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Schwarzenegger calls Texas oil companies 'greedy' -- Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Tuesday rebuked oil companies Valero and Tesoro for financing an effort to suspend the state's greenhouse gas reduction law, labeling the companies "greedy." Kevin Yamamura SacBee Capitol Alert -- 4/13/10 Boxer's re-election rating slips -- California Sen. Barbara Boxer's prospects of winning a fourth term this year have dimmed, according to a new appraisal by CQ Politics, an arm of Congressional Quarterly. Dan Walters SacBee Capitol Alert -- 4/13/10 Carly Fiorina leads in fundraising in GOP Senate race -- Carly Fiorina has a slight campaign fundraising lead over Tom Campbell in the three-way money race for California's GOP Senate nomination, according to figures released today. Rob Hotakainen SacBee Capitol Alert Ben Goad in the Riverside Press -- 4/13/10 Fiorina, Campbell virtually tied in GOP Senate money race, too -- but both trail Boxer $ stockpile -- The US Senate race is tight in the polls -- and now in the fundraising race. Ex-HP CEO Carly Fiorina announced Tuesday that she raised a sliver more -- $1.7 million -- than top rival, ex-South Bay Rep. Tom Campbell ($1.6 million) in the first quarter of 2010. Joe Garofoli Chronicle Politics Weblog -- 4/13/10 Whitman pushes targeted tax cuts in Riverside -- Riverside and San Bernardino counties could benefit more than other parts of the state from tax cuts aimed at spurring job growth, Republican gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman said today. Dug Begley in the Riverside Press -- 4/13/10 Whitman’s “Targeted Tax Cuts” Could Have a High Price Tag -- While insisting an across-the-board tax cut would “irresponsibly grow the state’s already over-sized debt level,” GOP gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman proposes tax cuts of at least $4.4 billion and as much as $12 billion. Greg Lucas California's capitol weblog -- 4/13/10 Schwarzenegger spokesman lashes out at Poizner ad -- Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger so far has avoided the GOP gubernatorial fray. But Schwarzenegger's office couldn't resist lashing out Tuesday at Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner after Poizner's latest TV ad takes shots at the incumbent governor in an appeal to conservative Republicans. Kevin Yamamura SacBee Capitol Alert -- 4/13/10 Schwarzenegger whacks Pérez over Maldonado delays -- It is safe to say Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is more than a tad peeved at Assembly Speaker John A. Pérez’s handling of Sen. Abel Maldonado’s still-pending confirmation as lieutenant governor. Shane Goldmacher in the Los Angeles Times -- 4/13/10 Did university hide Palin contract? -- Two political science students at California State University, Stanislaus, held a press conference this morning to announce they found pages of a Washington Speakers Bureau contract in a dumpster outside their school's administration building on Friday, setting off speculation by a critical lawmaker that the campus is hiding information about its upcoming fundraiser featuring former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin. Laurel Rosenhall in the Sacramento Bee Carla Rivera in the Los Angeles Times Steven Harmon in the Contra Costa Times -- 4/13/10 Bendy Straws? Palin Stanislaus Fracas Heats Up -- To hear Ashli Briggs and Alicia Lewis tell it, dumpster diving really paid off. This morning, the two Cal State Stanislaus students appeared at a Capitol news conference to say they had found six pages of the heretofore confidential contract outlining Sarah Palin's big speech in June for an event hosted by the university's nonprofit foundation. John Myers Capitol Notes weblog -- 4/13/10 Judge says San Carlos can ban a Sarah Palin billboard along Highway 101 -- A federal judge Monday dismissed a Nevada man's lawsuit that claimed San Carlos officials violated his free speech rights when they rejected his application to build a "Palin for President" billboard in the city alongside Highway 101. Shaun Bishop in the Contra Costa Times -- 4/13/10 Judge bars Venice dispensary from selling medical marijuana -- A Los Angeles County Superior Court judge issued a preliminary injunction Tuesday that bars the popular Venice dispensary Organica from selling or distributing marijuana at its store on Washington Boulevard. John Hoeffel in the Los Angeles Times -- 4/13/10 California’s poor pay the highest tax rate -- California households in the lowest 20 percent of income pay the highest portion of their earnings when it comes to state and local taxes, according to a new report from the California Budget Project. Martin Wisckol in the Orange County Register -- 4/13/10 'Pension spiking' to be written out of fire chief's contract -- The contract for the Contra Costa Fire District's new chief will eliminate many provisions that in the past have been used to spike top county employees' pensions. Rick Radin in the Contra Costa Times -- 4/13/10 Exports from California continue upward trend -- California's