Posts Tagged ‘California’
California Democrats Want Tax Hikes
Last Updated on Wednesday, 29 September 2010 01:00 Written by rslcpol Wednesday, 26 May 2010 12:48
From LATimes.com:
The Democrats who control the Legislature have fired their opening salvo against Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s spending blueprint, which proposed eliminating California’s welfare program and cutting deeply into other state services, by proposing that the state rely instead on billions of dollars in new taxes to balance the budget.
The Assembly’s Democrats detailed a plan Tuesday that would tax oil companies and borrow billions from the nickel-and-dime deposits that consumers make on recyclable bottles and cans. Tax breaks for businesses that are scheduled to take effect soon would be delayed under the plan.
A day earlier, Democrats in the Senate had begun debating a nearly $5-billion tax plan that would delay the same corporate tax breaks and extend both a hike in personal income taxes and a reduced dependent-care credit that are set to expire in December. Vehicle license fees would rise by $1.2 billion. Taxes on alcohol would increase 60%.
Tags: California | Posted under Dems Behaving Badly, State Legislature News | No Comments
CA: Lt. Governor Candidates get Endorsements
Last Updated on Wednesday, 29 September 2010 01:07 Written by rslcpol Thursday, 20 May 2010 01:06
From ContraCostaTimes:
THE OFFICE OF lieutenant governor is largely whatever the holder makes of it. There are several official duties, including serving on the state Lands Commission, the Ocean Protection Council, the California Commission for Economic Development, the UC Board of Regents and the California State University Board of Trustees.
The lieutenant governor has considerable discretion on how much time and effort he or she wants to spend on any of these areas. What is not discretionary is standing in for the governor and being ready to be governor on an instant’s notice.
We believe that Republican Abel Maldonado, who recently was appointed lieutenant governor, and Democrat Gavin Newsom, mayor of San Francisco, are best prepared for the governorship should it become necessary.
Tags: California | Posted under Lieutenant Governor News | No Comments
CA: Gender and Geography Separates Dems in Lt. Governor Race
Last Updated on Wednesday, 29 September 2010 01:21 Written by rslcpol Monday, 10 May 2010 01:53
From the Sacramento Bee:
They’re both big-city California politicians and self-described progressive Democrats, with endorsements from friends who call them champions of labor, the environment and civil rights.
But Los Angeles City Councilwoman Janice Hahn and San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom aren’t just peas in an ideological pod, albeit with different personalities.
Read more: http://www.sacbee.com/2010/05/10/2738787/gender-geography-separate-foes.html#ixzz0nYPFgYak
Tags: California | Posted under Lieutenant Governor News | No Comments
CA: Lawsuit Seeks to Delay Senate Special Election
Last Updated on Wednesday, 29 September 2010 01:23 Written by rslcpol Monday, 10 May 2010 01:24
From MercuryNews.com:
A lawsuit filed in federal court this morning claims the special election to replace former Sen. Abel Maldonado doesn’t allow sufficient time to prepare the polls and seeks to delay the June 22 contest.
The suit alleges that Monterey County, one of five counties represented by the open Senate seat, would be at odds with the federal Voting Rights Act. Because of past voting problems, Monterey County is required to get federal clearance before holding a special election, but that clearance can take up to 60 days to get and could come after the scheduled election.
“There simply isn’t enough time in the schedule,” said attorney Michael Bien with San Francisco-based Rosen, Bien & Galvan LLP, which submitted today’s suit. “The idea is that if you’re a district required to go through this pre-clearance, there’s supposed to be time to engage the community.” The suit, against Monterey County and the state of California, was filed on behalf of three voters in Monterey County, Maria Buell, Antonio Alvaro Morales, and Guadalupe Joan Perez.
Tags: California | Posted under State Legislature News | No Comments
CA: Dems get another AG Candidate
Last Updated on Wednesday, 29 September 2010 01:30 Written by rslcpol Friday, 30 April 2010 01:30
From LA Times:
The Democratic field for attorney general of California is crowded but mixed, divided among several capable candidates and several who do not have the background or vision worthy of the office. Those who merit serious consideration by voters are San Francisco Dist. Atty. Kamala Harris, former Facebook executive Chris Kelly and Assemblyman Ted Lieu (D-Torrance). The Times sees strengths in all three, but endorses Harris.
