The Swarm

Last August, I had the privilege of interviewing and profiling Philip Levine, named by the Library of Congress to be the U.S. poet laureate.

Levine, winner of the National Book Award and Pulitzer Prize, has long lived in the Central Valley but has made a career of writing about the gritty industrial heartland of places like Detroit, where he was born and grew up. I've known him since childhood in Fresno, where he and my father worked in the English Department of what was then known as Fresno State University.

Levine will soon be making an appearance in Sacramento. He is scheduled to speak on Saturday, June 2 at 7 p.m. as part of the "Summerwords" program at American River College. The event is sponsored by the Albert and Elaine Borchard Foundation and the American River College Foundation.

A few days later, I will be interviewing Levine in Fresno, in a June 5 public event sponsored by Zocalo Public Square. Entitled "Is social isolation a threat to democracy?," my interview with Levine will attempt to draw him out on how he sees the future of U.S. society in an era when people can easily tune out or retreat to their favorite political echo chambers.

It will be interesting to see how Levine addresses this question. As a poet, he has purposefully isolated himself for much of his career in Fresno, where he could focus on his writing. Sometimes, you could argue, an artist has to separate himself or herself to seek a greater truth.

Yet even in isolation, the best artists must stay connected with society and the audiences that will appreciate (and perhaps purchase) their work. Much of America is separating itself for far different reasons.

I am sure Levine won't be shy in laying those out.

Photo courtesy of Kurt Hegre of the Fresno Bee.

Yes, we know that governors issue gazillions of proclamations each year. But we thought that fans of our late editorial cartoonist would be cheered to know that Gov. Jerry Brown declared today to be "Rex Babin Day" in the state of California.

Here's a link to the governor's proclamation followed by the full text:

PROCLAMATION BY THE GOVERNOR OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA

"It is difficult not to write satire," observed the Roman poet Juvenal at the close of the 1st Century A.D. Few understand this basic truth better than political cartoonists who, 2000 years later, wield the power of caricature, parody, farce and lampoon in the pages of our newspapers.

Paul Conrad said that political cartooning "is a peculiar art form...but a necessary art form...and a noble art form." Rex Babin found his calling during a junior high field trip to the Los Angeles Times. After studying Conrad's Pulitzer Prize-winning work for the Times, young Rex dreamed that one day he, too, might join the pantheon of great political cartoonists. For Rex - a native of Walnut Creek who grew up in Pacific Palisades and Encinitas - that dream came true.

Over the past twelve years in Sacramento, Rex chronicled the pitfalls and foibles of politics in the Golden State and beyond. His pen rendered verdicts on every issue and individual of importance. He had the unique ability to make biting comments in a way that still managed to put a smile on your face. Those lucky enough to escape his scathing critique should feel slighted to have been overlooked.

Rex left us too soon, and life will never be the same for the family, friends and colleagues who knew the man behind the pen. But his wife, Kathleen, and his son, Sebastian, can hopefully find some solace in the fact that the State of California mourns this native son today.

A powerful voice is gone, but a legacy remains. Rex is best remembered - not with words - but with cartoons. For these were his life's work, shedding light and laughter amidst turbulent times, and becoming an indelible part of our history.

http://www.sacbee.com/babin

NOW THEREFORE I, EDMUND G. BROWN JR., Governor of the State of California, do hereby proclaim Sunday, April 15th, 2012 as "Rex Babin Day."

IN WITNESS WHEREOF I have hereunto set my hand and caused the Great Seal of the State of California to be affixed this 15th day of April 2012.

___________________________________
EDMUND G. BROWN JR.
Governor of California

Well said.

Rex Babin cartoon by J.D. Crowe. Thank you J.D.

To honor our dear friend and colleague, Rex Babin, The Sacramento Bee and Publisher Cheryl Dell are inviting his many fans to join family, friends and colleagues for a celebration of his life and work. The free public event will be held from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, April 15, at the Constitutional Wall Courtyard between the California Museum and the secretary of state's office at 1020 O St.

The event will feature an exhibition of Rex's cartoons and a multimedia program that will include a short film, "Breezer," that Rex and a friend produced to express their affection for Sacramento. His cartoons will be honored, dissected and possibly mocked by speakers, including friends and fellow cartoonists Joel Pett of the Lexington (Ky.) Herald-Leader and Jack Ohman of the (Portland) Oregonian.

The Bee is producing a special commemorative magazine of Rex's cartoons that will be available, and there will be a silent auction of some of his best-known cartoons. Proceeds will go to a scholarship fund that The Bee and Rex's wife, Kathleen, have created for the couple's 10-year-old son, Sebastian.

If you'd like to contribute to the fund, donations can be made directly to the "Sebastian Babin Educational Fund" at any Bank of America branch.

To see a selection of Rex cartoons, and read tributes and an obituary of the late cartoonist, please go here.

Dan Richards' critics want him ousted from the California Fish and Game Commission for killing a mountain lion in Idaho, where such hunting is legal. Those critics include Assemblyman Ben Hueso, D-San Diego, and at least 39 other members of the Assembly.

But in a letter to Hueso today, Richards was adamant in refusing to step down. (Go here for Richards-Letter.pdf)

I will continue to hunt and fish wherever I please, as I have always done, ethically, licensed and proudly associating with true conservationists who daily fund, enjoy and enhance our bountiful resources while not trying to limit others enjoyment of same.There is ZERO chance I would consider resigning my position as President of the California Fish and Game Commission and it is my sincere hope that you and your colleagues reassess your request and instead work positively with our Commission...

Richards' letter was cc'ed to Gov. Jerry Brown and Natural Resources Secretary John Laird, which suggests he may be nervous about keeping his post. Groups that support California's ban on mountain lion hunting are gunning for -- ooops, strike that, wrong term -- seeking his removal.

Jennifer Fearing of the Humane Society didn't think much of Richards's letter and its defiant tone. "The bad judgment train just keeps on rolling," she tweeted.

Photo credit: Whitehotpix/ZUMA24.com

Last week, I had the opportunity to interview Alice Waters for my Sunday column on plans by the famous Chez Panisse chef to bring the Edible Schoolyard Project to Sacramento.

At the end of the interview, I couldn't resist asking her what she had for breakfast that morning. Over the years, it has become a standing joke among Waters and her staff that journalists always ask that question, and so I did.

Her answer?

"There is a little whole wheat flat bread I make. I put it on the fire and spread it with hummus. And I have it with some Chinese tea."

Wait, I said, isn't that what you always have for breakfast?

"Well, you would think I would get tired of it, but I don't," she replied. "I always eat whole grains now because I had a high cholesterol level. Drinking the tea and eating the grains changed the whole thing in a year. So now I am a born again health food nut. But the good news is, it tastes really fantastic."

So there you have it. The chef who brought all kinds of rich French cookery to Northern California is now on a health kick.

Along with Paula Deen.

2008 photo of Alice Waters by Paul Sakuma / AP

In his State of the State address today, Gov. Jerry Brown twice used the word "declinist" in reference to "dystopian journalists" and others in California who bemoan "the impending decline of our economy, our culture and our politics."

Declinists? My immediate reaction was: Is the governor now inventing words?

The answer, as it turns out, is "no."

According to the handy Word Spy website, declinist was first used by writer Samuel P. Huntington in Foreign Affairs magazine in 1988, in reference to writers who claim the United States is declining on the world stage, either because of economic stagnation or excessive spending on military ventures. As Huntington wrote:

Although predominantly of a liberal-leftist hue, declinist writings reflect varying political philosophies and make many different claims.

More recently, other writers have used the terms "declinist" and "declinism," but as far as I am aware, the governor is the first (or one of the first) to use it to rebut the doomsayers of California.

And just who was Brown referring to as part of the "declinist" faction? If I get a chance, I plan to ask him.

No doubt, Joel Kotkin would be on the list, and perhaps Peter Schrag.

But was he also referring to The Bee's Dan Walters?

If so, I'd be shocked. Shocked.

The sexual harassment claims against Herman Cain are no fun for the women making the claims. They are not much fun for Cain, either. But they've given comedians plenty of, er...raw material.

Here is what actor Steve Martin tweeted last night:

Just realized that Herman Cain is an anagram for Reachin' man.

And here is what actress Bette Midler offered on Twitter.

Herman Cain was never vetted
About the women he had petted
Will all accusers form a line?
We have to stop at 999.

Undoubtedly, there are other smarty pants tweets out there. If you know of any (on any of the candidates) send 'em our way.

In today's New York Times story on Jerry Brown being "tripped up" by the shift in politics in California, the governor expresses irritation at the power exercised by a quartet of GOP players:

"Four people control the Republican Party. Jon Coupal, who works for Howard Jarvis; Grover Norquist; the Ken and John talk show; the guy who does the Flash Report. Any two of those can stop any bill in the Legislature where Republicans are needed. They basically work for them. They are like, when I was growing up, the Catholic Church had something called the Legion of Decency. The Legion of Decency rated the films. And if you got it condemned you couldn't go to the movie, or it was a moral sin.

"Well, these four people form a Legion of Acceptability. If they give you a condemnation there's no way to get them to vote."

I have to say, Jerry is showing his age a bit with this analogy. Few Californians, I would guess, have heard of the Legion of Decency, partly because is was renamed in 1966 as the National Catholic Office for Motion Pictures and generally has waned in influence. (And just for the record, it is the "John and Ken Show," not Ken and John, and the "guy who does the Flash Report" is Jon Fleischman).

The gist of the Times' piece is that Gov. Brown now "appears bewildered and stunned by how much Sacramento has changed since he first served."

Really? I can't help but wonder if the Brown machine is floating this line as part of a carefully crafted effort to make the governor appear to be a Capitol outsider, independent of Democratic and Republican lawmakers that, based on recent polls, are so despised by voters.

What do you think?

Bee photo/ Hector Amezcua
Sutter lays low as Gov. Jerry Brown and First Lady Anne Gust Brown go over a bill with staff on Friday, Sept. 16.

President Barack Obama and Congressional leaders say they want to hear from the American people on the debt ceiling crisis. Take them up on their offer. We've made it easy to contact them on The Swarm.

You can reach the White House, Senate and House of Representatives by telephone or by email.* Here's how:

White House
By email, click here.

By phone: White House comment line: 202-456-1111
White House switchboard: 202-456-1414

U.S. Senate
By email, click here.

By phone: Capitol switchboard, (202) 224-3121

U.S. House of Representatives

By email, click here.

By phone: Capitol switchboard, (202) 224-3121

*Be advised that, due to the volume of calls and emails, switchboards and email servers may be overloaded.

• Editorial: Boehner, Obama need to end this manufactured debt crisis

We knew we'd get some strong reaction to Tom Meyer's recent cartoon slamming the deal that lawmakers and Gov. Jerry Brown snuck through the end of the session on behalf of the influential California Teachers Association.

Did we expect a letter writing campaign?

No, but it's further proof the cartoons are among the most effective forms of commentary. And another good reason to run the cartoon again.

As you might recall, the CTA managed to get teacher protection provisions included in a last-minute budget trailer bill, as The Bee's Kevin Yamamura reported late last month.

No one blames the CTA for fighting hard for its members. But many (including The Bee's editorial board) have wondered why lawmakers would approve such a measure, given all their rhetoric about "realignment" and letting "locals" handle local decisions.

If school districts face further cuts this year and yet teachers are protected, what will the districts do? Reduce the length of the school year?

Meyer posed that question in his cartoon, and within days, we had received hundreds of letters likely ginned up by the CTA or its supporters. We published a few on our letters pages that, based on our judgment, reflected the writer's own thoughts, as opposed to those on a form letter.

One of the instigators appears to be Dean Ramser, a teacher in Bellflower. He sent this message out and, for some reason, cc'd us:

This offensive cartoon ran today in the Sac Bee and SF Chron. Let's flood them with letters! 

As usual, such campaigns tend to backfire. Today, we ran a letter from a writer who received an email from the CTA saying she express her outrage. Instead of doing so, she wrote this to us:

I am outraged that every time the overpaid, self-serving, self-important CTA union bureaucrats get attacked, they try to turn it into an attack on teachers. CTA does not represent students, period. For that matter, it does not even truly represent teachers.

In my view, CTA does represent teachers. It is unfortunate, however, that so many of them would reflexively engage in a campaign aimed at stifling a particular point of view.
 

Having advanced my career by writing about the perils of floods and other natural disasters, I understand the desire of a journalist to grab readers by the collar and scream at them: Be scared. Be very scared!

Even so, I winced reading Alex Prud'homme's piece Sunday in the New York Times Magazine, with its alarming headline: 'California's Next Nightmare: How a failing levee system could turn Sacramento into a modern-day Atlantis.'

Atlantis? Really?

To begin with, Atlantis was an island, and it sank into the sea - a large body of saltwater - in a single day, according to Plato's account.

Secondly, scholars are unsure if this mythical island ever existed.

So could Sacramento become a modern-day Atlantis? Sure, and we could also become a modern-day Elysian Fields, final resting place of the heroic and virtuous.

Beyond that, there's the problem of how Prud'homme - and whoever edited his piece - handles the science of Sacramento's flood risk. In a paragraph that describes Sacramento as "the most flood-prone city in the nation," we see these sentences: "Experts warn that there are two events that could destroy the levees and set off a megaflood. One is an earthquake; the second is a violent Pacific superstorm."

This is about half right. Sacramento's big threat is a Pineapple Express that dumps massive volumes of precipitation simultaneously into the watersheds of the American and Feather rivers, the latter of which flows into the Sacramento River upstream of the city.

But earthquakes?

That is a serious threat only to levees far downstream of Sacramento, in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. Quake-punctured levees could inundate hundreds of square miles of Delta farmland and disrupt the water system of much of California. But Sacramento is too far upstream to be affected.

Along those same lines, the article suggests a megaflood in the Delta could shut down water exports. "Saltwater would be sucked from the (San Francisco) Bay (in what is known as a big gulp) and impelled into the delta, contaminating drinking supplies for 25 million people."

Again, the science is a bit off. An earthquake in dry times could indeed destroy Delta levees and flood the land they protect, resulting in saltwater being sucked from the Bay. But a megaflood? It would break levees but also bring behind it a continuous and large flow of freshwater, keeping saltwater at bay.

The basic point of Prud'homme's piece - that a megaflood in Delta may be inevitable - can't be disputed.

But why no mention of the mega-levee being built in Natomas? Or the new spillway on Folsom Dam? Is Sacramento really doing nothing to avoid becoming "a modern-day Atlantis?"

Given that Prud'homme just came out with a highly praised book on water - "The Ripple Effect" - and previously collaborated with Julia Child on her best-selling autobiography, "My Life in France," I had expected more.

But enough of this rant.

Given that the New York Times has now declared that Sacramento has no future, I need to go home and tie my canoe to a second-floor window.

Rex Babin sent us a well-timed cartoon last week on the Maloofs, the sheepish owners of the Kings. That prompted many of his fans to cheer, "Rex is back!"

Not yet. Rex is still on leave for health reasons, but from time to time, he hopes to send us a cartoon or two. The more, the merrier. Like you, we miss Rex - both his work and his contribution to the editorial board.

