[courtesy of California Progress Report]

Many Provisions Take Effect Immediately—More Action on Predatory Lending Needed as Loan Modifications Increase in State

By Frank D. Russo

Yesterday was a busy news day for homeowners with failing subprime mortgages. The legislature, the Department of Corporations, and consumer groups were all out in front with newsworthy items.

The California Senate sent Senator Don Perata's foreclosure legislation (SB 1137), coauthored by Assembly Speaker Karen Bass and other Democrats, to Governor Schwarzenegger on a 32-8 vote with all Democrats in support, joined by 7 Senate Republicans. All eight votes in the Senate against it were cast by Republicans.

[courtesy of California Progress Report]

By Julius Young

Aides to Governor Schwarzenegger have recently announced proposals for a small increase in payments to permanently disabled workers. The proposed fix is inadequate and, even if implemented, will not replace the need for the legislative solution proposed by Senator Don Perata, SB 1717.

Since 2005, several studies have shown that permanent disability benefits have been reduced by over 60%. Overall , California comp insurers take between 60-70 cents out of each premium dollar for overhead and profit while workers medical benefits and monetary payments are somewhere between 30 -41 cents out of the dollar. System administration costs and carrier profits now truly dwarf the benefits for workers for which the system was designed. And permanent partial disability payments are only a small fraction of benefits paid out (medical treatment and temporary total disability payments being the larger payouts). Employer premiums have been reduced substantially, but reductions have not been passed along to employers to the degree that might have been expected.

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

[courtesy of California Progress Report]

I Guess Republicans Just Like “War”…

By Bill Cavala
A veteran of over 30 years in Sacramento

I don’t know how Senator Perata sleeps nights. Not only has he been subjected to the world’s longest phony investigation by the world’s most partisan US Attorney and Justice Department, now he’s the target of State GOP Chair, Ron Nehring.

It seems Nehring blames Senator Perata for the forthcoming recall election against Senator Jeff Denham.

Now it is valid to say that Perata contributed to the cost of putting paid petition signature gatherers on the streets. But Perata didn’t pay anyone to sign those petitions.

It was local registered voters in Denham’s Senate District who necessitated this recall election.

Nehring’s call for a Republican uprising in all 58 Counties of California only adds to the picture of an elected official abandoned by his own people. Why isn’t there a call to mobilize the GOP activists in Salinas?

by Julia Rosen [courtesy of Working Californians blogs]

Today was the day the AB 1x1 was to be brought up in the Senate Health Committee. It didn't. Senator Don Perata asked to delay the vote until Monday since there were not enough votes to pass the bill. To complicate matters the Legislative Analyst came out with her report that had enough consternation about cost containment for the state that it made Senators nervous about moving forward. AP:

Given the Democrats' resistance, it seemed unlikely Perata could obtain the votes without changing the composition of the 11-member panel, although he has said he does not plan to do so. The committee's four Republican members have been opposed to the bill as an expensive and unnecessary expansion of government into the private health care system.

Democrats also sounded queasy about the potential expense, and they sought assurances that the state would not be saddled with new costs.

"It just seems to me that we go into it with a little more certainty of what the price might be," said Sen. Darrell Steinberg, D-Sacramento. "Otherwise we don't go forward."

read more »

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

The Dump Denham campaign came to life in the midst of last year's budget wrangling, helped in no small part by Senator Don Perata.  Well Jeff Denham may or may not ultimately face recall, but he'll be termed out in 2010 if he lasts that long, and it looks like Democrats have themselves a challenger ready.  It seems that Assemblymember Cathleen Galgiani recently moved into Denham's Senate district.

Galgiani, who succeeded the ever-popular Barbara Matthews in 2006, says she just wants to live closer to the center of her Assembly District, but it certainly is convenient that she also happens to enter SD-12.  Denham's district is at or near the top of nearly every Dem-target list for the near future, especially as the 2/3 rule collides with the year's budget crisis.

Just a hunch, but I'm guessing that budget flexibility is going to become a bigger issue over the course of the year, what with that whole budget shortfall thing.  And healthcare funding.  And Indian Gaming compacts.  Might just be that ambition is finding a place in all this.

[courtesy of California Progress Report]

Perata Speaks Directly with the Governor on SB 94

Shannon Smith-Crowley of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, speaking yesterday in support of SB 94 with Carla Kakutani, MD, California Academy of Family Physicians, Kathy Kneer of Planned Parenthood, Mandy Benson, President of the California Chapter of the National Women's Caucus, Senator Don Perata and others listening.

By Frank D. Russo

It's not a lot of money compared with the billions of dollars that normally make the headlines from Sacramento, but the $3.2 million dollars in SB 94 (Kuehl) for family planning is needed to prevent unwanted pregnancies, thousands of human tragedies, and to deal with the increased rats of sexually transmitted diseases form Chlamydia to gonorrhea to HIV/AIDS. And from a purely fiscal standpoint it makes sense--it will no only draw down $9 million in federal matching funds, but will save California's taxpayers many more times moreover from what we will otherwise have to pay for in dealing with problems at the "back end" that are preventable.

Clinics throughout California are turning away 10,000 patients a month because they simply don't have the capacity to provide these preventive health care services.