exports continued to climb out of recession in February, trade analyst Jock O'Connell said today after crunching the latest numbers from the Department of Commerce. Dan Walters SacBee Capitol Alert -- 4/13/10 Mercury drops another $1.75 million into Prop 17 campaign -- Auto insurance giant Mercury Insurance Group dropped another $1.75 million into the campaign war chest of its June measure to allow auto insurers to consider a motorist's coverage history in determining rates. Torey Van Oot SacBee Capitol Alert -- 4/13/10 Assembly kills resolution honoring Boy Scouts -- The Assembly is often divided on many of the big issues of the day -- taxes, gay marriage, the Boy Scouts... That's right, the Boy Scouts of America got caught in the political crossfire Tuesday when a proposed resolution honoring the group was killed in the Assembly Judiciary Committee at the behest of Democrats. Capitol Weekly's Anthony York in the Los Angeles Times -- 4/13/10 Assemblyman John Perez endorses tougher sentences for some sex offenders -- Assembly Speaker John Perez (D-Los Angeles) pledged his support Tuesday for a bill that would establish a penalty of a life sentence without the possibility of parole for forcible sex crimes against minors in some circumstances. Anthony York and Patrick McGreevy in the Los Angeles Times -- 4/13/10 NY water environmentalists to honor Schwarzenegger -- A Hudson River environmental group will honor Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger tomorrow in New York for his actions on climate change, despite the governor's past clashes with environmentalists on water policy in California. Kevin Yamamura SacBee Capitol Alert -- 4/13/10 Los Angeles water use declines to 1979 levels, utility reports -- Los Angeles has grown by about 1 million people in the last three decades, but you wouldn’t know it from the way water has been trickling out of taps and sprinklers lately. Tony Barboza in the Los Angeles Times -- 4/13/10 Water conservation program caused L.A.'s string of water main breaks, report finds --- The series of major water main breaks that occurred around Los Angeles last year was caused by the city's water conservation program, which put too much pressure on the city's aging cast iron pipes, according to a city report released Tuesday. David Zahniser and Phil Willon in the Los Angeles Times -- 4/13/10 How Your Water Rates Subsidize Golf Courses -- But one class of customers has escaped the rate hikes unscathed: The 475 businesses, homeowners associations, golf courses and public agencies that buy reclaimed water from the city. ROB DAVIS Voiceofsandiego.org -- 4/13/10 California gets a 'D' in government spending transparency -- The report, released today by the left-leaning Public Interest Research Group, gave California props for being one of 29 states to have a Web site that includes searchable databases of "checkbook-level" data on government spending. Torey Van Oot SacBee Capitol Alert -- 4/13/10 State’s pensions aren’t massively underfunded, CalPERS says -- Well, the California Public Employees Retirement System fired back, saying the Stanford study is deeply flawed and “relies on outdated data and methodologies out of sync with governmental accounting rules and actuarial standards of practice.” Teri Sforza in the Orange County Register -- 4/13/10 Cruickshank: About That Pensions Report -- So, let me give an independent analysis from this University of Washington graduate student: the $500 billion figure is overblown and assumes a much lower rate of return than has historically been the case. Robert Cruickshank Cal Progress Report -- 4/13/10 McEwen: PG&E deceives voters about Prop. 16 to protect its profits -- The mail the other day brought the usual offers for debt relief and loan modifications, along with something new: a slick flier declaring that Proposition 16 would stick up for people sick of government debt. Bill McEwen in the Fresno Bee -- 4/13/10 Service workers' union endorses Janice Hahn for Lt. Gov -- Janice Hahn, a Los Angeles city councilwoman, nabbed an endorsement Tuesday for her lieutenant governor bid from California's Service Employees International Union. Susan Ferriss SacBee Capitol Alert -- 4/13/10 Fox: McClintock Should Not be Judged By Election Tally -- Tony Quinn argued here yesterday that Steve Poizner‘s campaign was wrong in tying itself to Congressman Tom McClintock because McClintock’s philosophy has failed to win him a statewide race in four attempts. Joel Fox Fox & Hounds weblog -- 4/13/10