Sacramento is a better place when his cartoons are in The Bee.

The Orange County Register today fired a shot across the bow of attempts to lure the Maloofs to Anaheim in an editorial headlined, "Welcome Kings with open arms, not open wallets."

"The owners of the Sacramento Kings reportedly have been in talks about moving their NBA franchise from the state capital to Orange County," the paper's editorial board wrote. "We welcome the idea of a Kings' proposal to move to Orange County. If the owners were to do so, they would be welcomed by a vibrant fan base very fond of our sports teams."

"We support the move, however, with one caveat:" 

No taxpayer subsidies to get the team here. No taxpayer-financed sports arenas. No special bonds to pay for renovations to the Honda Center, where the team presumably would play.

No special bonds? Does that mean the Register would oppose use of public bonds to spruce up the Honda Center, even if those bonds were paid back with private money?

Maybe. Maybe not. The editorial quotes Anaheim Mayor Tom Tait as saying that "a financing structure is being proposed that would allow for private investment to fund improvements at Honda Center."

This also sounds promising, though, the devil usually tends to be in the details.

Yes, those details. One of them involves what would happen if billionaire Henry Samueli and his ownership group were to default on paying back the bonds. Taxpayers would then be on the hook.

Is that too much of a hurdle for taxpayer activists in Orange County, including The Register? We will wait and see.

Update: In the above post, I may have been presumptuous in stating that "taxpayers would then be on the hook" if Samueli ever defaulted. As a reader has noted, the original bonds that were used to build the Honda Center included a letter of credit from Credit Suisse pledging to make good in case of a default. In all likelihood, the city would try to get Credit Suisse (or some other bank) to do a similar co-sign on the loan for any arena-upgrade bonds.

GOP gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman gave a polished performance before The Bee's editorial board this morning, answering questions about her plans to cut $15 billion from the state budget, convert state workers to 401k retirement plans, reduce prison health care costs, bring jobs back to California and put a freeze on state regulations.

She didn't leave me convinced she had the wherewithal to carry out such reforms, and she dodged questions about whether or not she will support Prop. 23, the proposition to suspend California's global warming law. But overall, Whitman was thoughtful and concise in her answers. She didn't grandstand and she acknowledged the challenges she'd face trying to implement her agenda in a Legislature controlled by Democrats. She answered some questions I posed about her in a column Sunday.

Yet Whitman continues to cling to the fiction she can grab $1 billion out of the $2.9 billion the state spends on welfare each year, transfer it to higher education and not harm children receiving welfare. The Bee's Capitol Bureau looked at this claim this month and found it didn't add up. As The Bee noted, Whitman's plan would only affect 22 percent of the state's welfare recipients in lowering the lifetime welfare limit from five to two years. The remainder of welfare recipients are children.

"It's unlikely the state would save $1 billion in its welfare budget even if cut every adult recipient from the program," The Bee said in its Ad Watch, noting the state might also lose federal aid if it attempted such cuts.

I pressed Whitman about the fact that economic experts interview by The Bee say her proposal doesn't add up. Her answer:

"I don't know what to tell you. I have an economic team. We are looking into this. I think we can do it....It is obviously not the only savings we have to go after...But I feel very confident that it can be done."

That's not good enough. The Whitman team needs to provide some basic math of how they'd get to $1 billion through these welfare cuts, and not harm children. I gave Whitman the opportunity to explain it Monday. She passed up that chance.

You can watch clips of Whitman's performance here. On Friday, we interview Jerry Brown.

Bee photo by Hector Amezcua.

Our Viewpoints page on Thursday will feature dueling op-eds from Democrats and Republicans on the budget proposal floated Tuesday by Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg and Assembly Speaker John A. Perez.

Here's an excerpt from Steinberg and Perez's piece:

Sadly, the Governor and legislative Republicans have not stepped up with realistic solutions; instead they irresponsibly refuse to compromise and insist on an exclusively ideological approach that will wipe out hundreds of thousands of jobs for teachers, cops, firefighters, and the employees and owners of small businesses throughout California. That is not a future Californians want.

And here is an excerpt from the op-ed by Senate Republican Leader Dennis Hollingsworth and Assembly Republican Leader Martin Garrick:

The Democrats claim these huge tax increases will have a negligible impact on most Californians because they can be written off as a tax deduction on federal income taxes. The problem is that only 38 percent of California taxpayers itemize their deductions, typically higher-income earners. Those who don't - the poor, seniors, renters and working families - will be hit the hardest.

Check back here after midnight tonight for both opinion articles. You can read The Bee's take on the proposal here.

If Mark Williams' latest foot-in-mouth episode ends up costing him jobs and income - and that remains to be seen - the NAACP will declare victory.

And so will another group - bicyclists.

Long before Williams became the disgraced mouthpiece of the national tea party movement, and long before he mocked the NAACP and suggested that African Americans would rather be enslaved than work for their own betterment, the former Sacramento radio shock-mock got in trouble by suggesting that motorists should swerve at bicyclists.

Williams, a host for KFBK, made the comment on Feb. 24, 2005 during a guest appearance on KSTE in Sacramento with co-host Jamie Coffee. The comment stirred up cycling groups nationwide, partly because Clear Channel radio personalities had previously made comments that suggested that motorists should endanger cyclists. Those comments prompted a settlement with the League of American Bicyclists and an apology from Clear Channel's CEO.

After Williams and Coffee gave Clear Channel another black eye, prompting complaints from the Sacramento Area Bicycle Advocates, KSTE suspended Williams and Coffee, issued another apology and started airing public service announcements on bicycle safety.

"Both station management and the talent understand the importance of automobile and bicycle safety. In fact, Regional Vice President/Market Manager Jeff Holden is an avid cyclist," wrote Omar Thompson, Clear Channel's VP of Marketing & Communications, in a letter to SABA.

Quoted today in a story in The Bee, Tea Party fundraiser Sal Russo came to Williams' defense, saying "he doesn't have a racist bone in his body."

"Mark is the quintessential talk-show host of the 20th century who thrives on controversy and contentiousness," Russo said. "That's what drives his ratings."

Sorry Sal, but Williams isn't just about controversy. He has a pattern of repeatedly making reckless and offensive comments, which prompts him to self-destruct, apologize or lash out. Because of apologists like Russo, he can easily rebrand himself and find another forum for his bile.

I'm surprised Russo would even attempt to defend him. But then again, perhaps Russo hasn't ever been run off the road by a motorist with malice.

This is a tough day to be both a sports junkie and a political junkie.

In the sporting world, we Stephen Strasburg making his first start as a major league pitcher, amid overwhelming hype.

Then we have pivotal Game 3 of the NBA finals, featuring the Boston Celtics and L.A. Lakers.

My guess is that turnout will be particularly low in Southern California after 6 p.m. But from what I can tell, it ain't too hot in Sacramento at the moment.

I voted at my midtown precinct at 10:30 a.m., and was only the 47th voter to do so.

Excuse the sports metaphor, but in terms of voter engagement, the June 7 primary is looking like an air ball.

A non-profit called CaliforniaChoices.org has put together a handy compendium of endorsements for the June 8 ballot propositions by various organizations and newspapers. You can find it here.

There are some striking difference between how interest groups and the media are approaching these ballot props. Almost all newspapers, including The Bee, have come out against Proposition 16, the constitutional amendment by PG&E that would allow it to more easily block competition from public power agencies. Most newspapers also favor Proposition 14, the open primary measure.

Yet among the interest groups, there are stark divisions between labor and business, liberal and conservative groups, on these two measures, as you would expect.

Today's editorial in The Bee hits the Obama administration's slow response to the Gulf oil spill and urges the president to get behind efforts to restore the coastal wetlands of Louisiana and Mississippi, which have shrunk by a third the last 80 years.

The Obamans say they are on top of the crisis, but that didn't prevent the president from flying to San Francisco last night to host a fundraiser for U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer that netted more than $2 million, according to the Washington Post.

During his speech, Obama called the oil spill "heartbreaking" but added that "the reason that folks are going to have to go down a mile deep into the ocean (to drill for oil)...is because the easy oil fields and oil wells are gone, and they're starting to diminish."

Since when did the oil industry become "folks"?

The president makes it sound like the Beverly Hillbillies are leading the exploration efforts in the Gulf.

Of course, given the way BP has handled the crisis, perhaps that comparison is appropriate.

To the right is the latest Proposition 16 mailer that Pacific Gas & Electric is sending to households in conservative areas through its front group, "Californians to Protect Our Right to Vote."

Prop. 16 would make it harder for public power agencies to expand and serve areas that don't want to pay PG&E's rates. To block such expansions, PG&E is trying to mislead voters into thinking that public power expansion hurts taxpayers when, actually, the opposite is true.

Consumers and businesses served by agencies such as SMUD enjoy cheaper electricity than their PG&E counterparts. If Prop. 16 passes, PG&E would arguably be in a better position to seek excessive rate hikes since there'd be less threat of public power agencies trying to move in on its territory.

The flier above is particularly obnoxious. It suggests that state deficits and debt would increase if Prop. 16 did not pass. That's completely bogus. PG&E execs would be laughed off the stage if they tried to make such a claim in a public forum, but by sending their fliers through a stealth group, they don't have to face such accountability.

In Sunday's paper, we will offer our endorsements in the two contests that have caused us the most heartburn in the run-up to the June 8 primary -- Sacramento Sheriff and the GOP nomination for governor.

We could have taken a pass on both these races. On Friday, the editorial board of the Los Angeles Times took a pass on both the U.S. Senate and gubernatorial primary and devoted a considerable amount of ink to explaining that decision.

In the GOP primary, we endorsed Tom Campbell for U.S. Senate on April 18. And as I explained in a column Sunday, California voters don't deserve the choices of Steve Poizner, Meg Whitman and Jerry Brown for governor. But as I wrote, abstaining is not an option.

All of us get angry when lawmakers take a pass and abstain from crucial votes that might come back to haunt them. We can't follow their example. As voters, our only choice is to drill down on the candidates, press them to address the important issues and make an informed call at the end of the day.

So stay tuned to Sunday's opinion page when we offer endorsements in two tough races.

The Center for Biological Diversity is a controversial and litigious bunch, but they deserve a tip of the act for the most inventive Earth Day souvenirs -- endangered species condoms.

The environmental group is distributing 250,000 of these free condoms at Earth Day events today to highlight the threat overpopulation poses to flora and fauna.

To help people understand the impact of overpopulation on other species, and to give them a chance to take action in their own lives, the Center is distributing free packets of Endangered Species Condoms depicting six separate species: the polar bear, snail darter, spotted owl, American burying beetle, jaguar, and coquí guajón rock frog.

It should be noted that not all analysts see overpopulation as a leading environmental threat. Author Fred Pearce, for instance, notes in this essay that overconsumption by the developed world, not growing population in the Third World,  "has been driving humanity's impacts on the planet's vital life-support systems during at least the past century."

Even so, we imagine that Pearce would get a chuckle out of Endangered Species Condoms. They won't put a stopper on the population debate, but they will certainly give it more attention.

The California Chamber of Commerce pulled its attack ad on Jerry Brown today, giving new meaning to the cliche about a celebrity's 15 minutes of fame.

The television ad had barely aired before it came under criticism from several quarters, ranging from Jerry Brown's campaign to this editorial page to Mark Yudof, the UC President who serves on the Chamber's board.

Frankly, I am disappointed that Cal-Chamber President Allan Zaremberg pulled it so quickly, since it was highly entertaining and we had barely gotten started dissecting its distortions and political miscalculations.

 But it's likely that Joel Fox is more disappointed. He mounted a spirited defense of the ad minutes before Zaremberg pulled it. Oh well.

None of this will likely matter next week, much less in November, but one has to wonder: Will it help or hurt Zaremberg?

On one hand, he angered part of his board and wasted his members' money on ads that now will be a collector's item on YouTube. Yet he also fired a shot across the brow of the quixotic Brown campaign, which is already facing a expensive runoff with presumptive nominee Meg Whitman and her bottomless pit of wealth.

Following June, can Jerry fight a war on two fronts? Meg and the Chamber, kissing in a tree? 

Stay tuned. Small is beautiful, except when you are trying to run for California governor.
 

In yesterday's New York Times, energy consultant Michael Lynch argues that Obama's oil drilling plan is a "bold political move" but won't do much to reduce the nation's dependence on imported oil, unless...

We go for oil off the California coast...

Lynch, the former director of the Asian energy and security working group at the Center for International Studies at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, writes:

We know from earlier operations that it (California) has significantly more resources than the all the newly opened areas combined. Yet most extraction there came to an abrupt halt in January 1969, after a Union Oil platform off Santa Barbara spilled more than 80,000 barrels into the ocean. There are still 40 or so active leases there that now produce some 40 million barrels a year safely. They have given us a good understanding of the geology, thus exploration would be quicker and less costly than in unknown areas, and the return more certain.

This area, especially off Southern California, has an estimated 7.5 billion to 14 billion barrels of oil and 13 trillion to 24 trillion cubic feet of natural gas. It could probably generate as much revenue as the other newly released areas combined; the oil, not having to be piped from northern Alaska, would be cheaper to harvest. While California drilling is one of the third rails of American politics, the federal government forgoing at least $20 billion a year in taxes seems unwise.

What do you think? While I'm no fan of increased consumption of fossil fuels, California's imports of oil have increased 25 percent since 1995, with much of that oil coming from far-flung places such as Ecuador. Is it time to at least consider additional oil extraction off the state's coast? If it were coupled with retiring old oil platforms and pumping tax revenues into California's depleted coffers, would you support it? Where do you stand?

Hundreds of readers responded two weeks ago when The Swarm solicited less-than-serious campaign slogans for Jerry Brown upon his official entry into the governor's race.

But why should Jerry get all that free advice?

Meg Whitman and Steve Poizner are in desperate need of slogans. (Meg's is "A New California." To which we say, "zzzzz.")

So before this campaign goes further, let's harness our collective brainpower on behalf of these two candidates.

Here's some offerings from this corner:

Whitman: Money that experience can't buy

Poizner: Because only a nerd can save California

Whitman: Untainted by politics or the ballot box

Poizner: You'll flip for this flop

Surely you can do better. Using the format above and the comments box below, offer us your campaign slogans for each candidate. We'll run the best in Sunday's Forum Section.

Jerry Brown is slated to announce his candidacy for governor in three hours, which gives you and me a little time to suggest possible campaign slogans for the 71-year-old former governor who wants to be governor again.

Jerry's current Web site includes the slogan "standing-up for Californians," but that is unlikely to last. The slogan is problematic on at least two fronts.

For one, there is no need for the hyphen between 'standing' and 'up.' (Jerry needs an editor, as do we all.)

Secondly, it suggests a subtle bias against people who can't stand up. What does Jerry have against people who are immobile?

There are endless possibilities for a truly original Jerry Brown campaign slogan. Here are a few. Feel free to suggest others.

"Fighting for California even before Cheap Trick was a band"

"Still Zen after all these years"

"Why Gerrymander when you can Jerrymander?"

"A retread we can believe in"

"Back to the future with Brown"

Surely you can improve on this batch. Post your suggestions below.

