By Jim Sanders
jsanders@sacbee.com
Published: Tuesday, May. 22, 2012 – 12:00 am | Page 1A

One week after Gov. Jerry Brown proposed slicing state workers’ pay by 5 percent, the Democratic governor and legislators find themselves targeted for a “share the pain” salary cut.

Members of California’s Citizens Compensation Commission said Monday that a pay-cut proposal for statewide officeholders will be on the table when the panel meets May 31.

Commissioner John Stites II said he supports a 5 percent cut for elected officeholders, from the governor to lawmakers.

“I definitely think they should take the same hit – at least,” Stites said. “Whatever happens to the people who work for you, whatever conditions they live under, it’s incumbent upon you to live under those same conditions.”

Brown projects a $15.7 billion budget shortfall for the fiscal year that begins July 1, and has proposed to bridge the gap with tax increases and program cuts, including a shift to a 38-hour, four-day workweek for state workers.

When he unveiled his revised proposal last week, Brown said his administration “would do more than what we ask state employees to do,” suggesting he and others would voluntarily take pay cuts.

Stites and other commissioners said they have no idea whether a pay cut would pass the seven-member panel of gubernatorial appointees.

Commission Chairman Tom Dalzell said he supports the notion of shared sacrifice, but that it would be premature to cut elected officials’ pay this year when the fate of Brown’s 5 percent wage cut for state workers has not been decided.

“It’s putting the cart before the horse,” Dalzell said.

The pay commission, created by voter passage of Proposition 112 in 1990, is responsible for determining compensation for all statewide elected officials. Salaries for California’s elected officials range from $173,987 for Brown to $95,291 for legislators.

The panel chopped officeholders’ pay and state contributions to their medical, dental and other benefits by 18 percent in 2009.

Legislators have taken additional hits to their compensation the past three years, with elimination of a Capitol car-lease program and a cut in lawmakers’ living expenses from $173 to $142 per day.

Commissioner Charles Murray stopped short Monday of committing himself to a new pay cut for officeholders. But they, too, should feel pain from this year’s belt-tightening, he said.

“Even though the legislators don’t consider themselves state workers, we do,” Murray said.

Commissioner Scott Somers was noncommittal about whether he would vote yes at the panel’s meeting next week at Sacramento City Hall. Somers said he supports the concept of shared pain but does not think elected officials should automatically be slapped with an equal cut any time state worker pay is reduced.

To read entire story, click here.

BY JIM MILLER AND BEN GOAD
STAFF WRITERS
jmiller@pe.com | bgoad@pe.com

Published: 19 May 2012 06:16 PM

Fueled by new political boundaries and court rulings, campaign committees representing special interests have revved up spending this election cycle, and much of that largesse is focused on Inland Southern California candidates.

Independent expenditures committees, known nationally as super-PACs, have been a fixture of legislative and statewide elections in California since 2001. The Supreme Court’s 2010 Citizens United decision brought the same type of unlimited spending to federal contests, from president to Congress.

While state and federal law sets limits on contributions to candidates, super-PACs are allowed to raise and spend unlimited amounts of money through independent expenditures. Super-PACs are prohibited from coordinating their efforts with candidates or their campaigns.

As of Friday, May 18, independent groups’ spending this year in California congressional and state contests totals at least $5.5 million, according to government filings. That’s on top of millions of dollars that state and federal candidates have poured into races from their own campaign coffers.

Last year’s redistricting process created several competitive congressional, state Senate and Assembly districts in the region that are drawing big money from special interests.

Through mid-Friday, San Bernardino County’s 31st Congressional District had more than $818,000 in super-PAC spending, the most of any House race in the nation in the regular 2012 election cycle, according to federal records.

The spending was dominated by the National Association of Realtors, which has shelled out more than $709,000 to support the candidacy of Rep. Gary Miller. The money went for polling, consulting, mailers and advertising.

Scott Reiter, the group’s political director, pointed to Miller’s background in real estate and development and record as an advocate for housing in Congress, where he serves on the Financial Services Committee and has worked to protect the mortgage interest tax deduction and tax credits for homebuyers.

“He’s a longtime supporter of homeownership, and he’s got a tough race so we wanted to help,” Reiter said.

Miller, R-Diamond Bar, is running in a new district representing much of the San Bernardino Valley. The five other candidates include state Sen. Bob Dutton, R-Rancho Cucamonga, and Redlands Mayor Pete Aguilar, a Democrat.

With at least three serious candidates competing for two spots in the general election, Reiter said the group, which usually focuses on November, thought it best to help Miller in his primary race. The fact that the group’s spending put the 31st above the other 434 congressional districts in terms of outside money is probably just a temporary situation, he said.

“I just think it’s a matter of timing,” Reiter said. “I would suspect you’ll be seeing a lot more from other groups very shortly.”

Other independent groups have spent money to help Dutton and Aguilar.

“Me and some friends of Bob Dutton wanted to help out … beyond what the law says we can give directly to candidates,” said former Inland lawmaker Bill Leonard, who helped organize the pro-Dutton Inland Empire Taxpayers for Jobs.

The group has spent about $50,000, records show. The money has come from several Inland donors, including Dutton’s father, Ted.

Leonard said the super-PAC was conceived as a way to help Dutton hold his own against Miller, a seven-term incumbent whose campaign committee had $1.2 million in cash on hand as of March 30.

“That was our hope and expectation a few months ago. But I didn’t expect the large amounts of Washington-interest money coming in. We’re kind of being swamped,” he said.

A super-PAC called Restoring Our Community has given more than $60,000 to Aguilar’s campaign. The identities of the donors have not been reported.

The only super-PAC spending on Inland congressional races outside the 31st took place in the High Desert’s 8th Congressional District, where the Jobs Opportunity and Freedom Political Action Committee has spent more than $30,000 on behalf of San Bernardino County Supervisor Brad Mitzelfelt, a Republican.

SENATE CONTEST

In Riverside County, a vaguely named independent expenditure committee with unclear sources of money has injected itself into the 31st Senate District race.

To read entire story, click here.

In the first broad test of California’s new “top-two” election system, many candidates in heated races for Congress and the state Legislature have been campaigning earlier, spending more money and downplaying their party affiliation as they try to widen their appeal.

Gone are the party primaries, except in the presidential race. Now all state candidates appear on a single ballot. Only those who come in first or second on June 5 will move on to the November general election, in which no write-in or other added candidates will be allowed.

The new rules, approved by California voters in 2010, further empower voters who don’t belong to a political party — already the fastest-growing category in California, accounting for more than 21% of the state’s registration.

For the first time, some ballots for 53 congressional, 20 state Senate and 80 Assembly seats include unaffiliated candidates. Among the 36 who list themselves with “no party preference” are two congressional candidates who recently ditched their party ties: Ventura County Supervisor Linda Parks and former Assemblyman Anthony Adams of Hesperia, both previously Republicans.

