http://www.aroundthecapitol.com/blogscan.html The BlogScan of California political blogs on AroundTheCapitol.com en-us scott@aroundthecapitol.com scott@aroundthecapitol.com.com http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/blogspot/ipAc/~3/289279139/this-blog-is-now-located-at.htmlPLEASE VISIT OUR NEW SITE AT ORANGEJUICEBLOG.COM!COMMENTING ON THIS SITE HAS BEEN CLOSED.THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR SUPPORT OVER THE YEARS AND OVER ONE MILLION PAGES SERVED...AS A NEW ERA BEGINS.PLEASE JOIN US!SMS,FOR EVERYONE AT ORANGE JUICE!http://californiacitynews.typepad.com/californiacitynewsorg/2008/05/city-workers-hi.html The Los Angeles Daily News covers the ver growing government salary roles of Los Angeles in this second of a two part series aimed at showing the growth of higher range salary levels in LA. More than two-thirds of Los Angeles city workers earned overtime last year, totaling $355 million, even as the mayor issued a directive to curtail such payouts, a Daily News review has found. More than 29,000 employees worked overtime in the 12 months through April, with nearly 1,500 earning more than $50,000 each in overtime pay alone. http://californiacitynews.typepad.com/californiacitynewsorg/2008/05/if-there-was-ev.html Our regular readers know that we here at CCN are ardent opponents of campaign finance laws that limit a candidates ability to raise and spend money. Besides the obvious infringements on political free speech, the laws of unintended consequences that result from these silly restrictions are no laughing matter. Candidates are forced to scramble for money instead of votes and, more perniciously, independent expenditure committees take the candidates out of campaigns as they spend limitless amounts of money for or against candidates who are restricted from doing the same. As you can see we feel strongly about it, especially after having run dozens of campaigns. However, we have finally found the exception to the rule : Student government campaigns. Now prized as resume builders for going to college, many aspiring politicos are pulling all the stops to get elected - spending hundreds of dollars to get just one more vote than the opponent. Sounds like term limits are right around the corner. Story in the Orange County Register. http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/MayorSamsSisterCity-HomeOfLosAngelesPolitics/~3/289269582/bedtime-music_13.htmlChicago with Colour My World. http://mayorsam.blogspot.com/feeds//comments/default [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]] http://www.flashreport.org/blog.php?postID=2008051218451920 There is an ominous cloud on the horizon and conservative bloggers (and their readers) should beware. Conservative author, blogger and commentator Mark Steyn is about to go on trial in Canada to face charges of spreading “hate and contempt” for Musli… http://www.flashreport.org/blog.php?postID=2008051302210145 FlashReport readers will now have another place to aim their browsers as my friend Joel Fox has launched a new website with what promises to be an interesting blog - Fox and Hounds. Joel is the President of the Small Business Action Committee, and i… http://www.laobserved.com/archive/2008/05/tale_of_two_books.php Actually it's just one book, the new novel set in Los Angeles by fabulist James Frey. But look at how differently it's being read. LAT Book Editor David Ulin holds nothing back: "Bright Shiny Morning is a terrible book. One of the worst I've ever read....an execrable novel, a literary train wreck without even the good grace to be entertaining." Also this: "Frey seems to know little about Los Angeles and to have no interest in it as a real place where people wrestle with actual life." Ulin does give Frey credit for chutzpah, and notes that Harper Collins reportedly paid a million and a half dollars and that the book is a bestseller on Amazon. In the June issue of Vanity Fair, Evgenia Peretz gives Frey a much warmer welcome back: "...a sprawling, ambitious novel about Los Angeles, written with all the broad-stroke energy that was so irresistible to readers in A Million Little Pieces. By turns satirical, tense, and surprisingly touching, it is a portrait of a city onto which so many millions have projected so many dreams." I'll take Ulin's word for it — even if Peretz hadn't met and apparently befriended Frey while trying to get in the Manhattan pre-school where he was a parent. Also from VF: Angeleno-turned-DC power couple DeeDee Myers and Todd Purdum dissect the Democratic presidential race on video at the Vanity Fair website. The series is called Capital Conversation. Photo: James Frey, Vroman's Bookstore via LAT http://www.laobserved.com/archive/2008/05/scriptland_writer_moves_t.php Jay Fernandez will join THR as a senior film reporter to concentrate on breaking news, says Hollywood Wiretap. He has written the "Scriptland" column in the L.A. Times Calendar section since 2006. Fernandez's last column