Mayor Kevin Johnson and his supporters declared in an email blast today that The Bee's editorial board has endorsed the mayor's "new consensus plan" on a strong mayor.

Nice try, mayor.

As we stated in an editorial Thursday, the mayor is "getting closer to getting it right on his strong-mayor plan." But we are not in favor of a rush to the ballot.

We think that Sacramento would be well served by mayor that has more authority to improve the city than past and current mayors have enjoyed. But we don't support the mayor's timetable on when the council should put together a consensus plan. That was clear in our editorial.

Perhaps the mayor and his supporters missed this section and other sections of the editorial:

He is urging the council to fast-track his plan on to the June 8 ballot, which would force a vote by Feb. 23 - too ambitious a timetable for such momentous changes. Johnson has not made a convincing case why the package can't wait until November.

Oh, what the heck. Politicians of every stripe misrepresent what our editorials on a daily basis. Why should KJ and his folks be any different?

At least he and others are paying attention. They should keep doing so.

For pundits and commentators, Pat Robertson is the gift that keeps on giving.

His bone-headed comment that Haiti's earthquake was the result of a "pact to the devil" continues to spark inspired retorts.

Here's a mock "Letter from the Devil to Pat Robertson" that the Minneapolis Star Tribune recently published from a reader.

Dear Pat Robertson,

I know that you know that all press is good press, so I appreciate the shout-out. And you make God look like a big mean bully who kicks people when they are down, so I'm all over that action.

But when you say that Haiti has made a pact with me, it is totally humiliating. I may be evil incarnate, but I'm no welcher. The way you put it, making a deal with me leaves folks desperate and impoverished. Sure, in the afterlife, but when I strike bargains with people, they first get something here on earth -- glamour, beauty, talent, wealth, fame, glory, a golden fiddle. Those Haitians have nothing, and I mean nothing. And that was before the earthquake.

Haven't you seen "Crossroads"? Or "Damn Yankees"? If I had a thing going with Haiti, there'd be lots of banks, skyscrapers, SUVs, exclusive night clubs, Botox -- that kind of thing. An 80 percent poverty rate is so not my style. Nothing against it -- I'm just saying: Not how I roll. You're doing great work, Pat....

To read the rest of this letter, go here. 

My column on Sunday jested that the state hire an exorcist to rid the defective Board of Equalization building of its demons. That brought this response from one former BOE employee, who managed to survive years of leaks, mold, falling windows, etc.

I guess I'm one of the lucky ones. Plus before BOE had better security, an irate taxpayer managed to get into the building and make his way to the 14th floor with a gun and terrify people...Some people never got over that and never came back to work.

Further evidence the building is haunted.

In my column, I noted that it's not unprecedented for exorcists to work on buildings, sometimes providing pro bono services. An example is the Hampton Lillibridge house in Savannah, where a bishop was called into rid the old mansion of ghosts. That brought this response from another faithful reader:

There could be a problem with exorcists doing "pro bono" work.  It may be the reason that the exorcism at the Hampton Lillibridge house was a failure.  It was done by an Episcopalian bishop "pro bono" (no charge). That's what happens when you don't pay the exorcist: You get re-possessed.

Good news: Cargo moving through the state's two big ports in Southern California was higher in December than the same month a year ago. That's the first such jump in 28 months, the Los Angeles Times reports today, and it suggests an economic recovery is underway.

Bad news: It's a hardly cause for celebration if California's recovery hinges on massive shipments of cheap goods from China to U.S. retailers. During the boom, the state's dependence on port commerce required huge infusions of public dollars for transportation and new regulations to protect nearby communities from polluting trucks and port equipment. 

Toxic news: Some of the Chinese goods shipped through California ports last year included jewelry and other toys laced with cadmium, a toxic metal. The Associated Press recently published an investigation of cadmium in certain Chinese goods. That report has prompted federal authorities to act and Wal-Mart to pull the toxic jewelry and toys off its shelves.

As a noted in a notebook today, my Nov. 12 column on leaf blowing has stirred up a pile of response.

One reader, Rich Borgquist, captured this sequence of photos while a neighbor was leaf blowing near the corner of 21st and F.

Who ever knew that the Schwarzenegger administration retained an office that spends its days writing witty puns? (And how did that office survive the last round of budget cuts?)

In a letter today, the director of the Governor's Recovery Task Force, Cynthia Bryant, takes issue with a recent editorial we ran on state attempts to secure federal stimulus dollars for rail projects. The editorial criticized the governor for seeking federal monies only for the high-speed bullet train in the latest round of funding, which excluded safety improvements sought by commuter rail operators in Southern California.

The first lines of Bryant's response:

The Bee's editorial on funding for rail projects left the station with no conductor. The Bee simply ignored the fact that the state applied for more than a $1 billion in stimulus funds for commuter rail projects earlier this year...

and then later

I implore The Bee to get a ticket and get on board because Californians are anxious to get to work on a visionary project for the 21st century.

Great punditry, but unfortunately, the letter sidesteps one of the main points of the editorial. Up until the state's filed its application, Caltrans officials had been working with commuter rail operators to put together a "unified proposal" that would include safety improvements not funded by earlier rounds of funding. At the last minute, the governor decided only to seek funding for high-speed rail.

In other words, the governor pulled the rug out from under Southern California transit officials, who will be sure not to trust the governor's office again, any time soon.

Interestingly, when I contacted the governor's offices for comment while researching our editorial, I got a return call from a public relations firm that is on contract with the California High Speed Rail Authority.

That says much about who has the governor's ear on this issue.

Several weeks ago, an emergency room doctor named Nathan Fairman made contact with our pages. He inquired if we might publish his essay about how cuts in county mental health programs were filling his ER with people in desperate need of psychiatric treatment.

His essay required some slight editing, but it was packed with a powerful descriptions.

Patients with severe mental illnesses, wrote Fairman, were waiting on gurneys at the UC David Medical Center for days before being treated.

"One woman with schizophrenia was discharged with her doctors fully aware that there was some danger she might hurt herself or deteriorate further," he wrote. "The doctors' only other option, though, was to keep her on a gurney in the hallway."

We published Fairman's article, "ERs bear brunt of cuts to mental health," on the Viewpoints page on Oct. 10. I mention it because it represents a type of commentary, and a standard of writing, that we want to bring to these pages more frequently.

A doctor at UC Davis Medical Center, Fairman had not written for The Bee before. He wasn't a professional journalist. But he was angered by what he believed was an injustice that was overlooked in our community. As an ER doctor, he was in a unique position to chronicle what was happening.

As an editorial page editor, I wish I could find more Nathan Fairmans. No, I am not looking for doctors to fill our pages. I'm looking for unexpected voices. I'm looking for people of various occupations and backgrounds who can write with passion and personal knowledge of what they know best.

To read the rest of this post, go here.

There's hasn't been much buzz around The Swarm lately, but that is about to change.

In coming weeks and months, we'll be using this blog to keep you posted on plans for our opinion pages and Forum section.

New national columnists, new local voices, a new look for our print pages and an overhaul of our online opinion pages - all in the works.

As I noted in a column last week, these changes won't happen in a vacuum and they won't happen overnight. I'm working to solicit your input, and give it the consideration it deserves.

The first step starts tonight. We've put together an on-line survey so you can tell us your favorite, and least favorite, syndicated columnists we publish. You can also suggest outside columnists that we should add to our roster.

I'm looking forward to the results -- especially your suggestions on outside pundits who can have some fresh ideas and a unique style.

You can find the survey on our opinion page tonight, after midnight and perhaps earlier. It will stay there through Saturday, Oct. 10. 

In my column today, I examine proposals for a sanctioned tent city in Sacramento as an alternative for the homeless who are camping illegally near the American River.

The proposal has not only divided the community, it has divided homeless advocates. Two of these are lawyer Mark Merin and Robert Tobin, president of Cottage Housing.

On the jump are short biographies of Merin and Tobin and a full, unedited transcript of an online dialogue I conducted with them in recent weeks.

The Rev. Jesse Jackson stopped by the Sacramento Bee's editorial board today, where he touted the potential for volunteerism, the message of the day for Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson. I was more interested in Jackson's take on President Barack Obama and how Jackson felt while hearing Obama's speech to Congress last week.

In his lyrical, rambling, entertaining way, Jackson expounded on the subject, recounting the history of the civil rights movement and adding that Obama's election "was like the last lap of a 60 year race."

"Strong runner, smart runner, but we have gone from walls to bridges....The demolition crew paid a big price knocking down walls."

Here where Jackson talks about the substance of Obama's speech:
jesse1.mp3

Here's where he talks about his emotions of recent weeks.
jesse2.mp3

Here's he sums up what it was like to be in Grant Park in Chicago, watching Obama's victory speech on election night.
jesse3.mp3 

On Sunday, The Bee's Forum section will include separate op-eds from Assemblyman Roger Niello and Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg on the budget the governor signed today.

Niello discusses the reforms he and other Republicans sought as a condition for their votes, and explains why a resolution was imperative. An excerpt:

The consequences of not agreeing to a budget now were too severe and simply not an option. As California continued to face a severe cash shortage, having more bills to pay than money to pay them, the bus that is California's state government would have continued to go over the cliff and had a resulting negative impact on everyone.

The most disastrous scenario would have required IOUs to be issued for payroll and tax refunds, and small counties would have gone bankrupt, resulting in the complete stoppage of many services. There would likely have been health clinic and hospital closures statewide. Unemployment would skyrocket. At some point, the state's ability to issue bonds would completely stop and road construction and public works projects would grind to a halt.

Steinberg, by contrast, focuses on the agenda he hopes to pursue now that the budget nightmare is behind us, or at least put off for a few months. One item on his list is water:

California indisputably has a water-supply crisis. Drought conditions threaten the economic viability of its agriculture industry and could lead to shortages for communities all over the state. For too long, this has been a partisan issue. It's well past time to recognize that water shortages know no party. We must look for ways to stabilize our water supply using a variety of methods, and do so on a bipartisan basis.

To read the full versions of these op-eds, check back with The Bee's opinion pages on Sunday.

Controller John Chiang has been a persistent target of Sen. Abel Maldonado during the budget negotiations, as noted in an earlier entry. Chiang isn't really happy about that. Without mentioning Maldonado by name, Chiang says the senator is "grandstanding" and is mispresenting a $1 million expenditure by the controller to renovate and consolidate his offices.

Chiang recently sent a letter to Sen. President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg laying out his version of the matter, and you can find it here.STEINBERG letter 2-13-09 CW1.pdf

All the attention this morning is on Sen. Abel Maldonado, the Santa Maria Republican who cast the critical vote for California's budget package just hours ago.

But no matter how much you blame him for the state's budget mess, you have to hand it to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. He helped engineer the final deal, and got something he wanted in the process -- a 2010 ballot measure for an open primary.

It's hard to overstate what a radical change this could be for congressional and legislative races in California. If it passed, candidates for all parties would run against each other in the primary, with the top-two vote getters moving on to a runoff. That would open up chances for the Green Party to win in the Bay Area and Libertarians to win in conservative districts. It could rewrite the political map in our wacky state in ways we can't even imagine.

Moderates like Maldonado hope it will open political doors that would otherwise be closed to them. In 2006, Maldonado lost to conservative GOP lawmaker Tony Strickland in the primary for state controller, which Strickland then lost to Democrat John Chiang in the runoff. Maldonado is still seething about that, partly because Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger refused to endorse him in the primary.

Now Maldo has double revenge. The governor has been treating him like a king for days, and agreed to a budget provision that prevents Chiang from spending $1 million on furniture for his controller's office. Maldo also got the open primary measure, which gives him a thin chance of landing a state office after 2010. He'll need that chance. His party is sure to ostracize him and other five other GOP lawmakers for voting for a $12 billion tax increase, even though Maldo was successful in removing a gas tax from the package.

Here's where political reality set in. Members of Congress and the major parties are sure to attack the open primary proposal with everything they've got. It will be epic. Schwarzenegger and good government groups will rally behind it, but they'll need major bucks to counter the money spent against it. In all likelihood, they'll kill the measure and Maldo will be left out in the cold, a man without a party.

But that's a battle for another day. For now, Maldo can claim victory, as can Schwarzenegger.

Errata: An earlier version of this item had $1 billion for Chiang's office furniture instead of $1 million. My apologies. Lack of sleep.

State Sen. Dave Cox of Sacramento remains a possible vote for a budget breakthrough, but his floor statements of the last two days leave us mystified.

This afternoon, Cox got up and took issue with the floor speech of Sen. Ron Calderon, who used the fable of "Chicken Little" to describe the current budget situation. In Calderon's version of the fable, Republicans were not taking seriously the warnings that "the sky is falling" and were recklessly risking disaster.

Cox went on to describe an alternate version of the fable, one in which Chicken Little eventually learns it was only an acorn that hit him on the head, a problem fixed by a simple umbrella.

Thus Cox provided a lesson to his younger peers: There are many versions of ancient fables. All of them provide wisdom, but few offer clear answers to the problems of modern California.

After providing this lesson, Cox decided to offer us an old Arab proverb -- the straw that broke the camel's back.

If you missed the debate on the Senate floor tonight (Channel 2 on Comcast), you missed some fine theater.

Republicans came out in force to remind Democrats that they have dissed the GOP for years, and are now paying the price for it. Lots of whining, etc. etc.

The most interesting and statesmanlike speeches came from Republicans Abel Maldonado and Dave Cox. They continue to say they are no votes for the budget package, even though they acknowledge considerable pressure to vote otherwise.

Maldonado took aim at Senate leader Darrell Steinberg's early promise of a "Budget of 40" -- meaning, 40 senators all working together to devise a budget. Instead, he and other legislators were frozen out of the Big Five meetings that were held behind closed doors.

"Maldo" -- as he is being called -- went public with his demand for an end to pay raises for legislators during budget impasses, and an end to pet spending projects for certain legislators. He didn't mention Lou Correa by name, but everyone knew who he was taking about.

For his part, Dave Cox accidentally sparked the floor debate by doing a procedural maneuver that allowed Dennis Hollingsworth to talk. That led to a fascinating outpour by several senators, ranging from Rod Wright (a Demo) to George Runner (a Rep.).

Cox, in his comments, didn't hold out much hope he would vote for the budget package, but he effectively dinged Steinberg for quietly pushing through SB 1, which would expand eligibility for kids in Medi-Cal.

In normal times, such a push by a Democratic senate leader would go unnoticed, but with the state facing budget crisis, Cox made his point very clear.

Steinberg was the last to speak. He acknowledged the points that Maldonado and Cox were making, and on the latter point, said that the SB 1 stuff had been shelved.

So Cox and Maldo seem to be in the driver's seat. We wait until 10 a.m tomorrow to see if they are driving the state in the right direction, or ,,,,right off the cliff.

Update: Turn to the California Channel (Channel 2 on Comcast) to watch lawmakers debate this issue right now. (7:58 pm).

Schwarzenegger officials told lawmakers today that, without a budget resolution by tomorrow, they will be forced to suspend 276 public works projects statewide with an estimated value of $3.8 billion.

Finance Director Mike Genest and Caltrans Director Will Kempton told a senate subcommittee that the state is running out of cash to pay contractors.