Along with the new voting districts drawn last year by a citizens commission rather than by lawmakers protecting their own seats, the fresh election rules have prompted many campaigns to rewrite their playbooks.

“What the open primary has done is reshuffle the strategic deck,” said Democratic strategist Richie Ross. “The timing and the manner in which you communicate have got to be adjusted.”

Going negative on opponents during the primary could come back to haunt a candidate if it alienates voters needed to win the November runoff, Ross said. Candidates are no longer assured of getting to November by courting only voters in their own party. And races in some districts that used to be all but over in the primary will probably remain competitive through the fall.

“It’s very complicated, very new, and everybody’s going to learn a lot about how this is going to work,” said Richard Temple, a GOP consultant. His clients this year include Nathan Mintz, one of two Republicans and a Democrat running for a “swing” Assembly seat in the South Bay’s 66th District that could be won by either major party in the fall.

The other Republican in the race is businessman Craig Huey, who already has sent out at least one mail advertisement introducing himself to voters and knocking the Democrat, Al Muratsuchi, a Torrance school board member and deputy state attorney general. Given the nearly even registration of the two parties in the district, local politics watchers view Muratsuchi as the probable winner of one runoff spot. Mintz and Huey have to compete for GOP voters while also wooing independents and third-party voters.

Those voters can be unpredictable. Moreover, unless there is a contested presidential race or a controversial ballot measure or two to stir their interest, most unaffiliated voters typically do not turn out in big numbers for primary elections. Temple and others think that will change dramatically once independents understand their new power, but it could take at least one or two election cycles to sink in.

Democratic consultant Mike Shimpock, who is overseeing Muratsuchi’s bid and that of several others, said the new rules present a new challenge in deciding when and where to spend campaign money. That is especially true in districts that are strongly Democratic — like many in the Los Angeles area — or heavily Republican.

Previously, a candidate who matched a district’s lopsided registration had only to worry about winning the party primary and would campaign hardest, and spend the most, for that purpose before coasting to victory in the runoff. Now, with the possibility that two members of the dominant party could square off in November, those strategic choices are trickier, Shimpock said.

To read entire story, click here.

BY JIM MILLER
SACRAMENTO BUREAU
jmiller@pe.com

Published: 11 May 2012 10:04 PM

Michael Fine, Riverside Unified School District’s deputy superintendent for business services, can tick off the hard numbers of what four years of recession-era state budgets have meant for his 42,000-student district.

The district has lost $110 million and confronts an annual $20 million gap between revenue and spending. The school year, which spanned 180 instructional days before the recession, is now 176 days.

There are 187 fewer teachers and other certificated personnel, an 8 percent reduction, and all staff has had at least five days of furloughs. Class sizes have gone from 20 students to 26 in kindergarten through third grade, he said.

“We have gone so far the wrong way on this, in my opinion,” Fine said.

California’s economic struggles have lasted longer than many officials expected. In Sacramento, the budget tumult of recent years has had another result: widely differing interpretations of the statewide impact of the downturn’s toll on state programs used by tens of millions.

Both parties agree that cuts have been made. But Democrats and Republicans are billions of dollars apart in their assessments of how much the state has reduced actual spending.

A thicket of fund shifts, borrowing, payment deferrals and fluctuating federal aid that have defined recent budgets hamper comparisons of spending changes from one year to the next.

“There have been cuts, no doubt,” said deputy legislative analyst Jason Sisney of the nonpartisan Legislative Analyst’s Office. “The truth is it’s almost impossible to track spending apples to apples. It really just shows how complicated the budget has become.”

The debate will continue after Gov. Jerry Brown releases a revised version of his January budget plan Monday that is likely to project a significantly larger deficit through June 2013.

And in the coming months, Brown, fellow Democrats and allied groups will try to persuade voters weary of the state’s budget problems that they should approve temporary sales and income taxes to help schools and other state programs, or else face midyear trigger cuts.

LAWMAKERS DIFFER

State Sen. Bill Emmerson, R-Hemet, the top Republican on the Senate budget panel, said Democrats exaggerate the scope of spending reductions to justify a need for more revenue.

Many so-called cuts, Emmerson said, have actually been backfilled by money from other state funds, the federal government, or by money from deferring payments to schools, among other steps. Some have been blocked by the courts or otherwise never took effect.

“When my Democratic colleagues talk about the general fund being reduced by $40 billion, those aren’t the numbers I see,” Emmerson said. “If you look at total general fund spending, that has not decreased. If you look at specific programs, that has ratcheted down.”

To read entire story, click here.

State Senator Bob Dutton left. Congressman Gary Miller right.

Wednesday, May 9, 2012 – 02:30 p.m.

Big money is starting to flow in the race to represent the 31st Congressional District.

Two major Super-PAC’s weighed in heavily for Congressman Gary Miller (R-Diamond Bar) Wednesday afternoon, according to Federal Election Commission filings.

The National Association of Realtors Political Action Committee reported expending $396,300 for consulting and TV advertising.

The National Association of Realtors Congressional Fund reported spending $37,300 for consulting, Internet ads and logistics.

The new expenditures bring the total for the Congressional Fund to $173,300.

The current total of independent expenditures in support of Miller is now at $569,600.

Miller’s primary opponent, State Senator Bob Dutton (R-Rancho Cucamonga), is benefiting from a local PAC calling itself Inland Empire Taxpayers for Jobs.

The new PAC is currently spending $55,000 it has received to support Dutton. The PAC’s funding is primarily from Ted Dutton, the candidate’s father.

State Senator Bob Dutton, candidate for CD 31, is the beneficiary of a super-pac created by his Father Ted Dutton.

By PE Politics
May 8, 2012 9:29 AM

Newly posted Federal Election Commission reports show more than $21,400 in spending in support of State Sen. Bob Dutton, who is vying to represent California’s 31st Congressional District.

The money came from a group called Inland Empire Taxpayers for Jobs, a so-called SuperPac allowed to raise and spend unlimited amounts of money through independent expenditures.

The group had raised $55,000 as of the end of last month, according to FEC records. Of that, $15,000 came from Ted Dutton (Bob’s father), while another $10,000 came from Urban Advisors, Inc. (owned by the elder Dutton.) The committee also received $25,000 from Prime Healthcare Services of Ontario and Burrtec Waste Industries, Inc. of Fontana gave $5,000.

Dutton Sr., and principals in Prime Healthcare and Burrtec have been generous to Sen. Dutton before, giving tens of thousands of dollars to his state campaigns.

The money spent by the SuperPac on behalf of the Rancho Cucamonga Republican paid for Design, Printing, Mailing and Postage, according to the FEC.

To read entire story, click here.

State Senator Bob Dutton left. Former San Manuel Tribal Chairman James Ramos right.

Saturday, May 5, 2012 – 10:15 a.m.

State Senator Bob Dutton’s support of Former San Manuel Band of Mission Indians Chairman James Ramos was front and center Thursday night.

