budget Conference Committee meetings...