AdvertisementTo dispense with the bottom of the field first: Rocky Delgadillo was a deep disappointment as Los Angeles city attorney and has done nothing since to suggest that he would do better in a higher office. Assemblyman Pedro Nava (D-Santa Barbara) has a legislative record to be proud of but offers no compelling vision for the office he’s seeking. Assemblyman Alberto Torrico (D-Newark) is focused almost exclusively on his campaign to pass an oil extraction fee in order to fund education, a perfectly defensible notion but one that has little to do with being attorney general. Attorney Mike Schmier has neither ideas nor experience worth noting.
Tags: California | Posted under Attorney General News | No Comments
CA: Lt. Governor Confirmed
Last Updated on Wednesday, 29 September 2010 01:34 Written by rslcpol Tuesday, 27 April 2010 11:58
From kionRightNow.com:
California Senator Abel Maldonado has just been confirmed as California’s Lt. Governor with a vote of 25 Yes votes to 7 No votes by the California State Senate.
Last week he was approved by the State Assembly.
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger issued the following statement after the State Senate confirmed Abel Maldonado as Lieutenant Governor:
“I commend the California State Senate for acting quickly and setting partisanship aside in confirming Senator Abel Maldonado as Lieutenant Governor. Senator Maldonado is a model of post-partisanship, reaching across the aisle to improve education and strengthen public safety.
Tags: California | Posted under Blog | No Comments
California Assembly Confirms Lt. Governor Nomination
Last Updated on Wednesday, 29 September 2010 01:38 Written by rslcpol Friday, 23 April 2010 11:35
From LATimes:
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s nominee to fill the vacant lieutenant governor’s office cleared his last significant hurdle Thursday, apparently ending a drawn-out political ordeal that had become emblematic of Sacramento’s partisan gridlock.
State Sen. Abel Maldonado (R-Santa Maria) was approved by the Assembly on Thursday and faces a second confirmation vote Monday in the state Senate, but the upper house approved him once before, in February, and is not expected to vote against him now.
Maldonado, who gained notoriety by crossing party lines to vote with majority Democrats for the state budget last year, had to navigate a political minefield of fellow Republicans who called him a traitor for agreeing to tax increases and Democrats bent on denying him the advantage of incumbency in November’s election.
Tags: California | Posted under Lieutenant Governor News | No Comments
CA: Race for Lt. Governor Splits State’s Democrats
Last Updated on Wednesday, 29 September 2010 01:42 Written by rslcpol Monday, 19 April 2010 01:29
From North County Times:
Eager to return Sen. Barbara Boxer to Washington and anoint Jerry Brown as their gubernatorial candidate, California Democrats paid little attention over the weekend to a race that may be crucial to the party’s future.
San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles City Councilwoman Janice Hahn are locked in a heated, under-the-radar primary battle for lieutenant governor, a job with few responsibilities but one that can become a steppingstone to the governor’s seat. The position has remained vacant since Democrat John Garamendi won a seat in Congress last fall.
Newsom, best known for legalizing gay marriage in San Francisco before courts halted the unions, jumped into the primary at the last minute after dropping out of the governor’s race last year. That has forced Hahn to campaign harder despite her family’s strong name recognition in Southern California.
Tags: California | Posted under Lieutenant Governor News | No Comments
California Special Elections Headed to Runoffs
Last Updated on Wednesday, 29 September 2010 01:46 Written by rslcpol Wednesday, 14 April 2010 12:44
From MercuryNews.com:
Special elections to fill two vacant legislative seats in Southern California are both headed to runoffs.
In Riverside County, Republican Assemblyman Bill Emmerson led the field of seven candidates in the 37th Senate District race Tuesday.
Emmerson, 64, led with 41 percent of the vote. He will face American Independent Party candidate Matt Monica, 65, a Desert Sands school board member and Democrat Justin Blake, 56, an actor endorsed by the Democratic Party, in the June 8 runoff.
Republican businessman Russ Bogh followed Emmerson with 22 percent of the vote. Blake was third with 14 percent. Monica had four percent.
Tags: California | Posted under State Legislature News | No Comments
CA: Lt. Governor Candidates Spar Over Contributions
Last Updated on Wednesday, 29 September 2010 02:26 Written by rslcpol Thursday, 18 March 2010 09:16
From LA Times:
L.A. Councilwoman Janice Hahn and San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom may be running for a job often derided as politically impotent, but the Democratic race for lieutenant governor is turning out to be one of the most competitive — and perhaps nastiest — of the primary season.
It all started when Hahn’s campaign consultant, Garry South, took shots at his former client, Newsom, for entering the race last week. Now, Hahn is trying to put a damper of Newsom’s fundraising, arguing that donors who have given to Newsom’s campaign for governor should be barred from giving to his lieutenant governor’s campaign.
Tags: California | Posted under Blog | No Comments