"Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's decision Tuesday to call state lawmakers back for a
special session next month comes with several strategic advantages," reports Evan Halper in the Times.
"The governor is planning to summon sitting lawmakers
-- not the new class that will be elected in two weeks
-- for the emergency session. They already are well-versed in the intricacies of the current state spending
plan. They will no longer be waging reelection campaigns.
And some will be leaving the Legislature when their
terms expire Nov. 30."
Quack, quack.
"Analysts say that if Schwarzenegger again proposes
a tax increase to deal with the state's fiscal problems, the current crop of lawmakers is
still his best hope of getting it passed -- even though Republican members beat back his efforts
to temporarily raise the sales tax during the summer.
Administration officials say they are drafting a plan
to submit to lawmakers.
"'There are some . . . lame-duck Republicans who could probably be persuaded to
be made more agreeable to his fiscal approach,' said Republican political analyst
Tony Quinn. 'Some are leaving office and have no plan of running
again. I am sure he hopes he can put together an arrangement
with them.'"
The AP's Judy Lin reports:
"'I think we should go in only when there's an ironclad agreement between not only the legislative
branch and the governor, but between the parties,' said incoming Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg, D-Sacramento. 'It just wouldn't make sense for us to go in without the parameters
of an agreement.'
"The timing of the special session is an important political
calculation for the governor. Lawmakers whose terms
expire this year might be willing to vote for a temporary
tax increase or other unpopular ways to bring in extra
revenue."
Couldn't the others just run out the clock?
"The governor also could have waited to see the results
of legislative elections on Nov. 4. Democrats could gain seats to close in on the two-thirds majority needed to pass the budget, raising
the likelihood of tax increases."
Whether the special session happens before or after
new folks are sworn in, the LAT's Nancy Vogel writes that Democrats are poised to pick up seats in state legislative races, making next year's budget fight a bit easier.
"California Democrats appear poised to expand their
control of the Legislature, which could alter the dynamics
of the next budget battle, already predicted for next
year.
"Between Sept. 5 and Oct. 15, Democrats registered 215,000 voters, almost twice as many as Republicans, according
to county voter registration data. In several Assembly
districts held by Republicans, Democrats have nearly
closed the gap or even surpassed Republican registration.
"Democratic gains of even a couple of seats on Nov.
4 could ease California's annual struggle to match spending with revenue. Eight
Republican votes are now needed to pass a budget by
the required two-thirds majority of lawmakers. If voters reject Republican
candidates in some districts, Democrats may have a
smaller anti-tax bloc to battle and fewer arms to twist to pass
a budget.
"Barbara O'Connor, director of the Institute for the Study of Politics
at Cal State Sacramento, said she is "certain" Democrats will gain at
least a couple of seats in the Legislature. 'That will make a big
difference in budget negotiations as the leadership
and the governor
try to unwind this horrible budget,' said O'Connor."
But before the guv calls everyone back, he's taking a little p/t in Ohio.
Matier and Ross report, "Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger plans to take a break
from the state's fiscal woes for a week of campaigning - including a
Halloween rally in Columbus, Ohio, with Republican
presidential nominee
John McCain.
"First, Schwarzenegger will be stomping up and down
the state next
week with the likes of the AARP, the League of Women
Voters, Common
Cause, the NAACP and even the American Civil Liberties
Union of
Southern California - all to tout his redistricting measure,
Proposition 11.
"Then, it's off to Columbus - site of Schwarzenegger's annual
springtime bodybuilding and fitness festival - for an appearance with
McCain at the 20,000-seat Nationwide Arena, home of the NHL's Blue
Jackets hockey team. Arnold flexed his muscle at a
similar event four
years ago for President Bush, who went on to pull out a narrow victory in Ohio that
put him over the top for re-election."
"Democrats, according to the latest figures from the
California Secretary of State's Office, now make up 43.9 percent of the electorate, while Republicans represent 32.3 percent," reports Edwin Garcia in the Merc News.
"Counties that were long known as Republican strongholds,
such as San Bernardino, Ventura, Stanislaus and San
Joaquin, now have more Democrats than Republicans.