runs Wednesday. http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/blogspot/ipAc/~3/289106439/time-to-dump-supervisor-bill-campbell.htmlI read an ad in the O.C. Register yesterday (pictured above) touting a fellow named Donald Ritze (pictured below) for the Third Supervisorial District, which is currently held by incumbent Supervisor Bill Campbell. Ritze took Campbell to task for a number of issues, including the fact that Campbell endorsed disgraced former O.C. Sheriff Mike Carona, not once but twice!Ritze's campaign website explains why he is running against Campbell:This is what drives me to run for the Supervisor seat!I moved from the City of Orange in 2003 to a little canyon called “Williams Canyon”, near Silverado Cyn. I built our home in compliance with the current fire codes of the Orange County fire Authority. I believed I would never actually have a wild fire, but then the Santiago Fire happened!The fires were burning closer and I did not have much time to evacuate. I said goodbye to my wife when she left as the hills around us were burning.I have over 232 Avocado trees that need water every three days, so I decided to stay and fight the fire.My first battle was a small structure that houses my well. So for six to eight hours I defended my Well house. Once the flames receded, I moved on to protecting my house and my neighbors homes from the encroaching flames, along with the “Very Brave Fighters”, this went on for 5 days!Then I was asked to allow the fire department set a back-fire to the hill behind my home, The Hot shots (Firefighters) told me they need to do this to protect the remaining houses in Williams Canyon and the Community of Silverado. Without hesitation I told them to do what they had to do.So for another day and night we fought to protect my house from the back fires that were set. Even though I was wearing protective gear the heat was extremely intense. I had to run back and forth from one side of the house to the other to cool myself down, while at the same time keeping the house wet.If it was not for these brave firefighters I feel certain there would have been a lot more homes LOST! I lived with the men and women of the Orange County FIRE Dept. and the Sheriffs Dept. I learned of their needs. At that point in time I made the choice, I told them that I was going to run for County Supervisor to make a CHANGE for the better! This is what drives me to pursue this office. Prior to this occurrence I thought of running for years but just did not have the time. Well IT’S Time!!! But it does not stop there I feel that all cities are being pushed aside by the current Supervisors.Our County Government needs to listen more! The values of Orange County are in jeopardy (OC WEEKLY). Not to mention the name Orange County!!!1. NO TAX INCREASES 2. Environmental issues 3. Waste 4. TrafficI don't know why Ritze went after the OC Weekly. But he is right about Campbell. Not only did Campbell back Carona, he also led the charge against the O.C. Measure D, which would have give our county firefighters the equipment and funding they needed to fight wildfires. Because of Campbell's help in defeating the O.C. Measure D, many homeowners in the Santiago Canyon lost their homes.You can read Ritze's biography at this link. He is a contractor. His wife (pictured above with Ritze) is a Democrat. Ritze is a Republican.Be sure to check out Ritze's letters, on his website. Here are a few excerpts:Kids paying for entry fees at the Orange County Fair while our County Officials dine on lavish meals and entertainment for free!It is a shame that Orange County was ranked 47th out of 3,141 counties nationwide in releasing the key greenhouse gas carbine dioxide into the atmosphere! Supervisor Campbell sits on the AQMD board. (Air Quality Management Dept.) Supervisor Campbell has persuaded the Supervisors to keep the Orange County Treasurer, in control of a $7 billion portfolio, while the Treasurer is under investigation! Supervisor Campbell has approved to start the process of enlarging the jails, without approval from the City of Orange or the 3rd District. This would result in the release of state prisoners on our streets.I don't live in the Third District, but I like what Ritze has to say, with the exception of the rip on the OC Weekly. If you live in the Third District, please consider voting for Ritze so you can send a message to Campbell. He is supposed to be a non-partisan County Supervisor, not a shill for the OC GOP machine. His behavior with regard to the O.C. Measure D was intolerable and he ought to pay a price for it.http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/blogspot/ipAc/~3/289123710/scheduled-site-availability-tonight.htmlTo our readers:Just a note to inform you that our migration is almost complete. Tonight will be our last period of scheduled downtime from now until about midnight or so, maybe sooner. The site will be available, but no comments or new posts will be allowed. We're looking forward to seeing you all on our new site!SMShttp://www.flashreport.org/blog.php?postID=2008051221115785 A new verb was created during the hearings on Robert Bork's unsuccessful nomination to the U.S. Supreme Court. He was "Borked" by his opponents. A charter amendment I wrote for the City of Newport Beach, and proponents William Fick… http://californiacitynews.typepad.com/californiacitynewsorg/2008/05/willdan-group-c.html Willdan, a leading provider of outsourced services to public agencies, has recently announced that it is blending the identities of its operating divisions into a single, unified brand.  