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I don't have a problem protecting endangered species as long as there's a balance between human and environmental needs. Right now the balance has tipped to the environmental side, at least when it comes to water for agriculture.
But I can't understand why farm water is targeted by environmentalists and government scientists and sewage dumped into the Delta is ignored. If something harms endangered species, shouldn't that draw the attention of the regulators? It seems there are two standards at work here.
"Each day up to one billion gallons of partially treated sewage is dumped into Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and its associated waterways," says the Coalition for a Sustainable Delta.
So the environmentalists and the government agencies look the other way when it's the cities of Sacramento and Stockton and others polluting the fragile Delta.
The Coalition for a Sustainable Delta calls it the Great Delta Toilet Bowl because of all the sewage that's being dumped into the Delta. The coalition says this is especially harmful to the Delta smelt.
Here's more from the coalition Web site:
"The Sacramento region is by far the largest polluter and each day discharges over 146 million gallons of partially treated sewage. Contained in this wastewater are significant concentrations of ammonia. On a monthly basis, Sacramento adds 125,000 gallons of ammonia to the Delta -- far more than any other source. These discharges are believed to have a significant impact on the delta smelt and other threatened and endangered species."
If the Delta smelt is being harmed by this dumping, the practice should be halted immediately. Who in their right mind thinks that dumping sewage into a waterway is good for the fish living there?
Save the fish. Shut down the sewage dumping of Sacramento, Stockton and 11 other communities.
At least there will be one-liners during Senate speeches, even if the public's work seldom gets done. Al Franken is a United States senator. Everybody gets a copy of his book, "Rush Limbaugh is a Big Fat Idiot."
Read about the latest -- and final -- chapter of the 2008 Minnesota Senate race here:
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- Democrat Al Franken says he's "so thrilled" to finally be celebrating a victory after nearly eight months of recounts and courtroom fights in Minnesota's Senate race.
Franken spoke in Minneapolis on Tuesday soon after Republican Norm Coleman conceded the election. Coleman's concession came after the Minnesota Supreme Court said Franken should be certified as the winner.
Franken says he's "thrilled and honored by the faith Minnesotans have placed in me." He says he can't wait to get started, and believes he'll be sworn in next week.
Franken says he expects to sit on a few Senate committees, including Judiciary. That would put him in place to take part in Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor's confirmation hearings.
 I've stayed largely silent on the entire issue since Michael Jackson's unexpected death last week. But this latest news just makes me angry. According to CNN, Michael Jackson's body will return to his Neverland Ranch on Thursday morning for a public viewing Friday.
People have a wide range of emotions about Jackson. Some consider his contributions to American pop music comparable to Elvis, the Beatles. There are those who never stopped loving and admiring him. Then there are those who liked him for a time, maybe even years, but had to turn away when it all got a little too creepy.
In Mike Osegueda's tribute column, he says that when he thinks about Michael Jackson, he doesn't think about the performer. He thinks about the memories of things that happened in his life against the backdrop of Michael Jackson's music:
I think about riding shotgun in my mom's car while we sang along to "Billie Jean" playing in the cassette player.
I think about my dad playing "Thriller" and "Off the Wall" on his record player.
I think about going to the mall one day and coming home with a cassette copy of "Bad" -- one of the first pieces of music that was mine.
I think about how when my cousin died, "Rock With You" played at his funeral.
In no way do I mean to diminish the meaning of those memories for Mike or for all the people who have been devastated by Jackson's death. Believe me, I FULLY get the impact music can have on our memories.
I just know there are some memories that overshadow everything else. Memories that can poison a soul for a long, long time, muting music and everything good.
I believe Jackson was a child molester. Yes, he was never convicted, I know. I don't think most child molesters ever are.
A long time ago, someone touched my life the way Jackson touched the lives of his victims. That man died a few weeks ago. I've made peace with my memories. But new anger flares inside of me upon hearing that Jackson's body will be put on a pedastal one last time.
It makes me sick that his body will be put on display like royalty, like a dead president. No matter what his musical achievements may have been, I think his crimes overshadowed that part of his life.
May his victims rest in peace.
What is it about this development in central Fresno that has such odd twists by those who are supposed to save it?
Now Kirk Vartanian, the Fresno businessman who is trying to revive Granite Park, is in Fresno County jail after being accused of threatening a woman with a knife and trying to suffocate her with a pillow. He also is wanted in Las Vegas for allegedly passing about $250,000 in bad checks at two casinos. Bail in both cases is more than $660,000. Click here to read the latest Bee story on Vartanian.
Now the financial company holding the paper on Granite Park thinks the retail and recreational center on Cedar Avenue between Ashland and Dakota should change its name. Granite Park has had so much bad publicity that it needs rebranding, says Martin Boone of OMNI Financial of Santa Cruz. OMNI has foreclosed on a $22.4 million loan and took possession last week of most of the 24 acres at Granite Park.
