[courtesy of The California Majority Report]

History will be made today at the state capitol when current Assembly Majority Leader Karen Bass (D-Los Angeles, District 47) is sworn in as the first African-American female Speaker of the California Assembly. She will be the first African-American female to hold such a high legislative post anywhere in the United States. Speaker-elect Bass will have just about 24 hours before she will know the extent of the state’s financial crisis. Governor Schwarzenegger is scheduled to release his revised budget proposal Wednesday afternoon.  Speaker-elect Bass says, regarding the state budget deficit, she’s concerned but hopeful that a balanced approach of spending cuts and new revenues can be hammered out.

[courtesy of California Progress Report]

In this week’s Democratic weekly radio address, Assistant Assembly Majority Leader Kevin de Leon explains why he authored Assembly Bill 31, a bill that will restore and expand urban parks for predominately low-income communities by using Proposition 84 funds.

For more details about AB 31, the Community and Neighborhood Park Revitalization Act of 2007, click here

[courtesy of The California Majority Report]

Democratic Assembly Majority Leader Karen Bass continued the Courage Campaign's drive to get Presidential candidates to answer questions important to California voters in the upcoming presidential primary. Ms. Bass focuses on foster care and education in her video for the campaign's "ATM campaign," which is trying to get California to be used for other than fundraisers.

[courtesy of The California Majority Report]

Speaker Fabian Nunez spoke in favor of AB 8, his health care proposal, before the Assembly Health Committee today. Other members speaking in behalf included Assembly Majority Leader Karen Bass and Assemblymembers Hector De La Torre, Ed Hernandez, and Kevin de Leon. AB 8 passed out of committee on a party line vote.