Beware the day before the Ides of May!

• CapAlert is compiling responses to the Governer’s Budget “Summary.

• This was a few days ago, but a group from SEIU Local 1000 protested Roger Niello’s nakedly political holdup of their contract deal by picketing one of his car dealerships in Sacramento.  Given the state of the US auto industry, they were probably the first people on the lot in weeks.

• Apparently Duncan Hunter’s son had his coming out party on Hardball today, and he is cut from the same wingnutty cloth.  As John Cole says, “Not sure what is up with California Republicans, but you all have distilled them down to liquid crazy.”  True dat.

• Good story from the NY Times about groundwater rights in the Central Valley.  The surface water has been basically accounted for, and so farmers drill down to find what they need, and it’s not a sustainable solution.

• Looks like the Governor is leaving no stone unturned to fund his unsuccessful special election – now Big Tobacco has kicked in some cash.  They were spared higher taxes in the budget deal, like many of the corporations funding the Yes side.  The irony here is that Prop. 1D would raid First Five funds DERIVED from cigarette taxes.

• DiFi introduced a bill for farmworker amnesty It’s not a real resolution to our immigration issues, but it’s a decent start.

• Los Angeles Magazine called Villaraigosa a failure, and even before he’s declared his candidacy for Governor. Ouch! But, that being said, it’s nothing that the Bay Guardian hasn’t said about the SF Mayor.

• Normally in this space we insult Abel Maldonado, but I’ll take a moment to thank him for his vote of support for Harvey Milk Day, thanks to compelling testimony from “Milk” screenwriter Dustin Lance Black.

• LA Weekly asks whether LAPD Chief Bratton’s endorsements are a good thing for the City and the Department.