"Members of a state Senate committee
voted overwhelmingly today to kill a sweeping overhaul of the California health care system that aimed to provide coverage to millions of uninsured residents," writes Tom Chorneau in the Chron.
"
Shortly before the committee hearing, Senate President Don Perata, D-Oakland, said in a letter to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger that he does not support the measure because it lacks adequate funding and could worsen the state's budget problems.
Wait a sec, wasn't this guy a co-author of the bill when it was presented in committee?
"The measure, which passed the state Assembly last month, needs the backing of a majority of legislators in each house before it can be sent to the governor, who supports it.
"Schwarzenegger, speaking to the editorial board of the Chronicle, said he will do everything he can to keep the measure alive.
"'
I'm not taking 'no' for an answer,' he said. 'We've come a long way to get as far as we have ... this is the last mile.'"
The Bee's Steve Wiegand
personified the bill in his eulogy. "The child of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Assembly Speaker Fabian Núñez, ABX1 1 was asphyxiated in the state Senate Health Committee by a smothering cloud of economic hard times, looming election deadlines and the hubris of its parents, and then anointed with crocodile tears."
"One week before California throws itself into the presidential contest,
John McCain and Hillary Rodham Clinton hold imposing leads in the races for their parties' nominations, but the battles remain extremely volatile, a new statewide poll has found," writes Cathleen Decker in the Times.
"The L.A. Times/CNN/Politico poll, conducted by Opinion Research Corp., showed that McCain has vaulted ahead of three other candidates with whom he shared a statistical tie for the Republican nomination just two weeks ago. He carried 39% of likely Republican primary participants, to 26% for
Mitt Romney, who also bolstered his standing among California voters.
Rudolph W. Giuliani and
Mike Huckabee were stalled at essentially the same level as two weeks ago -- 13% and 11%, respectively.
"Clinton maintained a 49% to 32% lead over Illinois Sen. Barack Obama among Democrats, despite losing some support in key voter groups. Democratic women continued to power her effort, siding with the New York senator by nearly a 2-1 margin.
"
The poll was conducted largely before Obama's victory Saturday in South Carolina and the subsequent high-profile endorsements of him by U.S. Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Massachusetts) and his niece, Caroline Kennedy Schlossberg."
And, while the focus yesterday was on Ted Kennedy's endorsement of Obama, another Kennedy was singing his praises, although stopped short of endorsing.
The Chron's Carla Marinucci writes: "California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, weighing in on the presidential race,
said that both Republican presidential candidate John McCain and Democrat Barack Obama are on the right track in "talking about bringing people together" across partisan lines.
"And, he said that the high profile and competing endorsements the Kennedy family - not including his wife
Maria Shriver - in the Democratic presidential contest represents a dramatic departure from past years.
"'
What's interesting is that, within the family, for the first time you have different opinions,' he said. '
I've been in the family 30 years, and I've never seen that...that's really the story - what created that, and how Caroline and Teddy hooked up with the same opinion, and Kathleen ended up going with Hillary."
"
Add snowmobiles, golf carts and lawn mowers to a growing list of California's targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions," reports Michael Gardner in the U-T.
"State Attorney General
Jerry Brown plans to petition the Bush administration today to impose national greenhouse gas emission standards for dozens of nonroad vehicles and engines, including equipment used in farming, mining and construction.
"The proposal will likely meet with stiff resistance.
"The Bush administration already has rejected California's application for permission to require reductions in greenhouse gas emissions from road vehicles, a signal that it won't look favorably on the state's new bid."
And you know the economy's bad when they're
laying off people at the casinos. The U-T's Onell Soto reports, "Like their customers, many San Diego County tribal casinos are feeling the effects of falling housing prices, rising food prices and $3-a-gallon gas.
People are gambling less at some casinos, and that's meant some workers have lost their jobs.
"When laying off scores of people two weeks ago, Viejas, near Alpine, told them it was “conducting a work force realignment to reposition ourselves for current business levels.”
And yet, all of their political consultants seem to be doing okay...
"Faced with a budget shortfall that has doubled in three months, Los Angeles Mayor
Antonio Villaraigosa called Monday for paring city spending by suspending most hiring, asking thousands of workers to take unpaid furloughs and selling vacant fire stations," write Duke Helfand and David Zahniser in the Times.
"Budget analysts attributed the $155-million deficit mostly to the flagging economy, saying larger than expected decreases in sales taxes, real estate transfer taxes, fees and state reimbursements have left the city $69 million short of anticipated revenues."
Here's a lesson for Orange County travellers.
It's always a good idea to carry a magazine article about yourself in your briefcase or purse, just in case. "Charleston Mayor
Danny Jones had a problem as he tried to get through the security gate at a California airport: He had misplaced his driver's license, and the expired one in his wallet wouldn't do.
"The guards at John Wayne Airport in Orange County searched his bag.
"Then he remembered picking up a copy of Charleston Magazine while on his way to the West Coast for a little rest and relaxation.
"Inside was a photograph of him standing in downtown Charleston and an article Jones had written as mayor welcoming visitors to the state capital.
"Only then was he allowed to board his flight home."