Meg Whitman mails half a million copies of policy booklet -- Republican gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman's campaign is sending out about half a million copies of her 48-page policy booklet to households across California, most of them Republican, said Whitman press secretary Sarah Pompei. Jack Chang SacBee Capitol Alert -- 4/13/10 Once again, Meg Whitman promises to release her tax returns -- A month after California's three major candidates for governor made an unprecedented offer to publicly release 25 years of tax returns, voters are still waiting. Ken McLaughlin in the San Jose Mercury -- 4/13/10 Haim Saban loans $2 million to effort to repeal Prop. 11 -- Haim Saban, the entertainment mogul behind Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers, has loaned $2 million to a campaign to repeal the Citizens Redistricting Commission established under Proposition 11. Torey Van Oot SacBee Capitol Alert Anthony York in the Los Angeles Times -- 4/13/10 CalBuzz: Union IE Update: Micro-Targeting Voters is Key -- But after talking later to California Labor Federation ramrod Art Pulaski, it’s clear that how this IE will target voters is at least as important, if not more so, than who makes up the coalition. Jerry Roberts and Phil Trounstine CalBuzz -- 4/13/10 New pro-Jerry Brown group takes shape -- An independent expenditure committee aimed at boosting Jerry Brown's campaign for governor is taking shape, with three major donors in the labor movement signing on as co-chairmen. Capitol Weekly's Anthony York in the Los Angeles Times Joe Garofoli Chronicle Politics Weblog -- 4/13/10 Walters: Anti-Brown ad slanted but not unusual -- The California Chamber of Commerce gave Jerry Brown a 72nd birthday present last week – a TV spot slamming him as a big-spending liberal. Dan Walters in the Sacramento Bee -- 4/13/10 Boxer raises $2.4 million for tough reelection battle -- Sen. Barbara Boxer raised $2.4 million in the first three months of 2010, leaving the Democratic incumbent with a large war chest for her reelection battle later this year. Seema Mehta in the Los Angeles Times -- 4/13/10 Legal community says Poizner off base in Wanger criticism -- More reaction to Republican gubernatorial hopeful Steve Poizner's latest criticisms of U.S. District Judge Oliver W. Wanger, whom he blames for the water shortages that have affected west-side Valley farmers and urban users south of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. John Ellis Fresno Bee News Blog -- 4/13/10 Prison industries maintain monopoly even in tough times -- California prisoners, unlike law-abiding citizens, have a guaranteed market for the products they make behind bars: State agencies are required by law to buy them even if private workers can make them cheaper or better. Jim Sanders in the Sacramento Bee -- 4/13/10 Mercury Insurance may face millions in fines -- Mercury Insurance Group, a major backer of a hotly contested insurance measure on the June ballot, faces potentially costly fines in the wake of a new state report alleging that California's third-largest insurer is violating state laws "despite agreements with the state to terminate illegal behavior." Carla Marinucci in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 4/13/10Dale Kasler in the Sacramento Bee Carol J. Williams in the Los Angeles Times -- 4/13/10 Hollingsworth wants expiration date on all state programs -- The top Republican in the state Senate said Monday he wants California to carve out a permanent place in state government for a chief inspector general who would analyze and audit every state program. Shane Goldmacher in the Los Angeles Times -- 4/13/10 East Bay police chief calls for open-carry ban -- An East Bay police chief will be in Sacramento on Wednesday to advocate for a bill that would crack down on the “open carry” movement, in which gun enthusiasts say they’re exercise their Second Amendment rights and protecting their personal safety by carrying unloaded firearms in plain sight in public places. Josh Richman Political Blotter weblog -- 4/13/10 Nunes defends Pombo after unflattering mention in Rove book -- As Tracy Republican Richard Pombo seeks a return to Congress, Rep. Devin Nunes has emerged as his staunchest ally. John Ellis Fresno Bee News Blog -- 4/13/10 Gay marriage ban repeal falls short -- Same-sex marriage advocates have failed to gather enough petition signatures to place on November's ballot a measure that would repeal Proposition 8's constitutional ban. Josh Richman in the Contra Costa Times John Marelius in the San Diego Union-Trib Maura Dolan in the Los Angeles Times Wyatt Buchanan in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 4/13/10
California won't tax forgiven home debt -- Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed legislation Monday to spare thousands of Californians big tax bills on mortgage debt forgiven in 2009. Jim Wasserman in the Sacramento Bee -- 4/13/10 Year's up and down for refunds -- What Uncle Sam giveth, California taketh away. Claudia Buck in the Sacramento Bee -- 4/13/10 For Sacramento area students, internships aren't just for summer anymore -- With the down economy making it harder for students to get paid jobs – and intensifying their drive to be marketable – internships have become a ubiquitous part of the college experience. Laurel Rosenhall in the Sacramento Bee -- 4/13/10 Council's budget committee recommends LAPD hiring freeze -- The department currently can replace employees who resign or retire. But with other city workers beginning to receive layoff notices, some council members want to stop hiring police immediately. David Zahniser in the Los Angeles Times -- 4/13/10 Life in the Land of Few Earmarks -- It is impossible to say exactly what the decision this spring by Republicans in Congress to completely quit sponsoring earmarks will ultimately cost Orange County in terms of federal dollars. TRACY WOOD VoiceofOC.org -- 4/13/10
