- HOME
- About
- Topics
- Angelides
- Arnold Schwarzenegger
- California Attorney General Race
- California Congressional Races
- California Democratic Party
- California Governor Race 2010
- California Legislative Races
- California Lt. Governor Race
- California Secretary of State Race
- California State Budget
- California State Controller
- Campaign Finance Reform
- Campaigns
- Cell Phones
- Children and Families
- Consumer Rights
- Corporate Accountability
- Criminal Justice
- Death With Dignity
- Disaster Preparation
- Discrimination and Civil Rights
- Economy/ Economic Crisis
- Education
- Elections and Voting
- Electoral College
- Energy
- Environment
- Farm Animal Cruelty Ballot Measure
- Flood Control
- Food Safety
- Gas Prices
- Governor's Election Race
- Gun control
- Health Care
- Health Insurance
- Hiram Johnson's Corner
- Housing
- Human Rights
- Humor
- Immigration
- Infrastructure
- Initiative Reform
- Insurance Commissioner Race
- Labor
- Language and Politics
- Legal System
- Media and Communication
- Minimum Wage
- Open Government
- Pharmaceutical Companies
- Politics
- Preschool
- Presidential Election 2008
- Prevention of Farm Animal Cruelty Act Prop
- Prison Reform
- Privacy
- Privitization
- Prop 11-Redistricting/Reapportionment
- Prop 12--Veterans Housing Bond
- Prop 1A--High Speed Rail
- Prop 2--Treatment of Farm Animals
- Prop 3-Children's Hospital Bonds
- Prop 4 Waiting Period and Parental Notification
- Prop 5--Non-violent drug offenses
- Prop 6--Police and law enforcement spending
- Prop 7 and 10-Alternative Fuel and Energy Bond
- Prop 8 and-Marriage Equality
- Prop 85 Parental Notification
- Prop 86 Tobacco Tax
- Prop 87--Alternative Energy
- Prop 9 Parole
- Prop 90
- Prop 91--Transportation Funding
- Prop 92- Community Colleges
- Prop 93--Term Limits
- Props 94-97--Tribal Gaming
- Props 98 and 99
- Racial Disparities
- Responsible Lending
- Retirement Benefits
- Site of the Day
- Solar Initiative
- Structure of California Government
- Taxes
- Toxic Chemicals
- Transportation/Transit
- Water
- Westly
- Workers' Compensation
- Stories
- Governor Signs Legislation To Prevent Loss Of Healthy Families Coverage For Over 900,000 Children
- Townhall Meeting Focuses on At-Risk Babies and Toddlers
- State Park Cuts Lack Logic
- Conservation Organizations Oppose California Policy That Would Give Carbon Credits for Forest Clearcutting
- WellPoint and Its Subsidiary Have Waged Campaign to Derail Health Reform
- Article Repeats Right-Wing Myth About State Spending
- Can Obama Orate His Way Out of Another Crisis?
- Furlough Issue Comes To Head This Week at UC
- Sean Hannity Spreads Dangerous Misinformation about California Water
- Daring To Get It Right: Legislature Says 'No' To Dangerous Last Minute Water Policy Proposal
- Weekly Radio Address: Galgiani, Coto Report Progress In Bipartisan Delegation’s Meetings With Key Cabinet Officials And Congressional Leaders On Budgetary And Policy Issues Critical To California
- A Missed Opportunity: Economic Recovery Should Start With the Prisons
- Directory
- Donate
- Contact Us
RSS Advertise Here
Deliver your message to thousands of readers every day.
Our readers are influential opinion makers - politicians, journalists and activists.
Our latest headlines
- Weekly Radio Address: Assembly Lead Water Negotiators Huffman, Caballero Discuss this Week’s Historic Agreement to Solve California’s Water Crisis
- Feinstein Once Again Flirts With Entering the Governor’s Race
- A Good Health Care Bill Emerging from the House
- Schwarzenegger Applauds Passage of Peripheral Canal/Dams Water Package
- "Historic" Water Deal Draws Both Praise and Criticism
- Republican State Senators Vote for Administrative Chaos, Backdoor Cuts in IHSS
- Assembly Budget Committee Follow-up Informational Hearing on Implementation on IHSS Program Changes
About Us
David Greenwald, Editor. (Contact David.)
CFC Education Foundation, Publisher. (Contact us.)
Got a news tip? Want to write a guest column?
Contact David here.
About California Progress Report.
Founded by Frank D. Russo (Publisher and Editor, 2006-08).
Sponsors
Books
Jack LaLanne Speaks to the California Legislature—A Rare Respite from the Crush of Bills
Maybe he could help with some of the heavy lifting to get votes, including the budget
By Frank D. Russo
This morning Jack LaLanne appeared in the back of the California state Assembly chamber as that body was about to begin its daily business during this busy week facing tomorrow’s deadline that requires passage of legislation by its members. This is a week that will see hundreds of bills in both houses live or die in floor votes being taken.
There he was, this icon of good health who in the 1950’s started the longest running television show devoted to fitness, a show I had laughed at with my brothers while a youngster. Lalanne, in his 60's performed feats such as swimming from Alcatraz to Fisherman’s Wharf in the San Francisco Bay, towing a 1,000 pound boat while handcuffed.
97 years young LaLanne, who tonight will be inducted into the California Museum’s California Hall of Fame by Maria Shriver tonight in Sacramento, received an award from Assemblymember Lloyd Levine. He was then given permission to address the Assembly and did not disappoint.
With grins all around, he lectured our solons on eating well and getting exercise, starting off asking what they had had for breakfast and whether they would feed it to their dog. Then telling them if it’s man made, not to eat it.
After he departed, the Assembly recommenced their work on a pile of bills, having adjourned shortly before 10 p.m. yesterday evening—no doubt neither getting the exercise recommended nor eating the food recommended during caucuses and short breaks in the action.
A nice break for bleary eyed legislators. And for me well as I try to monitor the Assembly and Senate floors, budget subcommittees and other committees meeting off the floor, late breaking polls and election news with our primary five days away, and the winding down presidential race.
There are dozens of stories on legislation and it is hard to focus on all but the most major of these.
At the moment, a bill to fund $7 billion in prison health care construction, SB 1665, is “on call” and lacks the two-thirds 27 votes needed for passage in the Senate. It is stalled at 23-14 with no Republican votes for it. It failed passage Tuesday.
Senator Machado, its author, read parts of a letter from the federal court receiver of the California prison health system that indicates that if the bill fails passage, he will be asking the Federal court for an order that $7 billion be paid by the state, including $3.4 billion during the budget year 2008-09, thus adding to the deficit even further. Machado indicated that a settlement of the prison overcrowding case that had been hoped to be announced tomorrow in federal court appears to be DOA and has not been agreed to by key parties including prosecutors and local governments.
The Schwarzenegger administration is backing this bill and wants it passed. Republicans in the Senate readily admit that the money will be extracted, one way or the other by the court and cannot be avoided. Yet none have voted for this funding, arguing that it should be part of a comprehensive solution. Senate President pro Tem elect Darrell Steinberg, argued that this was “a dangerous game of chicken,” given the supremacy clause in the U.S. Constitution and that time is running out.
We’ll see what happens.
Comments
Sorry, comments are temporarily disabled. We're doing a bit of server maintenance on the commenting area. We'll be back up and running shortly. Thank you for your patience.
Get Email Updates
Want the California Progress Report by email? Once a week, we'll send you the latest and greatest headlines.
© 2008 California Progress Report Our copyright and fair use policy.
Powered by Mandate Media. Logo design by Jane Norling.
