Capitol Basement

Packing our bags

2010-09-08T14:44:19Z

Global warming may be a double-edged sword for Republican politicians in California this year.Seema Mehta and Maeve Reston report, "For months, Meg Whitman and Carly Fiorina have struggled with competing imperatives: appeasing members of their party who want to suspend the global warming bill while wooing environmentally-conscious independent voters who could carry them to victory in November.

"Fiorina's uncertainty produced one of her most difficult moments during her first debate with Sen. Barbara Boxer last week, when she was repeatedly pressed for a position on Proposition 23 but declined to give one. She came out in support of the ballot measure two days later.

"Whitman has yet to be pinned down.

What is this, the World Wrestling Federation or a govenror's race? But we digress...

"Their reticence may also reflect divisions in the business community over the measure, which would suspend the global warming law until unemployment drops to 5.5% or lower for one year. Opposition to the November measure is particularly strong in the Silicon Valley, their home turf and an area they have mined for campaign contributions.

One scheduling note: Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger sets off for Asia Thursday with hundreds of bills on his desk and no budget deal in place. Schwarzenegger met with legislative leaders Tuesday and all sounded more optimistic tones about a possible budget deal.

Wyatt Buchanan reports, "The six-day trip to China, Japan and South Korea is the governor's first trade mission in more than three years. He plans to tour the company making components for the eastern span of the Bay Bridge and ride high-speed trains in all three countries.

"Business leaders from the Bay Area, Los Angeles and other parts of the state are joining Schwarzenegger, who leaves Thursday and returns Sept. 15. The trip comes amid the second-longest budget impasse in California history and, unless leaders at the Capitol come to an agreement before Thursday, Schwarzenegger's absence probably will mean little action on that front.

"The governor defended the timing of his trip, which has been planned for months.

"Just because there is inaction in the Legislature when it comes to passing a budget doesn't mean there should be inaction in the governor's office," he told reporters last week.

Steve Lopez offers some free political advice to Jerry Brown .

"Look, I'm aware that politicians are loath to offer up details in the midst of a political campaign for fear of being held to promises or being picked apart by opponents. And Brown no doubt would prefer to hammer Whitman for seldom having voted, for being in bed with Wall Street's worst villains, for trying to buy the governorship and, of course, for not having a plan of her own other than cynical and non-specific promises — such as her vow to eliminate 40,000 state jobs.

"But after rolling out of bed at the crack of dawn on a holiday, I would have liked some clue as to how Brown intends to fix the structural deficit, restore pride to public education and give the unemployed some hope of finding work. If it's not about a plan, what's he here for?

Budget cuts have forced Los Angeles public schools to delay the start of the new school year.

"The Tuesday after Labor Day marks the traditional opening of the academic year for students in the Los Angeles Unified School District, but not this time around.

"Budget cuts have resulted in a shorter school year and unpaid furlough days for teachers and other employees. That reality, combined with the Jewish High Holy Days, has pushed things back to Sept. 13.

So why are students already attending public schools in some parts of the nation's second-largest school system? That's because of another recent development: a desire by some principals to start school earlier so their students have more instructional days before the annual state standardized tests in May.

California regulators are seeking nearly $10 billion in damages from PacifiCare for nearly 1 million violations of state law in a two-year period.

"California regulators are seeking fines of up to $9.9 billion from health insurer PacifiCare over allegations that it repeatedly mismanaged medical claims, lost thousands of patient documents, failed to pay doctors what they were owed and ignored calls to fix the problems.

"In court filings and other documents, the California Department of Insurance says PacifiCare violated state law nearly 1 million times from 2006 to 2008 after it was purchased by UnitedHealth Group Inc., the nation's largest health insurance company by revenue."

"Regulators said the companies broke promises to maintain smooth operations for 130,000 of PacifiCare's customers, resulting in what insurance officials nationwide believe is the largest fine ever sought against a U.S. health insurer.

And finally, from our They Call That Science? Files, Reuters reports, "Men hoping to impress women on the dance floor now have science to help them. A European study has found that men who move their necks and trunks more to the beat are most likely to attract women.

"British and German researchers filmed 19 men, aged 18-35, with a 3-D camera system as they danced to a basic rhythm, and then mapped their movements onto featureless, white, gender-neutral humanoid characters, or avatars.

