The two parties are staging stunts as the state’s unpaid bills pile up heading into the fifth week without a spending plan.

By Shane Goldmacher, Los Angeles Times

July 28, 2010

Reporting from Sacramento —

As California staggers toward the fifth week of the fiscal year without a spending plan, a month of closed-door talks in the Capitol have produced little but tension and finger-pointing. The calendar is flipping toward August with no resolution in sight.

Top officials don’t even publicly agree about what they agree upon. The two parties are staging stunts at the Capitol and trading barbs in dueling radio addresses, each side accusing the other of being dug in or disengaged, or both.

Read the rest of this entry »

Number of days past constitutional deadline: 42

Status: Legislature on summer recess

By Ed Mendel

As CalPERS publicly said a decade ago that a major pension increase, now targeted for rollbacks, could be paid for with investment earnings rather than higher state costs, its actuaries made a startlingly accurate forecast of the impact if earnings fell short.

The actuaries said the annual state payment to CalPERS, $159 million in 1999, could soar to $3.954 billion in fiscal 2010-11 — a long-range forecast that scored a near bull’s-eye on the $3.888 billion state payment for the fiscal year that began this month.

Read the rest of this entry »

Arnold Schwarzenegger

PolitiCal
On politics in the Golden State

July 26, 2010 | 3:54 pm

Nearly four weeks into the fiscal year without a budget, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger suggested Monday that California might have to wait until his successor is sworn in next year to get a spending plan — unless lawmakers give him everything he wants.

Schwarzenegger says the Legislature must curtail public pensions and change California’s taxation and budgeting systems before he will sign a budget this year, his last as governor. He leaves office in January.

Read the rest of this entry »

Number of days past constitutional deadline: 41

Status: Legislature on summer recess

Number of days past constitutional deadline: 39

Status: Legislature on summer recess

Number of days past constitutional deadline: 38

Status: Legislature on summer recess

By PE Politics
on July 22, 2010 9:34 AM

Assemblywoman Mary Salas has conceded defeat in the extremely close Democratic primary for California’s 40th Senate District, which includes part of Riverside County, the San Diego Union-Tribune reported today.

Former Assemblyman Juan Vargas, who led Salas by 22 votes, picked up several more in a recount requested — and paid for — by Salas in certain precincts in San Diego and Riverside counties.

Read the rest of this entry »

By PE Politics
on July 23, 2010 7:48 AM

As reported this morning by Jack Katzanek, the House on Thursday approved legislation to extend benefits for the nation’s jobless.

The 272-152 vote went mostly along party lines, with just 10 Democrats voting against the bill and 31 Republicans voting for it. Among those were Inland Rep. Mary Bono Mack, R-Palm Springs, whose eastern Riverside County district has been hit about as hard as anywhere in the country by the economic downturn.

Read the rest of this entry »

Number of days past constitutional deadline: 37

Status: Legislature on summer recess



Number of days past constitutional deadline: 36

Status: Legislature on summer recess

Number of days past constitutional deadline: 35

Status: Legislature on summer recess

10:00 PM PDT on Monday, July 19, 2010

Recount begins in state Senate race

A recount has begun in California’s 40th Senate District, where a mere 22 votes separate the two candidates vying for the Democratic nomination.

Read the rest of this entry »

Number of days past constitutional deadline: 34

Status: Legislature out on summer recess



Number of days past constitutional deadline: 33

Status: Legislature out on summer recess



Lobbyists play huge role in bills
Karen de Sa, San Jose Mercury News
Created: 07/17/2010 07:10:37 AM PDT

Like all newly elected lawmakers, Assemblyman Felipe Fuentes arrived in Sacramento needing two things to ensure his political success: legislative achievements and campaign money.

If he established himself as a political force, the Los Angeles-area Democrat might breeze to re-election in two years and rise up the legislative ranks. And sure enough, there were folks who could help him along – the throng of lobbyists offering bill ideas on behalf of their corporate clients.

Read the rest of this entry »

Doom of both could be goal of one of them
James Rufus Koren, Staff Writer
Posted: 07/17/2010 09:30:25 PM PDT

If you can’t beat ‘em, confuse ‘em.

That’s the thinking, some political observers say, behind Proposition 27, one of the measures that will appear on November’s ballot. Proposition 27 and another measure on the ballot have near-opposite effects, which could doom both measures.

Read the rest of this entry »

THE WEEK

Those are the two things Californians give their elected officials.

By Cathleen Decker, Los Angeles Times

July 18, 2010

Even a cursory look at events last week was enough to show the concept of “public service” being turned on its ear.

On Tuesday, the Los Angeles Ethics Commission took up the issue of elected officials getting freebie tickets, in the wake of investigations into Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa’s acceptance of tickets to dozens of sought-after events, sometimes from companies doing business with his administration.

Read the rest of this entry »

Number of days past constitutional deadline: 31

Status: Legislature out on summer recess





Number of days past constitutional deadline: 30

Status: Legislature out on summer vacation



Schwarzenegger

06:55 AM PDT on Wednesday, July 14, 2010

By GENE GHIOTTO
The Press-Enterprise

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s job approval rating among California voters is the lowest since he took office in 2003 and equals the lowest given in the more than 50 years the Field Poll has been conducting the assessments.

Today’s Field Poll places Schwarzenegger at the same level as former Gov. Gray Davis just before Davis was recalled.

Read the rest of this entry »

Number of days past constitutional deadline: 28

10:37 PM PDT on Monday, July 12, 2010

The Press-Enterprise

Mary Salas, a candidate for the Democratic nomination in the race for the state’s 40th Senate District, has asked Riverside County to recount its ballots in the race.

Salas appears to have been defeated for the nomination in the June 8 primary by Juan Vargas, who won 50.1 percent of the vote.

Read the rest of this entry »

Number of days past constitutional deadline: 27

Number of days past constitutional deadline: 26



Edward Roski, Jr.

Sponsored bill got special treatment
Karen de Sa, San Jose Mercury News
Created: 07/10/2010 07:08:15 AM PDT

Before Southern California billionaire Edward Roski Jr. could satisfy the Los Angeles region’s craving for the return of pro football, he needed a stadium.

And before that stadium could be built on 592 acres of land in city of Industry on the edge of Diamond Bar, Roski needed to resolve a pair of lawsuits over whether the project complied with the state’s environmental laws.

