Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has a new director of finance.
"Ana Matosantos,
currently in the finance department's No. 2 position, will take the
reins as Schwarzenegger's chief budget writer Dec.
31, with California
facing an estimated $20.7-billion deficit through June 2011.
That yawning gap, combined with Schwarzenegger's lame-duck status, makes the job less appealing than in more
flush times.
"It's a tough job with no easy answers," said Jean
Ross, executive director of the California Budget Project.
Schwarzenegger
has predicted more across-the-board cuts as he draws up his next budget
proposal, to be rolled out in early January. Health
and social services
for the poor, in particular, are expected to be on
the chopping block."
"The Senate Rules Committee has scheduled a confirmation
hearing Wednesday for Michael Peevey, the president
of the state Public Utilities Commission and a former
utility executive," John Howard reports.
"Peevey, a PUC appointee of two governors to the powerful
regulatory panel, is the only PUC appointment under
consideration by Rules. Peevey was first appointed
to the PUC by former Gov. Gray Davis in 2002 in the wake of California’s electricity crisis. He was reappointed to the panel
by Gov. Schwarzenegger and if he is confirmed, Peevey’s term will run through 2014.
"The confirmation of a second PUC member, Rachelle Chong,
a go-to person on the commission for telecommunications
issues, was blocked when Senate Leader Darrell Steinberg
declined to schedule her hearing."
Jim Sanders looks at the efforts to redraw Congressional districts in the
wake of new rules passed by state voters.
"State Auditor Elaine Howle will begin accepting applications today
for a 14-member citizens commission that will draw state legislative
and Board of Equalization districts, but not those
of Congress, in 2011.
"I
think this will revitalize people's involvement in
our democracy,"
Kathay Feng, executive director of California Common Cause, said
of
stripping lawmakers of redistricting authority and
giving it to
citizens who will be paid $300 for each day worked.
"I think
people realize that if we're going to get our state
government back on
its feet, we have to be more invested in shaping it,"
Feng said.
"Redistricting,
technical and seemingly mundane, is a once-a-decade requirement that
strikes at the heart of political power by affecting
the likelihood of
a particular person or political party winning a legislative
seat."
Dan Walters chimes in on yesterday's hearing about
the state's growing debt.
"Treasurer Bill Lockyer and the Legislature's budget analyst,
Mac Taylor, told legislators that they expect bond service to hit 10
percent of state spending in a few years, twice the
level that most
authorities deem prudent. And Lockyer noted that California, which has
the nation's lowest credit rating because of its persistent
budget
deficits, pays higher interest rates than many Third
World countries.
"That's
not only a fiscal problem but a political one. It's
dawned on groups
dependent on the state budget – especially government worker unions –
that a dollar spent on bond service is a dollar that's
not available to
them. Thus, liberal lawmakers who support more debt to finance
more
spending are running afoul of liberal groups who want
to spend very
limited state dollars elsewhere – which is why some unions may oppose
the water bonds."
Gov. Schwarzenegger took a swipe at Sarah Palin yesterday from Copenhagen.
"Mr Schwarzenegger said: "You have to ask: what was she trying
to accomplish? Is she really interested in this subject or is she
interested in her career and in winning the nomination
[for president]?"
Hmm, we'll think about that for a moment and get back
to you, governor...
And finally, from our Drunk in the Buggy Files, "Police in central Pennsylvania arrested an Amish
man on drunk
driving charges over the weekend after he was found
asleep in his
moving buggy. Police said a 22-year-old man was slumped over and asleep
in a slow-moving buggy on Sunday night.
Police said a breathalyzer test snowed the man's blood-alcohol
content was 0.18, more than twice the 0.08 legal limit for drivers."