"A group of 37 heterosexual women was asked to rate the dance moves of the avatars, which gave no indication of the men's attractiveness, to help identify the key movement areas of the bodies that decided if their dancing was "good" or "bad."

"The study, which also involved German's University of Gottingen, found that eight movement variables made the difference between a "good" and a "bad" dancer. These were the size of movement of the neck, trunk, left shoulder and wrist, the variability of movement size of the neck, trunk and left wrist, and the speed of movement of the right knee.

The study found that female perceptions of good dance quality were influenced most greatly by large and varied movements involving the neck and trunk. The speed of the right knee movements were also important in signalling dance quality."

Ok, men. Get in front of those full-length mirrors, and get those right knees moving....

Back in action

2010-09-07T14:34:58Z

Jerry Brown spent Labor Day weekend on the campaign trail, unveiling his first campaign ad in Los Angeles and speaking at a union picnic in Sacramento.

"Brown accused the campaign of the GOP's gubernatorial nominee, Meg Whitman, of "trying to create fear and loathing on the campaign trail."

"It's not a time to scapegoat illegal immigrants or scapegoat public employees," he said.

Brown said that Sacramento "is a little screwed-up," but vowed to focus on solving the state's budget problems. "We're going to bring in groups -- business, labor -- and we're going to talk about it. It's like a big collective bargaining" session.

Brown also focused on his long political record as an asset, and said he would speak candidly if he is elected governor. "I'm going to level with you. I'm going to tell you the truth," he said. "California is not a logo to be rebranded by Meg Whitman."

You can watch Brown's new ad here.

Monday afternoon, Brown was joined by Sen. Barbara Boxer at a Labor Day event in Alameda.

Maeve Reston and Seema Mehta report, "Officials kicked off the program by handing "golden hatchets" to actors dressed up as Republican Senate candidate Carly Fiorina, who is challenging three-term Democratic Sen. Barbara Boxer, and former EBay chief Whitman, who is running against Atty. Gen. Jerry Brown.

"If we do our job right we are going to drive Meg Whitman so far out of politics that she will have spent all of her money — and after the election don't be surprised if we see her in an apron asking people if they want fries with their burger," said Maria Elena Durazo, executive secretary-treasurer of the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor. "Today is the beginning of the fight, the beginning of the resistance to Meg Whitman's unprecedented attempt to buy the governorship of California."

"The gathering at the conference center of the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels, and later events in Sacramento and Oakland, highlighted the critical role labor will play in the governor's race. Unions have served as a powerful counterweight to Whitman's wealth, spending at least $14 million over the summer to keep Democratic nominee Brown competitive against his billionaire rival, who has put $104 million of her own money into her effort."

Michael Mishak looks at what Meg Whitman's money is buying her on the campaign trail.

"Those donations have allowed her to target her campaign mailings to the smallest subsets of voters and sort out which television shows are popular among independent voters. (It turns out they are big fans of "Bones," the crime show rife with romantic tension, on which Whitman has aired ads.)

"Dozens of outside consultants and a paid staff the size of some presidential campaigns run an operation that seems to be the living embodiment of Whitman's book title: "The Power of Many." After record amounts spent on television advertising, mail and ground organization, there has even been enough money left over to sponsor a youth soccer team."

Soccer? Does this madness know no bounds?

Will California be a political firewall for Democrats in what is expected to be a Republican year across the country?

"Across the country, Democrats are morose and Republicans jubilant about their prospects, with the intransigent economy feeding a voter revolt against the party that controls the White House and Congress. Prognosticators are competing to issue dire predictions of sweeping Democratic losses in legislatures, governor's offices, congressional delegations and Senate seats.

"Yet California, at least for now, is different. The two top races, for governor and U.S. Senate, are acknowledged by all sides to be too close to call, a victory of sorts for both parties. Few expect much adjustment in the legislative or congressional lineups. Part of the reason is structural: District lines drawn to protect incumbents have isolated the lawmaking houses from both Democratic and Republican tides for a decade. Part is geographical: Even powerful storms lose their strength as they blow from Washington to the West Coast."

We thought weather moved west to east, but we digress...

Cathleen Decker reports the state's weak economy has turned voters more conservative.

