Have a great, and safe, new year. Here are some links:
* The Riverside Press notes that few statewide candidates come from the Inland Empire.
* Elected leaders from Costa Mesa are meeting with Gov. Schwarzenegger to discuss the proposed sale of the OC fairgrounds.
* Mixed news for the transport sector in California: Good news at the Port of Oakland. On the other hand, the port truckers and some trucking firms are having a rough time due to the slowdown in consumption.
Links:
* The State Bar couldn’t identify the source of the early leak about former Sen, now court of appeal judge, Chuck Poochigian’s not qualified rating.
* Timm Herdt takes a look at the California Republican party in the post-Schwarzenegger era.
* The plan to build a nuclear energy facility near Fresno is gaining steam. It will be several years before ground is ever broken, but the process has begun in earnest.
* CalPERS has officially tightened its rules regarding investment decisions.
* The death of a child has the LA County Child Protection system under scrutiny. It is a very challenging job, and one mistake could result in a disaster like this. All the while, the social workers are underpaid and their resources are being slashed in the budget fights.
Links:
* Here’s the 60 Minutes report on California’s Water Situation. As wes points out, this could have been a lot better researched.
* Greg Lucas takes a look at a recent PPIC poll to point out the importance of DTS voters in the 2010 elections.
* It looks like casinos suffer in recessions too. Jackson Rancheria laid off some workers yesterday.
* Hey, but there is one industry doing booming business: firearms. Sales are up big!
* Dr. Larry Bedard looks at physician shortages across the state. It’s a big problem, and Medi-Cal cuts exacerbate it.
Links:
* George Skelton has some potential resolutions for the denizens of the Capitol.
* The LA Times takes a look at CA-03 and Dan Lungren’s (real or perceived?) vulnerabilities.
* SacBee has a story on Placer County Republican Chair Tom Hudson. Quite the activist, that one. He has even helped to primary some local Republicans from the perch.
* Some net positive predictions for the OC housing market over the next year, but some downside risk is still there.
Links:
• CalPIRG thinks the health care bill could be better, but will support it overall.
• Bah Humbug! Don’t light fires tomorrow in the Bay Area, there’s a spare the air day in effect.
• The federal and the state California population estimates are separated about 1.5 million people. The argument should be mostly settled by the census next year.
• The Anthony Adams recall effort has been officially abandoned, as they won’t sue the state over the sampling figures.
Things are obviously a bit quiet around here, but feel free to say what’s on your mind here. Some news-y links:
• John Wildermuth picks Sen. Steinberg as his Californian of the Year. While progressives across the state have disagreed with the Sen. President Pro Tem, it is hard to argue that he has anything but the best of intentions. Wildermuth also takes shots at the Fiorina campaign for announcing that Sen. Boxer is…umm…a Democrat.
• The NRCC is doing some holiday robocalls, nothing like a little anti-stimulus jibber jabber to wash down the egg nog. The OC Register caught one against Loretta Sanchez.
• Sen. Gloria Negrete McLeod digs her moderate tag. Apparently, it is super awesome that a Democrat got a 5 out of 15 on the Sierra Club Scorecard.
• Delecia Holt, who ran in several Congressional elections, was convicted of a number charges, including writing bad checks.
• The Con environmentalist perspective on the Tranquillion Ridge project. CalBuzz had the pro perspective yesterday.
Links:
• This is old, but I forget to post it earlier. Jackie Speier’s better know a district segment from the Colbert report was really, really funny.
• Whoops! The State Auditor released the names of California state organizations that overhyped job savings from the stimulus.
• CA-11 sock puppets. A staffer for a losing Republican in the primary apparently went around to blogs attacking the other candidates.
• CalBuzz is posting pro and con arguments from environmentalists regarding the Tranquillion Ridge project. Today, Environmental Defense’s Linda Krop takes the pro position.
Links:
• Arnold may not agree with President Obama on everything, but he likes his moxie. Asked on CNN, what he thought of the new presidency, Arnold said, “He’s out there with tremendous energy and he’s selling his ideas. And he has great enthusiasm there. He’s a great speaker, a great communicator.”
• Good news for Tiger Woods! Rep. Joe Baca says he will bring back his bill honoring him when he “cleans up his act.”
• Skelton likes Speaker Elect John Perez, but notes that he has a lot of obstacles to overcome.
• CalPERS has made a bit of a comeback. After losing $100 billion, they made back $40 and now stand at just over $200 billion.
Links for your weekend:
• The federal court case regarding Prop 8 might end up being broadcast on TV. It’s part of an experimental program, so it’s not final yet.
• Joel Fox gives his take on the latest stats on who is applying for the redistricting commission. You can view the full stats here, but we need to see a lot more diversity on this panel. A lot more, or we’re going to end up with a totally unrepresentative body.
• An LA Times profile of Speaker-elect John Perez.
• Under a recent Supreme Court ruling, we should be seeing more judges recusing themselves based on campaign contributions and financial interests.
Links:
• More talk about a possible switch from the Governor’s race to the Senate Race for Tom Campbell.
• California PUC Chair Michael Peevey was confirmed by Senate Rules Cmte.. The nomination will go to the floor, where he should be confirmed easily. The nomination of Rachelle Chong still looks to be a longshot now.
• CalPERS lower than expected state fee increase will do less damage than expected to the budget, but will put the fund at some risk with a low funded ratio.
• Speaking of CalPERS, there was a recent election for a seat on the board, and J.J. Jelincic defeated Cathy Hackett, SEIU Local 1000’s candidate, by a hair. Jelinic had support from several other major unions.