Read the rest of this entry »

Number of days past constitutional deadline: 25

11:33 AM PDT on Friday, July 9, 2010

By DUANE W. GANG
The Press-Enterprise

A Superior Court judge Friday ordered Riverside County elections officials to count 12,563 disputed mail-in ballots and include the results in the final tally from the June 8 primary.

County officials began counting the votes shortly after Riverside County Superior Court Judge Mac R. Fisher issued his ruling and expect to complete the task by tonight.

Read the rest of this entry »

James Rufus Koren, Staff Writer
Posted: 07/09/2010 04:51:21 PM PDT

If California voters don’t approve a massive bond measure to pay for, among other things, more water storage facilities across the state, Kathye Rietkerk of Kallisto Greenhouses is afraid there won’t be enough water for her to stay in business.

Which is why, strangely, she hopes lawmakers can agree to postpone a vote on that ballot measure – scheduled to be on November’s ballot – by two years.

Read the rest of this entry »

Number of days past constitutional deadline: 24

Share
By Susan Ferriss
sferriss@sacbee.com
Published: Friday, Jul. 9, 2010 – 12:00 am | Page 4A

With former Assembly Speaker Willie Brown at his side, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger issued a new demand Thursday that a specific change in state worker pensions be made before he signs off on a budget.

At a minimum, the governor said he wants legislators to roll back current pension terms to those that existed before 1999 legislation created more generous rules.

Read the rest of this entry »

Number of days past constitutional deadline: 23

By PE Politics
on July 7, 2010 4:00 PM

Financially ailing Arrowhead Credit Union has pulled the plug on its participation in this summer’s payroll assistance program for legislative employees who aren’t getting paid because of the lack of a state budget.

During past budget impasses, the San Bernardino-based credit union and several other financial institutions have agreed to front the salaries of customers who work for the Senate or Assembly and have direct deposit.

Read the rest of this entry »

James Rufus Koren, Staff Writer
Posted: 07/07/2010 05:23:25 PM PDT

As Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and State Controller John Chiang tussle over whether state workers should take a pay cut until the Legislature approves a budget, lawmakers are considering a bill that would make sure those workers get their full pay whether or not a budget passes.

The new fiscal year started July 1, but the legislature has yet to pass a new budget. Because of that budget impasse, Schwarzenegger last week ordered Chiang to cut the wages of about 200,000 state employees to the minimum wage – $7.25 per hour. Chiang has refused the order, but might have to comply.

Read the rest of this entry »

Number of days past constitutional deadline: 22

Number of days past constitutional deadline: 21

Number of days past constitutional deadline: 20

Number of days past constitutional deadline: 19

By Shane Goldmacher, Los Angeles Times

July 4, 2010

Reporting from Sacramento —

Many of the pressures that can push California’s leaders toward a budget accord are absent this summer as the state lurches into yet another budget year without a spending plan.

The lack of acute suffering from the budget stalemate may help explain why talks between Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and top lawmakers show no signs of agreement on how to tackle California’s $19.1-billion deficit.

Read the rest of this entry »

Controller John Chiang

By Jon Ortiz and Kevin Yamamura
jortiz@sacbee.com
Published: Saturday, Jul. 3, 2010 – 12:00 am | Page 1A
Last Modified: Saturday, Jul. 3, 2010 – 12:12 am

The decision is in. The fight isn’t over.

Sacramento’s 3rd District Court of Appeal on Friday upheld a 17-month-old ruling allowing Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to order state workers’ pay reduced to minimum wage in the absence of a budget.

Although the state is now three days into the new fiscal year with no budget and the governor has instructed more than 200,000 government employees’ pay lowered to the federal minimum, the ultimate impact of the court decision is far from clear.

Read the rest of this entry »

Published: Saturday, Jul. 3, 2010 – 12:00 am | Page 3A

With the ballyhooed July 1 milepost having come and gone, expect slow going for a while on the budget.

Republican and Democratic legislative leaders met privately Thursday to discuss their next steps. They are interested in working out as much as possible without Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, and they want to reconvene the joint budget conference committee next week.

Read the rest of this entry »

Number of days past constitutional deadline: 17

Number of days past constitutional deadline: 16

By Shane Goldmacher, Los Angeles Times

July 1, 2010

Reporting from Sacramento —

California begins a new budget year Thursday without a spending plan in place and with no agreement imminent between state legislators and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on how to close a $19.1-billion deficit.

Read the rest of this entry »

Number of days past constitutional deadline: 15

Wes Woods II, Staff Writer
Created: 06/29/2010 09:50:22 PM PDT

Legislation has been introduced that would make California the first state to legalize Internet poker.

But on Tuesday the state Senate Governmental Organization Committee put on hold plans to legalize Internet poker for players 21 years and older until more of the concerns over S.B. 1485 could be addressed.

Read the rest of this entry »

By PE Politics
on June 29, 2010 1:51 PM

Thousands of uncounted Riverside County ballots could determine the outcome in the squeaker of a Democratic primary in California’s 40th Senate District.

As of late Monday, former Assemblyman Juan Vargas led Assemblywoman Mary Salas by six votes out of more than 48,242 cast.

Read the rest of this entry »

By Kevin Yamamura
kyamamura@sacbee.com The Sacramento Bee
Published: Sunday, Jun. 27, 2010 – 12:00 am | Page 1A
Last Modified: Sunday, Jun. 27, 2010 – 10:02 am

With the 2010-11 fiscal year set to begin Thursday, state lawmakers and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger remain far from a budget deal that would eliminate an estimated $19.1 billion deficit.

The Republican governor outlined his budget blueprint in May. Democrats in each house responded with their own proposals that block the most drastic social service cuts in his plan. Republican lawmakers have not issued a proposal, instead getting behind Schwarzenegger’s budget and reiterating their opposition to new taxes.

Read the rest of this entry »

California budget

James Rufus Koren, Staff Writer
Posted: 06/26/2010 07:10:53 AM PDT

This year, oil companies have pumped 29.5 million barrels of oil from Kern County. An additional 3.4 million have come from Los Angeles County.

In San Bernardino County, the total is just 274 barrels, pumped by two tiny oil operations in the Chino Hills area – the hub of the county’s barely existent oil industry.

Read the rest of this entry »

Wednesday, June 23, 2010 – 09:18 P.M.

