Prison Plan Reduces 30,000 Less Inmates Than Estimated

Instead of reducing prison overcrowding by 43,500 inmates, Schwarzenegger administration policy changes and legislation signed in October to thin the state’s inmate population will only result in a 13,400 decrease in inmates over two years, the Legislative Analyst said in a report issued January 25.

That total is well short of the maximum number of inmates set two weeks ago by a federal three-judge panel which ordered the state to lower its prison population from roughly 168,000 to 128,000.    Read more »

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Climb Into the Rhino Pit or the Grizzly Enclosure, Go to Jail

Entering an animal enclosure at a zoo without permission would be a misdemeanor under legislation introduced January 21.

The 11-paragraph measure appears is in reaction to an incident at the San Francisco Zoo on September 26 when a 21-year-old homeless man climbed into the grizzly bear enclosure.

Kenneth Herron pled not guilty to two misdemeanors – trespassing and disturbing a wild and dangerous animal.    Read more »

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Legislature Struggles For Agreement on Package of ‘Reforms’

State lawmakers are struggling to find consensus on a package of changes, such as switching to a two-year budget cycle, which they hope will improve the operation of the Legislature and the state as a whole, burnishing their tarnished image in the process.

The laundry list, presented on an internal PowerPoint obtained by California’s Capitol, includes increasing oversight of state agencies and departments, switching to performance-based budgeting to measure program success and requiring initiatives to include new revenue to cover their costs.    Read more »

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Maldonado’s Leverage on Lieutenant Governor Nomination

Adding a major political wrinkle to action on the state’s fiscal mess, the deadline by which the Legislature must act on Sen. Abel Maldonado’s nomination for lieutenant governor is February 22 – the same day lawmakers must act on at least part of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s budget proposal.

Maldonado, a San Luis Obispo Republican, was named by the GOP governor on November 24 to fill the remaining term of Democrat John Garamendi, who was elected to Congress.    Read more »

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No Wonder The Guy With The Yellow Jacket Has a Big Smile

(Editor’s Note: Pricey round of gold for a muni course — even Torrey Pines. This appears to be an extension of the long rivalry between the cable industry and the telecommunications industry which, legislatively, came to a head with the passage of  AB 2987 in 2006 changing the way cable and phone companies, such as AT&T, compete.    Read more »

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Capitol Veteran Named Department of Finance Chief Deputy

Cynthia Bryant was named to the post by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on January 19.

She has been part of the Schwarzengger administration since its inception in late 2003, first as a legislative secretary — lobbyist — for the GOP governor and, since 2006, head of the Office of Planning and Research, which Schwarzenegger proposed for elimination in last year’s budget as well as his current spending plan.    Read more »

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California Might be Faltering But Not the Rate of Fundraisers

The new year is young, California faces numerous vexing problems and the legislative fundraisers are already being scheduled.

Just looking at January and February — although invitations for events in March have already been sent — here’s the count so far:

There’s one on January 19. 

Three on January 20.

One on January 21.    Read more »

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Tom Campbell — From GOP Governor’s Race to U.S. Senate

Dear friend 

I write today first with a sincere word of thanks. Your encouragement for my candidacy for Governor in California has been personally, deeply rewarding. 

I initially made the decision to run for Governor because I believe that my level of record of public service (especially on the state budget), and my willingness to present specific, pragmatic solutions to our most pressing problems would enable me to help chart a better course for our state.     Read more »

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Unprecedented Reductions in Sales Tax Advances to Cities

As if more evidence were needed of the state’s ragged economic condition, the Board of Equalization in 2009 made unprecedented reductions in the sales tax it advances to cities.

“There have never been broad scale reductions like this,” said Anita Gore, a spokeswoman for the board.

Each month, the board looks at cash receipts and a variety of other factors and then forwards sales taxes collected to cities.     Read more »

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School Spending Reduced $2.4 Billion in Governor’s Budget

Despite claims by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger that education is a top spending priority, his proposed budget reduces state support for public schools by $2.4 billion, the state Legislative Analyst said on January 12.

In its Overview of the Governor’s Budget, the analyst says the governor’s education proposal may not be constitutional, may not receive a necessary federal waiver and violates a budget deal struck in July 2009 setting a minimum funding level for schools $2.3 billion higher than that used by the GOP governor in the spending plan he proposed on January 8.    Read more »

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