Daily Archives: April 6, 2006

Arnold Schwarzenegger

California News Roundup 4/6/06

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News Roundup from the last couple days on the flip. Teasers? We don’t need no stinking teasers! Oh, alright then: Millionaires, Schwarzenegger, pay-to-play(?), more immigration, San Diego corruption, emissions, energy, salmon, water water everywhere, Prop 82, and earthquakes.

Special roundup of news coverage of the Univision debate up next and then much later today, a belated blog roundup

Pure Politics

  • The CC Times reminds us that only millionaires are running for Governor. This may be in part an unintended consequence of limiting contributions while allowing unlimited spending on a campaign from one’s own wealth. Of course, lifting the contribution limit will allow millionaires to buy their own candidates, so I fail to see where that would help. Sounds like public financing is the way to go.

  • Dan Walters thinks that 2006 is setting up the pool of California’s elected officials for the next big things. But isn’t that true of pretty much every major election?

  • Daniel Weintraub reports, mostly without injecting his personal biases, on a pending problem: a recent court ruling that initiative petitions need to be translated from English into the language(s) spoken by any large minority of the population of the relevant political unit.

  • Schwarzenegger’s approval ratings rising . . . some. This story is mostly notable for the Schwarzenegger spokesman pushing the “it’s a choice” message. Wouldn’t want Schwarzenegger to have to run on his record — no accountability for Republicans.

  • Steve Westly probably didn’t do anything really wrong when he suggested that CalPERS have a look at a VC fund that raised contributions for him (especially when one considers how little outside funding he really has. But still, it looks like pay-for-access. Public financing, people.

Environment

  • There’s a lot of coverage of the global warming pollution restrictions being discussed in the California State Government. The CC Times has a good summary of the larger picture. There’s a nifty quote from an oil company lobbyist, who admits that “climate change is real”. Wow. After all those millions (and probably billions) of dollars spent by the oil industry attacking the science and delaying any effort to deal with the problem, now global warming is real. Of course, the oil companies don’t want do do anything about it, so that hasn’t changed.

  • In other news, moderate Republicans who aren’t in the pocket of the extractive industries seem to be educable on the problem. Now if only they’d buck the Bush-Cheney-Oil wing of the party and do something about it.

  • Re that issue, for example, see this SacBee editorial calling out the Bush DOT’s usurpation both of state regulatory authority and the EPA’s authority.

  • Vinod Khosla and Steven Bing are teaming up to sponsor a ballot initiative to tax the oil industry and fund alternative energy technology.

  • The looming salmon fishery closing has effects beyond just the commercial fishing industry. There’s a big group of people who fish recreationally and a lot of merchants who serve them.

CA-50

Immigration

Water: Not Enough, Too Much

  • Generic Dan Walters: There’s a problem with X. Politicians need to stop listening to special interests and fix X. Today, X = Water Policy.

  • Non-generic Dan Walters: Local governments shouldn’t be able to freeload on the state’s liability for flood damages by building in known danger areas.

  • Some federal money may be coming to strengthen the levees.

  • And from a professor who actually studies, y’know, ecosystems ‘n’ stuff, a flood control plan that doesn’t rely on building artificial canyons or lakes.

Other

  • Think tank doesn’t like Prop 82 much. And it doesn’t seem to be ideological.(Link fixed by Brian)

  • If the big one hits before we fix some (well, a lot) of stuff, the Bay Area is screwed. Oh, the Delta too: levees down, floods everywhere. And does anyone think that a Republican-controlled federal government will help us godless librul eleets, even if by some miracle, they’re competent to do it right?
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Angelides gives us a few more ideas of his plan

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(A few thoughts on taxes as April 15 draws near… – promoted by SFBrianCL)

I am very impressed with Angelides for a statement he made this afternoon and reported by Dan Weintraub.  Now, I’m not sure that Weintraub was so impressed, but I think it’s great to get some of this information out in the open.  I’ve been quite critical about the promises both candidates have been making, mainly because neither has been very suggestive in how he plans to pay for that.  But Weintraub says Angelides knows what he has to do:

But I think he made even more substantive news in a quick question and answer session with reporters afterward. In response to a question, he laid out, for the first time, a plan to raise between $8 billion and $10 billion in taxes to balance the budget and pay for his priorities in expanding it.

