Well, if the state of the union is anything like the
state of the state, tonight is not going to be fun.
So, what does the president's big speech, and apparent new thrifiness mean for California?
Only the Shadow knows. But the Chron's Carolyn Lockhead
takes a shot at figuring it out.
"Last week's Republican victory in a Massachusetts
Senate race has
scrambled that strategy and sown fear and confusion
in the ranks of
Democrats facing their own re-election races in November.
The call in the Capitol is for jobs and, especially,
aid to small business.
"I went home to San Francisco, I drove down Post Street,
down
Sutter, down Union Street, I looked around the city
- and I was shocked
at what I saw in terms of closed small stores," said
Sen. Dianne
Feinstein, D-Calif."Morgan Stanley has just walked away from five
big office buildings
in San Francisco," she added, giving them back to its
lender after
buying them when the real estate market was near its
peak.
"People are "anxious, they're worried, they need reassurance,
and
that's the major message that this president has to
deliver," Feinstein
said. "There's no one better to make them understand
it than this
president. I hope he does it."
Is Jackie Speier coming home? Matier and Ross report, "In a move that could shake
up an already hotly contested race, popular Peninsula
Rep. Jackie Speier is eyeing a run for state attorney general. Speier's
interest in returning to Sacramento, where she spent
nearly 20
years in the Legislature, was sparked by a statewide
poll that showed
her outpacing the other Democratic candidates for AG
by better than 4
to 1."
Dean Florez says the fate of Abel Maldonado will be resolved soon.
E.J Schultz reports, "State Sen. Dean Florez, D-Shafter, a top lieutenant for Senate
President Darrell Steinberg, said in an interview that
the goal is to
make a decision on Maldonado by Feb. 12.
"There some semblance that we're going to be making
up our minds very quickly," Florez said.
The
Legislature has through Feb. 21 to approve the pick. But Florez said
lawmakers might act sooner to ensure that if Maldonado
is approved, the
election to fill his state Senate seat could be consolidated
with the
statewide primary election on June 8.
"Lawmakers actually have until Feb. 16. to approve him and still make
the deadline for holding the special election on the
primary date,
according to the Secretary of State's office. But Feb.
12 might be
desirable because it is the last Friday before President's
Day weekend."
Jim Sanders reports on the killing of a bill that would have limited gifts
to lawmakers.
"The derailment marks the second time in two years
that bills to
restrict gift-giving by interest groups have been shelved with no
organized opposition and no lawmaker voting against
them.
More
than 4,635 gifts totaling $256,789, excluding travel, were given to the
state's 120 legislators during an 18-month period ending July 1 by
Capitol interest groups, records show.
Assembly
Majority Leader Alberto Torrico, D-Newark, said Tuesday that he was
asked by Assembly Speaker Karen Bass months ago not
to seek a floor
vote for his measure, Assembly Bill 1412. Bass
has not changed her mind as Sunday's deadline looms
for acting on bills
introduced last year, said Torrico, adding that he
has given up on
pursuing the bill."
Looks like Martin Garrick is fast-tracking his ascension to the Assembly GOP's top spot. The LAT reports, "Assemblyman
Martin Garrick (R-Solana Beach) will take over as Assembly Republican
Leader next week, according to sources in the Assemblyman's office.
While
a date for the formal transition has not been set,
numerous Assembly
Republican sources confirmed Garrick has opted to fast-track his
takeover of the caucus rather than go through a lengthy
transition. He
will take over for Assemblyman Sam Blakeslee (R-San Luis Obispo)."
The newest Assemblyman, Chris Norby, is sworn in Friday, but last night, the OC Register
reports, he was given a send-off from the Orange County Board of Supes.
"A personalized street sign, a gigantic medical marijuana card and a
blank check made out to the County of Orange were among the gifts
Supervisor Chris Norby received during a reception this morning honoring
his service on the board.
After the reception, Norby participated in his last
meeting as a
member of the Board of Supervisors before he heads
to Sacramento to
join the State Assembly. Norby was elected earlier this month to fill the seat left vacant by Mike Duvall, who resigned in September after he was caught bragging
about extramarital sex."
The LAT's Evan Halper reports Gov. Schwarzenegger took a little swipe at his hometown
yesterday. Speaking at a charity event yeseterday, the governor
said, ""Here we are in the same state, but in San Diego
when someone is
putting up $700 million it goes to charity. I mean, you just go a
little bit north, 100 miles in Hollywood, if someone puts up $700
million it's for a divorce. It's just, you know, so
different. That's
what I like about California. Wherever you look it's
a little bit
different."
We don't know why we keep mentioning PETA's ridiculous
press releases, but we do. Maybe it's because you all
love them so much. So, for their latest publicity-getting gambit, the animal rights group is proposing
robotic groundhogs.
"An animal rights group wants organizers of Pennsylvania's Groundhog Day festival to replace Punxsutawney Phil
with a robotic stand-in.
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals
says it's unfair to keep the animal in captivity and
subject him to the
huge crowds and bright lights that accompany tens of
thousands of
revelers each Feb. 2 in Punxsutawney, a tiny borough about 65 miles northeast of Pittsburgh. PETA is suggesting the use of an animatronic model.
But
William Deeley, president of the Inner Circle of the Punxsutawney
Groundhog Club, says the animal is "being treated better
than the
average child in Pennsylvania." The groundhog is kept in a climate-controlled environment and is inspected annually by
the state Dept. of Agriculture"