You may be used to working with a number of Willdan companies in your city, here's how the change will affect them: Engineering services are provided through Willdan Engineering (formerly Willdan), Willdan Geotechnical (formerly Arroyo Geotechnical), and Willdan Resource Solutions. Willdan Resource Solutions is their newest operating division and provides environmental consulting services. Public finance services are provided by Willdan Financial Services (formerly MuniFinancial), and homeland security services are provided through Willdan Homeland Solutions (formerly American Homeland Solutions). In a press release, Willdan CEO, Tom Brisbin was quoted "We are unifying the Willdan brand because we now operate as one company... This significant change enables us to more effectively recognize and capitalize on the collaboration opportunities among our three business segments: engineering, public finance and homeland security.  Acting together as one team makes us more effective in marketing our diversified services, and most importantly, in serving our clients.” Further information about Willdan’s operating divisions and services can be found through their website at www.willdan.com. http://californiacitynews.typepad.com/californiacitynewsorg/2008/05/how-doing-what.html The following is guest editorial by Catherine Lew, a Campaign Consultant and President and CEO of the Lew Edwards Group. There is no question that attempting a municipal revenue measure in California is tough. The passage of these types of measures, whether they require a simple majority of all voters, or two-thirds requirement, are among the most difficult in the country to win. To make matters more challenging, the political climate in California continues to be dynamic and fluid. You may be wondering whether your City can even be successful, in an era of a state fiscal crisis, rising gas prices, and food rationing. Despite this challenging environment, cities can be successful at the ballot box. Analysis of recent successful municipal revenue measures has shown that voters understand that NO help is coming from Sacramento, and want to protect and maintain their local services.  However, voters also want to ensure that: 1. any new local funds generated cannot be taken away by the State;2. the City itself has done everything it can to “trim-the-fat” and is operating in a fiscally responsible manner; and 3. after a measure is passed, the public continues to be informed about how funds are being spent. Opting to pursue a local Revenue Measure is one method of assuring voters that the resulting revenue will not be taken by the State. To further assure voters that their tax dollars are being spent as promised, for Special Purpose (two-thirds requirement measures), an Expenditure Plan can be developed to outline specific local benefits and projected costs, according to community priorities. The City Council can then adopt this plan. The Plan and any subsequent spending or audits, can also be made available for public review by posting it on the City’s website or at the local library. While Expenditure Plans are standard for school bond measures where actual construction and related costs can be estimated, it is also important to develop an Expenditure Plan for Special Purpose city revenue measures. Outlining the community benefits gives the voter a clear understanding of what the money will really be used for – and establishes fiscal accountability. In addition, a Citizens’ Oversight Committee is typically formed to perform or review annual audits of the revenue generated from a Special Purpose measure. The committee tracks the progress and costs of the projects that are detailed in the Expenditure Plan. It then generates a report based on its findings, and like the Expenditure Plan, the report is made available for public review. In this manner, your constituents can closely monitor the City’s compliance with and fulfillment of promised community benefits. However, in some cases, to best fulfill the community’s needs, it may be necessary for a city to pursue a General Purpose (simple majority requirement) measure where specific uses of the funds cannot be specified. Although General Purpose measures do not inherently include many fiscal accountability components, it may be wise for a city to voluntarily adopt provisions, such as: Annual Independent AuditsMany cities already have Annual Independent Audits of their General Fund. Making these audits more publicly available on-line or at the public library is an easy way to provide voters with the fiscal assurance that City revenue is being monitored, without having to implement complicated new programs. Sunset ClauseA Sunset Clause indicates an expiration date for the tax, unless renewed by voters.  