Well, now that that pesky budget thingy is all taken
care of, we can get back to every Capitol staffer's favorite time suck -- the Capitol Weekly salaries database, which has been updated with new salary information.
Enjoy.
Meanwhile, on Planet Washington, the governor was enjoying
the limelight. "Fresh from a resolution of the state's budget meltdown, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger retook the national spotlight as a bipartisan bridge-builder, completing a three-day trip here Monday with fresh praise for President
Barack Obama's stimulus plan," writes Frank Davies for the Merc News.
"'It's very important for the country that both parties
pull together right now,' the Republican governor said at a news conference.
Referring to the economic crisis, he added: "We need to get the confidence of the people back.'
"Schwarzenegger said the $787 stimulus package, enacted last week, will give immediate
help to California, and he characterized GOP opposition
to the plan as partisan and misguided.
"'What's good for the party is not good for the people, and
what's good for the people is not good for the party,' he said.
"Schwarzenegger, who passed up the state GOP convention
to attend the National Governors Conference, concluded
his Washington trip by attending a governors meeting
with Obama and one-on-one sessions with Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner and Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano."
He then travelled back in time to find, and kill, Sarah
Connor.
"Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Monday came to the aid of six Republican lawmakers who ran afoul of the state Republican Party for backing
a budget with tax increases, calling them "great heroes" who put people before politics," reports Rob Hotakainen in the Bee.
"'I think that they've done a terrific job and they should pay very little
attention to what the party says,' the Republican governor told reporters in Washington.
'Because remember what I said, what is good for the
party is not good for the people and what is good for
the people is not good for the party.'
"On Sunday, Republican Party delegates passed a resolution
to deny funding for campaign mailers for the six lawmakers.
"Asked to respond to the resolution, Schwarzenegger
said: 'First of all, I would not be too concerned about that
if I would be those candidates because the Republican
Party has no money anyway. That is No. 1. No. 2, I think that those six that have come in and voted
for the budget are great public servants because they
have done in the end what was best for the people of
California and what was best for the state rather than
what was best for their party ideology. So they are
in my opinion great heroes, and I will always support
them.'"
So maybe we all learned something from this little exercise...
The Chron's Carla Marinucci looks at the differences in campaign style between Meg Whitman and Gavin Newsom.
"More than a year before the party primaries, the two
very different candidates already are engaged in high-profile competitions as they crisscross the state to
meet with voters and offer their "vision." On one day last week, within hours and a few miles
of each other, the former eBay CEO, 52, and the San Francisco mayor, 41, starred in meticulously planned sales pitches.
"The sophisticated events were a study in contrast: They showcased two sharply different brands and offered
dramatic differences in tone and theme - even in presentation.
"For the Republican, that meant standing before a respectful,
invited audience of business leaders and supporters
in the darkened, state-of-the-art San Jose Tech Museum of Innovation auditorium.
There, Whitman pounded business-friendly themes: less government, lower taxes and more job creation
to revive the state's flagging economy. But "prosperity itself is up to each of us," she said.
"For the Democrat, it was an informal, tieless in-the-round session: taking an hour of questions from a full house of seniors,
students and families in a seaside Santa Cruz ballroom."
And from our Hang 'em High Files, "Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and his lawyers have switched strategies in the legal battle to resume
executions, agreeing to submit revised lethal injection protocols
for public review rather than continue appealing state
court decisions that the redrafted rules are illegal," report Carol Williams and Maura Dolan in the Times.
"Although the move is intended to speed up a return
of capital punishment, conservative law-and-order advocates and victims' rights groups expressed frustration over the persistent
delays.
"State officials predict the execution procedures could
be approved by a state panel in six months to a year,
clearing the way for a federal judge to lift a moratorium
on executions."
"Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed into law a 90-day moratorium on California home foreclosures on Friday, but consumer advocates argue wide loopholes will
prevent the legislation from significantly slowing
repossessions," reports James Temple in the Chron.
"The bill, introduced by Sen. Ellen Corbett, D-San Leandro, as a trailer to the California budget
package, covers owner-occupied homes where the first loan was recorded between
Jan. 1, 2003 and Jan. 1, 2008.
"'Many people in our communities are facing the terrible
specter of foreclosure,' Corbett said. 'I'm just trying to find a way to help.'
"Under the law, however, state regulators can grant
loan servicers exemptions - allowing them to foreclose - if the lenders have a mortgage modification program
in place that meets some combination of various criteria.
Among them: a deferral of a portion of the principal, lowered
interest rates for at least five years or an extension
of loan terms.
"'Can they defer $1,000 for 30 years and call that complying?' said Joe Ridout, spokesman for Consumer Action. 'It appears that that would be following the letter
of this legislation. The heart appears to be in the
right place, but the teeth aren't.'"
Meanwhile, Tom Ammiano wants to regulate and tax the sale of pot.
The LAT's Eric Bailey reports:
"Buoyed by the widely held belief that cannabis is California's biggest cash crop, Assemblyman Tom Ammiano contends
it is time to reap some state revenue from that harvest
while putting a damper on drug use by teens, cutting
police costs and even helping Mother Nature.
"'I know the jokes are going to be coming, but this is
not a frivolous issue,' said Ammiano, a Democrat elected in November after
more than a dozen years as a San Francisco supervisor.
'California always takes the lead -- on gay marriage, the sanctuary movement, medical marijuana.'
"Anti-drug groups are anything but amused by the idea of
California collecting a windfall from the leafy herb
that remains illegal under federal law.
"'This would open another door in Pandora's box,' said Calvina Fay, executive director of Save Our Society From Drugs.
'Legalizing drugs like this would create a whole new
set of costs for society.'"
Dan Walters likes the idea.
"Who would oppose further legalization? Guardians of
the public morals, of course, but mostly, those now
engaged in the drug wars – law enforcement organizations and their support lobbies
on one side and the marijuana growers themselves on
the other.
"Legalization would mean a loss of funds for the drug
strike teams, the undercover operatives and other police
units on one side, thus forcing them to concentrate
on real crimes. And legalization would cut into the
enormous untaxed profits that the growers now realize,
since making it a legal crop would probably reduce
prices.
"The nation legalized liquor after its failed experiment
with prohibition in the 1920s. Bootlegging had become a lucrative trade that established
the Mafia as a national crime syndicate, one that expanded
into other fields, including drugs, after prohibition
ended. The bottom line is that marijuana should be
legalized for the same reason."
Alberto Torrico declared his candidacy for attorney
general last night, joining a crowded Democratic field
that includes San Francisco D.A. Kamala Harris and
Los Angeles D.A.
Rocky Delgadillo. Assemblymembers Pedro Nava and Ted
Lieu are also considering running for the post.
And finally, for anyone who doubts the resourcefulness
of the youth of today, take the case of this Washington state teenager.
"The girl, whose age was unknown, was contacted by police
when she
passed out at an East Bremerton house. Police took
her to Harrison
Medical Center; they later learned that she had a warrant for her
arrest.
"After doctors cleared her, officers put her in a patrol
car —
despite her resistance — and headed to jail. She complained of being
dizzy, so an officer rolled a window down to give her
some fresh air.
"A few minutes later, the officer driving and an officer
who was a
passenger in the car heard a noise from the backseat
and saw her
reaching out the window and opening the door from the
outside, police
said."
"By the time they stopped the car, she had taken off,
with a handcuff still attached to her left hand, reports
said."
Well played, ma'am. Well played.