Several projects in the Sacramento area could be suspended -- including HOV lanes on I-80 in Solano County and on U.S. 50 in El Dorado County, worth tens of billions of dollars. Also at risk, say officials, are levee improvements in Sutter County. You can find the full list here at PMIB Project Shut down - suspend list.pdf

Republicans at the hearing seemed unimpressed by projections that the shutdowns could affect roughly 90,000 jobs in California. One GOP Senator, Dennis Hollingsworth of Murrieta, said a sales tax increase proposed to close the $40 billion budget gap could cost 50,000 jobs, an estimate from a Board of Equalization economist.

Shutting down the projects will not be cheap. Kempton said it would cost about $190 million for contractors to "button up" projects they have already started -- securing equipment, filling holes, etc.

Flash Report publisher Jon Fleischman today ran a "Shame on the Sac Bee" item after the editorial board used The Bee's Breaking News Alert to tout an editorial urging state Sen. Dave Cox to seek a resolution of the state budget impasse.

As Fleischman may or may not know, The Bee has published breaking news editorials before. In previous late-night budget sessions, our online editorials have warned readers about the prison guards union and its last-minute attempts to strong-arm pay raises from lawmakers, adding to the kind of unsustainable payroll obligations that Fleischman supposedly opposes. 

Now Fleischman is using his blog to suggest that esteemed reporters in the  Sacramento Bee's newsroom are having their credibility undermined because the editorial page is publishing opinions, and is using emails to let readers know about those opinions. That is shameful, especially for someone who drapes himself in the cloak of the First Amendment.

Ever since the first newspapers were published, they have run opinions, just as Fleischman is now doing on his Web site.

We've disagreed with the Flash Report over the years, but we've never denigrated Fleischman's right to say what he thinks nor personally attacked writers that he is associated with. We also find it hilarious that a guy whose blog is constantly targeting individual lawmakers -- Recall Maldonado Web Site in the Works -- would take issue with an editorial that focuses on a single lawmaker and makes a reasoned argument for him to act in the state's interest.

Shame on the Bee? Shame on the Flash Report.  

The Bee's editorial page just posted an editorial urging constituents of Sen. Dave Cox of Fair Oaks to call the senator and urge him to support a budget resolution. (The number of Cox's office is (916) 651-4001).

Yet there's another Republican senator whose vote could make a difference as the all-night marathon session draws closer to 24 hours. Overnight, the governor and other legislative leaders were in closed talks with Sen. Abel Maldonado, a moderate Republican from Santa Maria. But Maldonado, seen to the right, has stuck to his "thumbs down" position.

Why?

One possible reason is that Maldonado is still resentful that Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger didn't support him in his campaign for state controller in 2006. ""Where was he when I needed him?," Maldonado is quoted as saying in a report today in the San Jose Mercury News.

Another complication is Maldonado's sour relationship with Senate minority leader Dave Cogdill of Fresno. "There's a difference between managing a caucus and leading a caucus," Maldonado said.

Cox, according to my sources, is also less than inspired by Cogdill's leadership. All politics is personal, as the saying goes, and in the Senate, the backbiting among Republicans has gotten very personal.

FYI, unlike the governor, The Bee's editorial board enthusiastically endorsed Maldonado in his primary bid for controller, which he lost to Tony Strickland in 2006. At the time, we said that Maldonado "could be a strong candidate for governor one day."

"Could" is the operative word there. Political leadership is judged over time, and Maldonado's book is still being written. 

The deal to close California's $40 billion budget hole will either live or die today, depending on what happens this afternoon and tonight. And, of course, it is purely coincidence that it all comes down to Friday the 13th.

Now that details of the plan have leaked out, the special interests on all sides are flailing their knives and trying to gut the package. Apparently they are willing to let California run out of money.

On the right are the Flash Report, the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers' League and the John & Ken Show. The latter has an entertaining web site that shows various state leaders with their heads on sticks, shown above.

Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner has joined in this dubious spear chucking with this op-ed.

On the left, the California Teachers Association is urging its thousands of members to call legislators to scuttle parts of the deal giving school administrators more flexibility over spending. Transit groups and others are also raising hell about potential cuts.

It will all come down to three and three. That is, three Republican votes in the Assembly and three in the Senate.

But those trios will only stick their necks out (with heads to be hung on John & Ken's poles) if Democrats put up all their votes for a tax increase. That's a big if.

Meanwhile, the expected legislative votes tomorrow will coincide with the opening prologue of the Tour of California, which will bring tens of thousands to the Capitol, closing streets and surrounding lawmakers with hordes of cycling fans. If bicycle advocates had their acts together, they could storm the Capitol and demand more spending for bike lanes.

To make it even more interesting, the day's convergence of events could be interrupted by lightning, thunder, high winds and dousing rain. In other words, a perfect storm could follow a dangerous day for the superstitious. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and his buddies in Hollywood couldn't have scripted it better.

Photo courtesy of KFI-a.m. 640. 

As I write this, the Sacramento City Council is hearing from residents on whether the council should approve a proposed ordinance to make it illegal to scavenge from dumpsters and garbage cans in the city.

Sacamento already has a law -- lightly enforced -- that bans people from taking items out of recycling bins. The proposed ordinance would make it illegal to scavenge from "any type of solid waste receptacle."

Just a few minutes ago, the council heard from homeless people and their advocates. They argued that scavenging from dumpsters is a "time-honored" form of recycling and that many people depend on it for income.

What do you think? Should scavenging be made illegal? And could the city possibly enforce such a ban, given that pilfering from recycling bins is rampant all over the city?

Some of our sharpest op-ed writing comes from local letter writers, who are quick to spot contradictions and hypocrisy on the part of elected leaders.

Here's a letter we ran today from Steven Swan of Sacramento. He was commenting on Speaker Karen Bass' response to a threat by Republican activists to censure any GOP lawmaker who votes for a tax increase:

Bass is quick to call out Republicans for their party's resolution to censure any dissenting opinion for their platform that new taxes should not be part of the state budget deal.

I would like to remind the speaker that she employed a similar tactic when she banished Nicole Parra, D-Hanford, from the State Assembly building to a small legislative office in a building across the street for withholding her vote toward the Democratic proposed budget in August 2008.

All lawmakers are voted into office to represent the best interests of their constituents. These elected officials should be able to do so with impunity, and any method engaged by party leaders to force a party-line vote is shameful as well as contrary to the democratic process. I expect my representation to reflect my district's interests, not those of the party to which they are affiliated. If my community's representation is only an extension of their party, we might as well elect a single lawmaker from each party to represent the entire state.

If you'd like to submit your own letter to the editor, go here.

As the budget impasse hits 96 days, things are remarkably quiet at the Capitol. No one is saying much -- at least on the record. There are few salvos being launched by either side -- with one notable exception.

Labor groups are alarmed that the Big Five budget deal may soften a state requirement that employees be given meal breaks and overtime after eight hours of work. Republicans are seeking repeal of those labor laws, arguing that businesses are failing all over the place and  federal law is less demanding of employers. Unions fear that Democrats might accept some changes as the price for getting GOP votes for tax increases.

Labor groups have targeted one vulnerable freshman lawmaker, Assemblyman Danny Gilmore, R-Hanford, hoping it will scare off other GOP lawmakers. Meanwhile, Assemblywoman Nancy Skinner, a Democrat from the East Bay, is running a television ad (seen below) that hits Republicans who "are holding the budget hostage" until Democrats agree to the labor law changes.

Although Skinner's ad is aimed at Republicans, it is also sends a message to the Democratic leadership that her vote, and possibly others, may not be there when the budget deal is brought up for a vote. That's why the entire deal could implode at any moment, despite reports that an announcement is imminent.
 

As of Jan. 31, Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson had raised $131,500 for his bid to create a strong-mayor form of government in Sacramento. But after collecting 37,000 signatures to put the measure on the ballot, Johnson recently backtracked amid protests from the city council and said he'd hold off on the measure.

Contributors to his campaign may have been surprised to read in today's Bee that the mayor's supporters may not place the proposal on on the ballot until 2010.

One wonders: What happens to their money? Will they get refunds?

The debate over environmental regulations and infrastructure in California is getting lots of attention on the pages of East Coast newspapers today.

Former California governors George Deukmejian, Pete Wilson and Gray Davis have an op-ed in the Washington Times. It urges President Obama to waive federal environmental regulations for certain transportation projects, including "breakthrough" projects that would speed up goods movement.

"As former California governors who faced emergencies during our administrations, we know that the smart use of emergency powers to enable rapid response can make the difference in ending a crisis. Our advice to President Obama and Congress is to recognize the urgency by granting and encouraging the use of streamlined public procedures for our nation's governors to use as your field commanders."

Meanwhile, a possible rollback of California's environmental regulations is highlighted in this New York Times blog item. It quotes environmentalists fearful that Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger will agree to concessions that Republican lawmakers are demanding as the price of a budget deal. The GOP demands were first detailed here last week in an item in The Swarm.

Today's editorial takes aim at a self-serving bill to enhance benefits for judges statewide that the state Judicial Council hopes will be part of a state budget deal. The proposed legislation, which you can find here, would add tens of millions of dollars in annual compensation obligations that would either have to be paid out of the judiciary's existing budget, or through additional appropriations.

Since publishing the editorial, we learned that the Los Angeles County courts has hired a high-priced lobbyist and former legislator to push for the legislation. That juicy tidbit was part a story by Cheryl Miller that ran this week in Cal Law, an online journal whose premium articles can only be accessed through a subscription.

As Miller notes, L.A. County lost a lawsuit last year filed by the group Judicial Watch that challenged the supplemental benefits the county was paying to its state judges.

Court Executive Officer John Clarke said two judges have said publicly that they will quit if the local benefits stop. When the county lost the Judicial Watch lawsuit, leaders of the Los Angeles County Superior Court dipped into the court's operating budget to retain a former state assemblyman to lobby the Legislature to re-establish the county's authority to offer judicial benefits. The court is paying Burt Margolin $10,000 a month through April for consulting and lobbying services, Clarke said.

This is a pretty fine kettle of fish. L.A. County and the state are both in fiscal crises, and yet the county is paying a lobbyist $10,000 a month to lobby for enhanced benefits that will have to be borne by our cash-strapped state.

One has to ask: Where is the justice?

Bill language has surfaced in the Legislature to roll back various state environmental rules, and environmental groups are claiming that Republican lawmakers are circulating the legislation as a condition for any budget deal.

The legislation, which you can find here at budget language.pdf, would change the compliance dates for regulations on off-road diesel equipment recently passed by the California Air Resources Board. It would affect regulations on pesticides, and limit which highway and development projects would need to be reviewed for their potential greenhouse gas emissions.

Republicans are declining to comment on the document. "Legislative leaders have agreed to keep the details of negotiations confidential," said Sabrina Lockhart, press secretary for the Senate Republican caucus, when asked about the document and whether it was part of budget talks.

Environmental groups are livid that lawmakers could be secretly negotiating major changes to environmental laws to reach a budget deal. Environmental Defense and the Natural Resources Defense Council have called a press conference for Tuesday.

"Republican legislative leadership is exploiting the crisis to repeal laws that protect the health and safety of Californians, yet have nothing to do with the budget," the two groups said in a joint statement today.

UPDATE: The Bee's Kevin Yamamura has a fuller story on the Republican budget demands here.

Last week, The Bee's editorial page ran an eight-day series of editorials examining the big interest groups whose demands are contributing to the state's $40 billion budget impasse. You can find the lead editorial here along with links to others in the series.

As part of "Shared Sacrifice," we set up an on-line forum and urged readers to tell us what they would give up -- as a member of an interest group -- to help bridge the state's budget gap.

Many of the responses were of the predictable "blame someone else" mode. But a few were thoughtful and to the point. Here's one from a reader with a persona named "WilburHaynes."

I am a non-union state employee. Because we are all in serious trouble, I am resigned to accepting a temporary pay cut but am highly skeptical that other more powerful constituencies will contribute their share. I am prepared to pay a much higher gasoline tax to help us move away from imported oil. I am willing to pay the old vehicle license tax which Arnold imprudently cut, taking on a new burden of billions on the general fund to replace the counties' lost VLF revenue. I am willing to pay higher income taxes because it is another distasteful necessity.

But I am not willing to take a 10% hit it salary while other sacred cow groups escape pitching in their share because of their political muscle, and while the electeds continue to avoid the need to implement recommendations by CPR, Little Hoover, State Auditor et al to eliminate all the bureaucratic waste, stupid procurement practices, pointless boards and commissions, etc. Yet I am, sadly, quite sure that is precisely what will occur. The politically powerless will take serious hits, the sacred cows will remain untouchable, and the electeds will continue to fail to address the real problems.

Wilbur makes a good point. It's a delicate dance, this budget deal. If everyone fears they might be dropped onto the floor, no one will want to tango.

Part calculation, part circumstance, U.S. Dianne Feinstein is all over the news in the early days of 2009.

One day she's questioning Barack Obama's choice to head the C.I.A., the next day she's getting an apology from the president elect. One day she's defying Majority Leader Harry Reid and saying that Roland Burris should be seated in the Senate, the next day Reid and other Democrats are playing buddy-buddy with Burris.

Meanwhile, she's heading the inaugural ceremonies for the guy who just apologized to her. You can also see historical footage of Feinstein in the opening scenes of "Milk," the critically acclaimed film by Sean Penn about the slain San Francisco supervisor.

All this attention can't hurt but help Feinstein as she decides whether to run for governor or stay in Congress, where she will be the first woman to head the Senate Intelligence Committee. It's a tough choice -- as the Associated Press's Erica Werner notes in a feature about Feinstein that has just hit the wires.

Feinstein said she hasn't yet decided, but she's always wanted the (governor's) job, which she came close to winning in 1990. She passed up the chance to run in the 2003 gubernatorial recall, when she was viewed as the only Democrat who could have beaten Schwarzenegger. Now, her new chairmanship provides powerful incentive to stay in Washington -- even as the prospect of being in a position to tame her unruly home state tugs her in the opposite direction, according to advisers.

This is terrific political theater. Nearly every major politician in California -- Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, Leon Panetta, Gavin Newsom, John Garamendi and other possible gubernatorial candidates -- is waiting to see what Feinstein will decide. And Di-Fi seems to be in no hurry to provide them with further clarity. This is her moment. She's relishing it.

There are two competing versions on why budget negotiations blew up Tuesday between Democrats and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.

The Democrats' version, laid out in this op-ed by Senate and Assembly leaders Darrell Steinberg and Karen Bass, contends that the governor kept changing the goal posts. They say the governor got cold feet about the Democrats' plan to bypass Republicans with a scheme to raise taxes by a majority vote.

Top aides in the governor's office, however, offer a different version. They say Democrats kept wanting to defer decisions on cuts to welfare programs and state payroll that will be needed to close a $40 billion gap. And they say the governor was clear, in agreeing to consider the Democrats' tax approach a month ago, that they would have to agree to his list for public works projects to be relieved of CEQA reviews. Democrats, they say, kept changing the goal posts on CEQA after that initial handshake.