Based on information contained in a story published in Thursday’s Los Angeles Times, InlandPolitics.com has verified by cross-referencing database lists from the California Department of Social Services and the California Gambling Control Commission that some local indian casinos allow welfare recipients to withdraw cash with state issued debit cards.

Casinos operated by the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians in Highland, Morongo Band of Mission Indians in Cabazon, Pala Band of Mission Indians in Pala, and the Pechanga Band of Luiseno Indians in Temecula, offer automated teller machines (ATM) that accept debit cards issued by the state’s welfare system.

Read the rest of this entry »

Schwarzenegger

Mediha Fejzagic DiMartino, Staff Writer
Posted: 06/21/2010 08:14:45 PM PDT

Pension reform hinges on Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s promise that he’ll veto any budget proposal that does not include “two-tier” retirement benefits, according to Republican lawmakers.

“There is a really good chance he will keep his promise,” said state Sen. Bob Dutton, R-Rancho Cucamonga. “He’s got nothing to lose.”

Read the rest of this entry »

Sen. Bob Dutton

Sen. Bob Dutton
Posted: 06/21/2010 07:18:14 PM PDT

As California’s budget negotiations continue in Sacramento, I am reminded of the children’s book “If You Give A Pig A Pancake.”

In the book a pig is given a pancake. Once given the pancake the pig then wants some syrup. Once the pig gets the syrup it gets all sticky and wants a bath. As this entitlement story continues the pig actually expects the pancake, syrup and all sorts of other entitlements.

Read the rest of this entry »

Capitol Alert
The latest on California politics and government
June 21, 2010

Senate Democrats on Monday unveiled their plan to give counties greater control of state programs, potentially shedding $3 billion to $4 billion in ongoing costs to the state budget.

Many of the programs are already delivered by counties but paid for through state coffers. Senate Democrats see their changes as a more appropriate “realignment” of services and costs over the next four years.

Read the rest of this entry »

By Dan Walters
dwalters@sacbee.com The Sacramento Bee
Published: Tuesday, Jun. 22, 2010 – 12:00 am | Page 3A

Budget, budget, who’s got a budget?

The governor has a state budget that his fellow Republicans more or less support. Assembly Democrats have a budget whose centerpiece is a complex scheme to borrow billions of dollars. And Democratic senators have a budget that’s based on raising taxes and shifting some programs from the state to counties.

Read the rest of this entry »

10:00 PM PDT on Sunday, June 20, 2010

By JIM MILLER
Sacramento Bureau

SACRAMENTO – The number of mortgage defaults and home foreclosures is falling in the Inland area and around the state, but the tug of war between the lending industry and people pushing for new borrower protections is still going strong at the state Capitol.

“Foreclosures have dropped. That’s a good sign,” said Assemblyman Ted Lieu, D-Torrance, the author of several bills on the subject. “But we still have to do more because there are a lot of people not communicating.”

Read the rest of this entry »

By Jim Sanders
jsanders@sacbee.com
Published: Thursday, Jun. 17, 2010 – 12:00 am | Page 4A

The Legislature’s failure to pass a state budget by its constitutional deadline played a key role Wednesday in killing a proposed pay cut for lawmakers and other top officeholders, according to members of the state’s pay panel.

Lawmakers will continue to be paid $95,291 annually, while other officeholder salaries will range from $173,987 for governor – Arnold Schwarzenegger does not accept pay – to $130,490 for members of the Board of Equalization.

Read the rest of this entry »

Rebecca Kimitch, Staff Writer
Created: 06/15/2010 09:10:53 PM PDT

The deadline by which the Legislature is supposed to pass a state budget came and went Tuesday, with most Sacramento lawmakers saying it will be months before they can find an answer to the $19.1 billion deficit.

By all indications, the state this summer will see the same partisan bickering over the massive spending cuts proposed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and the tax increases and elimination of corporate tax breaks proposed by Democrats.

Read the rest of this entry »

By Jim Sanders
jsanders@sacbee.com
Published: Wednesday, Jun. 16, 2010 – 12:00 am | Page 4A

The chairman of the California commission that sets legislative pay said Tuesday that he supports another reduction in salaries and benefits, which would mark the second consecutive year of targeting lawmakers’ pocketbooks.

“I’m going to vote for it, as long as it’s not punitive,” said Chuck Murray, chairman of the California Citizens Compensation Committee.

Read the rest of this entry »

Last week debt-weary congressional Democrats pulled an aid package targeted at debt-ridden states, including California.

The action will cost California big. Just add another $2 billion to the current $20 billion crater. An increase of 10%.

Politicians are becoming increasingly fearful of an angry electorate now fully aware of increasing deficits. A result of out of control pork-barrel spending by both parties.

Read the rest of this entry »

By Dan Walters
dwalters@sacbee.com The Sacramento Bee
Published: Monday, Jun. 7, 2010 – 12:00 am | Page 3A

It’s a week before the June 15 constitutional deadline for enacting a state budget, an appropriate moment to consider the status of this year’s version of the annual fiscal drama.

And that is? Up the proverbial creek without the proverbial paddle.

Read the rest of this entry »

Bill Emmerson

By PE News
on June 5, 2010 7:57 AM

Friday night was set to be something of an anomaly in the race for Riverside County’s 37th Senate District.

Seven months after Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger called a June 8 special election for the seat, all of the candidates would finally share a stage at a candidate forum.

Read the rest of this entry »

Negrete-McLeod

By PE Politics
on June 4, 2010 5:21 PM

State Sen. Gloria Negrete McLeod cut a $100,000 check to the California Democratic Party this week, seemingly the largest party contribution of any lawmaker in the 2009-10 election cycle.

Read the rest of this entry »

Jeff Stone

By PE Politics
on June 3, 2010 1:15 AM

The state Senate campaign of Riverside County Supervisor Jeff Stone acknowledged Wednesday that it failed to disclose dozens of donations from mid-March through most of last month.

Richard Temple, a Stone consultant, said the campaign’s accounting firm misunderstood state rules that require, within 90 days of an election, reporting of contributions of $1,000 or more within 24 hours.

Read the rest of this entry »

By PE Politics
on June 1, 2010 2:41 PM

A group backing the Senate candidacy of Riverside County Supervisor Jeff Stone has produced an ad featuring a leading supporter of Arizona’s new law targeting illegal immigrants.

A related group has produced an ad going after Stone’s main rival for the Republican nomination in the 36th Senate District, Assemblyman Joel Anderson, R-Alpine.

