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OT- Calif. politics.
MONDAY MORNING MEMORANDUM
By Assemblyman Ray Haynes
July 28, 2003

Kooky, Extremist, Fringe
Democrats with Goofy Ideas

The biggest story this week (besides the recall) was the "secret" meeting of
several Democrats in which they plotted to hold up the budget for political
gain. This would cause people pain, so they would then try to blame
Republicans for shutting down the government, and hopefully increase the
pressure sufficiently to force Republicans to vote for tax increases. They
also thought it would bolster their chances of reducing the number of votes
needed to pass a budget through an initiative which may be on the March
ballot. Of course, they held this meeting in the Capitol, and left the
microphone on in the meeting room. Just about every office, the entire
press corps, and most of the lobbying community then heard the discussions
held in their secret meeting. I guess you could chalk up another political
blunder to term limits. The entire event was a rookie mistake.

In trying to defuse the situation, the Director of Finance from the
Governor's Office, referred to them simply as "kooky, extremist, fringe
democrats with goofy ideas". Many of my Republican friends have speculated
that the Democrats in the Assembly are extremist, and we know that their
ideas are goofy, but it is nice that a long-time Democrat legislator finally
publicly acknowledges their extremism and goofiness, even if it was only to
try and make light of a grievous error.

The only problem is that these goofy people run one house of the
Legislature. They are the chairs of the Education, Natural Resource,
Long-Term Care and Aging Committees, and their decisions actually affect
people. When they plot to hold up the budget, which would hurt people, they
have enough votes to make it happen. They accuse Republicans of wanting to
destroy California, but Republicans barely have enough votes to stop a tax
increase, much less change policy in California.

That is why this "secret" meeting was such an interesting event. Three
months ago, Assembly Republicans proposed the first complete budget plan for
the Assembly. Democrats had been having meetings for months, but took no
action. Republicans decided to take the initiative to prove that the budget
could be balanced with no new taxes. They also said that the details of the
budget were negotiable, and invited the Democrats to sit down at the table
and negotiate. Assembly Democrats stood silent. They refused to negotiate.

Last month, the Assembly Republicans fine tuned their proposal, and once
again invited the Democrats to negotiate. The response of the Democrat
majority was to put the budget on the floor, and spend four hours bashing
the plan. During that entire time, they proposed no plan of their own,
refused to negotiate on our budget proposal, and, quite frankly, chose, once
again, to take absolutely no action on advancing the budget.

The problem with that approach to the budget is that they are the majority
party. Nothing can happen unless those in the majority want it to happen.
They have the votes; they run the house. If they do nothing, the state goes
bankrupt, and they are doing nothing. They have chosen to attack
Republicans rather than negotiate in good faith.

That is a compliment to Republicans in the Assembly. A party that is
confident in their agenda and ideas can take the criticism. A confident
majority allows the minority to criticize, works with them where they can,
but take responsibility for their actions when they can't. If the majority
knows the public is with them, they do not fear the exercise of power.

The purpose of the acquisition of power is to implement a policy agenda. If
the elected official is afraid the implementation of that policy agenda
would cost him or her power, then they have a choice. They can be honest
with people and abandon the agenda, or lose power. If they cannot be
honest, and keep power, they have the wrong agenda.

Republicans had the courage to stand behind their agenda. Democrats ran for
the hills. Under those circumstances, who should be running California?

******************************
Senate approves budget compromise:
Borrowing used to address shortfall
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/uniontrib/mon/news/news_1n28budget.html
7-28-03
Moving to break a four-week deadlock, the Senate last night approved a
nearly $100 billion state budget that relies heavily on borrowing and
pushing part of a record budget gap into future years.
Most of the deep spending cuts and tax increases sought by Gov. Gray Davis
were rejected. Republicans insisted on no new taxes, and Democrats demanded
that health and welfare programs be protected.
******************************

Senate passes budget
27-10 vote sends its plan to cope with state's deficit to Assembly.
http://www2.ocregister.com/ocrweb/ocr/article.do?id=49829§ion=NEWS&subse
ction=NEWS&year=2003&month=7&day=28
7-28-03
The state Senate took the biggest step yet toward ending California's budget
crisis, passing a spending plan Sunday night that eliminates the largest
deficit in state history, provides the legal minimum for school funding and
avoids any tax increases.
The 27-10 vote came nearly a month after the budget was due and after Wall
Street severely downgraded the state's bond rating - in large part because
of a $38.2 billion deficit.
Relying heavily on loans and new bonds, the budget actually slightly
increases overall spending this year and protects social programs that the
Democrats refused to cut.

