Recently in Sacramento Category

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa returns to his "energizer" schedule today, as he prepares for his second term in a week where he announced he is not running for governor
His day begins with a ground breaking -- bring out those golden shovels -- for the Orange Line expansion in Chatsworth. He will be joimed by Supervisor Zev Yaroslavskly and Councilman Greig Smith.
Then, he's off to Sacamento to head a delegation of mayors to appeal to the state to not take
gas tax funds that could affect street maintenence work. In addition, that is money the state would not have to repay cities.

California Democrats should be riding high after a surge in voter registration and the emergence of a strong cast set to audition for next year's gubernatorial race. AP in the Daiily News.

But enthusiasm is being tempered by the state's fiscal problems, which have forced the state's majority party to take unpopular actions. Democratic lawmakers have angered the party's traditional supporters by making deep cuts in state services and upset centrists by passing billions in tax increases.

County prepared to help adoptive parents
The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors agreed Tuesday to work with state lawmakers to help parents of adopted foster children adjust if steep cuts to benefits are made.Troy Anderson in the Daily News.

To close an estimated $24 billion budget gap, state lawmakers are considering slicing up to 25 percent from assistance payments to parents of adopted foster children.

LAUSD prepares for more cuts

Union leaders of the Los Angeles Unified School District came together Tuesday to blast proposed state budget cuts to transportation that could total more than $400 million statewide.
Connie Llanos in the Daily News.
The latest state budget proposal would cut transportation funding to schools by 65 percent, equivalent to about $443 million according to union leaders.

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa returned to Sacramento on Tuesday for the second time in three weeks, leading a delegation of mayors trying to block state legislators from taking local funds.
Daily News.
At the same time, hundreds of city workers descended on Los Angeles City Hall to protest plans to furlough workers 26 days and close down basic services twice a month.

Villaraigosa, joined by the mayors of San Diego, Santa Ana and Sacramento, pleaded with the state to repay any funds that it takes from cities.

Mayors of the state's largest cities made a broad appeal Tuesday to California officials not to take property tax money from local governments struggling to balance their budgets. Daiily News.

Organized by Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, officials from San Diego, Sacramento and Santa Ana met with state Treasurer Bill Lockyer, Controller John Chiang and legislative leaders, offering to work with them to solve the state's $21 billion deficit without harming local government.

In a world of political neophytes, Bob Blumenfield exudes political competence. As a former staffer for Rep. Howard Berman, D-Los Angeles, and as the former right hand for Joe Edmiston, one of the state's savviest bureaucrats, Blumenfield has an insider's knowledge of how to pull the levers of political power. Capitol Weekly.
While Blumenfield has become a shining light among the Assembly's freshman class, there is a reassuring amount of perspective that is uncommon among so many politicians. Blumenfield is clearly ambitious, but in talking to the 41-year-old father of two (including a two-month old daughter), there is an inner calm about him that indicates that while he loves his work, he doesn't need public office the way many elected officials do.

Arguing that the short-term pain of increased taxes is worth the long-term gain of permanent budget reform, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger picked up some major Los Angeles endorsements for a raft of ballot propositions designed to rescue state finances. Daily News.

"One of the most important things on issues is to get local political leaders, law enforcement leaders and business leaders to support us," Schwarzenegger said at a news conference staged at the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce.

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, Sheriff Lee Baca and chamber President

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's office announced Thursday they will make state government more transparent with a new website, www.reportingtransparency.gov to make available the Statement of Economic Interests, Form 700, and the Travel Expense claims for the offices of the governor, senior staff, agency secretaries and department directors.
"Since taking office I have taken steps to make government more accountable and responsive to the people," Schwarzenegger said in a statement. "By making the economic, gift and travel information of the senior members of my administration easily available online, we are taking unprecedented steps to open up our government to the people - yet another critical step toward more government transparency."
Additionally, travel expense claims and Form 700s from the Governor's Office senior staff and deputies are now posted on the Governor's Office Web site at http://gov.ca.gov

After months of uncertainty, local government, school and transportation officials said Thursday the budget approved by state lawmakers would cut hundreds of millions of dollars in revenues and result in deep cuts in public services. Tony Castro and Connie Llanos in the Daily News.