Read the rest of this entry »

Teachers biggest election spenders
Neil Nisperos, Staff Writer
Posted: 05/31/2010 10:01:19 PM PDT

Unions can flex serious muscle when it comes to fighting for political agendas as evidenced by the vast amounts of money they spend on influencing state policy.

A report released in March titled “Big Money Talks” revealed 15 public-interest groups spent $1.3 billion toward policy shaping in the past decade, according to the California Fair Political Practices Commission report, “Big Money Talks.”

Read the rest of this entry »

By Dan Walters
dwalters@sacbee.com
Published: Tuesday, Jun. 1, 2010 – 12:00 am | Page 3A

California’s cities are feeling the financial pinch as property and sales tax revenues stagnate or decline and as the spending commitments they made during the now-deflated housing boom, especially bigger payrolls, haunt them.

The Pew Charitable Trusts has declared Los Angeles to have the fourth worst fiscal condition of the 13 large cities it surveyed. Former Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan has advocated bankruptcy for his city, and the current mayor, Antonio Villaraigosa, is calling for the city’s payroll to be sharply downsized.

Read the rest of this entry »

Steve Poizner

The Poizner for Governor Campaign cordially invites you to join Steve Poizner in Upland at the local Republican headquarters for a town hall rally as he sweeps through Southern California.

Space is limited so RSVP is a must. Please see below for contact information.

Read the rest of this entry »

10:00 PM PDT on Sunday, May 30, 2010

By JIM MILLER
Sacramento Bureau

SACRAMENTO – State legislators representing central Riverside and San Bernardino counties have received tens of thousands of dollars in campaign help from unions representing government workers.

The donations have gone to members of both parties, with labor-friendly Democrats receiving the heaviest support.

Read the rest of this entry »

Dutton

Sandra Emerson, Staff Writer
Created: 05/30/2010 10:09:35 PM PDT

RANCHO CUCAMONGA – A group supporting Arizona’s immigration law attracted honks and hecklers Friday during a rally outside state Sen. Bob Dutton’s office.

The group – standing on the corner of Haven Avenue and Foothill Boulevard – held American flags, the Arizona flag and signs.

Read the rest of this entry »

By Susan Ferriss
sferriss@sacbee.com
Published: Sunday, May. 30, 2010 – 12:00 am | Page 3A

As he stares into the abyss of a $19.1 billion state budget shortfall, Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg is urging Californians to consider an earth-shifting governmental move.

To help social services such as child welfare and elder care avoid massive cuts, he wants to transfer more responsibility for those programs from the state to counties.

Read the rest of this entry »

President George W. Bush

I figured I would let a photo of someone you know deliver the message.

Stayed tuned this weekend for an analysis of the Republican Primary in California Governor’s race.

By Anthony York | 05/27/10 12:00 AM PST

A News Analysis- The battle lines have been drawn for this summer’s budget fight, with Senate Democrats touting plans for new tax increases and cuts and Assembly Democrats unveiling an elaborate budget maneuver that leads to new taxes on oil production and virtually no cuts to the state’s safety net. The trick, now, is figuring out which pieces of these proposals – and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s May budget revision – are real.

Assembly Speaker John Perez, D-Los Angeles, and his staff came up with the most creative of the budget proposals, revealed in a press conference this week in the Capitol.

Read the rest of this entry »

Dutton

Staff and Wire reports
Created: 05/25/2010 04:18:36 PM PDT

SACRAMENTO – Inland Valley state Sen. Bob Dutton this week blasted a Democrat plan to raise taxes by nearly $5 billion, largely by extending temporary taxes and delaying corporate tax breaks for two years.

Democrats in the Senate on Monday countered Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s proposed budget cuts with a plan to raise taxes by nearly $5 billion.

Read the rest of this entry »

By PE News
on May 25, 2010 6:39 AM

A state Senate budget subcommittee Monday approved shifting $15 million in the University of California’s existing budget to help pay for start-up costs at UC Riverside’s medical school.

With millions already raised in federal money and private donations, the school has left the station, said state Sen. Bob Huff, R-Diamond Bar. “It’s one of those things that’s pretty hard to retreat from,” Huff said.

Read the rest of this entry »

Supervisor Jeff Stone

10:00 PM PDT on Sunday, May 23, 2010

The Press-Enterprise

Riverside County Supervisor Jeff Stone says he doesn’t like independent expenditure committees, but he might be getting their help whether he likes it or not.

At a forum last week for candidates for the 36th state Senate District seat, Stone said he would propose legislation to curb spending by the “IE’s” — the unions, business groups, tribes and other special interests that can dump unlimited amounts of money into a race as long as there is no coordination with candidates.

Read the rest of this entry »

11:46 PM PDT on Sunday, May 23, 2010

By JIM MILLER
Sacramento Bureau

SACRAMENTO – Senate Democrats’ quest to increase their ranks in the state Capitol stops short of the Riverside County line.

The campaign for the June 8 special election in Riverside County’s 37th Senate District is a shadow of the knock-down Republican fight that marked last month’s special primary election.

Read the rest of this entry »

10:00 PM PDT on Tuesday, May 18, 2010

By DUANE W. GANG
The Press-Enterprise

TEMECULA – Three of the four Republican candidates in the 36th state Senate District squared off in a debate Tuesday night, criticizing the state for out-of-control spending and failing to keep businesses from fleeing California.

In front of fewer than 25 people at Temecula City Hall, the candidates — Jeff Stone, of Temecula, Greg Stephens, of El Cajon, and Kenneth Dickson, of Murrieta — addressed the state’s budget woes, environmental regulation, immigration and public safety.

Read the rest of this entry »

Lancaster

Senator Bob Huff has announced his endorsement of San Gabriel Valley Republican Businessman Chris Lancaster to succeed Assemblyman Anthony Adams in the 59th District.

“I am proud to endorse Chris Lancaster for State Assembly,” said Senator Huff. “Chris believes as I do that for California to thrive we need pro-growth policies that reward job creators and increase jobs. He also shares my view that California needs fewer government regulations, not more restrictions on our businesses.”

Read the rest of this entry »

By Dan Walters
dwalters@sacbee.com The Sacramento Bee
Published: Sunday, May. 16, 2010 – 12:00 am | Page 3A

One of the major factors in California’s perpetual budget crisis is this: Enormous fiscal policy decisions with decades-long impacts may be made in the political climate of the moment by either legislators or voters. If they prove to be counterproductive, however, they’re virtually impossible to retract.

