Hey, a caller on Talk of the Nation mentioned Calitics in a story about the budget crisis and state budget problems across the nation. Story and Audio here, our mention comes at about 15 minutes in. (h/t to Wes) We always love good press.
• Euna Lee and Laura Ling, the CurrentTV journalists, were convicted by the North Korean Central Court. Lisa Ling, a host on The View, spoke at the commencement of National University. After the commencement she spoke to reporters about her sister, Laura. Meanwhile, Secretary Clinton is pressuring the North Koreans to pardon and deport the journalists.
• George Skelton gets at the Nightmare scenario that the proposed budget cuts will bring, and closes with a totally dishonest statement, that those who accused Arnold and the legislature of “scare tactics” with respect to the May 19 election are getting their comeuppance. He knows damn well that the special election would have only dealt with just a fraction of the near-term budget gap, including through making cuts in other programs (mental health and First Five), and that saying the world will end if we don’t fill less than 25% of a huge budget gap with wrongheaded solutions having the effect, through a spending cap that would have filled 0.0% of that gap, of keeping those SSI cuts you mention permanent, is a scare tactic. Thanks for enabling it through losing the context, George.
• Calbuzz has a new URL. Set your bookmarks. And then tell them to offer full-post RSS feeds, because to do otherwise is absurd, and certain Calitics editors won’t bother to click through and pad your stats.
• A well-written story about a California Budget Project Report concerning the billion corporate tax cut that the February budget created.
• Wow, talk about bad timing, CalSTRS is coming, hat in hand, to the legislature. Due to the downturn in the markets, they need additional contributions to close the future gap.
• After the LA Times finally brought notice to the fact that there were enough medical marijuana dispensaries in Los Angeles to make pot practically legal, the City Council has finally decided to engage in a crackdown, thus going after one of the only growth small business sectors of the local economy.
• Apple held a big hullabaloo in San Francisco this morning. Silicon Valley’s big man on campus revealed a new iPhone. Perhaps with all that money banging around Cupertino, you think they could hook a state government up?
• Arnold’s solution for community colleges? Why, that would be replacing full-time instructors with part-timers. Part-time instructors are cheaper, yes. But quality variations are enormous, as well as the question of accessibility. This is not a simple swap that he is trying to suggest will be a boon to the districts.
• Newt Gingrich thinks because voters rejected Prop 1A with a No Vote of 64% that all of these people will vote for Republicans. Um, think again.
• Condolences to CA-48 candidate Beth Krom and her family on the tragic passing of her son.
• And if you want to be truly embarrassed for your state, watch LA and Orlando politicos Maxine Waters and Corrine Brown talking, um, “smack,” about the NBA Finals.