Angelides didn’t use that number. But he did say that, by his calculations, corporations and the wealthy have received $17 billion in tax breaks and tax cuts from California and the federal government in the past several years. And he said he would go after as much of that money as he needed to balance the budget and cover the commitments he has made during his campaign.

That $10 Billion includes school funding, Prop 82,  fixing the structural deficit (YAY!!), and a mishmash of other ideas Phil’s been promoting.  Raising $10 Billion in taxes won’t be easy, but it’s possible.  It has to be possible because the structural deficit can’t last forever.  Yes, we have a bit of extra cash left over from this year, but we can’t expect any more little gifts in the mail.

Westly, as Weintraub points out, has gone out of his way to call himself a fiscal conservative and promised that taxes are a last resort.  Listen, we have to have a balanced budget.  I would rather our candidates tell us how we are going to do that, rather going along on a wing and a prayer hoping the mailman brings us some good news.

Maybe the car tax comes back?  Never say never…

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Bill Falzett on Air America

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“The voters of this district aren’t sure who is in control of our government. I don’t believe they are Republicans.” – Yuba City Democratic challenger Bill Falzett on Air America Radio

Indeed. Certainly not Republicans in the traditional American sense.

Fighting Dem Bill Falzett of Yuba City appeared on Air America radio April 4 with Majority Report host Sam Sedor and Markos, proprietor of the DailyKos, the most visited blog on the Internet.

Kos has been introducing Fighting Dems to a national audience for a couple months. Fighting Dems are the now more than 50 men and women military veterans running as Democrats in the fall Senate and Congressional election.

Falzett, who served in the U.S. Air Force and whose youngest son served in Iraq, should easily win the Democratic primary for the right to challenge Rep. Wally Herger in the general election.

More in extended…..

They asked a lot of questions, and they talked fast. I took notes as best I could. Falzett handled himself well for a guy talking for the first time to a national audience. He was assured, concise and clear. Best of all, he talked like you and me. It wasn’t some politic-babble politicans hone to a “T” after 20 years in office.

Sedor asked Falzett why he is a Democrat:

Bill said he grew up on the tough streets of El Paso, Texas. Realized he had choices available to him. Joined the military in the late 50’s –early 60’s. Went to college and became a physcotherapist. “Choices were important to me. Democrats love choices. Welcome choices. Republicans don’t like choices.”

Kos asked Bill to describe CD-2 of Northern California:

Bill says the district is the 10 counties in the central part of Northern California, following generally the I-5 corridor. It’s a rural farming and recreational district. The district has the highest unemployment and the lowest family income of any district in the state. About 86% of the families in the district have incomes of less than $50,000. “What I hear often is how people are upset with the incumbent who votes for the Bush-Cheney line and doesn’t do much for the district.”

Bill supports single payer health insurance. “People are very worried about their health care.” Insurance companies have multiplied greatly. They now tell him how to treat his patients.

Sedor asked Falzett for his thoughts on the war:

Bill said people in the district are mixed on the war in Iraq. Many think it’s the wrong place, wrong time. His youngest son joined the military before the war. “I really started sweating when the war started.”

“We just can’t go in and impose our will on someone,” Falzett continued. “We can’t cut and run, but we can’t stay on this course either. The failure is in diplomacy and administration.”

Falzett said gun control is a big issue in the district. “People are told Democrats are going to take your guns away. Well, we’re not. There’s the Consitution. They use a lot of wedge issues.”

Abortion is another wedge issue. Republicans have effectively convinced their supporters to vote those issues and ignore issues such as exporting jobs overseas and warfare on the middle and lower classes.

Bill said he needs to tap into a tremendous grassroots to help offset a huge funding disadvantage. “There’s a whole bunch of Democrats in the district. I have to get them out of the weeds.”

And that really is the right approach. Step 1 is to turn out Democratic voters, many of whom have thrown up their hands and given up, believing a Democrat can’t win in Northern California. Which is what the Republicans have worked hard to get them to believe. Republican Kool-Aid.

Step 2 is to turn out Republican moderates who are as disgusted with this Republican Party as the Democrats are. The district isn’t close to as extreme as Wally Herger is, but moderate Republicans always fall into line and vote for the right-winger that comes out of the primary.

Bill Falzett gives them a reason not to.

–Drzal