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://latimesblogs.latimes.com/california-politics/2010/09/candidates-are-spending-more-reaching-fewer-voters.html Voter participation is going down while campaign spending by gubernatorial candidates is going up. That's the finding of a new report from the Fair Political Practices Commission released Thursday. The commission published a list of money spent per-vote among recent gubernatorial candidates. And the winner is....

 Al Checchi. The former Northwest Airlines chief executive officer spent $70.21 for every vote he received in the 1998 Democratic gubernatorial primary. That's nearly $5 per vote more than Meg Whitman spent per vote in the 2010 Republican primary. “California’s politicians are spending more and more money, but they seem to be reaching fewer and fewer voters,” said commission Chairman Dan Schnur. “There’s no question that the arrival of the self-funded candidate on our political landscape has caused the cost of campaigning to go through the roof for all politicians. No matter where our candidates get their money, it’s clear that they’ll spend more this year than ever before.” 
 --Anthony York in Sacramento http://californiacitynews.typepad.com/californiacitynewsorg/2010/09/the-aftermath-salary-reforms-standing-at-end-of-legislative-session-and-looking-ah After legislators raced to pass bills before the year’s legislative session came to a close, many bills simply didn’t make the cut during the last few hectic hours, one of which was SB 501, legislation that would have required local government officials to file an annual statement that discloses their compensation to the public. In addition, AB 2064, which would have required the Legislature to post on its Web site the salaries of its elected members and employees, did not gain approval either, thanks to stalling from Senators who did not want to be subject to such a state law like local government officials. However, Senator Lou Correa, who introduced SB 501, plans to re-introduce the legislation during the new session. But even if such a bill does eventually pass, does it go far enough in giving constituents and Californians sufficient information on government spending? Not according to John Moorlach, the 2nd District Orange County supervisor, and Fred Smoller, the director of Brandman University's Master's in Public Administration program. In an op-ed for the OC Register, they argue that a data archive should be established so that municipalities can easily be compared side-by-side not only in relation to compensation but other measures of job performance as well. The op-ed’s authors point to rankings and studies for colleges and accountants and note that similar performance-measuring efforts could be undertaken for local governments. They write: “The public sector does not embrace these performance measuring efforts. Government agencies dislike being compared […] However, if they compiled a listing of yields by county and provided the weighted average maturity and portfolio compositions, like the private sector does monthly, the public would come closer to having a fair and objective analysis of each county's investment strategies. Once you have good, comparable data, then voters, elected officials and city staff can make more informed decisions.” They also point out that a “notes” section could be created for each city in order to explain, for instance, why a city manager is paid more than other cities of comparable size. The authors also conclude that a city’s Comprehensive Annual Financial Report is useful for looking into one municipality, but a survey on all cities in a readable format would allow for comparisons and more data. Read the full op-ed here. http://www.laobserved.com/archive/2010/09/owner_of_1930s_trunk_with.php LAPD detectives said today they are confident that Janet M. Barrie owned the trunk that contained the mummified remains of a fetus and possibly a newborn baby. Barrie, born in Scotland, was the home nurse for a Los Angeles dentist and died in 1992. The trunk was found in the basement of a Westlake-area apartment building where Barrie lived; it contained 1930s memorabilia such as tickets to the Olympic Games at the Coliseum and the remains were wrapped in newspapers of the era. More detail to come, the LAPD promises. http://www.laobserved.com/archive/2010/09/manny_reverts_to_spanish.php When Manny Ramirez met the media for his debut moment with his new Chicago team, he answered in Spanish through coach Joey Cora. With the Dodgers I believe he usually fielded questions in English, at least until this season. Observed Baseball Prospectus: Granted, it is not uncommon for athletes from foreign countries to ask for a translator. However, the twist to this is that the 38-year-old Ramirez has lived in the United States since he was 13, graduated from high school in the Brooklyn Heights section of New York City, and has given interviews in English from the time he was breaking into professional baseball as an Indians prospect in the Appalachian League after being their first-round draft pick in 1991. Yet there was Ramirez listening to and understanding the questions that were posed in English then giving the answers to Cora. "He feels more comfortable with the language," Cora said after Ramirez was asked why he decided to speak Spanish when everyone attending the