by David Dayen [courtesy of Calitics - Front Page]

[courtesy of The California Majority Report]

A fractured Aseembly Public Safety effectively killed Senator Gloria Romero's measure at increasing police transparency, theLos Angeles Times reports, prompting a very public lashing out betweenRomero and three Democrats who "took a walk" on the bill (by justsitting there silently). Fiona Ma of San Francisco voted no.

LA Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa was hob-nobbing and raising money in Gavin Newsom's home turf todayand the list of event co-sponsors (including Willie Brown and KamalaHarris) was "eyebrow raising," according to the San FranciscoChronicle. The fundraiser was for Villaraigosa's mayoral re-electionbid, but could the location and hosts be seen as a snub to Gavin?

Ron Dellums has had a tough transition from lion of a Congressman to mayor of Oakland,where as the Wall Street Journal describes it, most people are moreinterested in filling potholes and stopping gangs than they are aboutthe kind of progressive, national issues Dellums championed inWashington.

There's more... 

[courtesy of California Progress Report]

By Traci Sheehan
Executive Director
Planning and Conservation League

by Nate W [courtesy of Calitics - Front Page]

I posted yesterday about the painful irony of the Fed bailing out egregious greedheads Bear Sterns but refusing to lift a finger to help the majority of states that are falling into the red.

Edit by Brian: Look over the flip.
And its not just Vallejo, now its Los Angeles too:

The difference between a private entity like Bear Sterns and a public one like LA or Vallejo, or California which is facing an enormous deficit of its own, is that public entities do more than employ a lot of people. They also provide essential services to children, the elderly and the ill.

[courtesy of The California Majority Report]

The Pennsylvania primary is upon us, marking the last big prize to be claimed before the convention.

Los Angeles and San Francisco are vying for the title of greenest city, as environmentally-friendly building standards for each face approvalfrom city authorities today. SF Mayor Gavin Newsom's plan is morestringent, but LA Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's covers more land.

Governor Schwarzenegger and some legislators are considering a lottery privatization plan in an effort to alleviate California's budget woes. "I think itwould be a mistake not to have everything on the table when we're insuch a dire situation," remarked Assembly Republican leader MikeVillines. Does that include raising taxes?

There's more...

Image courtesy of Sacbee.com 

by David Dayen [courtesy of Calitics - Front Page]

[courtesy of The California Majority Report]

LA Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa is telling the ICE to back off the local economy, reports the LA Daily News. In a letter to the ICE,the mayor said that responsible businesses which depend on undocumentedworkers for labor should be left alone, and that the agency shouldconcentrate on raiding companies that are suspected of mistreatingworkers instead.

Assemblyman Alberto Torrico  (D-Newark) has withdrawn his bill that would have prevented state pension funds from investing in private firms partly operated by foreign governments with human rights abuses, reports the Sac Bee. The bill was opposed by both CalPERS and CalSTRS, as well as Governor Schwarzenegger.

Meanwhile, the Assembly  Education Committee has passed a bill that would require school textbooks to discuss the history of Hmongs, reports the Sac Bee. The bill, introduced Assemblyman Juan Arambula (D-Fresno) was opposed by three Republicans on the panel.