I’m not sure if the Governor’s pain medication for his recent knee surgery impaired his decision-making, when he picked up the phone and called into the John and Ken radio show yesterday, and defended his discussions with state legislators and his proposal to increase the state sales tax as a means to get the votes to pass a state budget.

The show is absolutely fabulous political theatre — with the Governor trying to defend the tax increase and his battle against global warming — while he is rather mercilously strafed by John and Ken.

There’s one point in the interview where they ask, "Are you still on anethesia?" The point I made above.

Here is the link to the John and Ken Show website. Click on the 8/18 3 p.m. hour broadcast to listen.

While the Governor’s call into the show starts around the 12 minute mark in the show, he follows a GREAT interview with FR friend Assembly… Read More

Update: 7:15pm: In my haste to post on Big 5 meeting below, I erroneously said that the Governor was pushing an INCOME tax. That is an error. I meant to say SALES tax. But to be honest, exactly what taxes the Governor was advocating in the meeting is assumed on my part — it’s not specified in Villines’ comments- Flash

"Post-Partisan" Arnold has become a royal pain in the celebrity posterior. Post-Partisan Arnold isn’t the guy who we re-elected in 2006 who ran on an emphatic platform of never raising taxes. Post-Partisan Arnold is the guy that the Governor of the 2006 campaign trail "morphed" into after he was re-elected. Post-Partisan Arnold has no "team" — he is a team of one.

Today the Governor hosted a meeting of the Big 5 (The Governor and the four legislative leaders) in his office to see where everyone stands on budget negotiations. Apparently, according to the Sacramento Bee story covering the meeting, Assembly Republican Leader Mike Villines had to walk out of the… Read More

In my haste to post on Big 5 meeting below, I erroneously said that the Governor was pushing an INCOME tax. That is an error. I meant to say SALES tax. But to be honest, exactly what taxes the Governor was advocating in the meeting is assumed on my part — it’s not specified in Villines’ comments.… Read More

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