Starting today, the Senate is debating a standalone global warming bill for the first time in three years.  This is a significant achievement in and of itself, and it’s worth praising Barbara Boxer for putting the issue front and center.  However, the bill she is promoting, the Lieberman-Warner Climate Security Act, is not only insufficient to the challenge (which I could live with), but represents a trillion-dollar giveaway to polluters who would not have to pay for the right to spew greenhouse gases into the air, a position completely at odds with the positions of all of our top Presidential candidates.

Boxer has co-authored a bill with Bernie Sanders that is superior, and Ed Markey’s bill is a great improvement as well and would slap a license on major polluters that they would have to purchase at auction.  This money would be invested in technological research and alternative energy sources, as well as offset price increases for consumers.  Lieberman-Warner does none of this, and Sen. Boxer has shrugged her shoulders and said “this is the best we can do.”

Though Boxer has worked to strengthen the bill, she says it’s still not as strong as she’d like. “This represents a consensus document,” she said at a recent press conference. “It’s not everything that Sens. Lieberman, Warner, and Boxer want. It’s the best we could do.” During floor debate, she plans to push for stricter emission targets and a greater percentage of auctioned emission permits, and she has threatened to pull the bill if it’s weakened, as has Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.).

Many senators will be offering amendments, so attempts to water down the bill are sure to come, along with efforts to toughen it. Meanwhile, James Inhofe (R-Okla.), the Senate’s most notorious global-warming denier, will be trying to scuttle the bill altogether.

The sausage-making in the Senate is always painful, and surely the global warming deniers on the right and their corporate lobbyist buddies have in mind only the total stoppage of this bill.  I’m open to concessions where necessary, but giving away pollution credits without an auction is to me non-negotiable.  If you allow polluters to continue doing so for free it’s going to be next to impossible to get them to pay in the future.  And this is completely out of line with what is sure to be the stated Democratic platform at the convention.  There’s enough of a left-right split on climate change not to open up this other front on the left.

There are many dangers for this bill.  A proposed amendment that would subsidize the nuclear power industry could be a deal-breaker on all sides.  I understand the contention that the hour is getting late to make meaningful progress in reducing the effects of global climate change.  The latest scientific assessment from the U.S. Climate Change Science Program notes,  we are already seeing rising temperatures, more heat waves and droughts, and a global rise in sea level due to man-made contributions.  But fixing the climate means fixing the climate, not a half-measure that rewards corporate America.

Climate Progress is live-blogging the hearings.

Calitics has deleted several posts by BlueBeaumontBoyz that made allegations against Manuel Perez that could not be confirmed or substantiated. It is Calitics policy to remove diaries that make these kind of unproven criminal charges about a candidate.

Manuel Perez is at once scholarly, passionate, and gracious.  He knows public policy from both the planning and outcome perspectives, so give him a topic, and he’ll give you a progressive and practical answer, with footnotes.



Manuel Perez wasn’t going to be at the Rancho Mirage Library for the candidate forum Friday night.   He was scheduled to be the honoree at an event for a coalition of fellow nonprofits, and they had already rescheduled the event around his campaign once.  But we finally convinced him that a candidate has no choice but to be there, and he was brilliant.  The interaction among the 80th candidates showed a clear frontrunner, the focus of both Rick Gonzales and Greg Pettis’s attention.  Manuel pivoted on both challenges, and his scope of understanding about education, healthcare, jobs and the environment was finally on display in the proper context.  

Manuel had solid support from the community: Dale, Lynda, and Mary representing schools, two directors from the Verde Group who came down to canvass, Amalia Deaztlan, Eduardo Garcia, Mayor of Coachella, Steve Hernandez, Coachella City Councilman, Carlos Campos, City Attorney of Coachella, a teaching buddy from the school system.  Some of us went out for food with Manuel after, and we talked about the growing recognition of the new Coachella progressives among more established Democrats.  “What they are learning, what they always underestimated before, is how hard we will work,” Steve said.  Having prepared walk lists with JC Sanchez of SEIU-UHW (also of Coachella) in a previous campaign until 3am, I know exactly what he’s talking about.  Manuel Perez and his colleagues are this region’s Mr. Smiths Going to Washington, or in this case, Sacramento.  They’re prepared and determined to improve the cities, the state, and this country, and they don’t take anything for granted.