Some voters are more likely to support a tax increase if they know that it is to fill a temporary gap in funding and that the tax will be repealed when it is no longer needed. It is up to the City to determine the duration of the tax, according to funding needs. Durations typically range anywhere from five to forty years. Selected Exemptions Typically, this is used to exempt senior citizens living on a fixed income from paying certain types of taxes, such as parcel or utility taxes. Another option, unique to General Purpose measures, is to file an accompanying “Advisory” or “A/B” measure. These measures attempt to bring the appeal of specificity and accountability to the General Purpose measure. In the Advisory measure, your public can designate non-binding funding priorities for a City Council to consider, should the General Purpose Measure pass. These measures have met with mixed success, and many city attorneys believe that these measures are not legally valid post Proposition 218. Voters may also get confused by the existence of two measures on the ballot. Additionally, it can raise questions amongst voters as to why the city chose not to guarantee specific benefits through a Special Purpose measure. Alternatively, for a General Purpose measure, the Council can adopt a “Priorities List” citing key issues that resonate with voters as the primary purpose for the funding. While the “Priorities List” is advisory and not binding in the same way that an Expenditure Plan is, voters may feel that the City is aware of their priorities and has clear intentions to address them with the resulting revenue. With only one measure on the ballot, this option, consequently, is not as confusing to voters and does not detract from the purpose of the measure, as a separate Advisory Measure might. Regardless of the type of revenue measure your city chooses to pursue, the inclusion of strong fiscal accountability provisions, as appropriate to the mechanism, may very well be vital to the measure’s ultimate success and is good policy. Catherine Lew, Esq. is President and CEO of the Lew Edwards Group, California’s leading firm on successful municipal revenue measures and a contributor to the League’s “Countdown to Success” manual on how to effectively plan for these types of campaigns. Lew has more than 25 years of experience in the communications and political arena. She is a veteran of over 400 political campaigns, many of them difficult two-thirds requirement public tax measures. A graduate of the University of California, Berkeley and the University of San Francisco School of Law, Catherine Lew is also a member of the California State Bar. Reach Catherine by calling 510-594-0224 x216 or email catherine@lewedwardsgroup.com.           Visit the company’s website at www.lewedwardsgroup.com. http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/MayorSamsSisterCity-HomeOfLosAngelesPolitics/~3/289107310/70s-at-7.htmlFor today's feature here are snippets from local television news during the 70s. See if you remember any of these. KNXT (now KCBS) 11:00 p.m. news from around 1978 featuring a very young Connie Chung and Jim Hill. Here's a KNBC News clip from the 70s back when Pat Sajak did the... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]] http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/MayorSamsSisterCity-HomeOfLosAngelesPolitics/~3/289041384/five-oclock-funnies_12.htmlThe Japanese version of Candid Camera. http://mayorsam.blogspot.com/feeds//comments/default [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]] http://californiascapitol.com/blog/?p=97 On Wednesday, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger will present his May REVISION.  It is not a revise.  Nor has it ever been. Revise, according to the Free On-Line Dictionary – in complete harmony with Funk & Wagnall’s, Webster’s and the venerated OED – is defined as:  1. To prepare a newly edited version of (a text). Or:  2. To reconsider and change or [...]http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/CaliticsFeed/~3/288955818/showDiary.doIn order to rise from a relative unknown who lost to Chicago legend Bobby Rush in 2000 to the cusp of a Presidential nomination today, Barack Obama did not only have to court all elements of the varied coalitions that rule over politics in Chicago, he had to build the pie of voters large enough to be someone all those coalitions wanted to rally behind.  