"A detailed portrait of the state's likely November electorate, drawn last week by pollster Mark Baldassare at the Public Policy Institute of California, showed heightened economic concerns and increased ideological polarization in the last several years. Both factors, this year, would favor Republicans. But the review also demonstrated that the demographic changes that have benefited Democrats in California continue unabated.

"Over the short term — say the nine weeks until election day — Republican views are ascendant, though that appears to be more a reaction to economic woes than a permanent realignment of the state's political DNA."

Carla Rivera reports new legislation will require California children entering kindergarten turn 5 by Sept. 1 rather than Dec. 2.

From our Where Are They Now Files, the Orange County District Attorney fired former Assemblyman Todd Spitzer, the deputy once hand-picked to be his successor.

"Todd Spitzer, a former assemblyman and Orange County supervisor, was at one point Rackauckas' hand-picked successor and has worked at the prosecutor's office since last year, moving between assignments apparently to get on-the-job experience.

"Spitzer has made no secret of his desire to become district attorney and was prepared to run against Rackauckas, but he backed off when the district attorney said he would bring him aboard and probably support his candidacy in 2014.

"What changed was the firing of Todd," said Rackauckas' chief of staff, Susan Kang Schroeder. "He was hoping to hand off the office to someone he trusted, and now circumstances have changed."

"Spitzer says he was fired for political reasons, most likely to make room for Schroeder to run for district attorney herself."

Speaking of ambitious prosecutors, Steve Cooley's political donations have raised questions about the targets of his investigations.

"Cooley's top anti-corruption deputy says there is no connection between campaign money and the district attorney's investigation or prosecution of public officials.

"But the donation highlights a tricky choice for an elected prosecutor like Cooley. Where does he draw the line on taking money from people who could figure in an investigation?

"The question has also arisen in Bell Gardens. Cooley's campaign accepted $13,000 from City Manager Steve Simonian, a longtime friend and former aide, during and immediately after an inquiry involving two of Simonian's bosses on the City Council.

Cooley's campaign spokesman, Kevin Spillane, said the prosecutor's ethical line is clearly drawn: Political fundraising has no influence on the work of the district attorney's office. Suggesting otherwise is "ridiculous and it's insulting," he said. Cooley doesn't track all the donations his campaigns have raised, he said.

And finally, "San Francisco police have arrested a man who scaled the exterior of a 58-story downtown skyscraper and unfurled an American flag at the top.

"Police tell KCBS Radio that the man is veteran skyscraper climber Dan Goodwin. The 54-year-old Lake Tahoe resident's other climbing credits include Chicago's Sears Tower.

Goodwin used suction cups but no ropes to scale Millennium Tower, a 645-foot residential building overlooking San Francisco Bay. Police say he ignored orders to stop climbing."

Suction cups? Couldn't the dud just shoot webs out of his wrist?

Cleanup on aisle 7

2010-09-01T15:50:39Z

Well, that was fun.

The 2009-10 legislative session sputtered to a close with Republican filibusters, Democratic scrambling, plenty of bipartisan yelling and a whole lot of legislative carnage left in its wake. In the end, bills to ban plastic bags, regulate health-insurace rate hikes and increase the state's renewable energy portfolio died unceremonious deaths of the floor of the state senate, while other bills like the local goverment backruptcy measure backed by unions simply ran out of time.

To get a sense of the blow-by-blow in real time, check out Capitol Weekly's Twitter feed, with real-time updates from the Senate and Assembly floors last night.

Capitol Weekly is still combing through the rubble. Check Thursday's paper and our Web site throughout the day today and tomorrow for more details on the bitter end.

Midnight came with Republicans barking from the floors of both houses, while Democrats raced to pass some final bills.

Evan Halper reports, "It was an ugly ending. Lawmakers closed out their lackluster two-year legislative session by shouting, pointing fingers and casting votes on a bill that was written out of public view in the middle of the night.

"The proposal, AB 1012, seemed to suddenly emerge into bill form out of nowhere and was rushed through an Assembly vote and into the Senate. It promised to be a boon to certain green power companies, allowing them to bypass environmental restrictions when building plants. Or at least that was the buzz in the Capitol hallways. It was such a rush job that the average bystander had no way of knowing what was in the thing.

