Could Be A New Speed Record

No cobwebs on newly elected Senate Republican Leader Dennis Hollingsworth of Murrieta. Elected to the post late February 17 or early February 18, the invitation below was e-mailed to lobbyists before 3 pm. 

However by 4:40 pm, Hollingsworth determined that there might be a teensy bit of bad press from his first official act being to hold a $1,000-a-person fundraiser and postponed the event.    Read more »

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Budget Vote Trading

California Penal Code Section 86 is explicit about the legality of a lawmaker trading their vote for some other action: 

“Every Member of either house of the Legislature, or any member of the legislative body of a city, county, city and county, school district, or other special district, who asks, receives, or agrees to receive, any bribe, upon any understanding that his or her official vote, opinion, judgment, or action shall be influenced thereby, or shall give, in any particular manner, or upon any particular side of any question or matter upon which he or she may be required to act in his or her official capacity, or gives, or offers or promises to give, any official vote in consideration that another Member of the Legislature, or another member of the legislative body of a city, county, city and county, school district, or other special district shall give this vote either upon the same or another question, is punishable by imprisonment in the state prison for two, three, or four years and, in cases in which no bribe has been actually received, by a restitution fine of not less than two thousand dollars ($2,000) or not more than ten thousand dollars ($10,000).     Read more »

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A Nicely Articulated Budget “No” Vote

(Editor’s Note: The following is a well-conceived statement released February 13 by Sen. Bob Dutton, a Rancho Cucamonga Republican. It outlines why he won’t be voting for the current proposed budget which, incidentally, the California Chamber of Commerce, a traditional GOP ally, has urged lawmakers to support. Of note, is Sen.    Read more »

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Budget Vote Scheduling

Attention: Editors & Interested Media

Budget Vote Scheduling

— For Planning Purposes Only — 

As you know, because of the two-thirds vote needed for passage of a state budget, the “aye” votes of at least three Republicans in both the Assembly and the Senate will be required. Tax increases, temporary and/or permanent, will be part of the budget package.     Read more »

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Reflections on Inaugurations Past and Present — By Jerry Waldie

Like millions of viewers, I marveled at the excellence of the Inaugural celebration of President Obama. Every moment seemed unique and positive.

Not all such celebrations in which I had personally participated while in Washington, D.C. have had a similar positive effect on me. I do not recall any particular moment of President Nixon’s first Inauguration — though it certainly was not viewed by the huge numbers President Obama’s ceremony attracted.    Read more »

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Some Facts to Consider

According to the 2000 U.S. Census, the 10 most commonly spoken languages in California, by percentage of population usage, are: 

English………………..60.5%

Spanish……………….25.8%

Chinese…………………2.6%

Tagalog…………………2.0%

Vietnamese…………….1.3%

Korean………………….0.9%

Armenian……………….0.5%

Japanese……………….0.5%

Persian………………….0.5%

German…………………0.5% 

French is 11th.

The census also found that more than 40 percent of Californians speak a language other than English at home.    Read more »

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Save the California Conservation Corps

That’s what the four governors who preceded Arnold Schwarzenegger — two Democrats and two Republicans — are urging the GOP governor to do. 

Schwarzenegger’s budget released December 31 would eliminate the state conservation corps July 1, to save $17 million, a fraction of the state’s $42 billion budget shortfall. Its responsibilities would be transferred to local corps.    Read more »

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Deja Vu All Over Again

For the second time in its 60-year history, California’s unemployment insurance fund is insolvent – this time in a big way. 

In 2004, a $214 million loan from the federal government coupled with an improved economy pulled the fund out of the red and allowed benefits to continue to be paid to out-of-work Californians.     Read more »

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To Our Readers:

(Editor’s Note: In a stunning turnaround, last week’s rumor du jour of a budget vote on February 3 appears to be false. The chief correspondent of California’s Capitol has been chastised, furloughed and had a strongly worded letter placed in his employee file for circulating baseless fables.) 

   Read more »

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Business Cutback on Contributions

The balance of power in the Legislature isn’t going to be affected much by the recent decision of the California Retailers Association to halt campaign contributions because of the recession. 

Nor will the go-slow, keep-a-wary-eye-on-the-cash-register mode adopted by the California Chamber of Commerce, which worries the recession could sharply reduce the contributions it receives from its 17,00 members many of whom are mom-and-pop businesses.     Read more »

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