[courtesy of California Progress Report]

By Beth Capell

Wednesday morning, without taking testimony, the Senate Budget Subcommittee chaired by Senator Elaine Alquist, with Senator Alex Padilla concurring, voted to eliminate funding for the drug discount program.

At noon time, I came back to the office and looked at the blog post by my colleague, Hanh Quach, with that wonderful picture of Governor Schwarzenegger signing the bill, framed on either side by supporters including Anthony Wright, Health Access executive director, and Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez, who stepped down from that position a week ago yesterday.

I found it hard to believe that only a week after Nunez had stepped down as Speaker, the Assembly would just agree with the Senate and eliminate funding for the drug discount program that every article on his tenure as Speaker cited as one of his major accomplishments.

At 1:30pm, I found out I was wrong. The Assembly Budget Subcommittee convened and we discovered that they too planned to eliminate funding, in the technical language of the legislature, “conforming” to the Senate action. Things can move quickly around the Capitol.

I noticed that somehow the drug companies had found out that they were about to win a delay in this program that they had fought so hard to stop—I saw several of their lobbyists in the back of the hearing room.

[courtesy of California Progress Report]

By Jim Metropulos
Sierra Club California

Environmentalists and California’s legislative leaders are disappointed with the direction the Building Standards Commission has chosen to take with its recent amendments to the 2007 California Building Standards Code, and with its draft Green Building Standards.

At a meeting May 6 in Natomas, the commissioners will hear comments on the rules, just before adopting them. Sierra Club California will join other environmental groups in denouncing the voluntary standards.

Instead of adopting strong, industry-wide rules that would put California at the forefront of green technology, the BSC tinkered with a few energy conservation and public housing rules and let most commercial and residential builders off the hook. If adopted, these rules would already be considered outmoded by those cities and counties that have put much stronger standards in place – and could discourage the growth of genuinely green construction companies and suppliers.

As global warming looms and energy prices spike, it’s the wrong time for “business as usual” at the BSC. Adopting tough standards now will provide a strong foundation for the 2010 building code change.

[courtesy of The California Majority Report]

Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez will outline a compromise package today that includes redistricting reform, a budget-time fundraising ban, and a revised attempt at tweaking term limits.

The redistricting component features an independent 17-member "hybrid" commission. No legislators will serve on the panel, with the majority picked randomly from a screened pool with no legislative influence and eight others picked by legislative leaders. Unlike the Voters First initiative that may appear on the November ballot, this proposal requires diversity in every step of the process and puts the Voting Rights Act first and foremost among the criteria in selecting districts. There's also a host of transparency and public input provisions.

The term limits provision is similar to Prop 93, but excludes the provisions that protected many incumbents that drew criticism. It reduces the maximum amount of time a person can serve in the Legislature from 14 years to 12 years, allowing  a legislator to serve all their time in one house.

There's also a fundraising blackout period prohibiting campaign contributions to legislators and the Governor from May 15th until the budget is enacted.

The proposal will be included in two pieces of legislation: ACA 1, which includes the bulk of the proposal, and AB 3069, which contains a statutory provision relating to the new redistricting commission.

by Lucas O'Connor [courtesy of Calitics - Front Page]

I'll let folks draw their own conclusions and pick their own fights for the most part, but I thought this poll was pretty interesting (favorable/unfavorable/net):

California Nurses Association/Nurses: 53/15/+35

California Hospital Assn./Hospitals: 33/30/+3

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger: 40/40/0

Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez: 20/29/-8

Chamber of Commerce/Business Groups: 25/36/-11

News Media: 28/46/-18%

Republican State Legislative Leaders: 22/48/-26

Health Insurance Companies: 16/55/-39

I will throw a few rather obvious ones out along with one that may be less so. One- people don't care much for politicians. Two- they care even less for the media, which is interesting as the media keeps cutting back on news coverage. Three- they HATE insurance companies, which makes me wonder why anyone keeps trying to keep them in the equation.

Also, CNA's numbers are pretty darn impressive. Some of that is that people just like nurses I would imagine. But average Californian on the street, if they have an actual opinion of CNA proper, it's likely to be an opinion on single-payer. Which makes me think that, given the opportunity, people might be pretty supportive of single-payer.

[courtesy of California Progress Report]

By Frank D. Russo

With a lot of work to do cleaning up our environment and the California economy needing a lift and the creation of more jobs—good paying ones—this is a marriage made in heaven. California legislators in the Assembly and Senate announced this week an ambitious package of bills to create “green collar” jobs, backed by our state’s environmental business leaders.

Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez started off the press conference with his fellow Democrats joking, “It looks like St. Patrick’s Day is coming early this year – because what you’re seeing today with this package of bills, is the legislature working to turn the California economy green. Just like AB 32, I want California to again lead the nation – this time by getting out in front with a comprehensive strategy to spur green business and advance green collar jobs for Californians in everything from high tech work in the lab, to installing one of our million solar roofs to weatherizing homes and businesses.” At the same time, Senate President pro Tem Don Perata announced a package of four bills by different authors that will be considered in that house.

AB 32 is California’s landmark greenhouse gas reduction bill, passed in 2006, that was authored by Nunez and is a model for other states.

[courtesy of California Progress Report]

First Black Woman to Lead Assembly at End of This Year’s Session

By Frank D. Russo

Assembly Democrats are scheduled to go into a private caucus meeting around 9:30 a.m., shortly after the Assembly convenes and elect Karen Bass, a two term legislator from Los Angeles to assume the Speakership at the end of this year’s legislative session in August. There will be a press conference announcing the action of the majority Democrats—as Bass has letters of support from at least 25 of its 48 members and beat out 10 other competitors for the job.

She won the support of her fellow lawmakers by talking to them one on one, sometimes spending hours with them. She did not wage a public campaign. I tried to draw her out and this is all she would say: “Selecting the next Speaker for the State Assembly is an internal process and should not be played out in the media. What’s important is to maintain the stability and harmony of the institution especially in the midst of the fiscal crisis.”

Methodically, in the same manner as she has handled legislation as Majority Leader, Bass thus becomes the second most powerful elected leader in California government—overshadowed only by the Governor of the state.

[courtesy of California Progress Report]

By David Dayen
d-day

I am firmly committed to getting a 2/3 majority in both houses of the state Legislature by 2010. Fabian Nunez believes that, in the Assembly, we can get halfway there by November.

Speaking at the Sacramento Press Club last week, Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez said Democrats should add three seats to their 48-32 majority in the California Assembly in November's elections.

Nunez made the prediction after new figures from the Secretary of State show a surge in Democratic registrations in all but two Assembly districts, including three held by incumbent Republicans who will be forced to leave office.

They include the desert/Riverside area seat held by Assemblywoman Bonnie Garcia, the San Diego seat of Assemblywoman Shirley Horton, and the Contra Costa/Sacramento Delta seat held by Assemblyman Guy Houston.