Tax cuts are one obvious example of the dichotomy. By a simple majority vote, the Legislature can reduce any tax. To reverse that action, it must muster a two-thirds majority, thanks to one constitutional provision of Proposition 13, which voters enacted in 1978.

Read the rest of this entry »

By PE Politics
on May 12, 2010 5:49 PM

An organization of law enforcement unions has spent $25,000 supporting Assemblyman Joel Anderson in the Republican primary race for the 36th Senate District.

The Peace Officers Research Association of California (PORAC) includes 890 member organizations, representing 62,000 law-enforcement employees.

Read the rest of this entry »

10:00 PM PDT on Wednesday, May 12, 2010

By JIM MILLER
Sacramento Bureau

SACRAMENTO – Riverside County Supervisor Jeff Stone wants to give up better pay, time at home and being one of five members on a Republican-leaning board to be part of a Democrat-controlled state Senate.

But Stone is just one of the candidates in a four-way battle for the Republican nomination in the 36th Senate District.

Read the rest of this entry »

By Kevin Yamamura
kyamamura@sacbee.com
Published: Wednesday, May. 12, 2010 – 12:00 am | Page 1A
Last Modified: Wednesday, May. 12, 2010 – 9:13 am

Washington hasn’t come to the rescue. Hopes for a tax windfall were dashed last month.

As the reality of a $20 billion deficit sets in, California leaders are bracing for another summer of difficult state budget talks.

Read the rest of this entry »

PolitiCal
On politics in the Golden State

May 10, 2010 | 3:57 pm

A Senate committee heard testimony Monday on a measure that would dramatically change the state’s public pension system.

The bill, SB 919 by Senate Republican leader Dennis Hollingsworth of Murrieta, seeks a wide range of changes including increasing the retirement age from 55 to 65 for many state employees and demanding higher contributions from employees to their retirement accounts.

Read the rest of this entry »

By Dan Walters
dwalters@sacbee.com The Sacramento Bee
Published: Monday, May. 10, 2010 – 12:00 am | Page 3A

Self-evidently, the California Legislature isn’t balancing the state budget, nor is it doing anything noticeably positive about traffic congestion, poor school test scores, high dropout rates, the public pension crisis or any other real-world issues.

So how are the nation’s highest-paid state legislators occupying their – actually our – time in Sacramento these days, when they’re not throwing or attending campaign fundraisers?

Read the rest of this entry »

Curt Hagman

Assemblyman Curt Hagman
Posted: 05/05/2010 06:03:06 PM PDT

One hundred years ago, the Boy Scouts of America was founded, inspiring generations of young men to become outstanding citizens and community leaders. Why did the Assembly Democrats adopt a resolution recognizing the Girl Scouts, yet at the same time reject the proposal to honor the 100th anniversary of the Boy Scouts?

It is disappointing that in today’s California political climate, equality for atheists, gays and lesbians is now brought into the arena of Scouting. The State Capitol’s political agenda has gotten in the way of recognizing a great institution. As an Eagle Scout, and co-author of the Boy Scout resolution, I am one of the millions of young men who proudly served as a Scout.

Read the rest of this entry »

By Dan Walters
dwalters@sacbee.com The Sacramento Bee
Published: Sunday, May. 2, 2010 – 12:00 am | Page 3A

Cross the fingers of both hands, hold them out in front of you, close your eyes and think beautiful thoughts. Congratulations, you are now fully qualified to help fashion a new state budget.

Say what?

Read the rest of this entry »

Negrete-McLeod

James Rufus Koren, Staff Writer
Posted: 04/30/2010 04:45:47 PM PDT

With Sacramento just weeks from starting what will likely be several months of budget negotiations, state Sen. Gloria Negrete McLeod, D-Montclair, visited several local agencies Friday, in part to discuss possible budget cuts.

At the San Bernardino Adult Day Health Care Center, McLeod said she hopes the coming year’s budget won’t have to make deep cuts to social service agencies and programs.

Read the rest of this entry »

By Jim Sanders
jsanders@sacbee.com
Published: Thursday, Apr. 29, 2010 – 12:00 am | Page 3A
Last Modified: Thursday, Apr. 29, 2010 – 8:49 am

Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg accused Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Wednesday of leveraging legislative pay to pressure lawmakers in budget talks over a projected $18.6 billion deficit.

“I have no doubt that the administration’s imprint is all over that decision,” Steinberg said of a proposal being considered by the state’s independent salary-setting commission to cut legislative pay and benefits by up to 10 percent.

Read the rest of this entry »

The dispute over California public employee payouts is growing. Republicans blame Democrats, who see the problem but fear alienating labor.

By George Skelton Capitol Journal

April 29, 2010

No question: California public employee pensions are a big problem — especially for Democratic politicians.

Republicans pound them on the issue, claiming it’s emblematic of the majority party’s extravagant spending and subservience to patron labor unions.

Read the rest of this entry »

PolitiCal
On politics in the Golden State

April 26, 2010 | 2:48 pm
State Sen. Abel Maldonado (R-Santa Maria) was confirmed by the California Senate on Monday as lieutenant governor, filling a vacancy created when John Garamendi was elected to Congress.

“We know he will bring the spirit of hard work and problem-solving to the lieutenant governor’s office,” said Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg (D-Sacramento) after the 25-7 vote.

Read the rest of this entry »

10:00 PM PDT on Sunday, April 25, 2010

The Press-Enterprise

If anyone can get a bill through a legislative committee, Capitol conventional wisdom holds, it’s the committee’s leader.

Tell that to Inland state Sen. Gloria Negrete McLeod.

Read the rest of this entry »

By Jon Ortiz
jortiz@sacbee.com The Sacramento Bee
Published: Saturday, Apr. 24, 2010 – 12:00 am | Page 4A
Last Modified: Saturday, Apr. 24, 2010 – 12:15 am

Senate Republican Leader Dennis Hollingsworth has rolled out a bill that would curb retirement benefits for new state workers, trimming an estimated $110 billion from the state’s retiree obligations over 30 years. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has supported the idea but hasn’t commented on the bill’s specifics.

Here are some of the major changes in the measure and arguments for and against them.

Read the rest of this entry »

By Susan Ferriss
sferriss@sacbee.com
Published: Friday, Apr. 23, 2010 – 12:00 am | Page 3A

BURBANK – A decision on how much to cut state legislators’ salaries and benefits and use of leased state vehicles was pushed to June by the California Citizens Compensation Commission on Thursday.

