Flap’s California Morning Collection: June 6, 2011
California controller says lawmakers won’t get paid without budget deal
California’s controller told lawmakers Thursday that he won’t pay them if a budget deal isn’t reached by midmonth, while Gov. Jerry Brown said talks are at a critical point.
Brown’s negotiations with Republican lawmakers, though sputtering for months, appear to have picked up in recent weeks, with the rarely met constitutional deadline looming June 15.
“We are at a critical moment in the next 10 days,” Brown told about 1,000 people Thursday morning at the California Chamber of Commerce’s annual Host Breakfast in Sacramento. “There’s compromises and discussion going on.”
State Controller John Chiang added pressure in a written statement by announcing that lawmakers will forfeit salaries and per diem payments if they fail to approve a balanced budget by the deadline.
REDISTRICTING: Remap panel strives to keep communities together
Do Corona residents identify more with Orange County than with their Riverside County brethren? Do residents of the San Gorgonio Pass spend their recreation time in the mountains or the desert? And does Moreno Valley really belong in the same congressional district with Palm Springs?
The independent panel tasked with drawing new political lines for California must answer these and other such questions as it sets out to create congressional districts that serve “communities of interest,” a vaguely defined designation that takes into consideration media markets, demographics and other variables.
The 14-member Citizens Redistricting Commission — set to release draft statewide maps on Friday — has crisscrossed the state in recent months, collecting testimony from people with often opposing viewpoints about what the new districts should look like. The commissioners must digest all of the feedback and balance it against other priorities, including compliance with the federal Voters Rights Act and creating congressional districts that are as close as possible to 702,905 people each.
Friday is the big day for California POLS as the first reapportionment maps are released. Everyone is on pins and needles until then. Their political fortunes hang in the balance of the census-driven redistricting.
DeMaio, Fletcher jump in San Diego mayoral race
After months of will-they-or-won’t-they speculation, San Diego City Councilman Carl DeMaio and state Assemblyman Nathan Fletcher say they are each running for mayor of San Diego next year.
The two Republicans join what could end up being a crowded field of contenders with no clear front-runner to replace Mayor Jerry Sanders, who is being forced out by term limits. The wide open race has already attracted District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis while a dozen others, from City Councilman Kevin Faulconer to Rep. Bob Filner to state Sen. Christine Kehoe, have expressed interest.
The mayoral primary is exactly 12 months away — June 5, 2012 — and city campaign laws prevented candidates from collecting contributions until today, hence the decision by DeMaio and Fletcher to begin their official campaigns now.
Enjoy your morning!
One Comment
Pingback: