Mike Genest, Schwarzenegger’s Finance Director, to Retire

Mike Genest, director of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Department of Finance, is stepping down, likely by the end of this year.

Since his appointment by the GOP governor in December 2005, Genest, 62, has been forced to cope with the worst budget crises in California’s history. Seemingly unflappable, he helped create a budget in February to close a $36 billion hole between revenues and spending commitments and helped generate another $24 billion in budget fixes in July after the stagnant economy drove the budget out of balance.    Read more »

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Confessions of a Women’s Conference Escort 2009

Agnes Stevens, founder of School on Wheels was honored with a Minerva Award at the newly re-titled Governor and First Lady’s Conference on Women and Families.

The award is given to women who exemplify the courage and wisdom of the Roman goddess whose likeness appears on California’s state seal.

“Warriors on the frontline of humanity,” First Lady Maria Shriver said at the conference of the four Minerva award winners.    Read more »

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Guest Post: Two (Senate) Officers and a Gentleman

By Senate Sergeant-at-Arms Tony Beard and Greg Schmidt, Secretary of the Senate.

The day started with the usual grey West Coast beach overcast which, as the bagpiper played, soon began to break. The morning sunlight gradually crept through the stained glass windows, filling the sanctuary of the American Martyrs Catholic Church with a sense of warmth and welcome.    Read more »

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Think of How Crowded the Freeways Will Be

Within 25 years, California’s population will reach 50 million, according to estimates by the state Department of Finance. 

By 2050, 60 million. 

The state’s roads, highways, schools and other public works are designed to serve 25 million — about 14 million fewer people than already live in California. 

To accommodate this projected population growth requires 220,000 new homes to be built each year, 19 new classrooms added every day for five years, delivery of an additional 200,000 acre-feet of water to the Central Valley and Southern California and construction of enough highways to handle 42 percent more vehicles.     Read more »

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Rising Debt Payments Increase Budget Pressures

Among the points made in State Treasurer Bill Lockyer’s wide-ranging testimony to the Senate and Assembly Select Committees on Improving State Government (See the post below) is that California can no longer keep issuing debt willy-nilly.

He explicates the point in his recently issued annual Debt Affordability Report which shows the amount of debt service the cash-starved General Fund pays doubling from $6 billion this year to more than $12 billion in seven years.    Read more »

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Why Isn’t This Man California’s Next Governor?

When he gets up a decent head of rhetoric steam, State Treasurer Bill Lockyer is remarkable to behold.

On October 22, in approximately 15 minutes of testimony before the Senate and Assembly select committees on Improving State Government, the former Attorney General and Senate president pro tempore said he was “Aristotelian” a “First Amendment purist,” informed the committee that “politics is theater for ugly people” and two-thirds of the bills passed by the Assembly are “junk.”    Read more »

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There Doesn’t Appear to Be Any Let-up Whatsoever

Although the state Legislature is in recess until the beginning of January the quest for campaign contributions certainly isn’t.

Candidates seeking election to the Legislature and lawmakers seeking re-election or higher office have 22 fundraisers scheduled – so far – from October 27 through December 11.

That does not count two Nevada lawmakers — Assembly Majority Leader John Oceguera and Assembly member Lynn Stewart – who are holding a $1,000-a-head event and $500-a-person event, respectively.    Read more »

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Two GOP Senators Square Off Against Each Other

There’s some friction in the state Senate Republican caucus because two of its members are running for statewide office – against each other.

Sen. Sam Aanestad of Grass Valley faces Sen. Jeff Denham of Merced in the 2010 lieutenant governor primary.

Aanestad recently launched his campaign. Denham’s view is that in instances where two senators are running against each other, one should not be “favored” as he believes Aanestad is with a seat on the upper house’s powerful Rules Committee.    Read more »

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California’s Capitol Issues a Correction and Apology

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

October 20, 2009

Contact for Senator DeSaulnier:  Eve Hightower (916-651-4007)

Contact for Assembly member Feuer:  Arianna Smith (916-319-2042)

**MEDIA ADVISORY** 

GOVERNMENTAL REFORM SOLUTIONS TO BE CONSIDERED IN JOINT HEARINGS

First Hearing Addresses Proposals to Enhance Policy and Budget Development 

SACRAMENTO – Senator Mark DeSaulnier (D-Concord) and Assembly member Mike Feuer (D-Los Angeles) will convene the first joint hearing of each house’s Select Committee on Improving State Government.     Read more »

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Lobbyists Sue to Remove June 2010 Ballot Measure

A group of lobbyists are suing to remove a measure from the June 2010 that would tax them to create a fund to help publicly finance candidates for the office of Secretary of State.

Plaintiffs, which include the tiny non-profit Jericho: A Voice for Justice and the massive California Professional Firefighters, argue that the tax unfairly singles out lobbyists and violates their right to freedom of political expression.    Read more »

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