That's partly because today's new voters in traditionally conservative places such
as the Central Valley and Inland Empire are likely
to be Latino, who tend to register as Democrats.
"In addition, young voters across California generally
are choosing the younger of the two main presidential
candidates, Barack Obama, who is actively courting them."
He is also the more Democratic of the two candidates...
"'The Democrats have been more successful in getting
new voters registered, and a lot of that is young voters,' said Melinda Jackson, assistant professor of political science at San Jose
State University. She credits the pro-Democratic wave to voters' widespread distrust of unpopular President Bush, among
other factors.
"'This is part of a nationwide trend, particularly this
year,' Jackson said."
The Bee's Steve Wiegand reports:
"Mac Taylor, a 55-year-old Fresno native who has been with the office for
30 years, was picked by the Joint Legislative Budget Committee
to succeed Elizabeth Hill. Hill, who leaves her post Friday, held the job for
22 years.
"'I know the committee had a difficult choice, and I'm obviously very honored by the appointment,' Taylor said at the news conference, where he was flanked
by several legislators from both parties.
"Taylor, who holds a bachelor's degree in political science from UC Riverside and
a master's degree in public policy from Princeton, joined the
office in 1978 and has served as a deputy to Hill since 1990.
"The office, a novel idea when it was created in 1941, provides unbiased counsel to legislators on fiscal
issues, and has a sterling reputation for down-the-middle analyses of the financial implications of state
programs, and legislative and gubernatorial proposals.
"'We have strong practices and traditions that ensure
that we do our work in an even-handed way, a fair way, relying on data and analysis,' Taylor said. "So those kinds of things are obviously Job 1 for me, to make sure we continue as a strong source
of information for the Legislature.'"
Dan Walters writes:
"At least legislators resisted the temptation to silence
that voice of
reason and independence. And so, as they work through
still another
budget mess, they will have Taylor reminding them of
what they should
be doing – even if they continue to ignore the advice."
The Chron's John Wildermuth looks at the geographic political divisions of Californians and
the impact on Proposition 8.
"'There's an increasing divide between the coastal view of
the political world and the Central Valley's view, and you can see that in Proposition 8,' said Mark DiCamillo, director of the Field Poll. 'But the same-sex marriage question splits voters in a lot of ways,
by party, by religion, by age, by region.'
"In a Field Poll in June that showed Prop. 8 losing statewide, only 37 percent of likely voters in California's voter-rich coastal counties were backing the same-sex marriage ban, compared with 54 percent in the less-populous inland section of the state. In the Bay Area,
the center of the nation's gay rights movement, support for the measure skidded
to 26 percent.
"Those numbers might have changed slightly since the
summer. Some recent polls showed the race tightening
after a flood of TV ads by proponents of the measure."
Meanwhile, the LAT's Jessica Garrison reports:
"Two groups of African American ministers held dueling
lunchtime news conferences in South Los Angeles on
Tuesday to rally support for and against Proposition 8, which would amend the state Constitution to define
marriage as between a man and a woman."
And, we bring you yesterday's top 10 campaign dough recipient, courtesy of ElectionTrack.
Yes On 5: $550,000
No On Prop. 8 (Californians Against Eliminating Basic Rights):
$525,000
No On 8, Equality For All: $370,160
Hannah Beth Jackson 2008: $361,362
Yes On 8:
$310,549
No On Props 6 & 9: $204,777
No On Proposition 2:
$202,500
John
McCann For Assembly:
$185,769
California Republican Party: $168,772
Yes On Prop. 2: $165,300
And congratulations to Pete Stark and Joe Baca, who
made Esquire Magazine's list of 10 Worst Members of Congress.
"Stark gives bumbling, dyspeptic old fools who say stupid
things a bad
name. Choice recent example: accusing Republicans of sending troops to
Iraq "to get their heads blown off for the president's amusement."
Meanwhile, our own Joe Baca earned this high praise.
"As chairman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, Baca
steered CHC
funds to the campaigns of his two sons. When Congresswoman
Loretta
Sanchez called him on it, he did the mature thing and
called her a
"whore." Nice. So Baca's corrupt and venal.
Congratulations to you both!