Dutton attended a Redlands Tea Party Patriots event held at Mill Creek Cattle Company Restaurant in Mentone.

Ramos is trying to unseat San Bernardino County Third District Supervisor Neil Derry, who is a staunch republican.

However Dutton, who publicly conceded his endorsement of Ramos, a life-long democrat, conjured up a new spin.

Rather than saying he endorsed Ramos because Derry endorsed his opponent, Congressman Gary Miller. Dutton says his wife, Andrea, is Ramos’ cousin.

It didn’t work with the rather large audience in attendance.

Dutton is being heavily outspent by Miller and should never have entered the contest.

Miller will likely face-off against Mayor Pete Aguilar (D-Redlands) in November.

It’s interesting that party disloyalty is an issue ths year.

Six candidates for state-level office in California have been arrested within the last two years. But do voters care?

By Patrick McGreevy, Los Angeles Times
May 5, 2012

SACRAMENTO — It isn’t enough these days for certain state lawmakers to defend their voting records when seeking reelection. Some also have to explain arrest records.

Within the last 20 months, five state legislators and one former state senator with active campaigns have been arrested on suspicion of crimes including drunk driving, perjury, voter fraud, shoplifting and trying to carry a loaded gun through airport security.

Not since the FBI sting known as Shrimpscam, which targeted influence peddling in the Capitol in the 1990s, have so many state lawmakers posed for booking photos in such a short span of time.

“The people responsible for passing our laws should feel themselves under a special obligation to comply with those laws,” said Tracy Westen, chief executive of the Center for Governmental Studies, a nonprofit group promoting open government. “Apparently, a number do not.”

The handcuffs have come as the Legislature has struggled to improve its reputation with a skeptical public. Those under a cloud include:

•State Sen. Roderick Wright (D-Inglewood), who faces eight felony counts, including voter fraud and perjury, for allegedly lying when he said he lived in his Senate district while running for his seat. He has pleaded not guilty. He has two opponents as he runs for reelection in June.

•Assemblyman Tim Donnelly (R-San Bernardino), who pleaded no contest last month to two misdemeanor charges for attempting to take a loaded pistol onto a commercial airliner at LA/Ontario International Airport. He faces two challengers, including the better-funded mayor of Big Bear Lake.

•Assemblyman Roger Hernandez (D-West Covina), charged Monday with drunk driving following a March 27 arrest while allegedly driving a state vehicle erratically. He has not yet entered a plea. Those running against him this year include a retired police officer.

•Assemblywoman Mary Hayashi (D-Hayward), who pleaded no contest in January to shoplifting clothes worth $2,500 from Neiman Marcus in San Francisco. Hayashi must leave the Assembly this year because of term limits but is raising money for a 2014 campaign for the state Senate.

•Assemblyman Martin Garrick (R-Carlsbad), who pleaded no contest in July 2011 to drunk driving. Garrick is termed out this year but is raising funds for a 2014 Senate bid.

•Former state Sen. Richard Alarcon, charged Thursday with 18 counts alleging that he lied about where he lived and voted fraudulently. Alarcon has pleaded not guilty. A member of the Los Angeles City Council, he is running for the state Assembly against four opponents, including another, better-financed Democrat.

Wright and Alarcon said they hope to be cleared before voters go to the polls in the November general election.

“There is nothing I can do about that,” Wright said of the charges against him. “All I can do is present my record of what I plan to do next year, and people will either accept that or reject that.”

Wright is running against teachers Paul Butterfield, a San Pedro Democrat, and Charlotte A. Svolos, a Torrance Republican. Butterfield said his interest in the contest was sparked by reports of the criminal charges. But neither opposing candidate has reported raising any money.

Meanwhile, Wright has kept his powerful post as chairman of the Senate Governmental Organization Committee and raised $555,000 for his reelection in the past three years.

Hernandez also has the bigger war chest and name as he competes against two others, including retired police officer Joe Gardner, a Republican from Hacienda Heights.

“I think people should expect more from their legislators,” Gardner said. The other contender, Azusa broker/tax preparer Mike Meza, lists no party affiliation.

Hernandez has apologized for his actions, which he called “poor judgment.”

He has held onto his position as assistant majority whip, and Hayashi remains chairwoman of the Assembly’s Business Committee.

To read entire story, click here.

BY JEFF HORSEMAN
STAFF WRITER
jhorseman@pe.com

Published: 03 May 2012 07:09 PM

Riverside’s League of Women Voters, The Group, The Latino Network and the Riverside NAACP chapter are hosting candidate forums on Wednesday, May 9, for the 61st Assembly and 31st State Senate districts.

The forums will take place at the Orange Terrace Community Center, 20010 Orange Terrace Parkway, Riverside. The Assembly forum will take place from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. and the Senate forum from 7:35 to 8:35 p.m.

State Senator Bob Dutton

Liset Márquez, Staff Writer
Created: 05/03/2012 06:01:14 PM PDT

ONTARIO – A local senator may soon revive a bill aimed at helping this city gain autonomous control of the struggling LA/Ontario International Airport.

Sen. Bob Dutton, R-Rancho Cucamonga, created Senate Bill 446 in early 2011 in an effort to move discussions along between officials from Ontario and Los Angeles World Airports, which operates ONT under a 44-year joint-powers agreement.

The bill creates an Ontario International Airport Authority that is comprised of four directors from the city of Ontario and three directors from San Bernardino County.

Dutton tabled the bill in 2011 after negotiations between Ontario and Los Angeles officials had improved.

A Los Angeles City Council subcommittee in March agreed to analyze Ontario’s proposal to regain control of ONT.

“If the report is not favorable, then Dutton will revisit the bill,” Dutton’s spokesman Larry Venus said.

The subcommittee also agreed to produce a mid-report by the middle of May and a complete report in 90 days from when it was approved.

“He is not going to move the bill forward until after the report is released and dependent on what direction it goes, then (the) bill will move forward,” Venus said.

The bill has been approved by the Senate but has not reached the Assembly.

Using an urgency clause, the earliest the bill could come back for discussion would be in late June.

It would need two-thirds approval to pass, Venus said.

If the bill doesn’t move forward in a first try, Venus said they would have until late August.

“As long as discussion continues and there is a resolution between the parties, then Dutton would not move forward,” Venus reiterated.

San Bernardino County Supervisor Gary Ovitt – whose district includes Ontario – has been closely following the development of Dutton’s bill.

Last year, Ovitt testified before a Senate committee in support of Dutton’s bill. The supervisor said he would do so again if needed.

“Sen. Bob Dutton’s legislation has been great in terms of bringing statewide attention and focus onto this issue,” Ovitt said.

To read entire story, click here.

Faced with worsening budget problems, chances are growing that the Legislature won’t vote on comprehensive pension reform until the end of the session in August, some officials said Wednesday.

Democratic leaders are concerned that with revenue projections falling short, they are going to have to make more cuts that affect unions and others who also have concerns about changes to pension benefits.

