Another Monday, another round of budget woes. Welcome,
again, to California.
George Skelton reports the budget crisis has become
a "nightmare for the neediest."
"Faced with what he calculates to be a potential $24-billion budget
deficit in the fiscal year starting July 1, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger
has proposed cutting state supplemental payments for
the elderly and
disabled down to the minimum allowed by federal law.
It would be their
third cut this year.
The Legislature already has approved a $20
monthly cut beginning July 1, lowering the grant for single people to
$850. That's it: No food stamps, and that includes any Social Security.
State budget director Mike Genest was asked by a reporter: "Why are all the poor people being cut?"
Genest: "The government doesn't provide services to rich people. We
don't provide very many services even to the middle class.
. . . You
have to cut where the money is."
Jim Sanders reports one group that state lawmakers are among those who have yet to take
a budget hit.
"Four of every five lawmakers are accepting full pay
of $116,208 in a
year of multibillion-dollar deficit, major program cuts and mandatory salary
reductions for state workers.
"The perception is that legislators aren't doing their job,"
Larry Gerston said. "Right or wrong, that's the perception. So take it one
step further: If you're not doing your job, why am I paying you?"
"The Senate and Assembly
are committed to reducing their operating expenses
through June 2010,
but they have no control over pay of their elected
members, which is
set by an independent commission."
Jim Miller reports that Dennis Hollingsworth wants to do away with the Big
5.
Senate Minority
Leader Dennis Hollingsworth, R-Murrieta, wants all budget talks to take
place in public or be aired in the Legislature's budget-writing
committee before going to floor votes. So far, his
stance seems to have
curbed the secrecy that marked months of budget negotiations
leading up
to a February budget vote.
"Private Big
Five negotiations allow governors and legislative leaders
to speak
frankly. They also keep labor unions, anti-tax groups and dozens of
other Capitol special interests in the dark until it
is too late to
block any votes.
"Airing every proposed cut, revenue increase, or other
change in
public could subject lawmakers to a nonstop barrage
of office visits,
phone calls to constituents and other pressure to oppose
various
proposals."
The LA Times budget team reports the current financial
troubles are creating rifts between unions and Democrats.
"The relationship between Democratic leaders and some
of their
labor benefactors has turned particularly frosty: Many of the programs
union members rely on for paychecks -- and the unions rely on for dues
-- have been slated for deep cuts.
"The friction started when the
Democrat-dominated Legislature produced a budget in February
that
raised taxes but also cut programs and included a GOP-driven plan to
put the brakes on state spending. A handful of labor
groups then spent
millions to help defeat the May ballot measures that
the budget
spawned.
"Many public employee unions, teacher unions
[are] thinking that they were thrown under the bus in the
last budget,"
said Assemblyman Charles Calderon (D-Montebello). "So now they're
asking themselves: If these Democrats are not going to stand up for us,
then what good is it to have them there?"
Speaking of which, Cathleen Decker takes a look at the Democratic race for governor, and finds that Jerry Brown is the normal one. Or
something like that.
"The mayor of Los Angeles has another girlfriend, we
learned last week.
Like a previous one, whose presence inspired the breakup
of his
marriage, she is a newscaster; she had a bikini shot on her website --
at least before it was blocked.
"The actress wife of San Francisco's mayor has a bikini portrait on her
website too, as well as a bunch of what once would
have been described
as come-hither shots. In one she is lying in a wispy, negligee-like
dress on a sheet; in another she is topless, with a scarf trailing
across her breasts.
"If you have any doubt that California has spiraled
off its axis,
consider this: Among the top Democrats looking at a race for governor,
the most traditional of the bunch is Jerry Brown.
"For some voters, if history is any judge, this matters."
Matier and Ross report the Caltrans director may soon be looking for a new
gig.
"Rumors are swirling that Caltrans Director Will Kempton will soon hit the road - perhaps for a more lucrative job. Like maybe at the
Orange County Transportation Authority.
"And who could blame him? Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's across-the-board pay cuts will slice Kempton's salary by $15,000.
The Orange County job pays $266,656, twice what he is making with the state. Kempton is
not commenting - but then, insiders say he's also not doing anything to knock back rumors of his
possible exit."
And from our Tenants Gone Bad Files, the LAT's Ruben Vives reports, "A
rental home on a property owned by the mayor of Bell
remained sealed
Sunday as law enforcement agents continued their investigation
of a
suspected methamphetamine lab in the residence.
"Mayor Oscar Hernandez said in a phone interview that the two men
arrested at the small guest house Saturday by a multi-agency state task
force were released later the same morning. The Los
Angeles County
Sheriff's Department would not confirm whether the men had
been
released.
"Hernandez, who did not identify the two men, said he
rented the house
to a couple and their two daughters. He said that the
woman was eight
months pregnant and that her husband was one of the
two men taken into
custody. The other man has been in the country for
a week and was
visiting the couple at the time of the search, he said.
The couple's
two daughters, ages 2 and 3, were placed in protective care,
authorities said."
And finally, from the George Jones School of Alcoholism
and Transport, we bring you this story. "A Maine man has been charged with operating under the
influence after he and a friend made a beer run on a riding lawn mower.
"Police say 51-year-old Danforth Ross of Vassalboro was charged May 29. Trooper
Joe Chretien had been flagged down by several motorists
warning of a
wayward mower and made the arrest after Ross and his
friend emerged
from a variety store with two cases of beer.
"Ross' driver's license had been revoked, so the pair opted for the
lawn mower."
Well, what'd you expect him to do?