The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled in a 5-4 decision in the New Haven, Conn., case that white firefighters in New Haven, Conn., were wrongly not promoted because of their race. This is the controversial case that involves Judge Sonia Sotomayor. The Supreme Court nominee was on the other side of the case as an appeals court judge.
This is from the New York Times: "New Haven was wrong to scrap a promotion exam because no African-Americans and only two Hispanic firefighters were likely to be made lieutenants or captains based on the results, the court said Monday in a 5-4 decision. The city said that it had acted to avoid a lawsuit from minorities. The ruling could alter employment practices nationwide, potentially limiting the circumstances in which employers can be held liable for decisions when there is no evidence of intentional discrimination against minorities."
Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote the majority opinion. He was joined by Chief Justice John Roberts and Justices Samuel Alito, Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas. The dissenters were Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Stephen Breyer, David Souter and John Paul Stevens. Ginsburg wrote the minority opinion.
Sacramento Bee columnist Dan Walters says the California prison system is the fastest-growing segment of the state's debt-ridden budget. It's also by far the costliest prison sytem in the nation, with the state spending $45,000 a year on each inmate.
Here's more from Walters:
Given their high costs, one might think that our prisons would be very commodious and successful in rehabilitation. But they are terribly overcrowded, so much so that a federal judge may order inmate releases. The system's recidivism rate is among the nation's highest, as are its costs of supervising parolees. And prison health care is so bad (despite its $14,000 per inmate annual cost) that a federal receiver has been put in charge and he wants to spend much more.
It's a case study in political dysfunction, with penal policies being made in a highly charged atmosphere, with the union representing prison guards wielding way too much influence over those policies, as well as their own compensation, and with politicians' pandering to the union and public emotion rather than doing their jobs.
Maybe it is time to turn the operation of the state's prisons over to a private firm. The state obviously doesn't do the job very well.
It's been disappointing so far to see Interior Secretary Ken Salazar deal with California water issues. But he gets another chance today to show that the Obama Administration is serious about finding water solutions for the region. Salazar will bein Fresno for a hearing on the contentious water issue.
The Bee's editorial board offers its suggestions to Salazar in today's main editorial. Click here to read the editorial.
Here is part of what we said:
We would like to see a balanced approach to the highly contentious water issue from the Obama administration, and hope Salazar has learned from his early missteps on this issue.
It will take cooperation from the state and federal governments to resolve California's water crisis because of the overlapping jurisdictions and the need for state and federal funding to build the needed water infrastructure. We hope the Salazar visit begins that cooperation
State Controller John Chiang says he will begin issuing IOUs to pay the state's bills if legislators and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger can't reach an agreement to balance the state budget by Tuesday, the last day of the fiscal year.
This comes after the Legislature voted down a Democratic-sponsored budget bill on Wednesday. It needed Republican votes to reach the two-thirds majority required for passage.
The state faces a $24.3 billion budget gap, and Democrats and Republicans refuse to find common ground. This is an old tired story in California. It seems that lawmakers would rather the state collapse than reach a compomise.
This is one more reason The Bee's editorial board thinks the Legislature should be governing from the middle of the political spectrum, and not from the fringes. Click here to read today's editorial on this issue.
This story is just way too bizarre to be legitimate. The governor of South Carolina running off to Argentina to have an affair? Are the politicians now out-sourcing their illicit activity? What's wrong with good old liaisons with Americans?
For those reasons and many others, I'm just not buying it. This must have been made up by Democratic operatives trying to derail Sanford's run for the presidency. Look what happened to Sen. John Ensign. . . And you don't think there's a vast left-wing conspiracy? Mark Sanford is just the latest victim.
Why would all this surface now when Sanford was the head of the Republican Governors Association and a major irritant to President Obama and the Democrats? You be the judge.
The events in Iran are another reminder of the importance of a free press. The Fresno Bee editorial board writes about why the first thing dictators do is shut down the media and only offer government-controlled information to its citizens. Click here to read today's editorial. We also discuss the importance of technology in organizing protests against the results of the election in Iran.
 According to this article in The Business Journal, Fresno event promoter Rick Mirigian plans to ask the Fresno City Council tomorrow to allow two mixed martial arts events at the amphitheater at Woodward Park.
This is not a new issue. This Fresno Bee article from February of this year recaps the previous controversy:
Mixed martial-arts matches at Woodward Park's Rotary Amphitheater -- which attracted both big crowds and sharp public debate last year -- may be over.
Fresno Mayor Ashley Swearengin has followed through on a campaign pledge to move the events, called "cage fights," out of the park. But the promoter who championed the sport says he may challenge the city to a different kind of fight -- in court.
Rick Mirigian staged two cage fights at the amphitheater last year, drawing capacity crowds. But some residents complained, calling the violent events inappropriate for a public park.
According to the Business Journal article, Mirigian is prepared to offer the city five times the normal rental rate for the facility.
Should the city allow more of the events? Or should they be kept out of the park?
PHOTO BY KURT HEGRE/THE FRESNO BEE: Thousands of fans gather at the ampitheatre at Woodward Park for mixed martial arts last August.