******************************

High taxes and lots of rules prompt some firms to leave state
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2003/07/27/BU246382.DTL
7-28-03
California is known for exporting computers and chemicals, wine and apparel
-- and, of course, cheese. But now the state is gaining the unfortunate
reputation for exporting something far more valuable: Jobs. Corporate
leaders and some economists fear that California's health is in jeopardy
because too many companies are pulling up stakes and moving a state or two
away, or even overseas, to cut costs.

******************************

Davis Recall Qualifies For Fall Ballot
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-recall24jul24002437,1,1363490.story?
coll=la-headlines-california
07-24-03
The drive to remove Gov. Gray Davis from office qualified for the ballot
Wednesday, clearing the way for a campaign unlike any other in California
history. Barring intervention by the California Supreme Court, the
certification of the gubernatorial recall, announced by Secretary of State
Kevin Shelley, meant Davis would face a popular vote of confidence in late
September or early October, less than a year after he was reelected. The
recall is endorsed by the state Republican Party and threatens to undermine
Democrats' control of the largest state government in the nation.

******************************

Sink Or Swim
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2003/07/25/ED267320.DTL
07-25-03
To fight his recall, Gov. Gray Davis seems to be repeating the very mistakes
that got him into this predicament in the first place. Davis' public support
began to evaporate two years ago, when he spent more energy raising money
for his re-election than on solving the energy deregulation debacle and the
subsequent economic disaster. His stature as a leader was further undermined
by the perception that he wouldn't defy the big business and Wall Street
firms behind the energy crisis -- constituencies whose money he would need
for a presidential run.

******************************

What Were They Thinking?
http://www2.ocregister.com/ocrweb/ocr/article.do?id=49100
07-23-03
Talk about embarrassing moments. Eleven of the state Assembly's most liberal
members talked for 90 minutes Monday about how to manipulate and prolong the
state's budget crisis for partisan gain in what they believed to be a
closed-door session. But, according to published reports, they left the
microphone on that transmitted the entire conversation to 500 squawk boxes
located throughout the Capitol. Republicans had a field day listening to
these behind-the-scenes machinations until a staffer for Assemblywoman
Jackie Goldberg alerted her to the situation. She let loose with a string of
obscenities.

******************************

Supermajority Votes Undemocratic? It Depends On The Issue
http://www.sacbee.com/content/politics/story/7080155p-8028071c.html
07-22-03
A coalition of political interest groups, led by public employee unions, is
promoting a ballot measure that would, if enacted by voters, abolish the
two-thirds vote for state budgets and the taxes to finance them, effectively
eliminating the power of minority Republicans to affect state spending
decisions. The measure would lower the threshold from two-thirds to 55
percent. With the Democratic margins in both legislative houses frozen above
that percentage, Democrats would be free to do whatever they wished on
spending and tax matters.

******************************

Schools Fare Poorly On Federal Standards
http://www.sacbee.com/content/news/story/7097673p-8045374c.html
07-25-03
In three weeks, students and their parents will get some bad news: They will
officially be told their schools don't make the grade. Already, figures
released Thursday show that the state's schools are not faring well under a
stringent new federal law pushed by the Bush administration to improve
education. Similar poor showings are being seen across the nation. About 70
percent of California schools failed to meet the new standards, based on
2002 assessment figures.

******************************

Safeco Stops Selling Home Insurance
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-safeco24jul24,1,6769682.story?coll=l
a-headlines-california
07-25-03
Safeco, the seventh-largest seller of homeowners insurance in California,
announced Wednesday that it will not sell any new policies in the state,
although it will continue to service the customers it has. The move was
explained by company spokesman Paul Hollie as a reaction to an emergency
regulation promulgated this week by state Insurance Commissioner John
Garamendi that restricts insurers' rights to choose their customers on the
basis of past claims history.

******************************

Chocolate Decadence
http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/editorials/la-ed-cake22jul22,1,2444641.s
tory?coll=la-news-comment-editorials
07-22-03
Electric power industry officials called it a "Night of Chocolate Decadence"
when they threw a soiree early this month at the home of one of their
lobbyists. The little gathering honored self-described chocoholic Sarah
Reyes (D-Fresno), chairwoman of the Assembly Utilities and Commerce
Committee. But its real point was not dessert. The guests, affiliated with
the state's largest utilities and energy companies, ponied up $1,000 checks
for Reyes' campaign coffers, The Times' Virginia Ellis reported Monday. A
bill to re-regulate the electric power industry, strongly opposed by the
industry, died days later in the committee that Reyes chairs.

******************************
Full legislative text, analyses and votes are available on the State web
server at:
http://www.leginfo.ca.gov

Assemblyman Haynes' office can be reached at [phone] in Temecula
or in the Capitol at [phone]
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