[courtesy of California Progress Report]

By Frank D. Russo

The Dump Denham recall campaign issued the following statement after voters successfully qualified the petition for the ballot, setting the stage for a probable June recall election:

"The voters have caught on to Jeff Denham - they're recalling him for the same reasons people take unsafe toys off the shelf and tainted meat out of supermarkets - because they're no good, and because we deserve better.

“Voters thought they were electing the kind of straight-talking independent the region is known for - but they got just the opposite.

“Denham hasn't been honest about supporting schools, about giving his vote away to special interests or even about his own paycheck.

“Denham keeps pointing fingers at other politicians, but it's voters who put this recall on the ballot, and it's voters who will have the last word. We call that democracy."

The recall effort began after Denham - breaking his pledge to voters - gave his vote on the state's budget to the Senate's Orange County Republican leadership, jeopardizing funding for schools, healthcare and other local services over the objection of Governor Schwarzenegger.

[courtesy of The California Majority Report]

The Assembly Democrats' call for a special session to address the state’s subprime mortgage foreclosure crisis was met by a rather predictable response from the Legislature’s Republican leadership.

According to the Associated Press, Assembly Republican Leader Mike Villines believes the issue should be pushed off until next year, even though lenders filed more than 72,000 notices of default last quarter alone. Senate Republican Leader Dick Ackerman was equally dismissive, saying: "'There is no need for a special session'. ... The Legislature must take care not to overreact and harm the long-term lending market."

Then again, why would the foreclosure crisis be an issue of concern for Ackerman? Senator Ackerman, an "avid sailor," achieved his top legislative priority of the year months ago by helping yacht owners http://www.sacbee.com/110/story/354985.html avoid paying taxes on their luxury boats, a costly loophole with a $45 million annual price tag.

[courtesy of The California Majority Report]

With a water bond proposal sinking (left, like that ship) and health care reform in critical condition, Governor Schwarzenegger might end the fall's special legislativesession with more of a thud than a bang, the Sacramento Bee reports.Some of the blame falls with the Republican leadership, who seem totake delight in watching Arnold fail, but the Governor himselfcertainly lacks the leverage and luster of 2006, an election year

Offset credits as a strategy for reducing emissions can becontroversial, but they seem to work precisely as intended in the caseof Joseph Farms General Manager Carl Morris, who made extra money and generated electricity by covering his ranch's cow manure, the Bee reports. The real test for offsets, however, will come when hard carbon ceilings are enacted.

The Governor has vetoed 78 bills in the last two days, more than at any time this year, including the California Dream Act,which would have allowed the children of illegal immigrants to competefor non-competitive scholarships, as well as bills on wagediscrimination, identity theft, public records and a score of otherissues, writes Frank Russo of the California Progress Report.

There's more...

Photo courtesy of the BBC.

by juls [courtesy of Calitics - Front Page]

(cross-posted from Working Californians)

Yesterday, Speaker Fabian Nunez but out a press release calling with an aggressive tone, calling on Arnold to meet with the legislative leaders on the budget.

ONE WOULD THINK THAT IT WOULD BE APPROPRIATE AT SOME POINT BETWEEN NOW AND THE FIRST OF DECEMBER THE GOVERNOR WOULD CALL A BIG FIVE MEETING SO THAT HIS LEADERSHIP COULD BEGIN TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN THE STALEMATE BETWEEN THE DEMOCRATIC AND THE REPUBLICAN LEADERSHIP ON THE BUDGET.

Arnold did meet with the leadership yesterday, but it appears that little was accomplished.  Democrats often use the California Majority Report to push a message that may not be getting through in the press.  Today there are two pieces up on the Republicans and the budget.  They are clearly ramping up the pressure on them to agree to the Democrat's budget version.

by Julia Rosen [courtesy of Working Californians blogs]

Yesterday, Speaker Fabian Nunez but out a press release calling with an aggressive tone, calling on Arnold to meet with the legislative leaders on the budget.

ONE WOULD THINK THAT IT WOULD BE APPROPRIATE AT SOME POINT BETWEEN NOW AND THE FIRST OF DECEMBER THE GOVERNOR WOULD CALL A BIG FIVE MEETING SO THAT HIS LEADERSHIP COULD BEGIN TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN THE STALEMATE BETWEEN THE DEMOCRATIC AND THE REPUBLICAN LEADERSHIP ON THE BUDGET.

Arnold did meet with the leadership yesterday, but it appears that little was accomplished. Democrats often use the California Majority Report to push a message that may not be getting through in the press. Today there are two pieces up on the Republicans and the budget. They are clearly ramping up the pressure on them to agree to the Democrat's budget version.

Steve Maviglio, the Speaker's spokesman, kicks things off with a faux memo from the Republicans, claiming that the Republicans have already gotten most of what they wanted.

Well, we've done it. We managed to hold the budget up and put the squeeze on the Governor and Democrats. We're still pinching ourselves that we've been able to win so many concessions!

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