Pushing budget cuts and pension changes at the same time could create political problems jeopardizing pension reform, according to one legislator with knowledge of negotiations but not authorized to talk on the record.

“It would be a double whammy,” the legislator said. “It would be like hitting them with a two-by-four twice.” Other legislative sources confirmed that there are discussions about delaying final action on pension reform until August.

Asked about the timing of a vote, Senate leader Darrell Steinberg (D-Sacramento) was noncommittal Wednesday. “It’s our obligation to deliver comprehensive pension reform this session,” Steinberg told reporters at the Capitol. “When exactly, whether it is before or after the budget, I don’t know. It depends upon conversations with the governor and the Assembly as well.”

To read entire story, click here.

Sunday, April 29, 2012 – 09:30 a.m.

Here’s some interesting factoids from across the financial and political transom:

First Quarter GDP Revised Lower

First quarter Gross Domestic Product (GDP) was revised lower last week to 2.2%. The revised number was mainly supported by strong auto sales. A component that may not be sustainable looking ahead.

Why? Consumer spending has been outpacing non-existent wage growth.

Neither California Tax Initiative Garnering Necessary Early Support

Two tax initiatives proposed by California Governor Jerry Brown and Millionaire Attorney Molly Munger don’t appear to be gong over well with voters.

In a recent statewide poll Brown’s plan, which raises $6-9 billion in new revenue for the general fund, barely garners more than 50%. Munger’s idea, of raising taxes to directly fund education, polls even worse.

As a rule of thumb, propositions need to be polling north of 55% heading into an election period. So both measures still have time until early October absentee ballots hit voters.

But it doesn’t look good for either.

Miller Hitting Mailboxes Hard in CD-31

Congressman Gary Miller (R-Diamond Bar) is hitting mailboxes hard in the newly redrawn 31st Congressional District. Miller is working to introduce himself to voters in areas he hasn’t traditionally represented.

Miller’s campaign war-chest of more than $1 million is creating a definite advantage for him over Bob Dutton (R-Rancho Cucamonga).

Upland Corruption Case Closing With A Thud

Former Upland Mayor John “J.P.” Pomierski’s guilty plea to a federal bribery charge was met with a sort of anti-climax this week. He will likely be sentenced to somewhere between 18 to 28 months in federal prison in August. The final defendant in the case, Anthony Orlando Sanchez, is expected to plead guilty this week.

Is the ARMC Investigation Up Next?

More than a year ago federal agents swooped down on San Bernardino County-owned and Operated Arrowhead Regional Medical Center (ARMC) with search warrants in hand.

Boxes of evidence was seized.

The focus was reportedly the improper administering of free services to various officials and V.I.P.’s.

It’s been all quiet on the investigation front. But it was rumored months ago that no action would be taken on the ARMC matter until the Upland corruption case had concluded.

Super PAC’s Weigh In For Mitzelfelt, Miller

So far congressional candidates Brad Mitzelfelt (R-Wrightwood) and Gary Miller (R-Diamond Bar) have been the only two candidates to garner welcome independent expenditure support for their campaigns by way of Super PAC’s.

Miller, who is running in CD-31, received a boost from National Realtors Congressional Fund, while Mitzelfelt, who is running in CD-8, received a smaller, but welcome, boost from the Jobs and Opportunity Freedom PAC.

State Assemblyman Paul Cook, who is also running in CD-8, can’t be too pleased about this development.

A drive to convert the California Legislature to part-time won’t make it onto the ballot this year.

The campaign will continue to collect voter signatures, however, in hopes of placing the issue before voters in 2014, said Ted Costa of People’s Advocate, a co-leader of the drive.

Costa said the petition drive has collected between 200,000 and 300,000 of the 807,615 voter signatures needed to qualify the constitutional amendment for a California ballot.

The deadline for gathering signatures is July 2, but that would be too late to qualify for this year’s elections. The secretary of state’s office recommended that signatures be submitted by April 20 for the November ballot.

Costa said that other campaigns have driven up the price for signature-gathering this year, hurting his drive, which has been bankrolled by relatively small donations rather than by a wealthy investor or major political party.

Costa characterized his campaign as in a “fall back, regroup and charge ahead” mode. The effort is spearheaded by Costa and by Assemblywoman Shannon Grove, R-Bakersfield.

Signature-gatherers for various other initiative drives should be off the streets in a week or two, which should create more opportunities for the part-time Legislature campaign, Costa said.

To read entire story, click here.

George Skelton

By George Skelton
Capitol Journal

April 26, 2012

Sometimes an old movie line says it best. Such a line came to mind when I read the Assembly speaker’s assertion that political money doesn’t influence legislative voting.

“I know people love to try to create that impression,” Speaker John A. Pérez (D-Los Angeles) was quoted as saying in a Times article Sunday about AT&T’s wide-ranging lobbying operation.

“But the reality is, that’s not the way things happen. People give money because of whatever reasons motivate them, and we evaluate legislation regardless. I know that that’s a hard concept for some people…. I cannot think of anything they’ve asked me to do.”

“Whatever reasons motivate them”? They’re motivated by sound investment practices. That’s what corporations do. And it pays off, or they wouldn’t continue to invest. In this case, they’re laying money on legislators who make policy decisions that affect the corporation’s bottom line.

The American way — like it or not, and most moneyed special interests do like it.

Reading Pérez’s quote, I was immediately reminded of what Michael Corleone told soon-to-be-snuffed brother-in-law Carlo Rizzi in “The Godfather.” He said:

“Only don’t tell me that you’re innocent. Because it insults my intelligence and makes me very angry.”

My intelligence is insulted — and so is the public’s — whenever a politician claims that political money does not influence politics. Specifically, that it doesn’t sway the public policy decisions of legislators. Or bill signings of a governor.

Democrat or Republican. It’s just human nature.

That’s why the non-donating aged, blind and disabled — the welfare moms and college kids — draw the short straw at budget time. And it’s why the generous public employee unions and corporate interests make out. Contributors usually cash in.

AT&T most often gets its way, as reported in the Times article by Anthony York and Shane Goldmacher.

They wrote that the telecommunications giant hands out, on average, more than $1 million in political contributions each year. Every current member of the Legislature — Democrat or Republican — has received at least $1,000. Chairmen of committees that handle legislation directly affecting the industry receive far more.

“When AT&T gives to every single legislator — liberal and conservative — then you know there’s a problem,” says campaign finance expert Robert Stern, who helped write California’s political reform act in 1974.

You know that AT&T is not handing out money based on a legislator’s ideology, but on his potential for pliability and casting a friendly vote in the Capitol.

But perhaps we should grant Pérez the benefit of doubt. He might actually believe that political money is benign. Conceivably he’s in denial.

“I’m sure Pérez believes that,” says longtime lobbyist George Steffes, whose first Capitol gig was as Gov. Ronald Reagan’s legislative liaison. “He has to believe it for his own good. A legislator who isn’t saying to himself, ‘OK, I’m a crook,’ has to say, ‘It doesn’t affect me.’ Otherwise, he probably couldn’t sleep at night.”

