** The California State Assembly passed the state budget, 54 to 23. Schwarzenegger will sign it on Friday.
** The California State Senate passed the state budget, 30 to 10. Five Republicans joined with the Democratic majority to pass the budget favored by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. Somewhat surprisingly, state Senator Abel Maldonado, a key Schwarzenegger ally, voted no. Maldonado, perhaps miffed that the governor did not do more to help him in his near-miss bid for the Republican nomination for state controller, declared that the budget “does not move California closer to fiscal responsibility.”
Now the state Assembly takes up the budget.
UPDATE: Arnold running mate Tom McClintock voted no on the governor’s budget. Come to think of it, I did not see him on the green bus.
** 5 PM UPDATE: In a further sign that passage of the California state budget tonight is likely, Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez and Assembly Republican Leader George Plescia will hold a joint press conference after the vote.
** 4:45 PM UPDATE: I’ll be updating tonight on the prospective passage of California’s state budget. The Senate is now scheduled to go into session at 7:30 PM.
** California’s $131 billion state budget, according to sources, looks set for passage tonight. Both houses of the Legislature will go into session some time around or after 7 PM.
** Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger will do a live video webcast at 2 PM today announcing a new crime victims’ advocate within his office and a proposed updating of California’s crime victims bill of rights.
2 PM UPDATE: Schwarzenegger is running late. The tentative start of the webcast is now 2:15 PM.
2:15 PM UPDATE: New ETA is 2:30 PM.
2:30 PM UPDATE: Live webcast cancelled due to technical problems. A recording will be available for viewing at 3:30 PM.
3 PM UPDATE: The updated version of California’s crime victims bill of rights will be authored by Assemblywoman Nicole Parra (D-Bakersfield). Parra was one of the legislators unsuccessfully targeted by Team Schwarzenegger 2.0 in the November 2004 general election.
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Is this the first-ever “live webcast cancelled due to technical problems”?
I just couldn’t help myself.
Yes, a new first, California is moving forward under Arnold Schwarzenegger!
Er, on the other hand, I kind of doubt that.
I suspect that it first happened under Governor Gray Davis …
AS running late. Who does he think he is, Clinton?
“As the Governor’s Crime Victim Advocate, Susan Fisher will link the
efforts of state agencies and departments on crime victims’ issues. ”
It’s only Tuesday and now this, it must be “crime week” in Schwarzworld …Because this is a serious subject I really trying not to laugh at all this…
Let’s hope she looks at DUPLICATION of efforts also!…where is his CPR team when you need them?!?!
And he announced all this in OAKLAND! now I am laughing …
Barbara,
The Executive Order which established the Crime Victim Advocate position requires the CVA to propose a statewide plan to eliminate duplication of effort w/in 150 days of being appointed. The EO invites the AG, the Controller and the Secretary of State to participate in the development of the plan.
Lucas,
Thank you! You are soooo good at explaining the Guv’s administration, why… they do not even need a spokesperson with you around!….and I mean that as a compliment!
I am so glad Pooch’s supporters did not come back with all the violent crime statistics on Oakland…that must mean they figured out Pooch is not running for DA but AG!
For those of you in the Sacramento area, the California Channel (Channel 2) is televising the Assembly Floor session. They just went into session.
As I recall, the Crime Victims group was the brain child of Don Novey and CCPOA, starting with Sharon Tate’s Mom. Like the Howard Jarvis Taxpayer’s Association, they have been a front for increasing sentencing, opposing rehabilitation, and all the “three strikes” bullshit.
The astonishing influence of the prison guards on both the legislature and Governor’s of both parties, is one of the least understood, and poorly reported stories which is at the core of California’s dysfunctional and outrageously expensive prison system.
It would probably be political suicide for Angelides to make this a cornerstone issue and go after Arnold for his caving into the guards, but one can hope.
There were actually crime victims groups independent of the prison guards, they didn’t create the phenomoenon.
Crime victims rights is an actual movement, not a con job to gin up more prison construction.
What the union did was helpfully provide a facility to house some of the groups …
The reason why it would be political suicide for Phil Angelides to try to make the prison guards an issue is that he was key to the inception of the alliance between the Democrats and the prison guards union, as I have just reported.
Also, the three strikes phenomenon has actually had a minimal impact on the overcrowding of the prison system. That’s a liberal myth.
How’d McClintock vote?
Only the Assembly is being televised. However, since McClintock was interviewed on KCRA Channel 3 this evening blasting the budget, I would think he voted against it.
Assembly dems have just gone into a little pow-wow to garner the votes for the one lone remaining trailer bill, AB 1809. Once that’s done they can call it an evening and head for to Simon’s for a short (or long) one!
Maldanado and McClintok represent a wing of the party that does not support a lot of what AS is doing and will most likely not enter any vote for Governor this Fall. His campaign staff can choose to ignore this elephant in the room, but they do it at their own peril. Most staunch California conservatives beleive that AS is a left of Dick Riordin RINO.
Er, actually, Maldonado and McClintock represent DIFFERENT wings of the California Republican Party. You’ve got that wrong.
Don’t forget, assuming you knew, that Maldonado carried the minimum wage increase bill for Schwarzenegger. McClintock would not support that in a million years.
Why is this not working?
The LA Weekly strikes again.
The Doris Tate Victims Bureau, that takes me back.
Bill,
What do you estimate McClintock’s chances are come November? I’m thinking like he’s a 60-40 underdog.
As I posted on another thread, the Prison Guards have “fostered” the victims rights lobby by which I meant providing savvy advice and aid. These groupsa have helped squelch reform by pushing the punishment model of incarceration that reports have noted is a large reason why recidivism is so high.