press conference was from English-language media outlets. In any language, Ramirez had nothing remotely compelling to say. Ramirez did say he's apparently willing to cut his hair per a White Sox policy. Screen grab: MLB.com http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/california-politics/2010/09/legislative-session-by-the-numbers.html Tuesday marked the deadline for the Legislature to pass bills in regular session. We have documented some of the major issues that came before the two houses over the last several days, some of the major bills that were sent to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and others that died in the Legislature. AroundTheCapitol.com, a free Capitol online news and bill tracking service, is keeping tabs on the legislative session that was. Over the last two years, 4,294 bills were introduced over the course of the regular legislative session. So far, 868 bills have been signed while another 771 are awaiting the governor's signature or veto. Schwarzenegger has already vetoed 190 bills this year. Another 2,465 died in the Legislature. AroundTheCapitol.com will keep a running tally on the bills that are signed or vetoed in the coming days. Schwarzenegger has until Sept. 30 to act on the hundreds of bills currently on his desk. -- Anthony York in Sacramento http://www.calwatchdog.com/2010/09/02/todd-spitzer-scares-people/Steven Greenhut: Former Assemblyman Todd Spitzer, the Orange Republican who desperately wants to be Orange County’s next district attorney, has been in the news this week after he was fired by DA Tony Rackauckas for some allegedly inappropriate behavior in seeking out information for which he was not entitled. Spitzer has released his personnel files [...]http://www.calwatchdog.com/2010/09/02/little-hope-for-success-of-finance-reform/SEPT. 2, 2010 As you read this, please keep in mind that I want the new Political Reform Act Task Force to succeed. As someone who’s spent about a decade reading through the campaign finance and personal disclosure reports the act mandates, I would really like to see the money that permeates popular elections presented [...]http://www.calwatchdog.com/2010/09/02/dems-boast-of-states-great-ed-system/SEPT. 2, 2010 Tuesday brought Californians yet another budget charade. The “drill” that took place in the Assembly and Senate over a supposed budget vote, spoke volumes about the real worth of legislators to the state.  But what senators and Assembly members said during the final day of session while debating the budget, is telling [...]http://www.calwatchdog.com/2010/09/02/is-budget-a-tragedy-or-a-horror/SEPT. 2, 2010 As entertainment goes, the final regular-season episode of the Budget Show in the Capitol was shoddy. The actors – the Assembly members and senators – are B-rate. The speeches, despite their strained attempts to sound Kennedy-esque, were pretentious. Those of us in the audience sometimes rolled our eyes at the predictable plot. [...]http://www.calwatchdog.com/2010/09/02/funds-for-moonbeams-sick-buildings/SEPT. 2, 2010 By WAYNE LUSVARDI California newspaper editorials cry out that it is “outrageous” and “unacceptable” that almost a year after Congress granted California $25 million in Stimulus Funds to make state buildings more energy efficient that only one percent of the money has been spent thus far. That it typically takes a year [...]http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/CaliticsFeed/~3/YOd_qTHyKBs/psssttt-carly-supports-prop-23-opposes-ab-32At the debate last night, moderator and KTVU political editor Randy Shandobil got frustrated with Fiorina's evasive answers on Prop 23.  Apparently the other reporters at the post-debate press conference were getting pretty frustrated with the situation as well. Well folks, I'm going to let you in on a little secret.  Carly Fiorina supports Prop 23 and the death of AB 32.  She said as much in the debate. When she evaded the answer, she said specifically that it would "make sense to suspend it" or something to that effect.  Ladies and germs, that is what Prop 23 is arguing that they want to do.  Not sure how much more clear it can be made. She can hem and haw all she wants, but she can't jujitsu this one.  She opposes Prop 23, but doesn't want to say as much because that will turn off environmentally minded voters and signal that she isn't some sort of moderate that she is trying to play. Nope, Carly Fiorina is just another short-sighted CEO who couldn't even manage the short-sighted goals of increasing stock value at HP.  She likes to posture, even going so far as hiding her impressive educational resume to build up her "rags to riches" street cred.  But, California voters can see through these charades. http://www.ibabuzz.com/politics/2010/09/02/kellogg-honored-as-labor-leader/Jim Kellogg, a veteran California labor leader and chairman of the California Fish and Game Commission, will be honored as “Labor Leader of the Year” by the Contra Costa Building Trades and Contra Costa Central Labor councils. The Discovery Bay resident was characteristically modest about the award. “There are an awful lot of people out there more [...]http://www.flashreport.org/blog.php?postID=2010090211180902 Lots of newspapers and publications are sending out questionnaires for candidates to fill out.  