California Republicans, viewing Texas through rose-colored glasses, are touring the Lone Star state, where unions are bad, the environment is terrible and the GOP rules. The Dallas Morning News' Wayne Slater takes a look.
"As it turns out, Texas was facing a multibillion-dollar
budget crisis. And lawmakers are struggling now to mitigate massive teacher
layoffs and deep cuts to health care and nursing homes. It's in the midst of all this that the California
delegation arrives in Austin."
"In "creating jobs, Texas is clearly doing something
right and California is doing something wrong," said GOP state Assemblyman
Dan Logue, who's spearheading the trip. "We are headed there to find out
what we can do differently."
"That's music to the ears of Perry, who's long pushed the
Texas-is-great, California-is-lousy theme. Politically speaking, it's a winning
message in Texas. Not surprisingly, there's a far different view among
Democrats in California, where (unlike in Texas) they're the party in power. "The Republicans have made it clear they're in love
with Texas. We believe their love is blind and hope facts will help them
see," said Tom Dresslar, spokesman for California Treasurer Bill Lockyer."
Back in the Golden State, thousands of university students rallied at campuses against spirlaing tuition costs and cuts in classes. The LAT's Carla Rivera and Larry Gordon tell the tale.
"Dubbed the Day of Class Action, events were held on all 23
Cal State campuses, featuring speakers, workshops, gospel singers, guerrilla
theater and, on one campus, a New Orleans-style "funeral" march."
"The protests were largely peaceful and there were no
reports of disruptions, although student groups staged sit-ins in hallways
outside the offices of presidents Jolene Koester at Cal State Northridge and
James M. Rosser at Cal State L.A."
"No arrests were made, and students left the buildings by
the end of the day. Peaceful sit-ins were also held at campuses in Pomona, San
Francisco and the East Bay."
Gov. Brown has replaced the head of the compensation commission on the eve of its meeting to consider cutting lawmakers' use of state-leased vehicles and other perks.
From the LAT's Patrick McGreevy: "Chuck Murray, the outspoken head of the California
Citizens Compensation Commission, said he received a call from the governor’s
office late Wednesday night to say he was being replaced as chairman by
one of two new appointees named to the panel a few hours earlier. Murray, a Los
Angeles insurance company operator appointed by former Gov. Arnold
Schwarzenegger, remains on the seven-person commission which holds its annual
meeting Thursday in Burbank to set the compensation of elected state officials."
"Brown’s decision to replace a chairman who wanted to cut
compensation for legislators comes as the governor is wooing Republican
lawmakers to vote for his proposal to put an extension of taxes on the state
ballot."
"Brown has not taken a public position on whether
legislators and other elected officials should have their pay and benefits cut."
That old fossil of American politics and governance, the Electoral College, isn't going anywhere, but in California there is bipartisan legislatiion to make an end-run around it and make sure the winner of the popular vote wins the presidential election. The LAT's George Skelton takes a look.
"But there's a solution: The Assembly
Democratic and Republican caucus chairmen — Jerry Hill (D-San Mateo) and Brian
Nestande (R-Palm Desert) — have teamed up with bipartisan legislation that
would make California relevant again in presidential politics. The measure
cleared its first committee Tuesday."
"Under the bill, California would sign an
interstate compact obligating each signatory state to cast all its electoral
votes for the presidential candidate who wins the national popular vote. The
compact wouldn't go into effect unless signed by enough states to comprise a
majority of the electoral college vote."
"So the concept of electoral votes would be
retained; no constitutional amendment required. But the states would ensure
that the candidate preferred by most American voters would be elected
president."
The political battle over the city of Vernon moved to an Assembly committee, which voted in favor of disbanding the trouble-plagued town and folding it into Los Angeles County.
From the LAT's Sam Allen: "The bill's author, Assembly Speaker John Pérez (D-Los
Angeles), urged support for dissolving Vernon's municipal government, calling
it "a city whose corruption is the worst we've seen in the state." He
said the city, which has fewer than 100 residents but has 1,800 businesses, has
for decades been controlled by a small group of people who have run it as a
personal fiefdom."
"The seven legislators on the assembly's Local Government
Committee sided strongly with Pérez despite arguments from a coalition of
Vernon business owners, workers and labor leaders who have been fighting AB 46
since it was introduced in December."
"Dozens of members of the coalition voiced their
opposition at the packed hearing, saying that the bill would cause job losses.
Without the advantages that Vernon provides — low tax and utility rates among
them — many business owners said they would be forced to leave the state."
Looking into our "Keep the Sheep" file, we learn about one rancher's method of stopping sheep rustling -- dye them orange.
"He had lost 200 of his
blackface ewes over the past few years - but the thefts stopped as soon as he
dipped then in the harmless dye."
"John, 48, of Okehampton, Devon, said: "Sheep
rustling has become a big problem with ewes worth around £140 each. My flock
roams Dartmoor and I was getting fed-up losing them.
"My son James suggested the orange dye and although
it produces some strange-looking sheep I haven't lost one this year."
"They're so easily spotted rustlers are nervous
about stealing them."
But what about the sweaters?...
