It appears that substantial enough progress may have been made in negotiations to achieve a 2/3rd vote in the Senate on the budget. Not being a policy wonk, I will sum up the essence of the deal as this: (1) the Governor blue-line vetoes 700 million in non-gimmicky real cuts, (2) the CEQA reforms demanded by Senate Republicans are achieved for two years, at least as far as infrastructure bond issues are concerned, and (3) some clean up takes place in numerous trailer bills that were flawed as a result of a speedy passage in the Assembly.

My source gives the caveat that the Assembly has not been involved in this negotiation, but he is hopeful they will approve this deal.

We’ll wait to see how this all pens out. At the end of the day, we’re still talking about “putting lipstick on the pig” when we talk about this fat, bloated budget. Still, it is better for the effort of Assembly Republicans and looks to be better yet for the work of Senate GOPers. Still, nothing I would vote for…but that would take a lot more giving than Perata and Nunez would or could produce…

As I pen this, Senate Republicans are still… Read More

Much of the budget negotiation wrangling that has been taking place the last couple of weeks is over the intolerable situation where, with the adoption and your signing into law of the "Global Warming Solutions Act" (also referred to by it’s bill number, AB 32), liberal Attorney General Jerry Brown is now able, using government attorneys, sue anyone trying to build anything.

The lesson to be learned here is that you are ill-serving yourself, and the people of California, when Democrats craft and you sign legislation, excluding Republican legislators from the process. In the State Senate, AB 32 was passed on a 100% party line vote, with NO REPUBLICAN SENATORS voting for it. Still, you signed it, and trumpeted his new era of "post-partisanship" (this is defined by you, apparently, as capitulating on Democrat issues unilaterally).

The very issues that Republicans have been bringing up now are those that they brought up at the time that AB 32 was being considered in the legislature. But the… 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

The Affirmative Action Empire Strikes Back

Ward Connerly, the former University of California regent who is spearheading ballot initiatives in five states next year that would abolish racial preferences, has never seen anything like it. Knowing that voters in every state where Mr. Connerly has contested the issue have approved of his vision of a society where government policy is color-blind, Democratic Attorney General Jay Nixon of Missouri has deliberately distorted the description of the initiative that will go on Missouri’s ballot.

Missouri law stipulates that ballot language be drawn up "in the form of a question using language neither intentionally argumentative nor likely to create… 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

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

Apparently campaigning is done a little bit "differently" if you are a Democrat legislator from Northwestern California. Democrat Assemblywomen Noreen Evans and Patti Berg apparently were so anxious to make sure that their legislative colleagues attend their upcoming fundraising events that they just distributed their event invitations right on the Assembly floor!

Looking at these photos of the campaign materials distrubuted on the desks of Democrat Members in the Assembly Chambers, there may be a bargain to he had. To be a "Plato Fuerte" sponsor for Noreen Evan’s upcoming fundraising event will cost you a cool $3600 bucks (if you are in Sacramento and free tomorrow night. But note the word "complimentary" emblazoned on both the Evans and Berg flyers. Perhaps you can print this e-mail, and take it to the event and get admitted for no charge. … Read More

Well, tomorrow is when the State Legislature reconvenes. The Assembly and Senators return from the four corners of the earth to finish out this years legislative session after a 30 day summer recessduring which, shamefully, abalanced budget was not agreed upon. There has been some discussions lately amongst budget negotiators. Will that result in a balanced budget soon, or by Halloween? Will there instead be, as Senator Denham proposed,a "continuing resolution" as a stop gap spending measure to pay the states bills to the vendors, the clinics, etc.,those that expect them?

If no budget agreement, I hope so…the legislature’spoll ratings hang in the balance! The polling done on the deceptive term limit extension initiative fortifies the opinion the public has of the legislature…people do believe that it kicks legislators out sooner, so they favor the initiative…for now. Wait til they hear… Read More