A Key Reason Initiatives Will Only Be on the November Ballot

All initiatives will now only appear on the general election under legislation signed Oct. 7 by Gov. Jerry Brown.

But the main reason the Democratic governor signed the bill is to move a proposed spending limit from the June 2012 primary to the November 2014.

The measure, ACA 4, was part of the compromise that led to resolution – a record 100 days into the fiscal year – of last year’s budget fight.

Among its requirements is an annual payment into the state’s “rainy day fund” equaling 3 percent of the general fund, about $2.6 billion this fiscal year. 

Having to make that payment had the initiative Read more »

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New Law Attempts to Ensure Extra Virgin Is Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Olive oil users will have a better chance of getting what they pay for under legislation signed OCtober 7 by Gov. Jerry Brown.

The new law tightens the definition of various calibers of olive oil, like “virgin” and “extra virgin” to conform with standards adopted by the USDA in October – the first federal olive oil updating since 1948.

By doing so, the hope is California consumers will reject imported olive oils on supermarket shelves claiming to be “extra virgin,” which, — more than two out of three times – actually aren’t.

Instead, supporters of the bill hope buyers will pick the real Read more »

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Thanks to the National Park Service, Three State Parks To Stay Open — At Least Temporarily

Three state parks slated for closure will stay open – at least for one year – under an agreement announced Oct. 6 by the National Parks Service and the California Department of Parks and Recreation.

The parks are:

Tomales Bay State Park, located within both Point Reyes National Seashore and Golden Gate National Recreation Area, Samuel P. Taylor State Park, located within Golden Gate National Recreation Area, and Del Norte Coast Redwoods State Park, located within Redwood National Park near Crescent City. 

The three state parks lie within the boundaries of national parks where joint federal and state agreements exist for the sharing Read more »

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September Personal Income Tax Receipts Beat Predictions

Income tax collections for September appear to have exceeded the nearly $4 billion expected by state budget writers.

Although a relatively small factor in determining whether up to $2.5 billion in triggered spending cuts – almost $1.9 billion to public schools — will need to be imposed in January, meeting revenue estimates certainly doesn’t worsen the state’s fiscal situation.

Once final numbers for the month are made public, September may further brighten the budget picture.

Less-than-anticipated revenue from other tax sources could erase the gains from the higher-than-expected income tax collections, however.

Gov. Jerry Brown’s Department of Finance estimated the state Read more »

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The First Televised Presidential Address Aired October 5, 1947

From:

 The Writer’s Almanac, With Garrison Keillor 

President Harry Truman broadcast the speech from the White House. His subject was food conservation.

Europe was still reeling from World War II food shortages and faced a winter famine brought on by regional droughts, floods and unseasonable cold.

Backing measures proposed by the Citizens’ Food Committee, Truman called on America’s farmers and distillers to reduce grain consumption and asked the American public to do their part by observing “meatless Tuesdays,” going without poultry and eggs on Thursdays and eating less bread.

He felt that food aid was vital to the success Read more »

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As Many as 20 State Parks Could Be Spared from Closure

As many as 20 state parks could get a reprieve from closure under a bill signed October 4 by Gov. Jerry Brown.

The bill authorizes the state Department of Parks and Recreation to sign contracts with nonprofit groups to operate state parks if that agreement will keep the park open.

“Particularly in these tough economic times, creative public/private partnerships are an essential tool in providing ongoing protection of, and continued access to, these treasured public assets,” said Assemblyman Jared Huffman, a San Rafael Democrat who authored the measure, AB 42.

The state can sign agreements with cities and counties to operate state Read more »

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Gov. Brown Commutes Potential Death Sentence for Boating and Waterways Commission

California’s Credit Union Advisory Committee and the state Boating and Waterways Commission gained at least a temporary reprieve Oct. 3 when Gov. Jerry Brown vetoed legislation that could have eliminated the two.

The Democratic governor objected to one legislative body – the 10-member Joint Sunset Review Committee – making decisions on the size of the executive branch.

“This bill delegates solely to a legislative committee decisions on whether and for how long certain state commissions should exist,” Brown wrote in his veto message.

“I don’t think this is the best way to eliminate boards and commissions. I will work with the Read more »

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Someone Needs to Lock Up the Governor’s Paper and Pens

A more than two-and-one-half year ordeal for the Maturango Museum in Ridgecrest has ended and it can stuff the mountain lion carcass it has wanted to put on display since 2008.

Gov. Jerry Brown signed legislation September 30 that grants the museum – and others who wish to display dead mountain lions for “scientific or education” purposes – an exemption from 1990’s voter-approved California Wildlife Protection Act that bars both the hunting of mountain lions and possession of their carcasses.

As he has on other bills with similarly narrow interest, the Democratic governor accompanied his signature with a political message:

“This presumably important bill Read more »

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The Streets of Los Angeles

California’s largest city was officially founded in September 1781. As clichés go, sleepy hamlet would be the most apt. There were 44 original settlers, evenly split among adults and children.

Over the years, it became an agricultural and cattle ranching center.

The 1834 wedding of Maria Alvarado to Pio Pico, last governor of Alta California under Mexican rule, was attended by all 800 residents of the pueblo.

As governor, Pico made Los Angeles Alta California’s capital, an act that alone justifies his name gracing one of the city’s major streets. 

In August 1846, the city was “conquered” by Commodore Robert F. Read more »

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From the “Time Marks On” Files of California’s Capitol…

Take a look at the three gentlemen in the photo. Who are they? (Clue at left.)

Two of them are dead now, sad to say. The third — the one who looks like he stole Tom Cruise’s eyebrows — is still around though.

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