I called Steffes because he’s one of the most respected lobbyists in Sacramento and he’s an avid golfer. He has lobbied for several golf organizations “as a labor of love.”

The centerpiece of AT&T’s lobbying strategy, the Times article noted, is the annual Speaker’s Cup at the world class Pebble Beach golf course on the Monterey Peninsula, where green fees are $495 and an ocean-view room goes for $995. Lawmakers and lobbyists golf, schmooze and typically raise more than $1 million for Democrats.

To read entire story, click here.

Capitol Alert
The latest on California politics and government
April 24, 2012

Post has been updated throughout the afternoon with responses and additional reporting.

A Sacramento Superior Court judge has tentatively ruled that the state controller has no authority to judge whether the state budget is balanced or block lawmakers’ pay as he did last June.

In a bitter feud during last year’s budget battle, Controller John Chiang determined that the budget passed by legislative Democrats was not balanced. Using new powers he believed he had under voter-approved Proposition 25, Chiang then blocked lawmakers’ pay and expense money for 12 days until they cut a budget deal with Gov. Jerry Brown.

In a tentative ruling today, Judge David I. Brown said that the controller does not have discretion to determine whether the Legislature’s budget is balanced. Proposition 25 said that lawmakers must approve a balanced budget by June 15 or else lose their pay.

Brown’s ruling essentially says that the Legislature can determine for itself whether a budget is balanced.

“A contrary result could threaten to undermine the Legislature’s essential function,” Brown wrote today.

Chiang’s office did not indicate today how it would proceed beyond making the scheduled oral arguments Wednesday in Sacramento Superior Court. Brown could issue a final decision at any time after tomorrow’s arguments.

In a statement, Chiang said, “The court’s tentative ruling flies in the face of the voters’ will by allowing legislators to keep their salaries flowing by simply slapping the title ‘budget act’ on a sheet of paper by June 15. Adopting an unbalanced and unfinanceable budget may ensure they are paid, but the people of California will be stuck with delayed payments and IOUs once that ‘budget’ falls apart.”

The court decision confirms one of the chief criticisms of Proposition 25 during the campaign – that lawmakers have wide discretion in determining what a balanced budget is. Opponents in 2010 claimed that lawmakers could pass any budget just to get paid, but Chiang, at least for one year, upended that theory.

Judge Brown wrote that if Chiang believes that the budget is not balanced, he should challenge their plan in court rather than initiate his own review.

To read entire story, click here.

Dan Walters

By Dan Walters
dwalters@sacbee.com
Published: Monday, Apr. 23, 2012 – 12:00 am | Page 3A

With the state budget mired in deficits, Gov. Jerry Brown and legislators, especially his fellow Democrats, are searching under every fiscal rock for money to spend.

That search has spawned an odd syndrome involving what could be three big pots of money – a competition among liberals over how they should be spent if, indeed, they materialize.

The pots:

• What could be several billion dollars a year in “cap-and-trade” fees that industries must pay as part of the state’s anti-greenhouse gas crusade.

• Another billion-plus bucks that it’s believed would appear were the state to change taxation of multi-state corporations by adopting the so-called “single sales factor.”

• A billion-plus dollars in low-income housing funds gathered by local redevelopment agencies before Brown and the Legislature put them out of business.

By law, the cap-and-trade funds must be used for greenhouse gas reduction. But they could be indirectly captured to offset state budget deficits by allocating them to existing state operations tied to carbon reduction, thus freeing up money for other areas facing cuts, such as health and welfare services.

Liberal legislators appear to be leaning in that direction, but Brown has indicated that he wants cap-and-trade money to be the backstop for his pet project, a statewide bullet train system, which otherwise is very short of money. However, the Legislature’s budget analyst and other authorities opine that the money could not legally be allocated to the bullet train.

There are several bills kicking around to spend the corporate tax proceeds.

To read entire story, click here.

BY JIM MILLER
SACRAMENTO BUREAU
jmiller@pe.com

Published: 18 April 2012 10:22 PM

SACRAMENTO — Legislation that would restore a critical revenue stream for Riverside County’s newest cities cleared its first committee this morning, the first concrete success for the cities and their supporters following months of efforts to roll back part of last summer’s state budget.

Jurupa Valley, Eastvale, Wildomar and Menifee lost a combined $14 million when lawmakers approved an $86 billion budget that diverted vehicle-license fee money to pay for local law-enforcement grants. Officials in the cities warned of fiscal calamity, including possible disincorporation, if there is no fix.

The entire Jurupa Valley City Council and members of the other cities’ councils attended Wednesday’s hearing of the Senate Governance and Finance Committee.

“We’re excited. That was a big hurdle to climb over,” Jurupa Valley Mayor Laura Roughton said after the vote. She testified that the city will be insolvent by mid-2015 without restoration of the license-fee revenue.

The bill also would direct $4 million to a handful of cities, including Fontana, that recently annexed inhabited areas. Fontana’s share would be an estimated $759,000.

The money was part of $200 million in vehicle-license fee revenue redirected last summer to replace an expired funding source for local law-enforcement grants. All cities lost money in the shift, based on their population.

Taking the biggest hit, though, were cities that have incorporated since 2004, all of which are in Riverside County. A 2006 law had given those cities an extra boost of license-fee revenue to help them get established, but last year’s state budget took it away.

The four cities contract with the Sheriff’s Department for law-enforcement services. Riverside County Sheriff Stan Sniff said the loss of revenue will reduce staffing levels below acceptable minimums, putting deputies at risk.

“We’re looking at cuts on the law enforcement side of anywhere from 5 percent to 40 percent,” Sniff told the committee.

The measure passed unanimously. It still faces a rough road, however.

The Brown administration has not taken a position on the bill. In addition, the California State Association of Counties has concerns that the measure would interrupt the money counties receive as part of the state’s realignment process of shifting low-level offenders to county responsibility.

To read entire story, click here.

Capitol Alert
The latest on California politics and government
April 19, 2012

Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg pledged today to put forward for the 2014 election a package of major changes to California’s initiative process, including a provision to make it easier for legislators to place tax measures on the ballot.

The Sacramento Democrat, speaking at a Sacramento Press Club luncheon, outlined a trio of initiative reforms he said “will both strengthen California’s tradition of direct democracy and empower the people elected by their communities…to make clear choices.”

He said he plans to put the proposals on the 2014 ballot either through a vote of the Legislature, a task he said could be easier if Democrats secure a supermajority in the upper house this November, or by gathering the necessary voter signatures through the initiative process.

One of the major changes endorsed by Steinberg is lowering the bar for putting a statutory initiative on the ballot from a two-thirds vote to a majority vote. He argued that even with voters’ 2010 decision to give the Legislature power to approve a budget with a majority vote, lawmakers are governing with “one arm tied behind out backs” because of the two-thirds threshold for enacting taxes. Recognizing the political challenges of lowering the required vote for new taxes, he said he would at least like the opportunity to give voters the chance to decide for themselves.