Most members of the commission seemed ready to use their regulatory power to impose another cut when they meet again, although some said a proposed 10 percent chop was too much.

Read the rest of this entry »

By PE News
on April 21, 2010 11:08 PM

Senate Minority Leader Dennis Hollingsworth introduced legislation Wednesday to change the retirement system for state workers as a way to reduce pension costs.

His proposal, SB 919, would raise the retirement age for non-safety employees from 55 to 65. It would increase the retirement age for CHP officers, firefighters and other safety employees from 50 to 57. In addition, it would cut the number of employee classifications that qualify for more lucrative public safety retirement benefits.

Read the rest of this entry »

By Susan Ferriss
sferriss@sacbee.com
Published: Thursday, Apr. 22, 2010 – 12:00 am | Page 1A

The commission that regulates California legislators’ salaries will consider a proposal Thursday that could slash lawmakers’ pay by at least a quarter in less than a year.

The Governor’s Office, which appoints the commissioners, is suggesting the panel won’t necessarily vote immediately.

Read the rest of this entry »

11:23 PM PDT on Wednesday, April 14, 2010

By JIM MILLER
Sacramento Bureau

Assemblyman Bill Emmerson represents a district centered in San Bernardino County and lived there until late last year, but he carried the day across virtually all of Riverside County’s sprawling 37th Senate District in Tuesday’s special election, according to unofficial results.

Emmerson, R-Hemet, was the top vote-getter in the seven-way race, receiving 41.67 percent of the total. He easily bested his main GOP competition, former Assemblyman Russ Bogh, of Beaumont, who got 21.94 percent of the vote.

Read the rest of this entry »

By PE News
on April 14, 2010 8:44 AM

It falls far short of Bloombergian heights, but the price-per-vote in the Republican donnybrook leading up to Tuesday’s special election in the 37th Senate District could set a record for an Inland legislative seat.

The campaigns for Assemblyman Bill Emmerson and former Assemblyman Russ Bogh, along with independent groups, spent at least $1.8 million in the fast and furious race that attracted just a fifth of the electorate. The spending total is certain to grow as late financial reports come in.

Read the rest of this entry »

PolitiCal
On politics in the Golden State

April 14, 2010 | 9:42 am

Last year, when the state was gripped by a budget crisis, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger ordered hundreds of state cars to be sold to save money.

But that didn’t stop the Legislature from spending $529,000 to buy a new fleet of 2009 model cars for 16 lawmakers, according to documents released Tuesday.

Read the rest of this entry »

Roy Ashburn

PolitiCal

On politics in the Golden State

April 14, 2010 | 10:14 am

State Sen. Roy Ashburn (R-Bakersfield) was sentenced Wednesday to two days in jail and three years probation after pleading no contest to charges of driving under the influence of alcohol.

Sacramento County Superior Court Judge Russell Hom gave Ashburn one day of jail credit for his time behind bars after he was arrested by California Highway Patrol officers who saw his state car being driven erratically near the state Capitol on March 3. Ashburn was not present in court Wednesday during the sentencing on two misdemeanor charges, which will not affect his state job.

Read the rest of this entry »

Democrat Gatto will face GOP’s Ramani in the 43rd Assembly District. GOP’s Emmerson will face Democrat Blake and Monica of the American Independent Party in the 37th Senate District.

By Jean Merl

April 14, 2010 | 12:35 a.m.

Two hard-fought Southern California special elections for vacant state legislative seats will be decided in a June 8 runoff, as no candidate in either race won a majority of the vote Tuesday.

Read the rest of this entry »

Early absentee vote returns reported by the Riverside County Registrar of Voters give Assemblyman Bill Emmerson the early lead over former Assemblyman Russ Bogh.

Emmerson currently has 30,009 votes (40.79%) and Bogh 16,121 (21.91%).

RIVERSIDE COUNTY: Polls in the district are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

09:43 PM PDT on Monday, April 12, 2010

By DUANE W. GANG
The Press-Enterprise

It’s Election Day if you live in the 37th state Senate district.

Residents in Banning, Beaumont, Corona, Hemet, Moreno Valley, Lake Elsinore, Norco, Perris, San Jacinto and the Coachella Valley can head to the polls from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Read the rest of this entry »

Russ Bogh

Well thank God it’s finally here.

The special election to determine who will fill the State Senate seat vacated by now Riverside County Supervisor John Benoit.

With nothing in politics ever being concrete it looks like Former State Assemblyman Russ Bogh will be the likely victor Tuesday night. I’ve none Bill Emmerson since his first run for the Assembly seat he now holds. He’s a good person.

Read the rest of this entry »

11:45 PM PDT on Thursday, April 8, 2010

By JIM MILLER
Sacramento Bureau

SACRAMENTO – A candidate who wears glasses, visits the dentist, enjoys tribal casinos and is tight with prison guards and firefighters might be sitting pretty these days in Riverside County’s 37th Senate District.

Dentists, optometrists and other special interests have dumped $900,000 into the campaign leading up to next week’s Senate special election, filling voters’ mailboxes and rolling out television ads.

Read the rest of this entry »

Emmerson

By PE Politics
on April 7, 2010 1:16 PM

There’s a new entrant in the crush of independent spending in the race leading up to Tuesday’s election in the 37th Senate District.

The California Tribal Business Alliance reports spending $21,605 for a mailer supporting Assemblyman Bill Emmerson.

Read the rest of this entry »

10:00 PM PDT on Tuesday, April 6, 2010

By JIM MILLER
Sacramento Bureau

SACRAMENTO – Two years ago, then-Assemblyman John Benoit’s desert residency propelled him to a landslide in the last GOP primary election for Riverside County’s 37th state Senate District.

The Coachella Valley vote will be a major factor in next week’s district special election. But unlike in 2008, there’s no home-court advantage for any of the Republican candidates who have devoted the most time and money to the race.

Read the rest of this entry »

By PE Politics
April 5, 2010 5:27 PM

The campaign committee created to push a part-time Legislature — Citizens for California Reform — has been running TV ads leading up to next week’s special election in the 37th Senate District. Donations from the state optometrists association and the unions representing firefighters and correctional officers have paid for the ads.

One of the commercials calls Assemblyman Bill Emmerson “just another tax-and-spend politician.”

