Tax Dollars At Work

(Editor’s Note: Tuesday, September 8 is the first day of the last week of the 2009 legislative session. For the next 96 hours, hundreds of bills re hurriedly passed by lawmakers, usually with little debate, while lobbyists clog the halls outside of the Assembly and Senate chambers. To get a sense of the tumult and chaos of the final week, California’s Capitol spent 30 minutes in the 40-member state Senate.    Read more »

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“Education Finance Districts” Headed to the Governor

Awaiting a final vote on the Assembly floor is legislation aimed at making it easier for school districts to raise local revenue.

The measure, AB 267, was sent to the Assembly Sept. 3 by the 40-member Senate, which approved it on a party line 23 to 14 vote. The Assembly is expected to send the bill to Gov.    Read more »

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Turf War Between Auto Insurers and Repair Shops Still Rages

A decade-long turf war between insurers and new car dealers over policyholder choice over repair shops is still simmering on the Senate floor.

An insurance industry backed measure that, on its face, appears to offer stricter protections for consumers from “steering,” the practice by insurers of pushing customers to use an insurer-backed repair shop, actually makes it easier to do so, opponents of AB 1200 argue.    Read more »

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At Least One Problem Solved

The state Senate helped fix one of California’s many problems on September 3 — increasing oversight of the organic fertilizer industry.

On a unanimous vote, the upper house sent AB 856 to the Assembly for a final vote. It is likely to b signed into law by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger since it is supported by both his Department of Finance and Department of Food and Agriculture.    Read more »

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Mandate of the People — Bradford Wins 51st Assembly District

Steven Bradford, a Gardena City Councilman, won 52.93 percent of the vote in the September 1 special election to fill this Southern California seat vacated by Curran Price when he was elected to the Senate. 

Turnout in the election was 7.53 percent.

According to the Secretary of State, the total number of votes cast was 13,500.    Read more »

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Governor’s Comment on Proposed Fee on Single-Use Bags

This comment by Aaron McLear, Governor Schwarzenegger’s press secretary, was received at 9:34 PM August 31. It is now included in the “Schwarzenegger Administration Floats 25-Cent Fee on Single-Use Plastic and Paper Bags” post of August 31. 

“The Governor supports a ban on plastic bags but does not support a fee associated with this ban.    Read more »

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Schwarzenegger Administration Floats 25-cent Fee on Single-Use Plastic and Paper Bags

Weeks after rejecting a Democrat-backed fee proposal to keep state parks open, the Schwarzenegger administration is proposing shoppers be assessed a 25 cent fee for each single-use paper or plastic bag – up to $2.00 per transaction – to pay for a variety of state recycling efforts.

“Requiring stores to charge and remit a fee for the distribution of single-use carryout bags will help the state and local governments to offset the environmental and social costs of single-use carryout bags,” says a summary of the idea which, sources say, has been discussed with members of both the Governor’s Office and the Department of Conservation, which oversees the state’ bottle and can recycling program.    Read more »

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State Schools Superintendant Jack O’Connell Offers His Top 10 Back-To-School Tips

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Attention Civics Teachers and Law Professors — An Interesting Debate Topic

Sales of t-shirts and other political merchandise using the names of American soldiers killed in Iraq would be banned under a bill pending in the state Senate.

The measure expands California’s protections of the commercial use of a dead celebrity to include “any natural person whose name, voice, signature, photograph or likeness has commercial value either at the time of his or her death or because of his or her death.”    Read more »

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They Just Keep Getting Windier and Windier — Chuck DeVore’s Latest Campaign Missive

Dear Fellow American,    More than once she’s been rated “the most liberal” member of the U.S. Senate.

The nonpartisan “Almanac of American Politics” described her as “the personification of the feminist left.”

And one commentator called her “the political equivalent of fingernails on a chalkboard.”

Her name is Barbara Boxer. And she’s up for re-election.    Read more »

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