Perhaps the saddest commentary on the very sad state of politics in Sacramento comes from Senate President Pro Tem Don Perata. Asked why the Legislature and the Governor couldn’t produce an infrastructure bond for the June ballot, Perata offered this excuse: “We ran out of time.”

Were this the military, there’s be an even simpler, one-word answer: SNAFU. Racing the clock — and failing to beat the clock — is standard operating procedure for the Capitol gang.

From the first moment Governor Schwarzenegger talked about infrastructure in his State of the State to the deadline for the June ballot — roughly 10 weeks — California’s best and brightest couldn’t come up with a plan. But this happens pretty much every year in Sacramento. It’s called the budget, which rarely if ever gets done on time.

Who gets the blame for this latest failure to launch? Pretty much everyone involved. The Governor’s Office didn’t do a terribly effective of prioritizing what came first in terms of the state’s needs — was it levees, or roads? Or maybe both, plus schooIs… Read More

There will be no infrastructure bonds on the June ballot. This is a certainty. But what does that mean?

There are a host of articles linked on the main page today where you can read the ‘spin’ out there from over a dozen different political reporters (or in some cases "teams" of political reporters). I will take a few minutes here and put in my ten cents. Let me first talk about the Governor. Arnold Schwarzenegger has certainly won the debate — there is no question from any corner about the need for California to invest in significant infrastructure needs for the state. The Governor laid out a bold plan last January, and has spent months making a case for this. It’s not too hard a case to make when you spend hours on clogged highways, or see the state of disrepair of many of California’s levees.

So why, with the need so great, and a ‘superstar’ Republican Governor making a very passionate and persuasive case to the people of California about a need for strategic infrastructure growth, did the legislature fail to place anything on the June ballot? After… Read More

There will be no infrastructure bonds on the June ballot. This is a certainty. But what does that mean?

There are a host of articles linked on the main page today where you can read the ‘spin’ out there from over a dozen different political reporters (or in some cases "teams" of political reporters). I will take a few minutes here and put in my ten cents. Let me first talk about the Governor. Arnold Schwarzenegger has certainly won the debate — there is no question from any corner about the need for California to invest in significant infrastructure needs for the state. The Governor laid out a bold plan last January, and has spent months making a case for this. It’s not too hard a case to make when you spend hours on clogged highways, or see the state of disrepair of many of California’s levees.

So why, with the need so great, and a ‘superstar’ Republican Governor making a very passionate and persuasive case to the people of California about a need for strategic infrastructure growth, did the legislature fail to place anything on the June ballot? After… Read More

For those who are curious, on the Assembly side, I got some intel on how GOPers voted:

On the $19.5 Billion Education Bond: Passed 62 – 14 (54 needed to pass). The 14 "no" votes were all Republicans. They were: Bogh, Cogdill, DeVore, Harmon, Haynes, La Malfa, LaSuer, Maze, Mountjoy, Nakanishi, Spitzer, Strickland, Tran, Walters. There was one Republican who was present and did not vote: Mike Villines, who I am told simply felt he did not have enough information on how the bill would impact his district to cast a vote. Any GOPers not mentioned above voted "aye" on this bond.

For the $4.15 Levee Bond: Passed 67-4 (54 needed to pass). The 4 "no" votes were all Republicans. They were: Harman, Haynes, Mountjoy, Strickland. There were two Republicans who were present and did not vote: LaSuer and Maze. Any GOPers not mentioned above voted "aye" on this bond. I spoke with Assemblyman Chuck DeVore (my legislator) who told me that for him, a key point in gaining his support for the levee bond was that it provided for the ability, via a… Read More

I just got off of the telephone with Senate Republican Leader Dick Ackerman. Ackerman told me that the State Senate tonight unanimously passed a one billion dollar general fund appropriation (that would likely be drawn over several years) for levee repairs, and then ADJOURNED FOR THE NIGHT. This is significant because tonight is the last night for a bond measure to pass the legislature to make the June Ballot. Apparently there were some negative dynamics taking place between the two Democrat Leaders — Senate President Don Perata and Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez.

In the meantime, on the Assembly side, while the Senate was passing their appropriation, the Assembly did pass two sizable bond measures, one on levee repairs and the other on education facilities. Even though they were still in session when the Senate passed the billion dollars for levee repairs, Speaker Nunez chose not to take it up.

Given the critical need for levee repairs, there will now be a lot of pressure on Nunez to call the Assembly into session and pass that appropriation.

UPDATE: I just… Read More

The Governor has made some new appointments. The release is here.

REPUBLICANS

Angela Chi, 51, of Fresno, has been appointed to the Board of Accountancy. Bill Maile, 38, of Sacramento, has been appointed deputy press secretary for the Office of the Governor. Cynthia Mitchell, 48, of Folsom, has been appointed to the Contractors State License Board. Robert Petersen, 66, of Saratoga, has been appointed to the Board of Accountancy. Anne Searcy, M.D., 52, of Oakland, has been appointed executive medical director for the Medical Unit of the Division of … Read More

Just in….. The Assembly has been called into immediate session to vote on what appears to be a mini-version of the Infrastructure plan. Driven by Assembly Reps, the new plan will only focus on the issues of school and levee repairs, leaving other issues presumably to be picked up in a follow up measure for November. We got to this point because legislative Republicans, committed to fiscal common sense, drew a line in the sand. Who says the minority party can’t make a difference?… Read More

San Francisco Supervisor Tom Ammiano introduced a resolution on Tuesday calling on Cardinal William Levada, the former archbishop of San Francisco, to reverse a rule that prevents the church’s charity organization from placing children awaiting adoptions with same-sex couples.

The San Francisco Chronicle reports: "As a gay Catholic," Ammiano said, referring to himself, "Cardinal Levada is everything that is wrong with the Catholic Church.

"If this cardinal would put the kind of energy into ending sexual abuse and homophobia in the church as he puts into persecuting same-sex couples …" Ammiano said, adding, "I think there’s a reason that the office he represents now was once called the Office of the Inquisition."

In San Francisco, everyone is a radical and no one has to… Read More