"But it was clear that GOP lawmakers did not like it when it came up for a vote minutes before the midnight deadline for moving legislation to the governor's desk. "Point of order," they shouted. They demanded to see a bill analysis. Sen. Gloria Romero (D-Los Angeles), who was presiding over the Senate, informed them such an analysis was popping on their computer screens that very moment. Not that anyone was given time to read it. She ordered the clerk to immediately call the roll.

"More shouts of protest from GOP lawmakers. Romero ignored them and directed the clerk to keep the vote open. The votes weren't there. The clock struck midnight. GOP lawmakers demanded the roll call cease –- the session was technically over, they cried. Romero kept the roll open. For minutes. More Democratic votes slowly trickled in, supporting the bill. By four minutes past midnight, the bill was just one vote short of passage. Sen. Sam Aanestad (R-Grass Valley) was speechifying from the floor "we are a house of rules," demanding the roll call be stopped as Romero spoke over him on her microphone, ordering the clerk to keep the roll call going."

Of course, Republicans weren't exactly in a hurry to work the legislative files Tuesday.

"Senate Republicans called a temporary halt to Senate debate this afternoon, slowing down the operation of the house as the legislature races against a key legislative deadline.

"The Republicans’ decision to go into a closed-door caucus came in the middle of the debate on one of the major bills of the year – a proposal to ban plastic bags at grocery stores and many other retail outlets.

"Lawmakers are hoping to vote on dozens of bills Tuesday, the final day of the 2010 legislative session. Lawmakers must adjourn by midnight, as required by the state constitution.

"That means if Democrats – or anybody else, for that matter—want their bills to get to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s desk, they need the Senate and Assembly to act quickly. Judging from the actions of Senate Republican leader Dennis Hollingsworth (R-Murrieta) Tuesday afternoon, Republicans aren’t quite as eager as their Democratic counterparts to work their way through that stack of bills.

"And why would they be? Most of the bills pending before the house—be it a ban on plastic bags or a change of rules for health-insurance providers—are authored by Democrats. The clock can now help Republicans do what their numbers in the Legislature don’t allow them to do—kill legislation they don’t like but are powerless to stop."

Gun bills met with a mixed fate. A measure by Lori Saldaña to prevent the open carrying of unloaded handguns passed after a late vote from Gloria Negrete-McLeod.

Jim Miller reports, "Negrete McLeod, D-Chino, had abstained Monday during an unsuccessful 20-16 vote on the measure, AB 1934. But she backed the bill Tuesday and it passed with the minimum 21 votes necessary.

Negrete McLeod said her vote reflected the advice of her husband, Gil, a retired Los Angeles police lieutenant.

"He said people might get hurt carrying open guns. Police officers don't have the time to say, `Here, let me check'" to see if they are dealing with someone who has a loaded weapon, she said.

Will Arnold sign the Paparazzi bill? Entertainment Tonight viewers want to know...

Jack Dolan reports, "Photographers who drive recklessly in pursuit of celebrity photos or block sidewalks creating a sense of "false imprisonment" will face stiff new penalties, including possible jail time, under a measure that gained final approval in the Assembly on Tuesday.

"Assembly Speaker Karen Bass (D- Los Angeles) wrote AB 2479 after hearing tales of paparazzi encounters from actresses Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon, among others, and about high-speed car chases through Hollywood as multiple photographers would compete for a celebrity photo.

"It's amazing that there haven't been tragedies like what happened in France with Princess Diana," Bass said, referring to the British royal's death in a high-speed crash after photographers followed her car through darkened Paris streets. Investigators said alcohol was found in Diana's chauffeur's blood, which contributed to the crash."

In other news, Seema Mehta looks at Meg Whitman's latest ad, running in the Bay Area.

"The ad, which was first televised Monday, is part of a push by the Whitman campaign into the Democratic stronghold and home turf for Brown, Oakland's mayor from 1999 to 2007. The move is unusual for a Republican candidate but reflects Whitman's immense financial advantage over the Democrat.

"The 30-second ad restates criticisms Whitman has launched about Brown's tenure as mayor — that he oversaw failure in the city's schools, mismanagement in the city's administration and an increasing murder rate. "He just can't deliver the results California needs now," the announcer concludes."

And finally, for those of you who missed last night's fun, we find that, as with most things, it can be best captured by Peggy Lee. So Peggy, take it away...