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June 29 Open Thread

To the links:

• GM is pulling out of NUMMI, its joint venture with Toyota. There had been rumors that Toyota might build some of the new Prius models there, but that was quashed. No word on what the job situation will be in the plant in Fremont.

• Those trees growing on the levees in the Central Valley have to go, according to the Army Corps of Engineers.  Hopefully they won’t replace them with newspaper, the way they did in New Orleans.

• Dan Walters seems moved by the PPIC report that the half-billion-dollar enterprise zone program has no effect on employment and instead constitutes a set of useless tax breaks.  Sadly, this program was not cut by Democrats or the Governor in their budget proposals.  At the very least, tax break programs like these should have a sunset so they can be assessed for effectiveness.

• The SEIU State Council endorsed LG John Garamendi in his bid for CA-10. In some respects, it seems the big labor endorsements are being split between Garamendi and DeSaulnier.  We should see how the money is flowing after the Q2 reports emerge.

• Pay as you drive auto insurance could be coming to California shortly, by the end of the year.  This could make sense for people who don’t use their car very much, although I doubt it will impact congestion.

• CREDO Mobile is encouraging public comment against the reinstatement of the death penalty, and they make a compelling case.  The deadline is tomorrow, so get your cracks in.  The ACLU, who argues that the death penalty will cost the state $1 billion over 5 years, is planning a statewide Day Of Action To End The Death Penalty tomorrow.  More info on that here.

• After bowing out of the governor’s race, Mayor Villaraigosa is now laying out his plans for Los Angeles for his second term.

• Oooh, jobs for Michigan. Apparently, Michigan Governor Granholm wrote a letter about sending prisoners to empty prisons there.  Wow, “empty prisons.” That’s not a phrase you hear around here very often.

• It’s about a week old, but Joe Matthews’ take on a “bailout” for California is worth reading.