That comes with this time of year. I get it. Every one of these newspapers would immediately point out the conflict of a legislator that were to inc… http://www.laobserved.com/archive/2010/09/time_clock_training_at_th.php We told you last month about the new time and attendance system in the Los Angeles Times newsroom. Time clocks are a foreign concept in the newsroom, to be sure, and in this memo that went out yesterday, Associate Editor Randy Harvey tells people that the HR department wants everyone trained. Email memo after the jump. Also: The KRONOS system the Times is using to keep track of lunch breaks et al also was recently installed at the Getty, a reader emails. From: Harvey, Randy Sent: Wednesday, September 01, 2010 5:50 PM To: yyeditall Subject: memo As you may be aware, the company has decided to implement a new time-logging and attendance system for payroll purposes known as KRONOS. While it primarily affects hourly employees and their supervisors, the HR department believes it is necessary for all employees to attend training sessions to learn about the new procedures, which include some adjustments to pay policies. Each session will take between a half-hour and hour, depending on employee questions. Annette Gascon, the HR representative for editorial, will conduct these sessions for our department and you’ll be hearing from her soon. Please plan to attend the session assigned to you. If you are not able to attend your assigned session, please make arrangements to receive the information before the system is implemented, currently scheduled for mid to late September. Thanks in advance for your cooperation, Randy http://www.calwatchdog.com/2010/09/02/the-boxer-fiorina-jab-session/Katy Grimes: Was that a debate between democrat U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer and Republican challenger Carly Fiorina? I remember taking debate classes in school, and this did not even resemble debate format. It was more of a very controlled Q & A session, obviously with questions even agreed to ahead of time by Boxer’s team. [...]http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/CaliticsFeed/~3/AX9UZ2Snqw0/nicole-whoThe Fresno Bee provides some more details on the report that former "Democrat" Nicole Parra, former Assemblymember who fell out with Speaker Karen Bass and the rest of the Democratic caucus after voting against the budget in 2008, is going to help the Meg Whitman campaign: Former Democratic Assemblywoman Nicole Parra has signed on to help Meg Whitman woo Democratic and independent voters, the Republican gubernatorial candidate's campaign said this morning. That's no surprise. Parra is helping Republican U.S. Senate candidate Carly Fiorina in a similar capacity.... In a written statement, Parra said she would travel the state talking to Democratic and independent voters "who are tired of the old ways of thinking and are looking for fresh ideas and a new style of leadership from their elected officials. We will be talking about Meg's plan for improving the economy, controlling spending and fixing our public schools, issues that Californians care most about. Democratic and independent voters will help lead Meg to victory in November." Carla Marinucci adds via Twitter that Parra will "lead" Whitman's outreach efforts to Dem and DTS voters. Parra re-registered as an independent, and helped Danny Gilmore win her old seat in 2008 as part of the ongoing Parra-Florez family war in the Central Valley. So apparently she's got a chip on her shoulder against Democrats, and is doing all she can to help elect Republicans. It certainly helped Gilmore in 2008. But I'm not so sure it'll help Whitman. Parra's tour in support of Whitman begins in Oakland, where I'm guessing the reaction she'll receive from Dem and DTS voters is "Nicole who?" Parra has absolutely no presence outside of part of the San Joaquin Valley. Nobody knows who she is, particularly Democratic and DTS voters. Whitman is probably hoping to use her as an example of a Democrat who saw the light and now supports Republicans, but that tactic usually only works if voters actually know something about that person. Most Californians outside the San Joaquin Valley will simply shrug at this unknown figure, and I'm not even sure Parra will have much impact in the Valley either. Ultimately this suggests Whitman isn't really putting very much of a priority on winning over Dem and DTS voters. Instead she is quietly building up a powerful field organizing apparatus, which she test drove to great effect in support of Sam Blakeslee's successful campaign to win the SD-15 special election, in order to crank her right-wing Republican base to turn out in an election where Democratic turnout isn't likely to be as high as it was in 2008. http://www.ibabuzz.com/politics/2010/09/02/cd11-mcnerney-and-harmer-in-dead-heat/Congressional District 11 Democratic Rep. Jerry McNerney and GOP challenger David Harmer are in a statistical dead heat, according to a poll released late last night. The New York-based American Action Forum, a conservative policy think tank led by former Congressional Budget Office Director Douglas Holtz-Eakin, surveyed 4,000 likely general voters in 10 western Congressional districts [...]http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/california-politics/2010/09/first-take-boxer-and-fiorina-debate-end-of-session-wrap-up.html Barbara Boxer and Carly Fiorina had some tough