From State Board of Equalization Member Bill Leonard’s latest e-newsletter: UNDER THE DOME ***The ‘No-Budget’ Budget*** As everybody knows from family or business budgeting, some 85% of spending is the same year after year with some adjustments for inflation. The real decisions are over the remaining 15% of available revenue, when it is available. The California state budget is the same. Except when it is warped by excessive borrowing (which is the current problem), the spending programs grow at a predictable rate. When spending gets out of hand there are major reforms that come together to make changes as we have done… Read More

Senator Dick Ackerman called to let FR readers know that Assemblywoman Parra has been relocated — to a legislative office building outside of the Capitol! Maybe the folks at the State GOP HQ can find it and offer her a voter registration form…… Read More

Just off the phone with Assembywoman Bonnie Garcia, who informed me that in retribution for her not supporting the Democrat budget (the one with the tax increase), she is currently being moved out of her office, presumably to something quite tiny…… Read More

From Cap Weekly…. Parra kicked out of Capitol office after budget vote (published Monday, August 18, 2008)

Assemblywoman Nicole Parra, D-Hanford, has been evicted from her Capitol office space today by the Assembly Democratic leadership. The move came one day after Parra failed to vote for her own party’s budget proposal.

That proposal needed 54 votes — the two-thirds majority needed to pass a budget in California — but got only 45 votes. The vote came after four hours of debate during a special Sunday session. Assembly Speaker Karen Bass, D-Los Angeles. Not a single Republican voted for the budget bill, AB 1781 by Assemblyman John Laird, D-Santa Cruz. Thirty of 32 Republicans voted against the bill.

According to Parra’s staff, the office will now be split up. Several staffers will… Read More

After working in and around the Capitol for about 20 years I still do not understand the whole punishment by small office effort. It almost always makes the Speaker or Pro Tem look petty.

In the case of Assemblyman Curt Pringle — he wore it as a badge of honor. He actually made it into a good thing. Parra will do the same.

The big loser here is Speaker Bass.

This is a bunch of "Wiggins".… Read More

Check out this video that the Governor recorded for EcoDrivingUSA.com…

The GOP candidate in AD 80 is up on television… … Read More

Word is that Asm. Nicole Parra has been kicked out of the building, "relocated" to the Legislative Office Building across from the Capitol. She was not an aye vote on yesterdays budget exercise.… Read More