My notes from the latest candidate forum, (they were all on tight time limits, so this is a choppy paraphrase):

In response to “How will you commit to working in a bipartisan way:”

Perez-  It is our responsibility to represent you, we’re your voice, we’re your tool- Our responsibility is to vote on behalf of you, not just our party.

negotiation, compromise, experience.  Not easy, must be learned

Need to be able to work with both sides of the aisle

Not always been in agreement in school board

Passed $250 million bond measure, brought all people together from all sides – Have that experience

Policy must come from ground up

It is our responsibility to represent you

OUT OF THE PARK

I wanted an 80th AD Democratic primary debate sponsored by a local news channel, and we never got one.  But Friday night we had a candidate forum at the Rancho Mirage Public Library, and the contrast I’ve been waiting for was apparent.  Not just the 80th but the local Republican candidates for the 37thSD and 64thAD took questions about the budget, bipartisanship, etc.  Having the broader context was great, because the Republican responses make it so obvious why we have to win this seat.  With the exception of Brian Nestande, R for the 64th (though naturally I’m for Paul Rasso), their attitudes on policy are barbaric.  They have learned little from the past years.

From The Desert Sun

The bipartisan group of candidates competing in Tuesday’s primary election for the 37th state Senate district, plus the 80th and 64th Assembly districts took their best shots during a tense candidates forum at the Rancho Mirage Public Library, sponsored by the All Valley Legislative Coalition and the Coachella Valley Economic Partnership.

… Manuel Perez, on balancing the state budget, said it would take a “triad” of actions:

Streamline the government, reform the tax code to close special loopholes on luxury items and corporations, and create jobs locally through a new “green-collar” economy.

All of the Democrats did themselves proud, but Manuel excelled.  He can think on his feet, and he has powerful experience and intelligence to draw upon.  As usual, he was the only candidate to honor all of them as capable of winning the seat and serving the district.



“How do I get the union support you do?” from Rick and “How can you say you’re for accountability when your school district is failing according to NCLB?” from Greg (according to the paper.  Well, Manuel didn’t say what I would have about the union support, namely that all candidates asked for it, but Manuel got it because he’s already a valued partner of labor, education and healthcare unions.  He was much too modest.  As for Greg’s tired refrain parroting Bush on NCLB standards, Manuel was ready.  Paraphrase: “I welcome the accountability,” he said, “but the standards aren’t matched with funding, California doesn’t handle the implementation as well as other states, and NCLB ignores the larger picture.  Our students’ test scores are consistently rising, our teachers are doing a brilliant job, and I initiated the construction of $250 million in new schools to meet the needs of our students.”  

One of Coachella Unified’s students knocked on my door just about an hour ago.  It was Ruben Perez, canvassing for his dad, as are hundreds of volunteers and union activists today.  The Perez family has much to be proud of.

Disclaimer: I volunteer as the Netroots Outreach Coordinator for the Mary Pallant Campaign

Mary Pallant’s campaign (which I have written about here, here, here and elsewhere) got a big new boost today: the endorsement of progressive CA State Senator Sheila Kuehl.

Of course, Sheila Kuehl needs no introduction to regular Calitics readers: she has progressive credentials most of us can only dream of.  She was the first openly gay person in the California legislature, and she has been an incredible advocate for issues across the progressive spectrum from universal healthcare to the environment to civil rights.  Her signature issue of late has been the passage of SB 840, the California Universal Healthcare Act.  Sheila’s bio speaks for itself, of course:

Sheila James Kuehl was elected to the State Senate in 2000 and again in 2004 after serving for six years in the State Assembly. During the 1997-98 legislative session, she was the first woman in California history to be named Speaker pro Tempore of the Assembly. She is also the first openly gay or lesbian person to be elected to the California Legislature. A former pioneering civil rights attorney and law professor, Sen. Kuehl represents the 23rd Senate District in Los Angeles and Ventura Counties. She is the chair of the Senate Health Committee and sits on the Agriculture, Appropriations, Environmental Quality, Joint Rules, Judiciary, Labor and Employment, and Natural Resources and Water Committees.  Ms. Kuehl is also chair of the Select Committee on School Safety and Chair of the Select Committee on the Health Effects of Radioactive and Chemical Contamination.  Senator Kuehl served as chair of the Senate Natural Resources and Water Committee from 2000-2006.