"The state budget was cut more than anytime in its history, and we're definitely going to feel those cuts," Los Angeles City Councilman Richard Alarc&0acute;n said. "The city's cuts will be minimal compared to what's happened in the past, but the county was cut severely."

The fiscal package lawmakers passed early Thursday involves $15 billion in cuts, $13billion in tax increases, $8billion in federal stimulus funding and $5 billion in borrowing.

Bottom line: How will your wallet fare under the new California budget and the federal stimulus package? Kevin Modesti in the Daily News.

For the typical household, the net impact of the past week's tax changes might be slight, according to financial experts who were only beginning to crunch the numbers Thursday.

"What's happening, to some degree, is that one hand's giving and one hand's taking away," said Rob Seltzer, a Beverly Hills-based certified public accountant and personal financial specialist, referring to what people stand to gain from the federal package and lose in the state budget.

Passage of the state budget brought jitters to service providers for the developmentally disabled Thursday. Susan Abram in the Daily News.

Many wondered how the $100 million in general funding cuts would affect day programs, in-house visits and services that help men and women live outside of institutions.

In Sacramento, nearly 200 people from groups that serve the developmentally disabled, along with beneficiaries of the programs and their families, gathered for one of three stakeholders meetings organized by the state's Department of Developmental Services.

California lawmakers on Monday were locked in a frustrating search for one more vote to approve a $42 billion budget-balancing plan state leaders say is needed to stave off fiscal disaster. AP in the Daily News.

The stalled effort prompted Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to make good on an earlier promise to begin the layoff process for thousands of state workers, though under the state's process it would take months for anyone to actually be laid off.

Lawmakers were in session for a state-record 30 hours before disbanding Sunday night, with many of them looking haggard and worn out after a futile attempt to secure the necessary votes. They regrouped Monday, but the expected budget votes kept getting pushed back.

The California Senate abruptly adjourned its marathon weekend session Sunday night, leaving in doubt the fate of a $14.4billion tax bill that is a key part of a plan to balance the state budget. AP in the Daily News.

Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg, D-Sacramento, angrily adjourned proceedings shortly before 9 p.m. after a Republican lawmaker complained that the hours of negotiations and debate that began Saturday night had been a charade.

Steinberg said that lawmakers would meet again today to try to salvage the combination of spending cuts, tax hikes and additional borrowing designed to erase a $42 billion deficit.

It's gonna hurt.

That, in essence, was the message Thursday from a wide range of government officials, welfare advocates, taxpayers and other experts about the tentative state budget deal reached in Sacramento. Sude Doyle and Troy Anderson in the Daily News.

The deal, aimed at closing a $42billion deficit, calls for increases in taxes on retail sales, gasoline, automobiles and personal income.

It also makes billions of dollars in cuts to vital services such as children's welfare, education and transportation.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's administration warned Tuesday that it will begin proceedings to lay off thousands of state workers if the governor and legislative leaders do not reach a budget deal by Friday. Mercury News.

Notices would go to employees with the least seniority in the state's corrections and health and human services departments, as well as in other agencies that receive money from the state's general fund, said Schwarzenegger's communications director, Matt David.

The move is part of the governor's order to cut 10 percent from the government payroll as California faces a $42 billion deficit through June 2

Former Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez has transferred money to a state Senate campaign account, potentially positioning himself for another run for office. Mercury News

Nunez, who was termed out in December, has filed paperwork for an open Senate seat representing Los Angeles in 2010.

Nunez reported nearly $5 million cash on hand in the Friends of Fabian Nunez for Senate 2010 campaign committee, which he formed last November. The total is based largely on contributions he transferred shortly afterward from his Assembly campaign account.