Today's Fresh Meat

[courtesy of The California Majority Report]

California's housing slump is having effects on other aspects of the economy. The Sacramento Beereports that employment in the Sacramento region is down in severalsectors, and automobile sales are falling as well.

Assembly Republican Mike Villines (R-Clovis) is hoping that his budget deal with Democrats will hold up,but he's taking flaq from conservatives. Senator George Runner(R-Lancaster) said that the deal "left some serious policy and fiscalissues on the table."

Dan Walters criticizes the 15 "trailer bills" accompanying the budget for undermining democracy. The trailers includeSB 86, which requires that new buildings meet the standards of aprivate organization. "If the Legislature wants to impose greenbuilding rules on state agencies, it should do it, or at least givethat authority to some other publicly accountable agency. Handing it toa private group in a sneakily drafted bill is simply undemocratic,"writes Walters.

There's more...

Image courtesy of the Sacramento Bee.