In her thirteen years in the State Legislature, Sen. Kuehl has authored 171 bills that have been signed into law, including legislation to establish paid family leave, establish the rights contained in Roe vs. Wade in California statute, overhaul California’s child support services system; establish nurse to patient ratios in every hospital; require that housing developments of more than 500 units have identified sources of water; further protect domestic violence victims and their children; prohibit discrimination on the basis of gender and disability in the workplace and sexual orientation in education; increase the rights of crime victims; safeguard the environment and drinking water; many, many others.  Since 2003, she has led the fight in the legislature to achieve true universal health care in California, and, in 2006, brought SB 840, the California Universal Healthcare Act,  to the Governor’s desk, the first time in U.S. history a single-payer healthcare bill had gone so far. Undaunted by its veto, Senator Kuehl continues to work to bring universal, affordable, quality health care to all Californians.

The Mary Pallant campaign is obviously honored to have State Senator Kuhl’s endorsement.  As the true progressive in the race to unseat Elton Gallegly in CA-24, the endorsement is a perfect fit for us in our quest to give this district the sort of progressive representation its people deserve.

State Senator Kuehl is another in a long line of Democrats to support Mary’s campaign as we head into the decisive June 3rd primary.  Other endorsements include:

California Labor Federation, AFL-CIO

California Nurses Association, CNA

Calitics Editorial Board A progressive open source news organization for California politics

International Union, United Automobile, Aerospace & Agricultural Implement Workers of America – UAW

Political Action Committee, Cal State University Channel Islands (CSUCI)

Progressive Democrats of America

Progressive Democrats of Ventura County

Progressive Democrats of Los Angeles

Progressive Democrats of Santa Monica Mountains

Individuals:

Cindy Asner , Activist, Board Member for California Clean Money

Jane Bright, Gold Star Families for Peace

Jeff Cohen, Author

Ray Cordova, Chair, South County Labor, AFL-CIO

Maureen Cruise, “Run Mary, Run!” Delegate for the 41st Assembly District

Rebecca Curtis, English Professor, Union Leader SMCFA

Ralph Erikson, Past president Malibu Democratic Club; retired Judge

Richard Francis, Attorney and Founder of SOAR (Save Our Open Space and Agricultural Resources

Lila Garrett, Host, KPFK Connect The Dots

Gary Gray, Professor; Musician/Composer

Susan Haskell, Consultant

Rita Henry

Larry Janss, Community Leader

Jim Kalember, Ex-Officio, 5-term publicly elected Trustee of the Oak Park Unified School District in Ventura County, CA

Sheila Kuehl, State Senator 23rd District California

Coby King, Co-Chair of Rules Committee, California Democratic Party

Hank Lacayo, President, California Congress of Seniors

Leah Lacayo, Ventura County Fair Board

Marie Lakin, NWPC VC

Rick Lebeck, Teacher, CTA Union Member

Sue Lebeck, Teacher, CTA Union Member

Trudi Loh, Attorney, Political Consultant

Ahjamu Makalani, Vice Chair, Progressive Caucus

Margie Murray, Vice President VDU, LACDCC

Jeff Norman, US Tour of Duty – “Mary Pallant is the real deal.  Blessed with a luminous heart and mind, she makes great things happen with seeming ease.  What more do you want?”

