[courtesy of California Progress Report]

By Judy Darnell
State Advocacy Director
United Ways of California

When the May Revise is released, there is sure to be some bad budget news for everyone. But, even in tough budget times, the Legislature and Governor must set priorities and a top priority must be children’s health. Our leaders should work to ensure that this year’s budget decisions do not result in more children losing health coverage because it not only hurts kids, but will also make our state’s bottom line even worse.

While all the details of the May Revise are not yet known, current budget proposals put the health of more than 500,000 California children at risk and would increase the ranks of uninsured children by 60%. Two flawed policy proposals are responsible for these troublesome numbers.

by Brian Leubitz [courtesy of Calitics - Front Page]

I'm really proud of the growth and improvement of the Calitics Show. I like to think that the podcast is becoming an exciting new medium for some good Calitics content. We've interviewed candidates and elected officials from across the state, and covered some of the major issues and races in the state.

This Monday, we have another exciting show. We will have both candidates for SD-23 Assembly member Lloyd Levine and former Assembly member Fran Pavley LIVE! We want to use this as a chance to discuss important policy issues facing the state, such as our worsening budget situation, the challenges facing our environment, the energy crisis and whatever issues they or YOU care to bring up.  We'll have time for just a few callers. The number is available at the Calitics Show Page. Also, if you have questions, feel free to leave them as comments to this post.

[courtesy of California Progress Report]

By Frank D. Russo

There has been a lot of democracy in Sacramento in action this week. Throngs of California citizens from every walk of life and every corner of the state have been walking the hallways of the Capitol, with many of them paying a visit to their elected officials—mostly about the state budget, but also on other issues.

On all four sides of the state Capitol building, the steps have been working overtime with assemblages of some of these folks, hearing speeches, giving speeches, and being fired up before making their pilgrimage inside to see legislators. Often, multiple rallies are going on at the same time. Tourists and classes of students are also wandering about while others are a bit more earnest in trying to get their message heard while legislators and their staffs scurry about to floor sessions and committee hearings.

But there were some letters posted on the door of Senator Jenny Oropeza that caught my eye and I couldn’t resist asking Ray Sotero about the letters. I learned an interesting story behind them.

by Brian Leubitz [courtesy of Calitics - Front Page]

by Julia Rosen [courtesy of Calitics - Front Page]

by Julia Rosen [courtesy of Working Californians blogs]

It's been just about two weeks since the Senate collapsed. Sad to say, that we might even be further away from a solution. Let's look at this mess in a bit of a random order. Lot's of things going on, even if there has been absolutely no progress.

14 Senators are holding up the budget until a majority of their far right cohort agrees to the deal, even though we only need one more vote. Essentially they are requiring that 74% of the legislature approves of the final budget. The two-thirds budget requirement is arcane as it is, but to require near unanimous consent is just absurd.

by Robert in Monterey [courtesy of Calitics - Front Page]

The big news out of Sacramento this week, aside from the worsening budget situation, is movement on health care reform. As was liveblogged here yesterday, Sheila Kuehl's Senate subcommittee held a public hearing and vote on AB 8, the less ambitious effort to reform health care by bringing more people into private insurance. As that hearing revealed, one of the most common statements from groups offering conditional support was that cost containment was a necessity - without it the bill was worthless, and many of the groups present would come out in opposition to it.

Cost containment is the key to AB 8. It's the devil that lurks in the details. It's worth a further look, if we are to believe that AB 8 is something that we who support real health care reform should help with our time and effort.