The Bee's Michael Doyle reports Sen. Feinstein is hoping to intoduce a major bill to
save the Delta in the coming months.
"Even as lawmakers were approving the energy and water
bill,
which includes $40 million for restoration of the Delta and San
Francisco Bay, they were starting to anticipate a potential new bill
focused strictly on the vulnerable Bay-Delta region. If it flies, the
prospective Delta legislation could literally reshape
California.
"The Delta estuary has enormous national significance," Democratic Sen.
Dianne Feinstein reiterated Thursday, and "it is seriously at risk."
"Feinstein
first revealed her intentions for a comprehensive Delta
bill in a brief
interview Wednesday with the San Francisco Chronicle.
The seemingly
offhanded revelation made after a heated public hearing
caught many by
surprise. Well-connected lobbyists and water district officials
contacted Thursday, speaking on condition of anonymity,
admitted being
caught off guard by the prospect of a big Delta bill.
"Behind the
scenes, though, California lawmakers including Democratic
Sen. Barbara
Boxer and Reps. Jim Costa, D-Fresno, and Dennis Cardoza, D-Atwater,
have quietly been discussing what lessons might be
gleaned from
previous U.S. environmental-restoration efforts such as those for the
Everglades, Chesapeake Bay and the Great Lakes. These
informal
discussions, held over the past several months, will
have to accelerate
to meet Feinstein's goal, averred Thursday, of introducing a Delta bill
by April.
Jon Fleischman's new favorite reporter, the Chron's Joe Garofoli, looks at the money race among Senate candidates . "Sept. 30 was one of those book-closing campaign finance deadlines
for US Senate candidates. And even though they don't have to show us
who dropped how much in their pockets for another couple
of weeks, Chuck D from the OC -aka Orange County Assemblyman Chuck DeVore was only too happy to show us his pocketbook. Or at
least tell us about it.
"More than 14,000
folks gave Chuck D. more than $700,000, according to Team Chuck.
Need a comparison: Through June 30, Sen. Barbara Boxer had raised $8.3 million and spent $3.7 million. And she's in no rush to tell us how much she's pulled in this quarter.
And what about ex-HP CEO Carly Fiorina? She's in exploratory mode, so she doesn't have to tell us anything -- until, federal regs say -- she raises or spends more than $5,000. But c'mon Carly. You've launched a web page, had a presence at the recent CA GOP convention, and employ a veteran communications/polling crew. Surely, you're over the limit."
The LAT looks at the issue of cellphones in prisons.
"State prison officials have confiscated 4,130 contraband cellphones
this year, more than all those seized in the previous
three years
combined, according to an internal report released
today.
"The
findings sparked concern among legislators that the
proliferation of
cellphones in state lockups is a growing security problem.
More
than 100 illegal phones were discovered at the California Institution
for Men in Chino, including 10 in August, according to the report from
Matthew Cate, head of the state prisons system. But he said there
is no
evidence that inmates used the devices during a riot
that occurred
there Aug. 8."
Jim Miller looks at a bill, SB 11 ,
that would impact health benefits for retirees.
"San
Bernardino County's retirement board would be the first local agency
in
California allowed to take money from other agencies
and invest it to
pay for retiree health care under a bill awaiting Gov.
Arnold
Schwarzenegger's review.
"Many government agencies provide some kind of health
benefit to their retirees, in addition to regular pension
plans.
"But their traditional pay-as-you-go approach has run up against rising medical costs
and inadequate tax revenue.
"A 2007 report found that public agencies in California, from
state
government to mosquito districts, were collectively
short at least $118
billion to pay for non-pension health and other benefits for future
retirees.
"New accounting rules give government agencies a choice: They can
either list their future retiree health care obligations
on their books
as a liability -- and potentially hurt their credit rating, making
borrowing more expensive -- or they can start setting aside money to
pay for future retirees' health care."
Marc Lifsher looks at a bill that would crack down on mortgage counselors.
"Consumer advocates and a Santa Barbara lawmaker are
urging Gov. Arnold
Schwarzenegger to sign a bill that would protect homeowners
from
predatory firms that collect advance payments after
bragging about
their ability to persuade lenders to lower monthly
mortgage bills.
"Often, the so-called debt modification counselors collect thousands
of dollars in fees, then fail to do anythingwhile
lenders foreclose on the properties, Assemblyman Pedro Nava (D-Santa
Barbara) said at a news conference Wednesday in the state Capitol
building."
Covering Pedro Nava press conferences: Yet another sign that it's a slow news week in the Capitol.
"The measure, AB 764, would prohibit counselors, who
advertise heavily with official-looking direct mail, from collecting
any payment until after a client's mortgage is modified successfully
and monthly payments are reduced."
Dan Walters finds himself wondering if -- hoping that? -- Jerry Brown can be beaten.
While Brown leads all other declared candidates, "Brown polls under 50 percent against all three. And just as Republican
conservatives are uncomfortable with the three relatively
moderate,
Silicon Valley-spawned GOP candidates, so are doctrinaire liberals
leery of Brown, who stylizes himself now as a pragmatic
politician,
tough on crime and unwilling to raise taxes to balance
a chronically
imbalanced budget.
"The trick for any gubernatorial hopeful is to be liberal
or
conservative enough to win a party nomination but centrist
enough to
capture independents' support. The three Republicans, Meg Whitman,
Steve Poizner and Tom Campbell, all carry the moderate label, much to
the chagrin of conservative GOP activists, while Brown
will hew to the
center, taking the "netroots" left for granted, as long as his only
rival, San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom, languishes."
Any takers on this one? Lisa Vorderbueggen reports,
"Tenth Congressional District GOP candidate David Harmer touted a new poll in a fundraising email he sent out this week he says
shows him beating Democrat Lt. Gov. John Garamendi
49 percent to 32 percent.
"The survey also concluded that when respondents were
asked whether
they intended to vote for a generic Republican or Democrat,
the GOP
candidate received 40 percent compared with 44 percent for the
Democrat. And it showed Harmer ahead among decline-to-state voters 40
percent to 26 percent.
"That sound you hear is Garamendi laughing. Loudly."
Finally, the gov says he's ready to throw the book at Roman Polanksi.
"California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger told CNN on Thursday
that he
thinks filmmaker Roman Polanski, who was arrested in
Switzerland last
weekend for having sex with a 13-year-old girl, should not get special
treatment because of his celebrity status.
"It doesn't matter if you are a big-time movie actor or a big-time
movie director or producer," Schwarzenegger told CNN's Wolf Blitzer. "I
think that he is a very respected person, and I am
a big admirer of his
work. But nevertheless, I think he should be treated
like everyone
else."
