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California Eyes on the Election—But This Was an Important Week for State Policies and the Legislature
By Frank D. Russo
The election on Tuesday is of enormous importance to the future of the country and to California as well. We’ve learned all too well that policies in Washington, D.C., have an enormous impact on our state. Whether it’s the ability of California to adopt air pollution standards that are tougher than the federal ones, fighting global warming, health coverage legislation, or other issues our state legislators and governor are working on, there are hurdles set up in our nation’s capital that preempt us or make it difficult to act.
Witness the fact that through California Attorney General Jerry Brown we are suing the federal Environmental Protection Agency on global warming automobile standards, and if we are successful, a 19 other states will be able to follow our lead. Or, when it comes to health insurance proposals, there are thorny issues of federal preemption under the Employee Income and Security Act (ERISA).
And the War in Iraq, the economy, the collapse of the subprime market—virtually all the major issues decided and debated in Washington affect us as the largest state in the nation.
We will focus for the next 5 days on the election—California’s role in selecting the Democratic nominee for President who will most likely win the election in November—and the state ballot propositions. Regardless of how these contests are decided by California voters, it is important that we all turnout to vote—as we have a real role in the presidential election and the ballot propositions are important to the future of the state.
But before we go into the end of election frenzy, let’s remember that we still have a $14 billion state budget deficit. So, we have an article, “Uncollected Taxes: The Real California Budget Deficit” which is a must read and points out that the state has $8.5 billion annually in uncollected taxes that are owed. We will catch up on the votes in the Assembly and State Senate on dozens of bills on predatory lending, the budget, health care, the environment, and many more important policy areas that saw passage and defeat this last week.
You may not realize it, but yesterday was the state constitutional deadline for bills introduced last year to pass their house of origin. Many fine bills passed, but some did not, most notably the “Clean car” bill, AB 493 by Assemblymember Ruskin that recived a tie 35 to 35 vote on the Assembly floor last June. All votes for it came from Democratic members, but some voted against it or abstained and it failed to secure the 41 votes needed for passage. It wasn’t brought up for a vote this last week because it would not have passed and is therefore dead.
The Assembly passed legislation dealing with California’s severe subprime mortgage disaster, which has seen many communities blighted with foreclosures and all of the state (including the state budget) suffering by its economic impacts. But SB 926 by Senate President pro Tem Don Perata that would bring immediate relief to those affected by the mortgage crisis failed to clear the Senate floor Wednesday. It was an urgency measure so that it would take effect immediately rather than next January, and required a two-thirds vote—27 in the Senate. It received 26 “aye” votes, all Democrats in favor and Republican Senator Abel Maldanado, the only one of 15 GOP Senators to support it. Expect extreme pressure on at least one Republican Senator, Jeff Denham, to support it. He is facing a recall election for which signatures are being collected and his Central Valley district has been hard hit by foreclosures.
The legislature will return after next Tuesday. We will have more state news and analysis before then, but we are more than a bit distracted by an election for President where we will matter.
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