exchanges and sharp quips in their first debate Wednesday. Capitol Weekly looks at the chaos and tension that marked the end of the legislative session. Although lawmakers killed some of the Bell-inspired reform bills, Bell residents hailed the measures that did pass. The Los Angeles Unified School District's teachers union and the powerful California Teachers Assn. killed a measure by Senate leader Darrell Steinberg that would have changed the teacher seniority system. -- Anthony York Get the latest from California politics. Follow PolitiCal on Twitter. http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/CaliticsFeed/~3/5nf-DpxtaU4/what-we-have-built-a-system-by-for-and-of-the-lobbyistsJim Sanders has some interesting thoughts, many of which have passed between my two ears over the last couple of weeks with the closing of the legislative sessions. Specifically, there have been a few instances of crass political maneuvering outweighing policy.  Not that it is anything new, nor is the impact of lobbyists anything innovative. But it seems, as the legislature has completely lost its institutional knowledge, the power of the almighty lobbyist dollar has become magnified. And Sanders has some specific examples, take for example the interesting case of the plastic bag measure, AB 1998. Plastic bags have been "banned" from major San Francisco groceries for several years now.  The sky has not fallen, and prices have not skyrocketed. You see more reusable bags these days (which is an incontrovertible good), and a bunch more paper (which is a bit of a wash).  But, what is also clear is that the plastic bags are killing the San Francisco Bay and other California waterways.  Millions are floating around the bay, and drastic action is necessary, as these things just don't break down over any short-term horizon. But, you know, as Dustin Hoffman learned in The Graduate: "plastics!" Supporters of the plastic-bag ban struggled to overcome an army of lobbyists - including former Assembly Speaker Fabian N??ez - and a tsunami of "misleading ads," said Dan Jacobson, of Environment California. "Money was no object," he said of opponents, who also unleashed a flurry of political donations. "If the American Chemistry Council wasn't in the middle of the debate, this would have been a no-brainer bill getting through the Legislature and to the governor's desk," said Assemblywoman Julia Brownley, a Santa Monica Democrat who proposed the ban. But Tim Shestek, of the chemistry council, said accusations of undue influence unfairly ignore that the coalition of AB 1998 supporters was high-powered as well, including grocers, labor groups, environmentalists and legislative leaders. (SacBee) Was it a fair fight, maybe, maybe not, but the greater issue is that the paid corporate interests are now drowning out the voices of the people. Even if legislators make a concerted effort to talk to constituents, they get flooded with industry spurred communication. There are many reasons for these issues, and some have no simple cure.  BUt surely, some sort of fix that allows our legislators to gain the upper hand through experience in their position before they are on to the next gig would be a reasonable starting point. http://www.laobserved.com/archive/2010/09/morning_buzz_thursday_921.php Boxer v Fiorina, labor rests on Brown spending, enviros lick their wounds, Baca says pot shops are crime dens, the New Yorker's coming stories on AOL and Facebook, and a blogger gets mugged in her Hollywood neighborhood. Plus more, inside. Boxer and Fiorina, the debate. AP, Bee, Dan Walters, LAT, Register, CalBuzz, NYT, DN The labor groups that have spent $8.6 million on behalf of Jerry Brown over the summer suspended their ad campaign. Bee Environmentalists are stunned by their losses this week in Sacramento. LAT, Steve Lopez Sheriff Lee Baca says week's triple murder in West Hollywood was an example of how criminals have infiltrated medial marijuana dispensaries. LAT The LA Weekly has a feature on women turning to legal Nevada prostitution to support their familis in the recession, with a photo gallery by Kevin Scanlon. LAW Vernon's top city attorneys, already among the highest-paid public employees in the state, have received an unusual pension deal under which they would get the same enhanced "safety employee" benefits as police officers and firefighters. LAT Santa Clarita is poised to join a growing movement of budget-strapped cities that are turning over their libraries to private management. DN Janice Min's Hollywood Reporter is spending money like it has a good plan to make money, which it doesn't, says Sharon Waxman. The Wrap Associated Press says it will start attributing more of its news reports to blogs and other sources that broke stories or originated the news. AP The Register's D.C. writer Dena Bunis is leaving after 14 years to be managing editor of Congressional Quarterly's HealthBeat magazine. The New Yorker has major pieces coming up about AOL (by Ken Auletta) and Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg (by the Huffington Post's Jose Antonio Vargas.) All Things Digital L.A. blogger E*star describes being mugged by another woman while walking in her new Hollywood neighborhood. E*Star LA, Blogging LA A mother black bear and two cubs entertained a Glendora neighborhood, going through trash cans and splashing in a spa. SGV Tribune