In 1992, Obama, working as a community organizer, registered 150,000 residents throughout Chicago to vote in what ended up being a landmark election, as Carol Moseley Braun became the first female African-American ever elected to the US Senate. This weekend I attended an Obama Vote for Change rally in South LA which ended up registering 615 new voters.  It was one of over 100 events all over the country; here's a report of another one in Birmingham, Alabama.  Over 400 volunteers attended the Los Angeles event, heard from a few speakers, were trained in voter registration (most of them were doing it for the first time), and sent out into the surrounding area.  Now, 600-some new voters in the LA area isn't going to sway much politically or ensure an already-fairly-assured Democratic victory in California.  But it does build the tent, not only for the general election but beyond.  I've written at length about how Obama's gamble is to build an electorate that's so big that he has a serious, almost insurmountable advantage for both his election and his agenda.  A nationwide effort maximizes resources, keeps that army of volunteers excited and doing work, and builds that base to be dispatched for the general election.  In addition to voter registration, the volunteers were signing up registered voters to volunteer later in the campaign.  We could see a million people on the ground all across the country in November.  That's special - and different. John Kerry outsourced the field and mobilization to ACT and other outside groups and it was a stupid way to go.  Obama thinks he has a better idea that will work long beyond the election, and I support that aspect of it.  I worry about his shutting out the outside groups that have come out of the progressive movement since Bush's first election, but I will note that yesterday's event was at the campaign offices of Mark Ridley-Thomas, a progressive running for LA County Supervisor, and the event in Huntington Beach doubled as the kickoff event for Congressional candidate Debbie Cook.  So there is a layering effect, where the local candidates are benefiting from Obama's work at the national level. http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/CaliticsFeed/~3/288964782/showDiary.doProposition 98 claims to be about eminent domain and protecting the little people. But here at Calitics, we have reason to question the motives of Jon Coupal and the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers' Association. And once again, they are trying to hoodwink California voters. Proposition 98 eliminates rent control and other renter protections, making living in California's cities out of reach for a greater percentage of our population. Prop 98 would also make protecting California's environment even harder than it is presently. The effects on governance, the environment, and tenants are simply disastrous. NO on 98. Prop 99 is not ideal, but it is tolerable. It simply blocks the use of eminent domain to transfer owner-occupied homes to private developers. Nothing fancy, but it does have a nice provision that overrules Prop 98 if it gets one more vote.  It also has the potential to do the state a great favor by removing the issue of eminent domain from the ballot.   YES on 99. http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/CaliticsFeed/~3/288990594/showDiary.do UPDATE: by Julia I just want to add some context here.  This ad is titled "Yacht Party 2".  It would not exist without help from CNA, so major props to them.  Today Arianna Huffington sent out an email to Courage Campaign members asking for their help to get this on the air, part of which is excerpted on the flip.  We are going up in Sacramento to start, but the more donations, the more we can expand the buy. This is very much a non-traditional ad and builds upon the first "Yacht Party" we produced that was inspired by Dave. The most extreme high priests of the tax cut cult operate right here in California. Because Democrats do not hold a two-thirds majority in our state legislature, a small minority of Republicans is able to hold Californians hostage to a $20 billion state budget deficit, refusing to raise taxes on the super-rich. It gets worse. Much worse. While California's future is being put in grave jeopardy, the tax cut cult is refusing to close a tax loophole for yacht and private jet owners. Schools closing. Social services slashed to the bone. And right-wing Republicans are letting the uber-wealthy off tax-free on yacht and private jet purchases. It's no wonder the California Republican Party has been re-branded as the "Yacht Party" by the netroots. To increase the pressure on Republicans in Sacramento to close this yacht tax loophole, we need to make this "Yacht Party" brand stick. That's why the Courage Campaign and California Nurses Association have just teamed up to produce a new 60-second TV ad that strips naked the shocking nature of the California Republican Party's priorities. It's time to change the conversation inside Sacramento. Here are two actions you can take to help us make this "Yacht Party" brand stick:   1.  