We’ve been focused on the Special today, but there’s other news from around the state:
• Joel Kotkin, one of the many Chamber friends in the media, doesn’t like AB 32, calling it a “draconian Assembly bill aimed to offset global warming by capping greenhouse gas emissions–a measure that seems designed to discourage productive industry.” Apparently Mr. Kotkin hasn’t seen or heard any of Al Gore’s work, or looked around the world for a while. Green jobs are the next big growth industry, and AB 32, designed and supported by major Republicans and Democrats, is California’s ticket to being a leader in the industry. Either way, Kotkin doesn’t really take a long view, apparently a little sea level rise never hurt anybody, or, um, wait…
• Shane Goldmacher is leaving the Bee for the LA Times Capitol Bureau.
• The Sac Bee ed board has decided that the worst thing any company could possibly provide for their employees is time to eat lunch. I mean, of all things! Can’t they keep working while we hook them up to feeding tubes? Clearly this is worth going to war over.
• An inmate in Imperial County has contracted swine flu, leading to a total suspension of all prison visits. Fortunately we have such a crackerjack prison health care system that this will all be cleared up in a matter of days. Meanwhile, George Skelton is right – anyone in California affected with H1N1 deserves treatment, as a medical imperative to protect the rest of the state. Which of course is where the right-wing arguments about “illegals” always breaks down. I look forward to reading about Skelton’s mail on Thursday.
• In addition to Jane Harman, the Swing State Project’s PVI/Vote index shows that Howard Berman votes well to the right of his district, while Bob Filner votes well to the left. The data also show multiple Republicans in moderate districts voting like total wingnuts, such as Dana Rohrabacher, Brian Bilbray and John Campbell. Check it out.
• The Feds want Wells Fargo to get some additional cash, as the stress tests show that they are undercapitalized.