Some news of note from the past week…
Poizner Hi-lites GOP Elected Officials Tribute… Thursday night’s Republican Party of San Diego annual "Salute to Republican Elected Officials" at the Bahia Resort was well attended, with Insurance Commissioner and Governor hopeful Steve Poizner keynoting the event. His area visit resulted in a KUSI news story on the governor’s race, also including video clips from Meg Whitman’s San Diego stops a couple of weeks ago.
KUSI Reporter Steve Bosh notes that all three GOP candidates for Governor, including Tom Campbell, are "distancing themselves from Arnold Schwarzenegger." Wow, now there’s a stretch.
Here’s the KUSI story.
Heating up in 77th AD… If you missed it, on Thursday another candidate announced for an anticipated open Joel Anderson seat. It’s now four candidates that have decided they would each rather get a head start on 2010 than wait for an Anderson senate run confirmation. Read the FR exclusive about the latest contender, Jeff Kover, including links to the news on the other candidates. BTW, the comments are stacking up:
AD 77 Getting Crowded: Jeff Kover Jumps In
Politics and IOUs, but Still a Chance… If your Assembly bill had 43 co-authors of both parties (obviously, at 43) and a majority of the members of the Appropriations Committee, you might think it stood a pretty good chance of making it to the Senate. Not so, if you’re a Republican and the chairman of Appropriations perhaps doesn’t want a GOPer to get credit for common sense legislation. Such is the saga of Assemblyman Anderson’s AB 1506, which would require the state to accept as payment the same registered warrants it foists on its subjects in lieu of real money. An excerpted message from Anderson:
Many of you saw what happened at the Appropriations Committee Hearing this past Wednesday, when AB 1506 was not allowed to come up for a vote, despite the fact that a majority of the committee members were co-authors and the bill saves the state over $18 million.
Over the objection of the Vice-Chair’s motion to bring AB 1506 to a vote, the Committee Chairman (Kevin De León) sent the bill to the "suspense file" – a place where good bills go to die without a vote … I wanted to let you know that since Wednesday’s Committee hearing, I had a very thoughtful conversation on the Assembly floor with the Chairman … (he) pledged to me that he would to take another look at the bill because critical information had been left out of his analysis regarding the major cost savings AB 1506 would provide to the state.
Since July 2, the State has issued over 327,000 IOUs totaling almost $2 billion. Each IOU adds to the state’s debt with interest … If AB 1506 was law, the state would save a hefty $18,281,250 … I detailed all of the savings in a letter I sent to the Committee Chairman … a copy of the letter can be downloaded here: http://repalert/arcsites/member/77/pdf/Anderson_DeLeonLtr2.pdf
California State Controller John Chiang’s main responsibility is to manage the state’s cash flow. He understands the importance of this bill. I want to personally thank him for his important letter of support and the majority of Appropriations Committee members that are co-authors of AB 1506.
Please email your letters to Assemblymember.anderson@assembly.ca.gov and include your name, title (if applicable) & phone number so that the Chairman knows you’re a real person who demands to be counted … We can bring common sense to this committee, but I need your letter by 8:30 on Wednesday morning. Californians up and down the state are counting on us to make a difference.
Read Anderson’s entire message and see the video of what took place at the Committee hearing.
Kittle on the UT Kettle… The big news the week before last was that among the latest 100 plus staffers departing the incredible shrinking San Diego Union-Tribune was longtime editorial page Editor Bob Kittle. Disliked by liberals and many conservatives alike, since 1986 Kittle was the face of the paper’s opinions, but like hundreds of others, now the victim of declining revenues and new owner Platinum Investors. The news last week was that Rob Davis and Voice of San Diego landed an interview with Kittle so quickly:
Behind the Bowtie
Have a great week!
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