The real truth is probably a mixture of these two versions. Now we will see what happens next. In their op-ed, Steinberg and Bass say that next week, they will vote on additional bills "that are even closer to the governor's requests." That sounds like a deal is not entirely dead. But that op-ed was written before the governor quickly vetoed their package, and both sides went into acrimonious spin mode.

It was ugly yesterday, and when things get ugly, politicians stop talking to each other.

Sacramento Bee Photo from 12/11/08 -- By Brian Baer

In a conference call with The Bee's editorial board this afternoon, Senate leader Darrell Steinberg explained why a promising budget deal with Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger blew up today.

Steinberg said that he and governor were close to resolving differences over the governor's economic stimulus proposals and budget cuts. That wasn't the big holdup, Steinberg said. Instead, he suggested, the governor was getting "cold feet" on a plan by Democrats to raise taxes and fees without a two-thirds vote by lawmakers. Here's his full comment:

Between Sunday night and Monday, something else occurred unrelated to the specifics of the issues. It is cold feet, you know. He met with Republican leaders on Monday morning. I think he is back in that place where he believes he can get Republican votes for revenue and therefore doesn't have to do this unorthodox majority vote thing. We have been sort of going down that road for five or six years. It hasn't resulted in a single vote.

Jake Suski, a spokesman for the governor, declined to comment on whether the governor has changed his position on the Democrats' revenue plan or is making progress with Republicans. But Suski said it was telling that Democrats now plan to send the governor a budget package that is unchanged from three weeks ago, despite his veto threat. He said the governor would have something to say about that tomorrow.

Update: Suski, an an email, says the Governor's position has not changed on the Democrats' budget package. "The reasons to veto this proposal that the Governor laid out in his press conference on December 18th remain the same," he writes.

Over on the Flash Report, GOP strategist Dan Schnur has posed an important question, one that few Republicans have wanted to publicly float: What reforms should they seek as price of supporting some form of tax increase?

Schnur notes how difficult it will be to close a $40 billion hole without some form of new revenues in the next 18 months. He also notes that Assembly Republican Leader Mike Villines may be more flexible on new revenues than his public statements would indicate.

Villines has hinted that a package of tax and regulatory incentives that could improve the state's business climate could be part of a tradeoff for some revenue increasesBecause he was careful not to promise such an exchange, Villines was roasted by the state's mainstream media for intransigence. But while he was not willing to negotiate against himself by offering up absolute assurances of Republican support before any serious discussions had occurred, he was effectively sending a message to Schwarzenegger and the Democrats that he and his allies would be open to the conversation if significant job-creation measures were part of the discussion as well.

Schnur's essay is well timed. I hope he'll soon follow it up with another one that analyzes what type of temporary tax increase would be least harmful to the economy. Lawmakers need to have that conversation. Here at The Swarm, we think a broad-based increase in personal income taxes is preferable to a sales tax increase. Much of it would be deductible.

But kudos to Schnur and the Flash Report for at least going this far.

The Swarm is abuzz at the news that President-elect Barack Obama has tapped former California congressman Leon Panetta to head the CIA.

Over the last year, Panetta has been heading the California Forward effort to reform California's governance and its chronic budget troubles. We ran an essay of his on Sunday about the state's future.

Now, all of a sudden, we learn that Panetta is heading to Virginia to be the nation's top spook.

One can't help but wonder: Did the former congressman see better prospects in reforming the CIA than in trying to fix California?

And what will happen to California Forward? Will it still have the juice to push for broad reforms without someone of Panetta's stature? Or will it become....California Stalled?

One benefit of watching NFL football is it gives you plenty of time to read the morning papers.

Over at the San Francisco Chronicle, Willie Brown continues his defense of Ron Blagojevich, saying his attempted appointment of Roland Burris was "worthy of Joe Montana." (I'm doubtful the former 49ers quarterback would agree.) 

The Los Angeles Times has an important story about a court decision involving Latino representation in Madera that "has already begun to reshape school boards, city councils and special districts throughout California."

In The Bee, Dale Kasler's piece on CalPERS and its real estate investments is a must read, and it cries out for further investigation. Any connection between former CalPERS board members and the recipients of these dubious investments?

Slavery is on the mind of prominent columnists. The New York Times' Nicholas Kristof writes about brothel girls in Cambodia and in The Bee, Dan Walters notes that such forced servitude is a reality here in California.

Meanwhile, in our Forum section, eight thoughtful Californians reflect on the state's prospects. Leon Panetta's essay is particularly forceful. "California's future depends on whether we will become part of a constituency for change - a strong and persistent voice for better government that cannot be ignored," he writes.

Earlier this month, The Bee's editorial board repeated its call for the state to eliminate the Integrated Waste Management Board, calling it a "patronage plum" for termed out legislators, such as former State Sen. Carole Migden.

The editorial triggered a sharp response from the Schwarzenegger administration. The governor's Cal-EPA secretary, Linda Adams, wrote on Dec. 7 that The Bee had "done a disservice to the people of California" by calling for the board's elimination. She also had this to say:

I applaud the board's leadership, legislative and gubernatorial appointees alike, who have worked together and brought bipartisan solutions to our environmental challenges. The work of the board and its staff is an admirable reflection of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's commitment to protect our environment and the people of California.

Apparently the governor's commitment isn't all that strong, at least to the Integrated Waste Management Board. In his budget today, he proposed eliminating the board.

No word yet on whether Linda Adams will now send the governor a letter saying he has "done a disservice to the people of California."

The budget clock outside the governor's office continues to spin. As I write this, the deficit is $7,424,324,673, and by the end of June, it is expected to hit $14.8 billion.

So can you guess -- or calculate -- where it will be at midnight on New Year's Eve?

Here's a hint: Every minute represents $28,234. So let's check your math skills. Whoever emails me or leaves a comment below with the most correct answer by noon Wednesday gets a signed copy of Daniel Weintraub's book about the governor, "Party of One." Go to it.

 

A senior volunteer for the No on Proposition 8 campaign has posted some interesting insights on the Daily Kos on why the campaign lost momentum in the final weeks, failing to stop a ban on same-sex marriages despite pre-election polls indicating it would do so.

The volunteer suggests the campaign was too focused on focus groups, was clueless about using the Internet, was too secretive in sharing information and was reluctant to frame any kind of message around the thousands of same-sex couples in California who were already married.

Some of these criticisms we've heard before, but there is a depth of detail in this post mortem that makes it a worthy read. Find it here.

New York Times columnist Paul Krugman, who recently won the Nobel Prize for Economics, has a column today about how the states are handling their budget troubles. He had this to say about California:

Are governors responsible for their own predicament? To some extent. Arnold Schwarzenegger, in particular, deserves some jeers. He became governor in the first place because voters were outraged over his predecessor's budget problems, but he did nothing to secure the state's fiscal future -- and he now faces a projected budget deficit bigger than the one that did in Gray Davis.

Krugman's column, although true enough, is lacking in crucial context.  Because California's Legislature is controlled by Democrats, it was impossible for Schwarzenegger to cut spending upon taking office. And with the two-thirds vote requirement, it's been tough for him to get Republican support to raise taxes and cover the current $11.2 billion shortfall.

His column also fails to acknowledge that states, unlike the federal government, can't engage in deficit spending. They have to balance their budgets each year, at least on paper.

Krugman, I suspect, enjoys tangling with Schwarzenegger. He dinged him in this blog entry in November, was ambivalent about his health care reform proposal in 2007 and, of course, called him "Conan the Deceiver" in this piece from 2003.

As California's budget impasse drags on and on, with Republicans refusing to raise taxes and the governor haggling with Democrats over non-budget policy issues, it's an appropriate time to check in with our neighboring state -- Nevada.

There, with Democrats controlling both houses and Republican Jim Gibbons in the governor's office, Nevada leaders closed a $1.2 billion shortfall in the state's two-year budget by cutting programs, exhausting the state's rainy day fund, shelving building construction, and borrowing money. 

Having made those tough choices, Republican leaders are now acknowledging that higher taxes are inevitable as the governor and lawmakers prepare a new two-year budget for the fiscal year that begins midway in 2009. 

Senate Minority Leader Bill Raggio, R-Reno had this to say to the Reno Journal Gazette:

"It will be very difficult for the governor to craft a budget that doesn't include any revenue enhancements. Everything has to be on the table."

If low-tax Nevada raises taxes, it will hardly be alone. Several other states are planning to raise fees and taxes to deal with a historic downturn in revenues. One of them is Idaho, where Gov. Butch Otter, a Republican, who wants the Legislature to raise vehicle-registration fees, raise the 25-cents-per-gallon gas tax and broaden the sales tax to include rental cars, according to a story Tuesday in the Washington Times.

Don't get me wrong. I'm not suggesting that California pattern itself after Idaho or Nevada, a state with legal brothels. But at least leaders of those states aren't allowing ideology to get in the way of a budget solution.

Government employees of all stripes are understandably nervous this holiday season as the state, cities and counties consider proposals to cut payroll costs.

And then there's Watsonville.

This city south of Santa Cruz shut down most city services on Monday and won't reopen them until Jan. 5 to deal with a $561,000 budget shortfall for the current year. The temporary layoffs mean no library, no recreation programs, no basic street maintenance and no counter service at the police and fire departments in this city of 51,000 people.

You can read about it here on Watsonville's Web site.

It's inspiring to know that someone would want to bequeath $500,000 for a successful program to help the homeless. But it's doubly impressive that such a donor would not crave the recognition that such a gift deserves.

Cottage Housing, a Sacramento non-profit that helps the homeless transition from the streets to self sufficiency, announced today that it it has received half a million dollars from "the estate of a long-time Sacramento community college teacher."

Cottage Housing is not naming the Secret Santa, at the request of the donor's widow. The non-profit is now challenging area residents to expand the gift to help house the growing numbers of local homeless.

Although I can understand the need to honor a donor's request for anonymity, it's too bad we don't know more about this humble Santa, whose untold life story might inspire others to be similarly generous.

Who was this teacher? What drove his concern about the homeless? And are there other Santas out there who will help match this gift?

The Bee's newsroom is working on a story, so we'll have more to share on these questions later.

Today's page of letters illustrates why California teeters towards insolvency.

Two of the letter writers accuse the governor of picking on state employees with his plan for furloughs, as if every other part of state government -- schools, welfare, etc. -- was going untouched. 

Then you have Jon Coupal, of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers League, defending Proposition 13, the ballot measure that has resulted in wide variation in how residential and commercial properties are taxed. Coupal is now threatening to prepare another ballot measure to overturn the taxes and fees that are part of the budget deal proposed by Democrats.

As long as entrenched interests groups refuse to budge, and as long as lawmakers feel so intimidated by these groups that they won't cross them, California will remain mired in a fiscal nightmare.

Somebody needs to change the sign outside the governor's office to read:

"Schwarzenegger and the Legislature's failure to act."

Shared sacrifice? Shared responsibility.

In his scramble to get up to speed on issues, Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson has assembled a transition team of advisors that "literally is hundreds of people," according to spokesman Steve Maviglio.

For the last week, The Swarm has been seeking a list of these advisers. Maviglio claims that a full list hasn't been assembled, but after a little prodding, he released the people Johnson has tapped to lead the transition teams.

So, for the first time, here is the list of the mayor's top advisers, with links to their biographies.
 

Not surprisingly, Kevin Johnson's plan to change the Sacramento city charter is generating both heat and smoke.

Several city council members, bloggers and on-line commentators are calling the mayor's bid a "power play," which it is. But are some are going farther by claiming that Johnson deliberately misled voters about his intentions prior to taking office.

With sweeping assurance, the New York Times reports today that bad times are drawing bigger crowds to churches, particularly evangelical churches. The story includes some anecdotes to support this conclusion, and reports that ministers are dropping their traditional sermons to offer practical advice to people who have lost jobs and homes.

I'm sure there's some truth to this, based on past recessions and reports from Britain and elsewhere. But I'm wondering if the real picture is more mixed for churches.

Today's lead editorial takes a deserved shot at Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's claims that Californians can lead the fight against global warming while still enjoying their SUVs, Jacuzzis and big-screen TVs. We've been challenging the governor on his "green with no sacrifices" claims for two years, to little effect. In a recent speech, he had this to say:

It's all about technology, because we all know that the guilt trip that we have put on people has not worked, to tell them that they should not use the Jacuzzi, or the big, large plasma TV, or to drive with a big SUV, a Hummer or something like that. (Laughter) Or to fly with a plane. All of those things did not work because the fact of the matter is the people should use a big television set but it should be powered by solar. They should go and sit in the Jacuzzi, in the biggest Jacuzzi in the world but it should be powered by solar. They should fly their airplane whenever they want but it should have maybe a different kind of designed engine so we don't use fossil fuel. Or they should go and stay in their SUVs and in their Hummers but maybe have that Hummer be powered by electric motors or something like that. So it's technology that really needs to be changing, not that we're driving a car or taking a Jacuzzi or any of those things. God forbid we would stop the Jacuzzi.

Yes, he actually said this. You can read a full version of the speech here.

As our editorial noted, the Air Resources Board has taken a similarly rosy view on the economic impacts of its plan to implement the state's global warming law. It's a law, we feel, that needs to be aggressively implemented, but with some candor about the economic impacts.

The Swarm was surprised to see Steve Maviglio's name as the contact person on a city press release yesterday regarding the outside accounting firm that Mayor Kevin Johnson wants the city council to hire.

Why? Because Maviglio doesn't work for the city.

Maviglio had served as Johnson's spokesman during the campaign, doing double duty as Assembly Speaker Karen Bass' spokesman. But following the election, Maviglio slipped off to Italy for some R&R, and Johnson announced a staff that included Kunal Merchant as chief of staff but no mention of Maviglio.

I reached the omnipresent Maviglio this morning. He told me is working without pay. The city isn't paying him. Nor is anyone else, he said. He's also ended his employment with Speaker Bass after the election.

It's hard what to make of this. Signs of transitional stress in City Hall? Signs of Maviglio answering the mayor's call for more philanthropic efforts? What do you think?.

Today's editorial examines the upshot of Monday's joint session of the Senate and Assembly on California's deteriorating finances.

As promised, here are some links to presentations and statements by the state's top financial officials, who testified at the hearing.

Legislative Analyst Mac Taylor

Treasurer Bill Lockyer

Controller John Chiang

State Finance Director Mike Genest

Response from Senate Republicans

Here's some vindication (kinda) for the hard work of being an editorial writer. Federal authorities listed the attempted firing of editorial writers as "a thing of value" in the criminal complaint against Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich.

As you may have read, Blagojevich and his chief of staff were arrested today on various charges, including soliciting bribes in exchange for the selection of Barack Obama's replacement in the U.S. Senate.

The criminal complaint also alleges that Blagojevich tried to get certain Chicago Tribune editorial writers fired in exchange for helping the Tribune Company receive state aid in the sale of a baseball stadium owned by the company. It doesn't name the editorial writers, but says they wrote "widely circulated editorials" critical of the governor. Blagojevich in turn "corruptly solicited and demanded a thing of value, namely, the firing of certain Chicago Tribune editorial members."

You can read the full complaint here.

