Big Expenditures By Independent Expenditure Committees

The Fair Political Practices Commission wants more disclosure of donors to independent expenditure committees, which have spent $88 million on legislative and statewide candidates since 2000. 

Use of the committees has sharply proliferated since voters enacted Proposition 34, a campaign finance initiative that imposed contribution limits on legislative and statewide candidates.     Read more »

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Re: California Political Action Budget

To: Hiram Drivell, Vice-President Governmental Relations, CONFAB Corp. 

From: Morris Dewey, legislative advocate, Dewey, Cheatam & Howe. 

Re: California political action budget

While keenly aware of the financial constraints facing CONFAB and other corporations in its sector, as your chief California lobbyist, I must respectfully request a significant increase in funds available for campaign contributions.      Read more »

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Johan Klehs

Former East Bay Assemblyman Johan Klehs was astonished to learn in a recent edition of the San Francisco Chronicle that he was a candidate for Don Perata’s Oakland-centered Senate seat.

“I have myself on permanent Google alert for Germany and the United States. I was driving to Sacramento in the morning and there it was,” Klehs said in recent interview at the Esquire Grill near the Capitol.    Read more »

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Two Insightful Analyses of the Newspaper Industry

“The economic fundamentals of the newspaper industry are no longer present.”                       

— Warren Buffet, May 2007 

***** 

 “I tell you I have been in the editorial business going on 14 years and it is the first time I ever heard of a man’s having to know anything in order to edit a newspaper.     Read more »

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Reprieve — Albeit a Pricey One

When we left our intrepid family of three they faced the fearsome task of procuring health insurance as the clock ticked rapidly and inexorably toward a March deadline. 

Bugles blaring, Colts firing, the cavalry has just come over the ridge. 

Apparently, the nine months of COBRA health coverage the former employer of one of the family members was willing to pay to get that hard-working wretch to split does not expire until May 1.     Read more »

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Ten More To Trash & A Confession

At The End of The Day – An initially overlooked oral excretion called out by a number of readers.

Going Forward – Not unlike disgruntled, this phrase would be more palatable if its opposite were used as routinely. How you doing? “Gruntled, thanks.” Would that more legislative agendas were going backward rather than forward.    Read more »

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Senate Picks New Pro Tem As Jockeying Intensifies for Assembly Speaker and Senate GOP Leader

Senate Democrats have selected Darrell Steinberg, a Sacramento Democrat, as the next leader of the California State Senate. 

In a closed-door caucus Thursday morning, the liberal, pro-labor lawmaker was picked by the upper house’s 25 Democrats to succeed Senate President Pro Tempore Don Perata, D-Oakland. 

Perata’s state political career ends this year because of the defeat of the term limits initiative, Proposition 93, on Tuesday’s ballot.     Read more »

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Steinberg New Senate Leader

Senate Democrats have selected Darrell Steinberg, a Sacramento Democrat, as the next leader of the California State Senate. 

In a closed-door caucus Thursday morning, the liberal, pro-labor lawmaker was picked by the upper house’s 25 Democrats to succeed Senate President Pro Tempore Don Perata, D-Oakland. 

Perata’s state political career ends this year because of the defeat of the term limits initiative, Proposition 93, on Tuesday’s ballot.     Read more »

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This is Supposed to Be a Nasty Campaign Year? Get Real.

It’s only February and already the TV phonies, self-anointed pundits and professional lip-flappers are declaring 2008 the nastiest ever campaign since the last nastiest ever campaign. 

Please. 

The ballot proposition campaigns are sickeningly tame. The Indians who get 17,000 new slot machines from approving Props 94 through 97 rail that it’s the evil horse racing interests and an owner of two Vegas casinos behind the opposition.    Read more »

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Health Cuts Hearing a Harbinger for Nasty Budget Battle

 In a forestate of the ugly battle over California’s cash-strapped budget, a packed sente hearing room was told by more than 100 witnesses Monday afternoon that the Schwarzengger adminsitration’s proposed cuts in medical services to the poor would be devastating.

While no vote on the reductions was taken by the Senate Budget Committee, the back-and-forth between witnesses, lawmakers and the administration was a good indicator of how sides will align as the Legislature tries to meet a mandatory February 23 deadline set by the GOP governor to cut $872 million from the current year budget, nearly half from public school spending.    Read more »

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