To read entire story, click here.

State Senator Bob Dutton

Thursday, April 19, 2012 – 10:00 a.m.

Should State Senator Bob Dutton abandon his congressional campaign and support Congressman Gary Miller?

The obvious answer is yes.

Many people are hoping it will happen, but in all honesty it won’t.

Dutton, a candidate in the 31st Congressional District, is essentially in a race with Miller (R-Diamond Bar) and Mayor Pete Aguilar (D-Redlands).

Aguilar has enough baggage to fill a bus should he make a November runoff.

Dutton, on the other hand, has good record in his state service. Even though he was handicapped by being in the minority party for the duration.

Miller’s strong financial resources were already a known factor in this race.

However, Miller’s backing by the California Republican Party and National Republican Congressional Committee took Dutton by surprise.

But it should not have.

Attacking Miller, and the GOP organizations endorsing him, wasn’t a smart idea.

Miller has significant seniority in the U.S. House of Representatives, and seniority is something not to be easily discarded.

With seniority, committee assignments come into play. Duh!

This factor alone makes him a stronger bet for the Inland Empire.

So logic dictates that Miller receives support.

Dutton could have went back to the Assembly to serve his unused term, or kept his powder dry to mount a campaign for county supervisor in 2014.

The later move is one that is still very viable and would likely garner strong support.

Dutton, with his financial constraints to raising campaign cash, is relying heavily on his name identification with West Valley voters.

It’ll be interesting to see how it plays out.

Opposed by powerful business and finance groups, key mortgage reform bills sponsored by Attorney General Kamala Harris are headed for a joint legislative conference committee.

The six-member conference committee will consist of two Democrats and one Republican from each house, according to multiple legislative aides who had been notified of the plan.

The maneuver would be a way to discuss amendments and move the legislation, considered lynchpins of Harris’ mortgage reform plan, to the Assembly and Senate floors without a vote by finance committees.

The Assembly Banking and Finance Committee, apparently split on the measures, opted to delay action on them Monday.

Assembly Speaker John A.Pérez, Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg and Attorney General Kamala Harris, through aides, declined to comment Wednesday on formation of a conference committee.

To read entire story, click here.

State Senator Bob Dutton (File Photo: The P-E)

By PE Politics
April 16, 2012 4:37 PM

State Sen. Bob Dutton stood up from his table at a recent economic forecast event to announce he planned to push ahead with his long-tabled bill that would create an Ontario International Airport authority made up of local leaders and facilitate the transfer of the Inland airport from the city of Los Angeles to that local authority.

It sounded imminent, but it’s more like a maybe.

Dutton, R-Rancho Cucamonga, made the announcement at the 2012 State of the Region conference in Ontario on April 6, the same event where economist John Husing was applauded after suggesting Inland residents should file a class action lawsuit against the city of Los Angeles for being forced to drive to LAX to catch a flight instead of Ontario airport, where fares are often higher.

Dutton, whose SB 446 bill passed the Senate last year but has yet to go before an Assembly committee. The bill was introduced to spur negotiations between Inland leaders, mainly the city of Ontario and San Bernardino County, and the city of Los Angeles.

To read entire story, click here.

Monday, April 16, 2012 – 09:30 a.m.

The showdown to make the top two candidates in the CD-31 is shaping up to be a real contest.

Will it be Congressman Gary Miller and State Senator Bob Dutton?

Or will it be Miller and Redlands Mayor Pete Aguilar?

The unlikely combination at this point would be a November runoff between Dutton and Aguilar.

Here’s the fully updated fundraising totals for Congressional District 31.

                     Contributions    Expenses
                          In            Out       Cash on Hand     Debt
Bob Dutton    (R)     $ 107,566      $  68,633    $    38,933    $ 35,240
Gary Miller   (R)     $ 618,206      $ 307,459    $ 1,169,689    $    522
Pete Aguilar  (D)     $ 222,399      $  19,877    $   202,562    $ 14,372

The rumors of Dutton’s fundraising woes are ultimately confirmed by the numbers, with many donors in Dutton’s own affluent senate district apparently wanting to see Miller, with his seniority status, continue in Congress.

State Senator Bob Dutton left. Congressman Gary Miller right

Saturday, April 14, 2012 – 07:30 p.m.

Congressman Gary Miller (R-Diamond Bar) has apparently continued unabated in his fundraising even though State Senator Bob Dutton (R-Rancho Cucamonga) entered the race to represent the 31st Congressional District.

Latest campaign finance reports for the 2011-12 election cycle filed with the Federal Elections Commission (FEC) show the following as of March 31, 2012:

                       Contributions      Expenses
                            In              Out            Cash on Hand       Debt
Dutton                 $ 107,566         $  68,633         $    38,933      $ 35,240
Miller                 $ 618,206         $ 307,459         $ 1,169,689      $    522
.

As with State Senator Gloria Negrete-McLeod (D-Chino) in the CD-35 race, campaign finance restrictions at the federal level have also handicapped Dutton, who, like Negrete-McLeod, has a significant unavailable war-chest in his state campaign committee.

Interestingly Mayor Pete Aguilar (D-Redlands), who made a splash in the local media this week when he reported that his campaign had raised north of $200,000, had not filed with the FEC as of late Saturday evening.

Congressman Joe Baca left. State Senator Gloria Negrete-McLeod right.

Saturday, April 14, 2012 – 04:30 p.m.

Congressman Joe Baca (D-Rialto) has a significant fundraising advantage over State Senator Gloria Negrete-McLeod (D-Chino) in the 35th Congressional District.

Latest campaign finance reports for the 2011-12 election cycle filed with the Federal Elections Commission (FEC) show the following as of March 31, 2012.

                       Contributions      Expenses
                            In              Out           Cash on Hand      Debt
Baca                   $ 516,998         $ 393,807         $ 247,656      $  9,971
Negrete-McLeod         $ 153,690         $  43,899         $ 109,791      $ 50,000
.

Campaign finance restrictions at the federal level have obviously handicapped Negrete-McLeod, who has a significant unavailable war-chest in her state campaign committee.

By David Siders
dsiders@sacbee.com
Published: Saturday, Apr. 14, 2012 – 12:00 am | Page 3A
Last Modified: Saturday, Apr. 14, 2012 – 12:10 am

Gov. Jerry Brown urged the Legislature on Friday to “man up” and make spending cuts, acknowledging the state budget deficit is likely larger than he previously thought.

The Democratic governor, in an interview on Bay Area talk radio station KGO (810 AM), said the deficit is “probably bigger now” than the $9.2 billion he estimated earlier this year.

“We’re trying to be as prudent as we can,” Brown said. “That’s why the Legislature has to man up, make the cuts and get some taxes and we’ll make it.”

Democrats this year have resisted Brown’s proposed cuts to social services and higher education, and his demand that spending reductions be enacted by March fell flat.

Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg, D-Sacramento, has said it is too early in the budget calendar to make potentially unnecessary cuts. His spokeswoman, Alicia Trost, said Friday that “it’s best to wait and get a clear picture” of the budget when Brown revises his budget proposal in May. Trost said Democrats have enacted spending reductions in previous years and “this year will be no different.”

Brown’s “man up” remark was reminiscent of when Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger called legislative Democrats “girlie men” in 2004, also in a budget dispute.

“Uh-oh … ,” Aaron McLear, Schwarzenegger’s former press secretary, said on Twitter, “sounds a lot like ‘Girly Men.’ ”

In the radio interview, Brown promoted his November ballot initiative to raise the state sales tax and income taxes on California’s highest earners, but he stepped back from his previous characterization of the initiative as a “millionaires’ tax.”

To read entire story, click here.

SAN BERNARDINO – From the viability of L.A./Ontario International Airport to ongoing progress at San Bernardino International Airport, legislators from the Inland Empire held a hearing on Thursday evening to discuss the importance of air transportation in the region.

The Select Committee on Inland Empire Transportation, led by Assemblywoman Wilmer Amina Carter, D-Rialto, met Thursday evening at the main auditorium at the Norton Regional Events Center.

“We must strive to expand capability and utilize our transportation,” said Carter, who noted the importance of the 10 Freeway corridor between the two airports and the role goods movement plays in the region.

On the mind of many in the audience was the ongoing battle between the cities of Ontario and Los Angeles over control of the struggling Ontario airport.

Assemblywoman Norma Torres, D-Chino, said the hearing was important to discuss the continuing decline at ONT. Torres said it will be up to local leaders to find a way to grow the medium-hub facility because the city of Los Angeles “will always take care of LAX first.”

State Sen. Bob Dutton, serving as the moderator of the panel discussion on ONT, likened the issue at the Ontario airport to an absentee landlord.

“The airport is underperforming,” said Dutton, R-Rancho Cucamonga.

Right now annual passenger traffic is at 4 million, levels last seen in 1987.

Dutton has been lobbying for local control. He even ushered legislation that would create an airport authority to control the Ontario airport.

The bill was put on hold last year in order to give both parties time to continue negotiations. Dutton said he is waiting on a report from a Los Angeles City Council subcommittee, which is reviewing Ontario’s plan to wrest control away from L.A., before he moves forward with his bill.

Addressing the elected officials, Ontario Councilman Alan Wapner painted a picture of the ongoing decline at ONT.

Wapner pointed to Los Angeles World Airports – which manages ONT and Los Angeles International Airport – for the decline, saying saying LAWA has not invested in marketing or offered incentives to airlines to fly out of the Ontario facility.

“With one small change we could turn everything around,” he said.

To read entire story, click here.

By Ed Mendel
Monday, April 9, 2012

SANTA ROSA — A two-house legislative committee is working with Gov. Brown’s Department of Finance on a ‘hybrid’ retirement plan for new state and local government hires, a committee member told a forum here last week.

Assemblyman Michael Allen, D-Santa Rosa, twice referred to a “cash balance” plan while talking about a cost-cutting hybrid, proposed by Brown, that combines a lower pension with a 401(k)-style individual investment plan.

At a hearing in February, the committee was briefed on the cash balance plan of the California State Teachers Retirement System, a pension supplement that guarantees a bond-based rate of return on individual investments.

In a typical 401(k)-style plan there is no protection against major investment losses, widespread during a stock market crash in 2008, or a prolonged period of low earnings like some experts predict for the next decade.

A hybrid plan that combines a lower pension with a cash balance plan instead of a 401(k)-style plan could reduce savings for government employers, who would be responsible for covering the gap if earnings fall below the cash balance guarantee.

But protecting workers from the risk of losses in a typical 401(k)-style plan might make a hybrid more acceptable to public employee unions, who have criticized the governor’s hybrid plan at hearings and in news releases.

“We are working on different models to design a plan that will protect the low-paid workers and also be fair to the higher-paid workers,” Allen told the forum. “It’s complex and we are getting a lot of help from the state Department of Finance on this.”

Allen

Brown’s proposal expected the hybrid plan to be developed after the legislation passed. His finance department told a hearing that outside experts would help develop a hybrid plan in about six months, before a Jan. 1, 2013, deadline in the legislation.

The governor’s proposal is a retirement plan that replaces about 75 percent of annual income on the job after a 30-year career, with roughly a third each coming from the smaller pension, the investment plan and federal Social Security.

If the worker is not in Social Security, the pension would be two-thirds of the retirement. A cap on the retirement plan would be based on the Social Security earnings limit, $110,000 this year.

“The whole concept of capping pensions at higher levels is being discussed and probably will be part of the proposal that comes forward,” Allen said.

The assemblyman said the governor’s 12-point pension reform plan is mainly conceptual. Developing legislation for the broad range of California public pension plans is a complicated task, he said, but the committee hopes to issue a proposal in June or July.

“I understand the press believes there has been a long silence on this,” Allen said. “I’ve been advocating for an interim report to let people know what the timelines are, what the expectations are.”

“But we are working on it,” he said. “I do agree when there has been so much controversy and concern on this it would be irresponsible for the Legislature not to respond to the governor’s proposal.”

The six-member committee is scheduled to hold its fourth hearing Friday (April 13) in Chino, this one focusing on county retirement plans. Allen, an attorney, has negotiated labor contracts and served as executive director of SEIU, Local 707.

Asked by an audience member if public pensions are sustainable, Allen said the intent of the governor’s plan is to “inflect a cost curve,” reducing projected government spending on retirement in the future.

“That can be done over a period of time,” he said, “whether done through increased contributions, changing the benefit mix. That’s something we are talking about.”

Allen said the committee also is discussing what some call “intergenerational compacts” and the transfer of debt to future generations through, for example, Social Security or other means. He said the committee wants to strike a balance.

“So what we are trying to do is be fair to the younger generation and also be fair to those who gave their lives in service,” he said.

To read entire column, click here.

BY JIM MILLER AND BEN GOAD
STAFF REPORTERS
jmiller@pe.com; bgoad@pe.com

Published: 03 April 2012 10:06 PM

California’s top-two primary will make its statewide debut June 5, more than three years after it emerged from state budget deal-making.

No one is sure how the new system will play out, as candidates and interest groups try to feel their way around the state’s reshaped political landscape.

“I’m running in a very conservative district, and I’m a conservative,” said Phil Paule, one of five candidates, all Republicans, running for Riverside County’s redrawn 67th Assembly District centered on Lake Elsinore and Murrieta.

“The difference is, we’re having to reach out to decline-to-state voters and conservative Democrats. We’ve widened the voter pool, and we didn’t have to do that before,” Paule said.

Under the previous California primary system, the top vote-getter in a political party’s primary would advance to the general election. November elections were non-events in districts where one party had a lopsided advantage in voter registration.

