Well, I have some bad news and some good news this morning for FlashReport readers. The bad news is that it would appear that we are getting a lot closer to a budget deal (this is bad news because it will not come with a reopening of the Assembly-passed document that, at well over a hundred billion dollars, represents a fat, bloated state bureaucracy in serious need of downsizing and privatization). The good news is that Senate Republicans continue to negotiate from a position of strength to make the proposed budget better than it is right now. I spoke this morning with Senate Republican Leader Dick Ackerman, who said that his caucus will meet again this morning at 10 a.m. to brief and prepare for another round of negotiations. Ackerman shared with me that the main area of discussion is still around the CEQA issue. For those who are catching up to this budget-impasse mid-game, this has to do with the fact that last year Democrats passed and the Governor signed a bill that requires a reduction in the emission of greenhouse gases. That said, while the law was passed that sets target goals, the implementing regulations to get there have not been put in… Read More

As indicated from my intel below, the State Senate met and did, in fact, pass out the state budget with 27 votes — the two GOPers being Senate Republican Leader Dick Ackerman and ersatz Republican Abel Maldonado.

First the CEQA reform I outlined below was voted on in the State Assembly, and then it came over to the State Senate where it, simultaneously to the budget, was passed on to the Governor.

Kudos to legislative Republicans for making a horrible budget slightly better. Californian’s need to elect more Republicans to the legislature if we want to see substantive structural reform of California state government.… Read More

With the passage of the budget, I have been on the phone quite a bit to Capitol denizens, and have heard a reoccuring rumor that Senate Republican Leader Dick Ackerman is on the way out.

Let me just put that rumor to bed. I’ve spoken with plenty of Senators, and while there is no love for this state budget (it’s too big, fat and bloated for any GOPer to love), I heard a lot of praise about Ackerman from his colleagues in terms of that way he worked with his caucus on the matter. Some of this praise came from Senators who did not support Ackerman’s bid to keep his leadership role last year.

Ackerman’s term in office ends next year, and one can presume that he will step aside early in order to allow for a transition — but I wouldn’t look for something to happen immediately. Certainly not before the end of this legislative session.… Read More

Four main items were taken up in the Assembly as the Senate finished up on the budget.

A bill, SB 97 was passedto provide a moratorium on lawsuits by Attorney General Brown over greenhouse gas emissions not being factored into construction. So, for a window of time, infrastructure can be built until the regs are actually sorted out on the ill-conceived AB32, and bond dollars voted for by Californians won’t be used to settle frivolous global warming lawsuits or more studies on how much CO 2 comes from projects. That moratorium is only until the end of ’09.

SB 83, the amended health trailer bill squeaked out 54 votes, not much Rep support.

Two other bills amending the Transportation trailer bill and the General Government trailer from the original Assembly versions a month ago passed with strong bipartisan support. These amendments did improve original trailers that had only checkered Republican support.… Read More

Over at his Citizens for the California Republican website, State Senator Tom McClintock has posted an column entitled A Small Victory And A Big Risk…

Budget developments moved so fast and were so uncertain over the past 24 hours that there was no opportunity to offer a clear picture of the situation or suggest what people could do to weigh in. Yesterday rumors of a “deal” circulated but were denied by the Republican leadership. This afternoon, with very little notice, a bare majority of the Senate Republican caucus decided that further negotiations were unlikely to produce any additional progress. Abel Maldonado and Richard Ackerman ultimately combined with the Democrats and voted … Read More

Drudge Report now has a link up to an ABC 7 News story about Democrat California Congressman Bob Filner’sphysical altercationwith a United Airlines employee near the baggage claim area of Dulles International Airport last night.

ABC 7 reports:

"ABC 7/Newschannel 8’s Jay Korff learned that police were called to the baggage claim area around 6 p.m. when a passenger attempted to enter an area authorized for airline employees only.

"ABC 7/Newschannel 8’s Kris Van Cleave spoke with several witnesses who say they saw Filner push aside an United Airlines employee and refused to leave the office.

"When officers arrived on scene, they found Filner waiting outside the office and informed him the airline employee would be pursuing charges.

"Investigators say the employee appeared before a Loudoun County Magistrate Sunday evening… Read More

Yes, I admit I long for the days of Pete Wilson as Governor. But , Pete has moved on to bigger and wealthier things. The LA Business Journal profiles Pete Wilson and several other Government affairs attorneys in their Who’s Who in L.A. Lawreport(Think Hertzberg, Frommer). See article here.… Read More

LEGISLATURE RETURNS – TIME FOR SOME GOP SOLIDARITY AND UNITY With the legislature reconvening today in the State Capitol, it means that Assembly Republicans will all be back together for the first time since Fabian Nunez abruptly (and unwisely) adjourned the Assembly before a final budget was put on the Governor’s desk. Today would be a good day for Assembly Republicans to hold a press conference to make some key points.

We stand in solidarity with our Republican colleagues in the Senate — the reforms for which they are holding out are important, and we believe the Democrats should be listening to them. We do not support the Governor’s efforts to go into the districts of our Republican colleagues to pressure them to give up on these important reforms. We call on all Senators to reject the proposed budget as long as the tax-cut package negotiated by Assembly Republican Leader Mike Villines is being held up by Don Perata. A strong statement that without that tax-cut package, there would not have been a budget passed out of the Assembly at … Read More