State Finance Director Mike Genest prepared an interesting power point for today's joint legislative session: What will happen if lawmakers doing nothing about the current revenue shortfall?

Without cuts or new taxes in the current fiscal year, the state will have just $300 million in cash by February and will be $2.4 billion in the red by March, Genest reported. With budget solutions, we'll get down to a nervously low $1.8 billion in March but then things will turn around.

You can watch a Web cast of the joint hearing now, right here, on the California Channel. 

Now that it's official, the public is justifiably livid about the governor appointing former senator Carole Migden to a high-paying job on the state Integrated Waste Management Board. Just read the comments on this story on Capitol Alert.

But amid all the fuss about the governor and Darrell Steinberg securing this appointment, I'm wondering if Midgen will actually prove to be an environmental advocate, particularly when it comes to cleaning up tire dumps and junk heaps in the Central Valley.

Back in 2002, Midgen tried to fend off efforts to regulate smog in the Bay Area that was wafting into the Central Valley. Speaking on a radio show, she blamed the valley's air pollution on "tires burning down there and a lot of problems with junk heaps."

Now she's in a prime position to do something about those tire dumps and junk heaps. Will she seize the opportunity?

Loose lips sink ships. Perhaps that's why Mary Nichols is being coy about reports that President-elect Barack Obama is vetting her to be the next secretary of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Nichols, who chairs the California Air Resources Board, met with the Sacramento Bee's editorial board today to discuss the state's climate change policies and upcoming rules on truck pollution.

At the end of our meeting, I asked Nichols if she had talked with President-elect Barack Obama about the U.S. EPA job.

Nichols' response: "I'm not talking about that. I've been asked not to talk about it."

Asked not to talk about it? Hmm. Does that sounds like a "yes" to you?

Sacramento Bee Photo/ Autumn Cruz  Dec. 3, 2008

Bill Cavala, former deputy director of the Assembly Speaker's Office of Member Services,  is shocked -- shocked -- that the Bee would run a story the other day highlighting pay hikes for legislative staff in the midst of a state fiscal crisis.

Cavala penned an item in the California Progress Report defending these "hapless" staff, suggesting they are being targeted by "underpaid reporters who face an insecure future in a business slowly going out of business."

Yes, that is what we do here at The Bee. Angered at our low pay and modest benefits, we spend our waning hours figuring out how we can lash out at "hapless" state employees who make more money than us.

Give me a break. I'll acknowledge there are many underpaid legislative staffers who are dedicated workers and shouldn't be held responsible for the disaster known as the Legislature. But there are also veteran staff who are far from hapless. Because of term limits, these "staffers" are become increasingly powerful. They write the bills and design the budget gimmicks that lawmakers enact every year, and then some get plumb jobs as lobbyists.

Hapless? Hardly.

In a previous item, I noted how Northern California water interests were butting heads with Southern California interests over who should head the Senate Natural Resources Committee, which handles all water legislation, including any bills related to a peripheral canal.

Guess who emerged victorious? Senate leader Darrell Steinberg today tapped Southern California Sen. Fran Pavley to chair this key committee. That was a setback for Sen Lois Wolk of Davis, who has water expertise and sought the seat but ended up getting appointed to the Revenue and Taxation Committee.

As a reporter who's covered the environment for more than 20 years, I am always on the lookout for feel-good stories. They are hard to find.

Here's one. On the Channel Islands of California, biologists for the National Parks Service and other agencies have saved an endangered species, the island fox, in a mere decade. The foxes' numbers dwindled to roughly 100 ten years ago. Now there are 650 foxes and the numbers are steadily increasing.

How did they do it? First, the parks service eradicated feral hogs and other invasive creatures on these stunningly scenic islands. They also rounded up foxes and established a captive breeding program for them.

The return of the bald eagle has also helped. That displaced golden eagles, who moved to the isles and aggressively fed on the island fox after bald eagles died off due to DDT and other threats.

NBC News had a nice story on the foxes tonight, which may have been based on a piece The Ventura County Reporter ran a few weeks ago. But if you really want to chase after foxes, go to this site, run by Friends of the Island Fox.

Photo courtesy of Friends of the Island Fox. 

Today's editorial urges local governments and nonprofits to take advantage of the downturn in the economy to preserve land for parks, greenways, habitat and flood control projects. Hundreds of millions of dollars in state bond money are available for these purposes, but only if applicants get their act together.

Here are some links to local groups and agencies working to preserve open space and the farm economy:

Natomas Joint Vision

Placer Legacy

South Sacramento Habitat Conservation Plan

SACOG Rural Urban Connections Strategy

Sacramento Valley Conservancy

Mayor-elect Kevin Johnson proved one thing Tuesday night: He and his team can pull off a star-spangled spectacle.

A huge American flag. Balloons. Massive digital projectors. Lisa Ling as emcee. A youthful dancing troupe. A soulful choir. A visit by the governor. A teleprompter for K.J. Lots of soaring platitudes, followed by confetti raining down. Sacramento has never seen anything like it.

Some scribbles from my notebook:

-- The new mayor passed on a chance to ding TV comedy host Stephen Colbert, who called Sacramento "unbelievably boring" when Johnson was on his show recently. Johnson's prepared remarks had the mayor-elect saying: "I was not going to let that  fool get away with saying that Sacramento was 'unbelievably boring.'" But when Johnson delivered his speech, he  inserted the word "jokester" for fool. )

-- The local music, dancing and singing on Tuesday night were inspired. I especially liked the 34th Street Dancers. Their performance -- "Obama Song/I have a dream" -- delivered an instant message of generational change. These young people are energized, they are talented and they are ready to mix it up.

Once he takes command of the California State Senate, Darrell Steinberg will have a live grenade thrown into his lap -- the Peripheral Canal.

And who Steinberg selects to chair key committees could determine the fate of this contentious water project.

Southern California water interests and some environmental groups are seeking the canal to reduce fish conflicts in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. They are urging Steinberg to select incoming Fran Pavley of Santa Monica to head the Senate Natural Resources Committee, which handles legislation related to water.

Pavley is a hero to environmentalists for co-authoring Assembly Bill 32, the 2006 legislation that commits California toward cutting greenhouse gases. But Pavley is a curious pick for Natural Resources. While in the Assembly, she didn't show a huge interest in water issues. In the Senate, her interests would seem to be better aligned with the Environmental Quality or Energy, Utilities and Communication committees.

So why are Southern California water interests pushing Pavley for Natural Resources? Because she is not Lois Wolk.

Wolk, from Davis, focused on water issues throughout her terms in the Assembly. But she is a Northern California politician, and it's hard to find many of this species who are publicly supportive off a peripheral canal. In addition, Wolk has also been a longtime ally of the Planning and Conservation League, a group that has fought efforts to fast-track the canal.

So where will Steinberg come down? If he picks Wolk, he'll anger his Southern California caucus, and if he picks Pavley, he'll anger his Northern California base. There's also a third possibility, reports Capitol Alert. Loni Hancock of Berkeley, who chaired Natural Resources in the Assembly, is also in the running for the Senate committee.

In the next few weeks, Steinberg will decide between these three. Who he selects will reveal much about his ability to juggle live grenades. 

Sacramento Mayor-elect Kevin Johnson is scheduled to meet with The Bee's editorial board tomorrow afternoon. We'll be asking him questions about his recent meetings with fellow council members and other elected leaders, and his plans for his first 50 days in office.

What are your thoughts? What questions would you like to see posed to Johnson about his immediate agenda? We'll try to get answers to as many as possible.

...play Santa Claus in some other roles?

As you may have seen, Mayor-elect Kevin Johnson has stepped in with $20,000 in campaign cash to prevent the annual Santa Parade from becoming the victim of a down economy.

That leaves us wondering what other headlines we might see in the near future:

Mayor-elect saves Uncle Jers by buying two tons of cookies

Johnson goes on shopping spree, preserving "Black Friday" for malls

BREAKING NEWS: K.J. buys Isleton, saving it from bankruptcy

Johnson shows up at repo auction, buys 1,500 homes

Show goes on for boycotted Music Circus, after K.J. buys all tickets

Mayor-elect dishes deep, bails out Zelda's Pizza

Kings land Kobe Bryant, thanks to donation from Johnson

Any others?

He won't be sworn in until Dec. 2, but Kevin Johnson is already showing signs he wants to be more than just Sacramento's mayor.

Since his election on Nov. 4, Johnson and his aides have been reaching out to elected leaders outside of Sacramento. Two weeks ago, he attended a state-of-the-city address in Rancho Cordova, where Mayor Linda Budge presented him with the key to the city. Some in attendance remarked they had never before seen a Sacramento mayor attend such an event.

Today, Johnson announced he will meet Thursday with several of the region's mayors, including Budge, West Sacramento Mayor Christopher Cabaldon, Elk Grove Mayor Gary Davis, Roseville Mayor Gina Garbolino, Marysville Mayor Bill Harris, Live Oak Mayor Diane Hodges, Loomis Mayor Russ Kelley, Winters Mayor Michael Martin, Yuba City Mayor-Elect Leslie McBride, Citrus Heights Mayor Steve Miller, Auburn Mayor Keith Nesbitt, Lincoln Mayor-Elect Spencer Short and Rocklin Mayor Brett Storey.

To be sure, this regional love fest will not last beyond the point that Johnson is forced to spar with his counterparts for development projects, state grants and other funding. But for now, Sacramento's new mayor seems interested in developing some regional relationships. That could prove fruitful for the region.

Plans for a tram to link California State University, Sacramento with the light rail station at 65th Street have been pushed back for at least a year, according to a report this week in The State Hornet, the campus newspaper.

Funding for the project has come in spurts, and project leaders have yet to decide if the tram will run on a new fixed guideway that would be built through the campus, or on existing roadways.

Sounds like this project could use some assistance from a local elected leader. Given that the tram would help reduce congestion and air pollution on the Highway 50 corridor, U.S. Rep. Doris Matsui and state legislators should make it a priority as they work to fast-track infrastructure projects. What do you think?

UPDATE: Matsui's office informs me that the congresswoman wrote a letter last year in support of grants for the CSUS tram. This year, however, neither CSUS or Regional Transit requested federal funds for the project. Too bad. If the campus had this project designed and ready to go, they'd be in a position to secure some of the public works spending Congress is likely to approve this year in a stimulus package.

Like some other citizens who cherish their eardrums, I was baffled today to read the response of a California Highway Patrol spokeswoman, Kelly Baraga, when asked about the noise blaring from souped-up motorcycles on the street.

"Sometimes that noise is a good thing," Baraga responded when asked by The Bee's Tony Bizjak about motorcycles with loud aftermarket exhaust systems. "Motorcycles are not as easily seen (as cars), so noise is a way they can notify people they are on the road."

Hmm. By that logic, whenever I ride my bicycle through town, I should yell into a bullhorn.

Perhaps Baraga has not read the California Safety and Health Code, which the CHP is sworn to uphold. The code states that "excessive noise is a serious hazard to the public health and welfare" and it goes on from there... 

No this is not a doctored photo. State Department of Fish and Game biologists found this whopper of a chinook salmon while conducting a survey last month of Battle Creek, a tributary of the Sacramento River.

Unfortunately, the 51-inch-long fish was dead when found. If alive, it probably would have surpassed the state record of 88 pounds live weight.

It's been a tough set of years for salmon in California, so this big fish has biologists understandably excited.

"Hopefully this fish was entirely successful in passing on its superior genetic potential," said Dave Killam, a DFG biologist, pictured in the photo. "This is one of the few bright spots this year for one of California's great sport fish, the Chinook salmon."

Let's give thanks that Sacramento still has the Raisin Capital to serve as the butt of its jokes.

In introducing one of his guests tonight, Comedy Central's Stephen Colbert laid down this line for Sacramento Mayor-elect Kevin Johnson.

"He better do a good job or they trade his ass to Fresno."

So did Johnson do a good job on Colbert? So-so.

Bloomberg News reports that California's cap-and-trade system -- the centerpiece of Gov.
Arnold Schwarzenegger's plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 30 percent by 2020 -- has hit a major snag.

The story says Cal-EPA Secretary Mary Nichols will convene a panel of outside experts to reach consensus on a market trading system for emissions that has divided business groups, environmental justice advocates and other environmentalists.

That assumes Nichols will still be in California to oversee such a panel. She has been mentioned in a few blogs as a candidate to serve as U.S. Environmental Protection Agency secretary in the Obama administration. See stories here and here and here. 

Below are some excerpts from our interview today with Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on the state's $11.2 billion revenue shortfall, state worker furloughs, the car tax, the initiative process and other topics.

To listen to audio of the interview, click the link on this page.

Furloughs

On why he proposed one-day-a month furloughs for state workers:

Schwarzenegger: It comes under the auspices of, everyone gets a little hair cut. If everyone sacrifices a little bit, I think we can make it through here. It is the same question as...why do you make cuts from law enforcement. Why do you make cuts from prisons? Why do you make cuts from education. Why do you make cuts from health care?
You have got to look at the whole inventory of things that are available. I thought by closing some of these holidays and also having people, you know, take off one day a month it could save the state some money, and it does. Mike, what are those numbers?

Finance Director Mike Genest: The furlough itself we have at $263 (million) this year and $451 (million) next year. And that is just the general fund.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is scheduled to meet with The Bee's editorial board this afternoon, to pitch his plan for responding to an $11.2 billion revenue shortfall in the current fiscal year.

We offered our response to his plan Sunday. What are your thoughts? What questions would you want posed to the governor?

Even as they savor their victories from Tuesday, Democrats are embroiled in a power struggle over what kind of legislation Congress will enact to reduce greenhouse gases and shape the nation's energy future.

In the House, U.S. Rep. Henry Waxman of California is challenging John Dingell of Michigan to chair the powerful Energy and Commerce committee. Dingell, allied with Detroit's auto industry and Democrats who hail from coal states, is pushing a bill that would cut greenhouse gases 80 percent by 2050.

Waxman is pushing for faster reductions, with more controls on coal power plants and stronger fuel efficiency standards for cars and trucks, than Dingell supports.

Neither House Speaker Nancy Pelosi nor President-elect Barack Obama have publicly taken sides. But you'd have to think that Pelosi would prefer Waxman, from her home state, to take the lead in crafting climate legislation, whereas Obama wouldn't want to anger Michigan and his midwestern base by tossing Dingell out of that post.

The outcome of this fight could reveal much about how Obama and Pelosi will work together in the coming few years.  

If you thought the media could resist sports metaphors in covering Kevin Johnson's mayoral victory Tuesday, you'd be wrong.

The Sporting News reported that the former NBA star scored "a double digit victory in Sacramento's mayoral race" by beating incumbent Heather Fargo. The blog  Ballhype proclaimed that "KJ dunked baseline on the hearts of the people of Sacramento..."

The Detroit News reported Johnson's victory in a roundup of 14 other sports figures who either won or lost for public office national on Tuesday. The National Post of Canada has a long recitation of Johnson's basketball career, including the fact that he averaged 32.5 points per game as a senior at Sacramento High School.

Meanwhile, the New York Times Caucus political blog noted that Johnson was an early supporter of President-elect Barack Obama and that, although the two have met, they have not yet played a game of one-on-one hoops.