Read the rest of this entry »

By PE Politics
April 5, 2010 2:49 PM

The leading candidates in next week’s special election for Riverside County’s 37th Senate District promise that, if elected, they will make their calendars and schedules available to reporters.

Whether the state Senate will allow them to do so is another matter.

Read the rest of this entry »

CALIFORNIA ELECTIONS

Assemblyman Bill Emmerson and former Assemblyman Russ Bogh, the perceived front-runners in the special election race to replace Republican John Benoit, have mostly ignored the five other candidates.

By Jean Merl

April 5, 2010

The race to fill a vacant Riverside County state Senate seat in a special election April 13 has pitted two like-minded Republicans against each other in an attack campaign that virtually ignores the five other candidates.

Assemblyman Bill Emmerson and businessman and former Assemblyman Russ Bogh are the perceived front-runners in the contest to replace Republican John Benoit, who resigned last year when the governor appointed him to the Riverside County Board of Supervisors.

Read the rest of this entry »

By PE Politics
April 2, 2010 6:38 AM

Southwest would have been a lot cheaper.

Assemblyman Bill Emmerson’s dash home from Sacramento to beat the candidate filing deadline for the April 13 special election cost $4,515.70, according to Emmerson’s latest finance report.

The money paid for a charter flight by Golden State Air Charter of Bakersfield.

To read entire post, click here.

By Samantha Young
Associated Press
Posted: 04/01/2010 07:58:43 PM PDT
Updated: 04/02/2010 06:31:24 AM PDT

SACRAMENTO — When California lawmakers prepare to take a key vote — say when deciding state spending or last year’s $11 billion water bond — how often are they meeting with lobbyists, special interest groups or others who have a stake in the outcome?

Are constituents given the same kind of access to politicians as campaign contributors?

Such questions arose last year after a Republican lawmaker was caught on tape bragging about his sexual exploits with female lobbyists, including one whose client had business before the lawmaker’s committee. How much time, a constituent might wonder, was former Assemblyman Mike Duvall spending with lobbyists?

Read the rest of this entry »

Emmerson

By PE Politics
on March 31, 2010 5:10 PM

Assemblyman Bill Emmerson has opened a legal defense fund.

Emmerson, along with six other people, is a candidate for Riverside County’s 37th Senate District in the April 13 special election.

Read the rest of this entry »

By PE Politics
on March 30, 2010 11:56 AM

Bill Emmerson’s campaign is not happy with the latest independent expenditure TV ads that alternately tout GOP opponent Russ Bogh and trash Emmerson.

Here’s our previous post about the commercials and how they were paid for.

And here’s a statement from the Emmerson campaign this morning:

Read the rest of this entry »

By Kevin Yamamura
kyamamura@sacbee.com
Published: Tuesday, Mar. 23, 2010 – 12:00 am | Page 4A

Responding to a demand by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, state lawmakers Monday sent him bills establishing another homebuyer tax credit and a sales tax exemption for environmental technology firms, satisfying him enough to win his signature on a transportation funding bill.

Schwarzenegger last week threatened to veto a Democratic gas-tax maneuver that would save the state $1.1 billion as it tries to close a nearly $20 billion deficit. The proposal was similar to a gas-tax swap Schwarzenegger first proposed in January, but the Democratic version provided ongoing funding for transit programs.

Read the rest of this entry »

10:00 PM PDT on Monday, March 22, 2010

At least five of seven candidates for the 37th State Senate District special election have indicated they will participate in a forum scheduled from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Wednesday in the campus theater at Mt. San Jacinto College’s San Jacinto campus.

Read the rest of this entry »

09:37 PM PDT on Friday, March 19, 2010

By JIM MILLER
Sacramento Bureau

SACRAMENTO – Bill Emmerson and Russ Bogh were roommates when they served in the Assembly five years ago. But a landlord and a kitchen weren’t the only things they shared.

Bogh and Emmerson, the leading Republican candidates in next month’s special election for Riverside County’s 37th Senate District, frequently voted the same way during the 2005-06 session, when their legislative tenures overlapped, records show.

Read the rest of this entry »

By PE Politics
on March 19, 2010 6:15 PM

The group trying to make the Legislature part-time has paid for more than $47,000 worth of TV ads supporting Russ Bogh for state Senate.

Bogh, R-Beaumont, is one of seven candidates —three Republican, three Democrats, one American Independent — running in the April 13 special election for Riverside County’s 37th Senate District.

Read the rest of this entry »

PolitiCal

March 19, 2010 | 10:35 am

Democrats in the Legislature have spent the last few years fighting to save the pay of members of public employee unions. Now, two of those unions are returning the favor.

The Professional Engineers in California Government and the California Assn. of Professional Scientists are speaking out against a proposed 10% salary reduction for lawmakers, calling the proposal unreasonable just months after lawmakers’ compensation was slashed 18%.

Read the rest of this entry »

Bogh

By PE Politics
on March 17, 2010 4:22 PM

The Morongo Band of Mission Indians near Banning has sent out a whopping $93,000 worth of mailers supporting the Senate candidacy of former Assemblyman Russ Bogh.

The independent expenditure mailers, which began arriving at voters’ homes this week, are the first to be bankrolled by any of the region’s politically influential tribes with casinos in the special election for the 37th Senate District. They feature endorsements of Bogh by several Inland political leaders.

Read the rest of this entry »

Capitol Alert
The latest on California politics and government

March 16, 2010

Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg, D-Sacramento, suggested Tuesday that Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger bears blame for budget inaction after the governor rejected the most significant parts of a budget package Democrats have sent him in recent weeks.

The Republican governor on Monday told legislative leaders that he would veto a gas-tax swap that would have cut about $1 billion from the state’s $19.9 billion deficit through June 2011, saying that he wanted a bill that would have cut gas taxes by 5 cents per gallon.

Read the rest of this entry »

Sandra Emerson, Staff Writer
Posted: 03/12/2010 07:21:04 PM PST

Friday was the last day for most hopeful candidates to file their nominations to run for state office.

One of the most popular races in San Bernardino County is for Assemblyman Bill Emmerson’s seat representing the 63rd District.

Emmerson, a Republican, is being termed out and is vying for a spot in the state Senate.

Read the rest of this entry »

04:31 PM PST on Thursday, March 11, 2010

By DUANE W. GANG
The Press-Enterprise

CORONA – Balancing California’s budget on time, creating jobs and preserving funding for education and public safety are top priorities for four of the seven candidates vying for the state Senate’s open 37th District seat.