Hundreds of teachers gather to contest LBUSD layoffs -- When teacher Rebecca Roe on Monday heard her name called out at Wilson High School, she experienced pangs of anxiety. Kevin Butler in the Long Beach Press -- 4/13/10 Fensterwald: No longer highest paid teachers -- Teachers in California no longer earn, on average, the most of any state in the nation. New York has taken over that distinction. John Fensterwald educatedguess.org -- 4/13/10 UC Berkeley bloated, wasteful, consultants say -- For a world-class university studded with Nobel laureates and innovative research, UC Berkeley manages its finances a bit like a sloppy undergrad, a new report suggests. Nanette Asimov in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 4/13/10 Documents detailing Palin's speaking fee were shredded, Yee says -- When it began, the ruckus over Sarah Palin’s speaking fee at the state university in Turlock – and the school’s attempts to keep it secret – had a comic undertone. Lance Williams California Watch -- 4/13/10 Palin speech at Cal State campus draws attention to foundations linked to universities -- State Sen. Leland Yee is asking Atty. Gen. Jerry Brown to investigate Cal State Stanislaus for failing to provide documents relating to Palin's fundraising appearance at a school gala. Carla Rivera in the Los Angeles Times -- 4/13/10
County's wettest season in years fills reservoirs, so is drought over? -- So what does Santa Clara Valley's wettest season in years, with rainfall totals surpassing a decades-old average and reservoirs becoming nearly full, exactly mean for San Jose? Sandra Gonzales in the San Jose Mercury -- 4/13/10 More moving and shaking, but why? -- The number of earthquakes greater than magnitude 4.0 in Southern California and Baja California has increased significantly in 2010. Scientists are studying the uptick but cannot fully explain it. Cara Mia DiMassa in the Los Angeles Times -- 4/13/10
As world improves, pregnancy-related deaths rise in U.S. -- A massive new analysis of worldwide maternal mortality shows that deaths are down significantly around the globe – but in the United States, deaths are up to 17 per 100,000, compared to the last U.S. estimate of 12 per 100,000. Nathanael Johnson California Watch -- 4/13/10 Childrens Hospital sued over issue of consent for infant's surgery -- When a doctor at Childrens Hospital of Los Angeles called in 2007 to tell Eduardo Rivas that his 6-month-old son needed surgery to repair double hernias, Rivas was not sure what he should do. Molly Hennessy-Fiske in the Los Angeles Times -- 4/13/10
Obama considering as many as 10 candidates for high court opening -- The White House is pushing back against the notion that President Obama has narrowed his search to a trio of front-runners to fill a seat on the Supreme Court, with several officials saying on Monday that about 10 candidates remain under serious consideration. Anne E. Kornblut and Robert Barnes in the Washington Post -- 4/13/10
Sanchez probes Asian human trafficking -- Whether countries like Taiwan, the Philippines and Cambodia are doing what they can to combat human trafficking was at the top of Rep. Loretta Sanchez’s agenda last week when she visited four Southeast Asian countries in six days. Dena Bunis in the Orange County Register -- 4/13/10 California bill requires home carbon monoxide monitors -- Californians would be required to install carbon monoxide monitors if their home has an attached garage or fireplace under legislation the state Assembly adopted Monday, although one lawmaker said the bill reached too far into people's private lives. SAMANTHA YOUNG AP -- 4/13/10 San Diego assemblyman proposes tougher penalties for sex crimes --- At emotional press conference attended by the parents of slain 17-year-old Chelsea King, Republican Nathan Fletcher calls for longer sentences for those convicted of sexual assaults against minors. Patrick McGreevy in the Los Angeles Times Marisa Lagos in the San Francisco Chronicle Michael Gardner in the San Diego Union-Trib -- 4/13/10
Democrats Push to Require Corporate Campaign Disclosure -- The White House and leading Democrats in Congress are close to proposing legislation that would force private companies and groups to disclose their behind-the-scenes financial involvement in political campaigns and advertising, officials involved in the discussions said Monday. ERIC LICHTBLAU in the New York Times -- 4/13/10 Rahm Emanuel provides inspiration to Republicans -- Rep. Kevin McCarthy (Calif.), one of the Republicans taking the lead in shaping the party's strategy for this fall's elections, has been calling GOP faithful all over the country for advice. But one of the more surprising sources he's mining for wisdom is White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel. Perry Bacon Jr. in the Washington Post -- 4/13/10 |