Thom O’Shaughnessy, OD Committee, California Democratic Party; Irish American Caucus

Brad Parker, President, Valley Democrats United; Member at Large Progressive Caucus

Fran Pavley, Former Assemblymember 41st AD; current candidate for State Senate District 23 Progressive Democrats of America

Dorothy Reik, President, PDSMM

Scott Ritter, Author, Former Marine, Former Weapons Inspector

Lyn Shaw, Chair, Women’s Caucus California Democratic Party

Carol Smith, RN Mayor, City of Ojai

David Swanson, Washington Director of Democrats.com and of ImpeachPAC.org. He is co-founder of the AfterDowningStreet.org / CensureBush.org coalition, creator of KatrinaMarch.org, and a board member of Progressive Democrats of America.

Norman Solomon, Author of “Made Love, Got War” and “War Made Easy” (How Presidents and Pundits Keep Spinning Us to Death). Nationally syndicated journalist, media critic and antiwar activist.

Wayne Williams, Photographer, Activist

Marsha Williams, Producer

Marcy Winograd, President, PDLA; 41st AD Eboard Rep

If you would like to support Mary’s campaign to take back CA-24, please consider making a donation here.  I’ll be back with a final update on the race after the primary!

Given all the buildup that came before Arnold Schwarzenegger’s May Revise, it may seem surprising that we have heard relatively little about the budget from the state’s media and politicians over the last few weeks. The June primary is partly responsible for this, as Sacramento’s attention is on the various primary contests in legislative districts around the state.

But an even bigger factor is that there does not actually seem to be any budget solution being actively discussed, and certainly none that would realistically solve the budget deficit. Arnold’s May Revise used as its cornerstone a questionable lottery borrowing plan, but as Evan Halper explains in today’s LA Times it is becoming difficult to take the plan seriously:

Californians find the governor’s lottery strategy so distasteful, a recent state poll suggests, that they would rather have their taxes raised. Meanwhile, lawmakers are denouncing the plan as a gimmick, and analysts say it could prove far costlier to the state than Schwarzenegger is letting on.

Voters would have to approve the governor’s proposal. But Mark Baldassare, president of the Public Policy Institute of California, said they meant it when they approved the lottery by ballot measure two decades ago to raise funds solely for schools.

“They don’t see it as money to move around and use for other purposes,” he said.

Administration officials are adamant that schools, the beneficiary of the lottery, would not lose money. Still, the institute released a poll Wednesday showing that only 30% of likely voters support the lottery borrowing (with 8% undecided), while 57% back the 1-cent sales tax increase that Schwarzenegger is grudgingly proposing as a backup if the lottery plan falters.

Although it’s not clear to me whether the 1-cent sales tax increase requires a 2/3 vote, Democrats should take note of that poll result. 57% is a pretty clear majority of Californians, suggesting that concerns voters won’t support higher taxes are overblown at best.

Halper wants to argue this is a sign that voters love their lottery, but the stats suggest otherwise:

California’s lottery is one of the more outdated in the country. And last month lottery officials reported that sales were $275 million below projections for the fiscal year ending this month.

So I don’t think it’s that voters have a strong connection to the lottery. What this instead suggests to me is that voters can see right through gimmicky proposals to provide yet another short-term budget fix, and are instead demanding long-term, permanent solutions.

Combine the lottery bonds’ low poll numbers, the dim prospects that the lottery would ever attain the sales levels necessary for the bond plan to succeed (as the article notes, lotteries need video terminals to achieve high sales figured and the tribal casinos would surely never let that happen), and the lack of enthusiasm around Sacramento for the plan and it seems that Arnold’s budget is DOA.

Unfortunately nobody has yet stepped up in Sacramento to offer an alternative plan. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s administration is a clear failure, but that doesn’t absolve Democrats of their responsibility to provide a coherent alternative. Californians are seeking real solutions, permanent budget fixes that will solve the structural revenue shortfall, protect core services, and position California for success in the 21st century economy. If we don’t solve this now, this state is going to fall permanently behind the rest of the globe, and more and more Californians are beginning to grasp this.

Now would be a good time for Democrats to step up and offer a coherent, long-term budget solution. Propose it before July 1 and start mobilizing public support for it as soon as possible. We know that Republicans will maintain a ridiculous “no new taxes” stance, but that seems to be politically untenable in this climate and is setting them up for big losses in the 2008 elections. Californians deserve a clear choice, and they deserve a budget that is sound, stable, and structurally secure.