Voters head to the polls April 13 to pick a replacement for former Sen. John Benoit.

Read the rest of this entry »

Schwarzenegger

By CATHY BUSSEWITZ, Associated Press Writer

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

(03-09) 17:11 PST Sacramento, Calif. (AP) –

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said Tuesday that he vetoed the largest piece of legislation in a package of budget bills because it did not take immediate steps to cut spending.

Democratic lawmakers said the bill would have shaved $2.1 billion from the $20 billion shortfall projected for California’s budget through June 2011. So far, the Legislature and governor have agreed to just $200 million in spending cuts.

Read the rest of this entry »

PolitiCal

March 9, 2010 | 3:04 pm

Just months after California lawmakers had their pay and benefits cut 18%, the head of a state panel that sets salaries proposed Tuesday that elected officials lose an additional 10% in response to the state’s continuing economic crisis.

The proposal to reduce pay, living expenses and health insurance payments by 10% was made by Charles Murray, chairman of the state’s Citizens Compensation Commission. The panel, which is appointed by the governor, is scheduled to meet April 22 in Burbank to consider the new pay cuts, which also affect lawmakers’ car allowance, health benefits and per diem.

Read the rest of this entry »

Bill Emmerson

10:00 PM PST on Monday, March 8, 2010

By DUANE W. GANG and JULISSA McKINNON
The Press-Enterprise

A Val Verde Unified School District board member who had hoped to run for the state Senate in the 37th District special election next month is accusing Riverside County officials of giving another candidate special treatment.

Shelly Yarbrough, who wanted to get on the April 13 ballot as a Democrat, said she wasn’t notified until after the March 1 filing deadline that she came up seven signatures short of qualifying.

Read the rest of this entry »

Schwarzenegger

Schwarzenegger and fellow Republicans had criticized the bill as a parlor trick because it would make cuts to a budget that the Legislature hasn’t passed yet.

By Michael Rothfeld

March 8, 2010 | 11:12 p.m.

Reporting from Sacramento – Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Monday afternoon vetoed the largest piece of a $4-billion package of bills lawmakers approved in recent weeks to reduce the state’s nearly $20-billion budget deficit.

The bill contained an estimated $2.2 billion in spending reductions, according to Democrats, some of them proposed by the governor himself.

Read the rest of this entry »

Ashburn

State Senator Roy Ashburn (R-Bakersfield) who was arrested for driving under the influence after leaving a gay night club in Sacramento last week while appearing on a local Bakersfield radio station this morning that he is in fact gay.

Ashburn, a divorced father of four is currently on personal leave from the California Senate.

Ashburn had previously announced he was leaving politics weeks before his arrest.

The 24 buildings being offered, including two in L.A., are drawing global investors. The sale is also being criticized for the loss of long-term capital assets in favor of short-term gains.
State buildings

By Roger Vincent

March 8, 2010

Efforts to sell 24 state office buildings have drawn lots of interest from potential buyers — as well as the ire of some former public officials who labored to get them built years ago in the belief that public ownership of the buildings would bring long-term financial benefits to taxpayers.

Read the rest of this entry »

By Dan Walters
dwalters@sacbee.com The Sacramento Bee
Published: Monday, Mar. 8, 2010 – 12:00 am | Page 3A

When Darrell Steinberg, the president pro tem of the state Senate, outlined his priorities last month, he included “oversight.”

In Capitol jargon it means the Legislature’s holding hearings or conducting investigations into how state programs are functioning.

Steinberg, in fact, has created a Senate Office of Oversight and Outcomes and staffed it with ex-newspaper reporters, supposedly to do the same kind of deep drilling they did in journalism.

Read the rest of this entry »

By Dan Walters
dwalters@sacbee.com The Sacramento Bee
Published: Sunday, Mar. 7, 2010 – 12:00 am | Page 3A

If you find yourself in a hole, the old adage advises, the first thing you should do is stop digging.

California is buried in a deep economic and fiscal hole, but our politicians seem bent on burrowing even deeper.

The state has tens of billions of dollars in unsold bonds, and Treasurer Bill Lockyer has warned that with the state’s lowest-in-the-nation credit rating he may market new debt only sporadically.

Read the rest of this entry »

By Susan Ferriss
sferriss@sacbee.com
Published: Saturday, Mar. 6, 2010 – 12:00 am | Page 3A

A prominent Republican state senator arrested on suspicion of drunken driving this week in Sacramento has taken a personal leave through Sunday from the upper house.

State Sen. Roy Ashburn of Bakersfield, a 14-year veteran of the Legislature, was arrested at about 2 a.m. Wednesday while driving his state-issued car near the state Capitol.

Read the rest of this entry »

BY CHRISTINE BEDELL, Californian government editor
cbedell@bakersfield.com | Thursday, Mar 04 2010 03:20 PM

Last Updated Thursday, Mar 04 2010 07:54 PM

The sexual orientation and voting record of state Sen. Roy Ashburn exploded into national news Thursday, the day after he was arrested on misdemeanor drunk driving charges in Sacramento.

Ashburn, R-Bakersfield, did not return calls again Thursday seeking an explanation of the events leading up to his arrest and the Sacramento television report that launched nationwide speculation that the veteran lawmaker is gay and therefore a hypocrite for voting against gay-rights bills.

Read the rest of this entry »

Roy Ashburn

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com The Sacramento Bee
Published: Thursday, Mar. 4, 2010 – 12:00 am | Page 4A
Last Modified: Thursday, Mar. 4, 2010 – 8:29 am

State Sen. Roy Ashburn was arrested early Wednesday morning on suspicion of drunken driving in downtown Sacramento, authorities said.

Ashburn, R-Bakersfield, was booked into the Sacramento County jail by the California Highway Patrol.

Read the rest of this entry »

Many of the gifts come from groups lobbying state government. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger collected $585,000, mostly to cover travel expenses. Watchdogs decry the appearance of influence.

By Patrick McGreevy and Jack Dolan

March 2, 2010 | 9:16 p.m.

Reporting from Sacramento – Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and state lawmakers received more than $929,000 in gifts last year, including overseas trips, boxes of cigars, bottles of wine, clothes and tickets to sporting events and concerts. Many of the gifts came from groups lobbying state government.

Read the rest of this entry »