"I wasn't doing that, I had to keep his confidence up," Mr. Johnson told The Times.

California faces at least a $11.2 billion shortfall in the current fiscal year. Let's examine that in real numbers:

$11,200,000,000.

This has never happened before. The fiscal year is 4 months over, and yet lawmakers must somehow cut spending or raise revenues by $11.2 billion, enact those savings and cuts now and realize them in a mere 8 months.

Yet forces on both sides continue to live in a fairytale world. Republican leaders, like Mike Villines of the Assembly, insist they can find $11 billion in savings, in programs like health and welfare, even though they couldn't find them during the last session, with a much smaller shortfall to cover.

Meanwhile, state employee unions are saying "Hell No" to the governor's plan to furlough them one day a month and drop two paid holidays from their calendar.

This is incredible. Businesses are laying off hundreds of workers. Some cities and counties are also reducing their ranks. But the state employee unions think they can escape a haircut with California facing an $11 billion hole? What kind of Alice in Wonderland world are they living in?

For political junkies, the 4th Congressional District race is the gift that keeps on giving.

Since we last updated this contest, the Secretary of State's web site has posted some new numbers. Republican Tom McClintock leads Democrat Charlie Brown by 709 votes, with 156,516 for McClintock and 155,807 for Brown.

But there are still thousands of provisional ballots and mail ballots dropped off at the polls that have to be counted. That could take several weeks.

Given that Brown seemed to have momentum at the end, you could speculate that those last-minute ballots would favor him. But I wouldn't place any wagers on this race.

As McClintock himself once wrote about gambling, " I don't enjoy it, I'm not very good at it, and I think it's a lousy investment."

UPDATE: It appears the 4th District will be subject to a new state mandate requiring handcounts in 10 percent of selected precincts. Details on Kim Alexander's blog. 

One of Sarah Palin's sadder moments came early in the campaign, at the Republican National Convention, when she dismissed Barack Obama's experience as a community organizer.

As it turned out, Obama won the White House because of that experience. The ground team he put together -- voter registration, neighborhood groups, church groups, students, get-out-the vote groups -- won him the day.

None other than Karl Rove made that point today in the Wall Street Journal:

Californians sent mixed messages on ballot propositions yesterday. They supported rights for chickens, but not for same sex couples. They approved about $11 billion in new borrowing for hospitals and high-speed rail, but were more stingy on other spending, including for drug treatment and alternative fuel vehicles.

Much of it came down to campaigning. The Yes-on-8 organizations, opposed to gay marriage, ran a pretty savvy campaign compared to the no-on-8 groups. Proposition 11, the redistricting reform measure, had more money than the opposition, so it seems to have won a narrow victory.

Is there a message here? The Los Angeles Times has an up-to-date chart here.

With 97 percent of the precincts reporting, Kevin Johnson has easily won the Sacramento mayor's race, leading 57 to 43. That will probably will tighten with returns left to be counted, but his margin is way beyond previous polls suggested. It appears to be an overwhelming vote in support of change in city hall.

So what do you think? Is this a mandate? A referendum on Heather Fargo? A gamble on K.J.?

My take: He has some real political capital at this point. But, with the economy as it is, he faces the same question as many people these days: Where does he invest it?

Kevin Johnson sure likes to buck tradition. After taking an unauthorized "tour" of the city council chambers recently, he is now claiming victory in the mayor's race, even though Mayor Heather Fargo has not conceded.

Update: And just to rub it in, Kevin has invited the security guard who let him into the council chair to join him on stage. "Luis" has just gotten his five seconds of fame.

 

In my column today, I wrote about several local contests that pitted slow-growth candidates against incumbents.

Here's how they stand in early and incomplete returns, with slow-growth candidates in bold:

As I watch Barack Obama deliver his acceptance speech, I feel a sense of pride in this country I haven't felt in some time.

It's not that voters defied the so-called "Bradley effect" and elected an African American as president.

It's not that Obama has inspired millions of young people to come out and vote like they have never voted before.

It's not that Obama has a policy agenda that is close to my own.

What awes me about Obama is that he defied the odds. He was not the annointed candidate of the Democratic Party machine. In an era of such deep cynicism about politics, it's inspiring to know that a once-unknown candidate could rise up, take some chances, run a phenomenal campaign and win.

Photo by Timothy A. Clary, AFP/Getty Images

Former NBA star Kevin Johnson leads incumbent Heather Fargo 54-46 in the Sacramento mayor's race, with more than half of the precincts reporting. Find results here. 

Voters didn't elect a woman to the White House this year, but women effectively decided the presidential race.

According to the Associated Press, interviews with voters suggested that almost six in 10 women were backing Obama nationwide, with men leaning his way by a narrow
margin.  The results were based on a preliminary partial sample of nearly 10,000 voters in Election Day polls and in telephone interviews over the past week for early
voters.

As I write this, Fox News is calling Virginia for Obama. That's more than enough for me to feel confident that Obama has this in the bag.

Barack Obama appears headed toward victory, with CNN calling Ohio for him.

Will this affect voting in California and Sacramento? Possibly.

Imagine you are a John McCain supporter who is leaning to vote for Kevin Johnson for Sacramento mayor. You learn that Obama has it the bag. So, instead of stopping at the polls on your commute from work, you go straight home and enjoy dinner. Imagine a bunch of voters doing this.

Probably it will have little affect on the mayor's race, but if K.J. goes down in a nail-biter against Mayor Heather Fargo, he will have to wonder.

 

CNN.com is reporting that, with 34 percent of the precincts reporting, Obama is up over McCain in Florida, 53-37. But McCain is up in Virginia, 55-44, with 38 percent of precincts. So this may not be over before the polls close in California.

UPDATE: I was wrong. This thing is over.

No matter what happens tonight in the presidential race, the turnout at the polls today was inspiring.

I voted near my home in midtown Sacramento. At 7:30 a.m., there was a line of 60 people and the lines continued throughout the morning. About half of the people I voted with, at 11 a.m, were under 30. I've never seen that before -- not four years ago, nor previously.

Here are some stories about the turnout locally and nationally from The Bee, The New York Times and Fox News.

Photo by The Bee's Anne Chadwick Williams, at a Folsom polling place today.

As the polls close tonight, The Swarm team will be live blogging the results, with an emphasis on several races that are hot locally and in California:

-- Pia Lopez will be watching the congressional contests, particularly the 4th District race between Democrat Charlie Brown and Republican Tom McClintock. Polls have shown this could go either way. The reputation of pollsters will be on the line.

-- I'll be focusing on city council and supervisor races that could affect growth and development issues across the region, as I noted in my column today.

Here are The Sacramento Bee's endorsements, with links to the full editorials:

Anyone who cares about California's broken governance is undoubtedly saddened to hear about the passing of William R. Stall on Sunday.

Stall, an editorial writer for the Los Angeles Times, wrote a Pulitzer-prize winning series in 2004 called "Reinventing California." It explored how term limits, ballot-box budgeting, gerrymandered electoral districts and other dysfunctions had led to the state's fiscal crisis, culminating in the recall of Gov. Gray Davis.

Stall laid out a road map for reforming California and urged Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to seize the moment:

Schwarzenegger has a choice. He can submit, Gulliver-like, to being tied by a thousand special-interest strings. Or he can exercise the boldness needed to revive a California of opportunity, beauty and rational growth.

Sadly, we know how this story turned out.

It looks increasingly likely that Texas oilman T. Boone Pickens will fool California voters into approving $5 billion in taxpayer financed bonds for Proposition 10 on Tuesday.

The latest Field Poll shows Prop. 10 up 49-39 amid a blitz of television ads paid for by Pickens' Clean Energy Fuels Corp., which has poured roughly $20 million into passing the measure.

The Prop. 10 campaign is also trying to con voters into thinking their initiative has something to do with Barack Obama's energy plan. See this email from Prop. 10's campaign team.  Yes on 10 Obama email.pdf

Its hard to remember another proposition in which voters have been so fooled into lining the pockets of a billionaire. Among other things, Proposition 10 would give consumers rebates for purchasing vehicles powered by natural gas. That would benefit Pickens' company, which markets natural gas fueling stations.

Would there be some environmental benefit from Prop. 10? Sure. It would subsidize purchases of fuel-efficient hybrid vehicles. But consumers are already moving to hybrids, partly because of tax incentives. There's little argument for a new subsidy, especially one that would add hundreds of million of dollars to California's yearly debt payments, taking money from schools and other programs.

Are California voters so easily manipulated they'd approve this proposition, based a few feel-good television ads? Sadly, it looks that way. We'll find out Tuesday.

It's hard to write a passionate defense of Mayor Heather Fargo, partly because she seems so incapable of making one for herself.

Until fairly recently, Sacramento's incumbent mayor couldn't seem to specify her personal accomplishments. She often used the term "we" instead of "I." This odd political defect is the arguably the main reason Fargo could lose Tuesday's election, even though she has some successes to brag about and faces a candidate, Kevin Johnson, who has never held public office and carries around some considerable political baggage.

Fargo's main accomplishment involves the single most serious threat to Sacramento - a devastating flood.

For nearly two decades, Fargo has made flood control one of her priorities, first as a council member, then as mayor. She's served on the Sacramento Area Flood Control Agency and is currently its chair. She can rightly boast, as she does on her campaign web site, that she's been "a steadfast advocate for repairing our levees and has made countless trips to Washington, DC to lobby the Congress for additional funding..."

Fargo has a seasoned perspective on flood control. She's been through the fights over the never-built Auburn Dam. As late as 1996, she and the SAFCA board supported the "dry dam" concept. But after Congress twice rejected Auburn Dam in 1990s, she and other SAFCA commissioners determined they had to pursue alternatives. They have, and the result - following years of haggling with U.S. Rep. John Doolittle and others -- is the ongoing work to add a new spillway to Folsom Dam, while upgrading levees along the American and Sacramento Rivers.

The Daily Kos is reporting that Charlie Brown leads Tom McClintock, 48-42, in October poll results in the race for the 4th Congressional District. That up from 46-41 from a month earlier.

I'm not sure I'd be as cocky as Kos in assuming a Brown victory, but this race is way tighter than it appeared a few weeks ago.

UPDATE: An alert reader, Hektor, noted in the comments below that McClintock has his own poll for that October period that shows him up over Brown, 49-40. You can find info here.

I should also note that McClintock's pollster, Val Smith, has found fault with the Daily Kos poll of the 4th District. You can find his critique at the bottom of this page.

Who should you believe? We'll find out Tuesday night. The reputation of pollsters will be on the line, along with the political careers of Brown and McClintock.

In an editorial today, The Bee renews its opposition to Proposition 10, the Nov. 4 ballot initiative that would have California borrow $5 billion to subsidize natural gas-powered vehicles and other forms of transportation. States the editorial:

"In one fell swoop, this deceptively named 'Renewable Energy and Clean Alternative Fuel Act' would worsen the state's budget situation, undermine its fight against global warming and enrich a Texas billionaire - T. Boone Pickens."

As the editorial notes, Prop. 10 could well pass, because Pickens has poured nearly $19 million into this measure. On the other hand, groups and individuals as diverse as Bill Leonard, of the Board of Equalization, and Mary Nichols, chair of the Air Resources board, oppose the measure.

Keep reading to see statements by Leonard and Nichols in opposition to Prop. 10.

The second half of the Sacramento mayor's debate was more meaty than the first. There was real discussion -- although not much -- of what the city could do to deal with people losing their homes. There was some talk about transportation priorities and auto malls -- the latter a non-issue, in today's economy.

There was Mayor Fargo dropping the bomb that some economic development staff with the city may not have jobs, depending on the outcome of the budget. (I sure hope this wasn't the first time they had heard of this possibility.)

Then a viewer asked about Fargo's trips to Paris and other parts of the world. Her answer was convoluted. She said that Paris was interested in Sacramento's experience with water conservation and combinated stormwater-sewer and so they paid her way to fly across the world. Really? Our water-gushing city is known as an international leader in water conservation?

Then, at the end, Fargo made a pitch, straight into the camera, on why she should be reelected. She talked about a real accomplishment  -- expanding the medical centers here in Sacramento, despite neighborhood and union opposition.

Sadly, that was too little, too late.

The Bee's poll shows K.J. up by eight points. Fargo tried to downplay that outcome by noting that the newspaper's poll had her up in the primary that Kevin ended up winning.

But let's face reality: Incumbents who lose in the primary rarely win in the final election, even if the polls are wrong. Tonight's debate did little to change the dynamic. Game over.

The first half hour of Sacramento's last mayoral debate between Heather Fargo and Kevin Johnson was almost void of substantive discussion on real issues.

First we heard an odd dust-up on Kevin Johnson's Saturday visit to city hall, in which a security guard allowed him to get up to the 5th floor. According to Fargo, Councilman Rob Fong confronted K.J. when he entered the council chambers and then the security guard was out of a job. What happened there? Do we have videotape?

Then we heard extended debate on Sacramento spending $200,000 on surveying its trees, which have been known to fall on people (including some of Heather's supporters at a primary election night party earlier this year.) K.J. says it's a waste of money, Fargo says no, because trees shade our horrendously hot city and can kill people, as they have.

Finally, at minute 36, a question was posed about the mortgage meltdown....Finally.

The Bee's editorial board is -- whew! -- nearing the end of its endorsements for the Nov. 4 election. Having held scores of meetings and made our picks in 55 separate races and ballot measures, we are now thankfully moving onto some new topics:

PENSION OBLIGATIONS: The collapse of the stock market means that state and local taxpayers could be on the hook for pension obligations handled by CalPERS. Ginger Rutland is examining the long-term consequences. Email her here.

REGIONAL TRANSIT: Ginger is also writing about the workshops that Regional Transit is holding to map its future operations. Have you been to one? If so, email Ginger with your impressions.

We are also examining new twists on old topics:

PROPOSITION 8: If the ballot measure to ban gay marriage fails, will it result in teaching of gay marriage in public schools? Contact Pia Lopez with your thoughts.

PROPOSITION 11: Opponents of the redistricting reform measure suggest it will result in "taxation without representation." They call it a "power grab" by Republicans. But they also call it a "power grab" by Democrats. This has left us in a state of confusement. Should we comment? Email me if you have a dog in this fight.

The Swarm last week blogged on how congressional candidate Tom McClintock was balking at meeting with The Bee's editorial board for an endorsement interview. The item drew a number of comments, including this one from "csicathy," who wrote:

Newspaper "endorsements" are so irrelevant today, so predictible, so utterly lacking in credibility, why would McClintock waste his time? Time to pull the plug on this dinosaur called "editorial board."

As it turned out, after we published our blog item, McClintock's campaign quickly arranged an interview with our editorial board dinosaur. That made us feel more relevant. Even so, csicathy's item touched a nerve. At a time when newspapers are struggling and voters have so many options for information on candidates, do newspaper editorials really matter?

I just watched the televised debate between Sacramento Mayor Heather Fargo and challenger Kevin Johnson. Although fatigued by this contest and the choices that voters face, I was intrigued by the candidates' answers to a question about the current weak mayor system in Sacramento.