In the new system, there are no political-party primaries. Instead, voters can cast their ballots for anyone on the ballot. The two candidates who get the most votes, regardless of party affiliation, will advance to the November election.

The change was among the products of February 2009 budget negotiations focused on securing the votes of a handful of Republicans in each house for temporary tax increases.

The final deal went beyond dollars and cents: It included putting a top-two primary to a public vote. That June 2010 measure, Prop. 14, passed with about 54 percent of the vote. Only Washington has a similar system.

“For the first time in 25 years, you have both parties being aggressive in communicating with every voter,” said former state Sen. Abel Maldonado, R-Santa Maria, who voted for the 2009 budget legislation and championed the change in primary rules.

Maldonado, a political moderate, and others said the previous system pushed primary candidates to appeal to their party’s ideological extremes. The new system, he said, is forcing 2012 candidates to reach out to all voters.

“I see these (candidate) press releases and all of a sudden you have hyper-partisans saying they want to work on both sides of the aisle. You know what that is? That’s open primary,” said Maldonado, who is running for a redrawn Central Coast congressional seat.

Some candidates are not as positive about the change.

State Sen. Gloria Negrete McLeod is running in the heavily Democratic 35th Congressional District, which extends from Pomona to San Bernardino. Negrete McLeod, D-Chino, and Rep. Joe Baca, D-Rialto, are the main candidates for the district, where no Republicans made the ballot.

In that race and some others, the November election will essentially be an encore of June.

Baca labels the new primary system the “kangaroo primary.”

Said Negrete McLeod: “Any good-government group who thought this would be something better, it’s not. It’s just going to be more money spent.”

TACTICS

A handful of special elections have been held since Prop. 14 passed. They ended with traditional Democrat vs. Republican match-ups, even in districts where one party had a large registration edge,

That will be the result most races this year, some experts said.

“I feel like most people are running a traditional campaign,” said Justin Matheson, a Republican consultant.

The slate of candidates for the June ballot, however, ensures that there also will be Democrat-vs.-Democrat and Republican-vs.-Republican contests up and down the state in November.

To read entire story, click here.

Emmerson

Point of View

Sen. Bill Emmerson
Created: 04/02/2012 09:14:27 AM PDT

Californians have made it clear that they support key reforms to our unsustainable public employee pension system. According to a recent poll by the nonpartisan Public Policy Institute of California, 83 percent of Californians agree that our state’s pension problems must be addressed. With the average debt of both state and county pensions at $30,500 for each California household, it’s no wonder that an overwhelming majority of Californians are demanding reform.

As stated in The Sun’s editorial, “Before pushing taxes, governor must act,” Californians want their governor, as well as legislators, to get “serious about restructuring the state’s expenditures and revenues.” I agree and reforming our costly pension system is an important first step toward balancing our state’s finances.

That’s why legislative Republicans recently introduced several bills to enact the governor’s 12-point pension plan. Our legislative package outlined the governor’s plan verbatim, with no strings attached. While not solving the entire pension problem, the governor’s proposal makes great strides toward addressing our unfunded pension liabilities.

Reforming our state’s public employee pension system has long been a priority for Republicans. Last June Sens. Tom Berryhill, Anthony Cannella, Tom Harman and I introduced Senate Constitutional Amendment 13 – a reform measure that controls pension costs and ends abusive practices. During our failed budget negotiations with Gov. Jerry Brown last year, it was clear to us that he supported virtually every tenet of our proposal. That’s why it was no surprise that the governor’s pension plan, which was put forth last fall, virtually mirrored SCA 13. Unfortunately, legislative Democrats have failed to set either measure for policy hearing.

Both the governor’s proposal and SCA 13 seek to address not only the “easy” fixes such as pension spiking and double dipping, but also addresses the underlying structural issues that contribute to the pension problems faced by state and local government.

Specifically, both plans offer new public employees a hybrid between defined-benefit plans most public employees have and the defined-contribution plans most private-sector companies offer. New employees would be required to contribute more toward their retirement, but would have the additional opportunity to take advantage of a 401(k)-style plan they could manage themselves.

With regard to abuse, both proposals eliminate spiking – a practice that artificially inflates salary at the end of an employee’s career to maximize retirement benefits – by averaging an employee’s final compensation over multiple years. Furthermore, pension benefits would be calculated based only on an employee’s salary – not counting overtime, car allowances and other perks. Double-dipping would also end so an employee cannot receive a pension while simultaneously earning a salary from a government entity.

To read entire story, click here.

Congressman Gary Miller

THE PRESS-ENTERPRISE
Published: 18 March 2012 07:44 PM

Rep. Gary Miller and state Sen. Bob Dutton had far different interpretations of the California Republican Party’s recent endorsement of Miller for San Bernardino County’s redrawn 31st Congressional District.

To Dutton, the party’s endorsement of Miller last Sunday was indicative of “the big boys in D.C.” big-footing local party activists to ensure the support of a Diamond Bar resident who has never represented the district.

To Miller, the state party’s backing — which he said was unanimous — was simply the product of GOP leaders recognizing that Miller’s years of experience at the local, state and federal level make him the better candidate for a tough fall campaign.

“These were his peers, not my peers,” Miller said of Dutton, a former Senate GOP leader from Rancho Cucamonga who sat on the state party’s board of directors until earlier this year. “What ability do we have to strong-arm the California Republican Party? None.”

Democrats hold a slight registration advantage in the 31st, and the seat is expected to be among the nation’s most competitive House races this fall.

“Pelosi can’t get her speakership back unless she wins this seat and others like it,” Miller said.

In other contests, the state GOP endorsed Corona businessman Eric Linder for the Republican-leaning 60th District. Two other Republicans, Corona Councilman Stan Skipworth and Alvord Unified trustee Greg Kraft have been in the race for months but had raised little money through Dec. 31.

The party also endorsed Moreno Valley Councilman Bill Batey in Riverside County’s 61st Assembly District, which is targeted by both parties this year.

The GOP did not endorse anyone in Riverside County’s crowded 67th Assembly District, or in the jam-packed 8th Congressional District.

CALVERT COMMENTS

The national debate over health insurance and contraception is “not helpful” to Republicans, U.S. Rep. Ken Calvert said Monday.

Speaking to The Press-Enterprise editorial board, Calvert, R-Corona, said what started as a discussion about President Barack Obama’s health care overhaul has turned into whether Republicans are opposed to birth control, “which is ridiculous.”

“The debate got away from us for a while,” he said. “But I hope we can put it back in the box.”

He also criticized conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh, who is under fire for using the word slut to describe a Georgetown law student who wants private insurance plans, even those at religious institutions, to cover contraception.

Limbaugh “put gas on the fire,” Calvert said. He added he feels that comments by Obama supporter and TV host Bill Maher are even worse and “he seems to get a bye.”

Calvert also said he hopes the Republican presidential primary battle is over by June. “But I can’t say that with any confidence at this point,” he said.

To read entire story, click here.