CONTRIBUTE: please donate $25, $50, $100 or more to help us get our TV ad on the air in Sacramento on Thursday. This week is the unofficial start to budget season in Sacramento and we need to expose the "Yacht Party" as budget negotiations begin inside our state capitol. If you contribute at least $100, Arianna Huffington will sign her book ("Right is Wrong") and send it to you ASAP!   2. FORWARD THE YOUTUBE VIDEO: Please forward "Yacht Party 2" to your friends and family.  Here is the direct YouTube link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v... http://www.californiaprogressreport.com/2008/05/lois_wolk_recei.html Willingness to tackle tough environmental issues including the Prospect Island fish kill, California Delta fish decline, and Central Valley chinook salmon collapse appreciated By Dan Bacher California Trout, a statewide fishing and conservation group, honored Assemblywoman Lois Wolk (D-Davis) for her leadership as the chairwoman of the Assembly Water, Parks, and Wildlife Committee on some of California's most pressing water issues, including the state's fisheries declines, flood protection, and water policy reform. Brian Stranko, the organizations chief executive officer, gave Wolk the Golden Trout plaque at a ceremony in Sacramento after the annual Fisheries Legislative Forum before a group of legislators, commercial fishermen, recreational anglers and conservationists. California Trout (CalTrout), an organization that advocates the protection and restoration of wild trout and steelhead waters throughout California, gives the award semi-annually to the individual who makes "the most distinguished contribution to the protection of wild trout, steelhead, and their habitat"- someone whose "actions and deeds exemplify the meaning of public service." Previous recipients include two former California Governors, Congressman Mike Thompson and former Senator Alan Cranston. "Lois Wolk is a champion for the protection of our state's declining fish populations and the failing Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, which provides critical habitat for our state's fisheries," said Brian Stranko, CalTrout's chief executive officer. "She has successfully taken on some of the most challenging and complicated issues facing the state, taking a leadership role on water policy and in efforts to strengthen flood protection and land use planning in California's Central Valley and Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta region. Californians are lucky to have such a strong advocate looking out for their water, recreation, and wildlife resources." Last year, Wolk led efforts to protect threatened and endangered native trout, aquatic, and amphibian species on California rivers and streams from the effects of motorized suction dredge gold mining. Her bill, AB 1032, passed through the State and Assembly, but was vetoed by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger in October. California Trout and the Karuk Indian Tribe sponsored the bill. The bill didn’t become law, but it got all of the way to the Governor’s desk under a lot of contention, said Stranko. It required a lot of patience and leadership by Wolk to get through the legislature. This year, she is carrying a package of bills to help protect and restore Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta fisheries. "Resolving the crisis in the Delta must be one of the state's top priorities," said Wolk. "The recent closure of the 2008 salmon fishing season in California is an example of what we can expect if the state doesn't begin addressing some of the Delta's most urgent needs. I look forward to working with groups like CalTrout to help the state live up to its responsibility to protect this natural resource for the public's benefit." Wolk's package includes two bills spurred by the testimony of anglers at the Prospect Island Fish Kill Legislative Hearing in Rio Vista on December 6, 2007. Assembly Bill 1806 will help better prepare the state to prevent and respond to emergencies that place Delta fisheries at risk, as well as mitigate for the impacts on Delta fisheries arising from operation of the large water export pumping facilities of the state and federal water projects. Assembly Bill 2502 will expand fishing and other recreational opportunities in the Delta by establishing a Delta Ecological and Recreation Area including three flooded islands Prospect Island, Liberty Island and Holland Tract. This is Wolk’s last term as an Assemblywoman under California’s term limits law and I greatly appreciate her support of fish and wildlife restoration measures backed by anglers, conservationists and California Indian Tribes. I am gratified that California Trout chose to honor her work by issuing Wolk their annual Golden Trout award. Photo of Brian Stranko of California Trout and Assemblywoman Lois Wolk by Dan Bacher. Dan Bacher is an editor of The Fish Sniffer , described as "The #1 Newspaper in the World Dedicated Entirely to Fishermen"