Fargo said the system works well with a "strong personality as mayor" and a strong personality as city manager. But then she added that "there have been some problems with past city managers and with the one we have now."

Problems with current manager Ray Kerridge? What are they? Fargo didn't say and the moderator didn't ask.

Johnson, by contrast, praised Kerridge by name, and said he would be able to work with the current structure by "using the bully pulpit." He then went on to say: " I do think the city needs to have a discussion to move from a weak mayor structure to an executive mayor structure." In other words, he'd like to change the city charter in a pretty dramatic way.

I'd love to know what Ray Kerridge thought of these two responses. One candidate dissed him without elaboration. The other suggested a change that would make the mayor the city manager. No matter who wins, it could be a tough four years for Mr. Kerridge.

The presidential race isn't the only contest that features mysterious plumbers. The latest filings on the City of Sacramento Web site shows that four plumbers unions have created new "qualified large political committees" in the last month.

These new committees could foreshadow another series of attack ads on mayoral candidate Kevin Johnson. He is trying to unseat incumbent Heather Fargo, who is supported by local and statewide plumbers unions.

Earlier this year, the Plumbers and Pipefitters Local 447 launched an independent expenditure campaign that smeared Johnson with glossy mailers and a Web site. "Never before have Sacramento voters seen such a despicable independent expenditure campaign," The Bee said in an editorial at the time. 

The new new committees that have filed are the Southern California Pipe Trades District Council #16; the United Association of the Journeyman and Apprentices of the Plumbing and Pipefitting Industry, Local #343; the Pipe Trades District Council #36 and the Plumbers and Pipefitters U.A. Local #246.

Fox & Hounds has produced this handy grid showing where leading interest groups, newspapers and political parties stand on the 12 ballot propositions on the ballot. It is quite a divergence of views.

To get more information on the propositions themselves, check out the Center for Governmental Studies, a non-profit headed by good-government guru Bob Stern. The CGS has put together one-minute, non-partisan videos on each ballot measure, like the one below. Further evidence of how the YouTube generation is influencing politics.

The California Air Resources Board has just released its proposed scoping plan for cutting greenhouse gases nearly 30 percent by 2020. The plan, likely to be controversial for Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, originally was to be unveiled on Oct. 3. It was delayed for reasons I examined in an earlier post.

UPDATE: Reaction from environmental groups is all over the map. Read their statements, and one from Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, on the jump.

City Treasurer Russ Fehr will deliver a bleak report to the city council on Sacramento's finances tonight. You can find his report here on the council's web site.

In the report, Fehr notes that property values in the city  "have declined by more than $10 billion" in the last three years.

He says that rating agencies have lowered the rating on several of the city's bond issues because of problems with insurers. He warns against additional borrowing, because it would lower the city's AA rating further. At the same time, the city will need to increase contributions to its employee retirement system because earnings in the stock market will be "significantly below actuarial targets."

The bottom line, says Fehr: "Spending must fall below income and the difference applied to debt reduction and increasing savings...Adapting to these constraints is critical and will continue to be a painful reality...for years to come."

UPDATE: The ever-active Steve Maviglio, campaign manager for Kevin Johnson, just released a memo putting his spin on the city's financial troubles. Read it on the jump. 

The Schwarzenegger administration was scheduled last Friday to release its long-awaited "scoping plan" to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, as required by a 2006 state law to fight global warming.

But a week has come and gone and still no final scoping plan. What gives?

Stanley Young, a spokesman for the California Air Resources Board, told me earlier this week that officials were just "crossing t's and dotting i's" in pulling together the voluminous report.

That may be so, but the collapse of the financial markets is surely adding to the delay.

For one, the governor's staff has been busy trying to deal with the state's cash-flow crunch. Thus, they probably haven't had time to vet a plan that is sure to be controversial.

Beyond that, one has to wonder if the governor is reluctant to release a plan that will lay out new fees, regulations and market mechanisms to achieve a 28 percent reduction in greenhouse gases by 2020. All will surely increase the cost of doing business in California.

 The scoping plan is big -- sure -- but it may have too large a scope for Schwarzenegger to feel comfortable in these hard economic times.

 

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger just sent another letter to Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson regarding the possibility that California might need a $7B loan to get it through the month.

In the letter, the governor says State Treasurer Bill Locker is in the process of trying to sell the first $4 billion in "bond anticipation notes." If that happens -- Massachusetts was able to get a loan yesterday -- it could make it easier for California to get all the credit it needs to the market to make it through the month.

But Lockyer hasn't yet sold the notes, so Schwarzenegger's letter leaves the door open on California seeking a federal loan if the credit market remains in a semi-panic.

Gov's letter is on the jump.

The entire editorial page of The Bee today is devoted to an argument on why, in the current economic and political climate, voters should reject 11 of the 12 propositions on the Nov. 4 ballot.

"Say "no" to all measures that could worsen the state's budget situation or push agendas unrelated to the state's broken governance," the editorial states.

Proposition 11, an initiative to reform how legislative districts are mapped every decade, is the only measure The Bee supports. An endorsement on that measure will appear Friday.

Just when you thought the financial crisis couldn't get more scary, the Associated Press reports that Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Wednesday will call lawmakers back for a special session.

Their mission? To deal with an estimated $3 billion to $5 billion gap lawmakers didn't close with the budget the governor signed a few weeks ago. The Bee has an additional story here.

The latest campaign finance filings show that Sacramento mayoral candidate Kevin Johnson has raised $1.5 million in his bid to unseat incumbent Heather Fargo, three times more than she has raised.

Johnson is getting big contributions from Realtors, the building industry, the building trades and law enforcement unions.

Fargo received big contribs from the plumbers and pipefitters unions (which financed a nasty independent expenditure campaign against Johnson in the primary.) She is also getting four-figure contributions from the Sacramento Teachers Association, several city council incumbents and the Stonewall Democratic Club.

With less than a month to go before the election, Johnson had an ending cash balance of $139,040 and Fargo had $116,257. Johnson has outstanding debts of $538,704 -- most of which is a half million dollar loan from himself to his campaign -- while Fargo has a debt so far of nearly $38,800.

Interestingly, developer Angelo Tsakopoulos has given $2,150 to Fargo so far, even though he held a September fundraiser for Johnson. Hedging his bets, perhaps?

 

The Swarm doesn't take kindly to campaign operatives mischaracterizing its postings or The Sacramento Bee's editorial positions. Late last night, Steve Maviglio, the campaign manager for Sacramento mayoral candidate Kevin Johnson, sent out an email to reporters entitled "Sac Bee -- Johnson wins."

The email included a Swarm posting below from my colleague, Ginger Rutland, who wrote that "Kevin wins on points." But Maviglio's email didn't make clear that the item came from a  single Swarm writer. He made it seem like it was the view of The Bee.

Just for the record, The Bee's editorial board did not collectively call last night's debate, and it has not yet issued an endorsement in the mayor's race. One of the factors we will be weighing is the truthfulness of the two candidates and their campaign operatives.

Here's a roundup of local blogs on the mayoral debate tonight:

Joe Sacramento found "Fargo's snarky grin and huffy body language to be insulting... How many comments did she make under her breath?"

 

Ben Adler of Capital Public Radio (a co-sponsor of the event) thought this debate was the best yet. "Here, both candidates came out aggressively.  Johnson continued to press the mayor on her shortfalls, but this time, Fargo has more than returned the favor."

 

The mysterious author of Uneasy Rhetoric also liked the debate, but wasn't so hot on Fargo's performance, nor KJ's. "Fargo's answers are unconvincing and her attitude toward Johnson is blatantly condescending.  Johnson's answers are unrealistic. He is full of energy but overestimates the ability of the mayor to get things done."

 

Ben van der Meer also didn't help voters much in making a decision by Nov. 4. "Fargo is a bureaucrat who is out of touch and out off ideas to improve the city. Challenger Kevin Johnson talks a bigger game than he can back up, with no real plan or identified way to pay for his ideas."

 

UPDATE: Jason Daniel of Capital Elector offers a different take than the bloggers above. He opines that "Fargo wallops K.J. before and after the debate" and that Johnson "looked like he was going into hyperventilation to get all of his talking points out."

 

My choices tonight at 6:30 p.m. were to watch Monday Night Football, The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer (zzzz), Jeopardy, Entertainment Tonight, Judge Judy, Friends or, over on the E! channel, the 25 Most Memorable Swimsuit Moments.

For some reason, I decided to watch the mayoral debate. Was that the right choice?

If nothing else, the Sac State debate further defined the differences between Mayor Heather Fargo and her rival, Kevin Johnson. Fargo thinks the city "is just fine." Johnson cites statistics that Sac is the second most dangerous place in California. Fargo touts what "we" have done for the city. Johnson touts what he's done, except when it comes to matters involving the ongoing investigation of his St. HOPE operation. 

Fargo made the claim that the Sacramento Teachers Association "has chosen to support me because of my support for education." Johnson noted that she got STA support "because of the status quo." In other words, Johnson is willing to take on the STA over school reform and charter schools. Fargo? Not so much.

In my pre-date post on "things to watch," I postulated the question of which candidate would go negative first. Mayor Heather Fargo answered when she jumped on a question from a student about the federal investigation of Kevin Johnson's St. HOPE operation. Johnson provided his stock answer, and then Fargo leaped on it, asking where did the money go?

Johnson tried to turn it back on her, rehashing the city's budget trouble. Fargo snapped back that the city's problems were negligible "compared to what you are up against, Kevin."

Yikes. The gloves are off.

 

Heather Fargo has limitations as a politician. She keeps talking about what "we" have done in the city, instead of what she has done.

Yet when it comes down to specifics, Fargo offers much more substance than Johnson in the current debate. Transportation is a good example. Johnson took his time talking about infill and the Portland Trolley, as if he had just discovered both yesterday. Fargo went into detail about she had done through SACOG and RT to improve light rail and bicycle access.

On the other hand, I thought Johnson scored higher on an earlier question about the American River Parkway. Fargo did one of her usual moves -- blaming someone else, in this case, the county. Johnson jumped in and talked about public safety and the parkway -- a point that resonates with anyone who uses our beloved and, in places, blighted parkway.

 

The Sac State debate has started between Mayor Heather Fargo and challenger Kevin Johnson.  You can go to KCRA-TV or KXJZ-FM to tune in. The first question to the candidates: What would you change in Sacramento to deal with the slumping economy?

Neither candidate scored an "A" with their answer. Johnson repeated his stump speech about economic development and recruiting new businesses. Fargo talked about she'd done to secure $13 million so the city can buy up foreclosed homes and get people into them.

But what about the city budget? What will need to be cut -- or added -- to deal with a future of reduced revenues and people out of work?

 

Mayor Heather Fargo will face off against former NBA hoopster Kevin Johnson at 6:30 p.m. tonight in their first debate since the primary.

The Swarm will be offering commentary after, and possibly during, the mayoral debate. While it probably won't draw the viewership of the Palin-Biden smackdown, we'll be interested in your reaction.

Here are five things I'll be watching for as the two-term mayor debates Johnson, an Oak Park businessman and community activist making his first run for office.

1. Will either candidate articulate, in detail, how they will guide the city through what could be an extended recession, with increased crime and a downturn in tax revenue?

2. Which candidate will be the first to "go negative" on the other? Both have run a relatively clean campaign since the primary. Will that end tonight?

 

On a vote of 263-171, the House today approved a $700 billion government bailout bill for the financial industry that President George Bush quickly signed.  

Nationwide, some 58 House representatives moved from voting "no" earlier in the week to voting "yes" today for a slightly revised package.

In California, these consisted of six Democrats, including Joe Baca, Barbara Lee, Hilda Solis, Mike Thompson, Diane Watson and Lynn Woolsey, according to The Associated Press.

Thompson, whose Northern California district includes Yolo County, issued this statement tonight on his vote.

On the jump is the total vote breakdown for the Golden State delegation.

In our meeting this morning, members of the editorial board ruminated over the economy, the fishy business with homicide detectives at the Sacramento Sheriff's Department and the latest distressing report from The Bee about the county's Child Protective Services and actions of a particular case worker.

We're looking forward to the Monday debate between Mayor Heather Fargo and challenger Kevin Johnson, their first since the primary. And we are curious to see how the markets will react to the House approval of the $700 million bailout package, which occured just over an hour ago and about what should come next in the effort to right the struggling economy.

And gosh darn it, we still are buzzing over last night's debate between Sarah Palin and Joe Biden. They both did a heckova job. A big shout-out from The Swarm to all the third graders at Gladys Wood Elementary School!

 

Two snap polls following tonight's debate give the edge to Joe Biden in his debate smackdown with Sarah Palin. (A smackdown, I might add, that was pretty cordial and responsive to what Americans say they want in their civic engagement.)

CNN reports that 51 percent of those polled thought Biden did the best job, while 36 percent thought Palin did better. Palin, however, won on being "likeable," scoring 54 percent to Biden's 36 percent.

Meanwhile, CBS conducted a poll of 473 uncommitted voters and reports that 46 percent of the uncommitted voters surveyed say Biden triumphed in the debate, compared to 21 percent for Palin. One third declared it was a tie.

 

Sarah Palin didn't wilt. She had no major gaffes. She tried to endear herself to viewers with lines like, "Say it ain't so, Joe." And at times, she showed some command of issues she fumbled in her recent TV interviews with Katie Couric.

Biden, on the other hand, went straight after McCain, especially at the end, when he declared, "McCain is not a maverick." He hit the GOP nominee on health care, McCain's support of Bush tax policies and other domestic issues. He looked presidential and I bet that many viewers wondered, "Why didn't I notice this guy during the primaries?"

I'll be waiting for the polls to see how independents reacted. The big question: Which one of these candidates would you want replacing the president in a moment of crisis? What is your take?

Some supporters of Barack Obama thought the campaign would be over tonight, with Sarah Palin melting down in a debate before a national audience. But one hour in this verbal throw-down, Palin is poised, well-prepared and gaining confidence.

Her spirited attack on Obama and his comment about meeting with enemy leaders was very effective. Instead of being on the defensive, she is pushing her points, while throwing in some collegial comments to Joe Biden.

What's interesting is Biden's restraint in going after Palin and her past positions and lack of experience. Biden's attacks are on McCain, not her, but she is going after both Obama and Biden. Still 20 minutes left for fumbles, but if she hangs on, she'll do some real damage control on the harm caused by the Katie Couric interviews.

Some 30 minutes into the debate, neither Sen. Joe Biden nor Gov. Sarah Palin have delivered knock-out punches nor made crushing blunders. Biden scores points for his "ultimate bridge to nowhere" line about McCain's health care plan. Palin is playing the folksy card to the hilt with her use of phases like "Darn right" and "heckova" and her claim that she is going to stop Wall Street greed.

I wish Gwen Ifill were more aggressive. Did either V.P. candidate really answer the question of whether the bailout debate in the House was the worst or best of Washington? Does Palin really believe she and McCain can stop greed?

While it doesn't compare with weighty world matters such as the collapse of financial markets, the vice presidential debate holds plenty of intrigue tonight. Here are five things I'll be watching for as we start blogging at 6 p.m..