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

The Orange County Register has an editorial today whose title says it all: "No budget better than bad budget".

It's a real doozy, but I wonder if it represents the real Republican Senators' (minus one) attitudes about this whole mess we are in. What's the big deal if there's no budget--who needs state government anyway? Republican State Senators are issuing press releases with nice statements that they really care about all those clinics that are not being paid, they really care about those less fortunate in our state, and they really want to protect the environment. They say they want action on global warming--and are actually citing language from AB 32, the landmark law passed last year to reduce greenhouse gases--that none of them voted for (and that they don't want enforced until 2012).

But strip away the varnish on this, and I wonder if this comment to one of our articles doesn't really reflect what's going on here:

by jsw [courtesy of Calitics - Front Page]

Today's Blog Roundup is on the flip. Let me know what I missed.

To subscribe by email, href="http://www.feedburner.com/fb/a/emailverifySubmit?feedId=658390">click
here and do what comes naturally.

[courtesy of California Progress Report]

By Fabian Nunez
Speaker of the California Assembly

Today I visited the Birthing Project in Sacramento, a health clinic a few blocks away from the State Capitol. The Birthing Project staff works very hard on behalf of their clients to increase healthy pregnancies and successful births – something you’d think typically anti-choice Republican politicians would rhapsodize about. Instead, the Birthing Project and health clinics like it throughout California -- who treat newborns and seniors and everyone in between -- are in danger of closing their doors or eliminating services because a handful of Republican State Senators are refusing to provide one additional vote to pass the state budget.

With Senate Republicans holding out on the budget, state payments to keep clinics like the Birthing Project open stopped two weeks ago. For facilities that only get by on the skin of their teeth anyway, not getting these state funds is a huge blow. The harm caused to clinics like these is totally unnecessary and totally reversible -- as soon as one more Republican member of the State Senate does his job, finds his conscience, and votes for the state budget.

by Speaker Fabian N??ez [courtesy of Calitics - Front Page]

[courtesy of The California Majority Report]

(Cross-posted at California Progress Report and Calitics). 

Today I visited the Birthing Project in Sacramento, a health clinic a few blocks away from the State Capitol. The Birthing Project staff works very hard on behalf of their clients to increase healthy pregnancies and successful births -- something you’d think typically anti-choice Republican politicians would rhapsodize about. Instead, the Birthing Project and health clinics like it throughout California -- who treat newborns and seniors and everyone in between -- are in danger of closing their doors or eliminating services because a handful of Republican State Senators are refusing to provide one additional vote to pass the state budget.

With Senate Republicans holding out on the budget, state payments to keep clinics like the Birthing Project open stopped two weeks ago. For facilities that only get by on the skin of their teeth anyway, not getting these state funds is a huge blow. The harm caused to clinics like these is totally unnecessary and totally reversible -- as soon as one more Republican member of the State Senate does his job, finds his conscience, and votes for the state budget.

[courtesy of California Progress Report]

By Frank D. Russo

Over the last month, we have received a number of inquiries as to when the California state budget will be passed, many with personal stories of how our readers are affected.

Please note: I have no inside pipeline as to when the budget will pass, and I don’t believe at the moment anyone can do more than speculate. If there is any breaking news, it will be reported right away. Lately, some Republican State Senators have floated the idea of a temporary budget bill, similar to the continuing resolutions used by the U.S. Congress. This has never been tried before and only gives more leverage to the holdout minority that is blocking the budget from passing.

The budget has already passed the California Assembly with the support of both Democrats and Republicans, but has fallen one vote short of the two-third’s vote needed in the Senate. Only one Republican State Senator, Abel Maldonado, has voted for it, despite please from Governor Schwarzenegger. Two Republican Senators are needed for passage. The rest of their lot, called the “gang of 14” by some, have taken a pledge only to vote for it if a majority of them are willing to do so.