This just in from the Associated Press:
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) -- South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford says he's been having an affair with a woman from Argentina and will resign as head of the Republican Governors' Association.
The married father of four emotionally apologized to his wife, staff and others after returning Wednesday from a trip to Argentina that followed a dayslong absence. His staff had said the Republican was hiking on the Appalachian Trail.
He had been a rumored contender for the 2012 GOP ticket. A former congressman, he's most recently snared headlines for his unsuccessful fight to turn aside federal stimulus cash for his state's schools.
Sanford says he met the woman about eight years ago and it became romantic about a year ago. He says his wife and family have known about it for the past five months.
Sanford says, "I've let down a lot of people."
Assembly Member Juan Arambula of Fresno has re-registered as an independent, which I told you on Sunday was coming. Click here to read that column. On Monday, the lifelong Democrat registered as a "decline to state," which is an independent voter under California election laws.
Arambula confirmed his new party registration in a telephone call to me. He said he notified Assembly Speaker Karen Bass of his decision on Monday. Bass, you might recall, had punished Arambula for not going along with the budget demands of the state's public employee unions. That's the way things work in Sacramento.
The Fresno lawmaker says there must be balance in the state's budget, and everyone, including public employee unions, must be part of the sacrifice if California is going to get its finances back on track. Bass and Assemblywoman Noreen Evans, who chairs the Assembly budget committee, don't agree. They march to the tune of the unions, and every member of the Dem caucus is supposed to be in that parade. Evans was instrumental in getting Arambula dumped from a key budget subcommittee.
Arambula didn't really want to leave the Democratic Party, but Bass, Evans and the other Demo leaders in the Legislature gave him no choice. So much for the Democrats being the party of the "big tent."
This move by Arambula will make it even more difficult for the Democrats to get their version of the budget passed.
"It does seem very hard to be an independent, to use one's independent judgment on issues," Arambula said. "The special interests have a lot to say about what goes on in both parties. But my real frustration is I can't be effective for my constituents."
I wonder what office Bass will put Arambula in this time. She thinks it shows her strength to punish Assembly members who have a different view. It only shows she has more in common with intolerant leaders than she might care to admit.
Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said today that he will not be a candidate for the Democratic nomination for governor next year. He said there's too much work to be done in Los Angeles to take on the statewide race. It had been anticipated that Villaraigosa would be a candidate, along with at least two other well-known Democrats.
That leaves the Demo gubernatorial field right now to San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom and Attorney General Jerry Brown. Newsom has already announced and Brown is about to become a candidate.
The Sacramento Bee reported this quote from Villaraigosa: "I can't leave this city in the middle of a crisis," Villaraigosa, who is about to begin his second mayoral term, told CNN anchor Wolf Blitzer.
With Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger out of office because of term limits, the Republican primary also will be wide open next year. Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner, former eBay chief executive Meg Whitman and Tom Campbell, a former congressman and state finance director, are the GOP candidates so far.
California's elected officials would rather whine about Calfiornia's water crisis than actually do something about it. For them, it makes for better politics to finger-point than to do the hard work of crafting a water plan that works for all Californians.
But don't let them fool you. The California Legislature and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger have the power to solve this problem if they would only do it. Click here to read what The Fresno Bee editorial board has to save about the state's water problems.
Assemblyman Juan Arambula, D-Fresno, is so frustrated with legislative politics that he'll probably become an independent before his third and final term ends at the close of 2010. He's already told Assembly Speaker Karen Bass of that likelihood.
I examine Arambula's political career in today's column. Click here to read my take on Arambula and Democratic politics. The problem for Arambula is that there's no room for political moderates in the Demo Party in California -- at least the Demo Party that's running the state Legislature.
Legislative Democrats have been trying to kill the high school exit exam because the state's public schools don't like the idea of being held accountable for what students learn. The exit exam ensures that high school diplomas have value.
This is what The Bee's editorial board said in an editorial today:
Democrats in the California Legislature took a giant step backward in education policy Tuesday. And they did it with no public comment, little debate and no heads-up to the California Department of Education.
The six Democrats on the 10-member budget conference committee voted to eliminate the law that makes the high school exit exam a graduation requirement. And they have the support of the Democratic leadership, Senate Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg of Sacramento and Assembly Speaker Karen Bass of Los Angeles.
What is so puzzling is that students would still take the exit exam, but would not need to pass the test in order to get a diploma. This would not save the state much money, but would render diplomas worthless. At a time of budget crisis, sneaking in this pet policy matter of the teachers union totally undermines the Democrats' credibility on budget and education issues.
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has established a Web site for Californians to report wasteful state spending or suggest ideas for saving taxpayer money. You can access the Web site by clicking here.
The Fresno Bee editorial board discusses the issue in an editorial that you can read by clicking here.
This case angers me. Cleveland Browns wide receiver Donte' Stallworth got a 30-day jail sentence for killing a pedestrian while driving drunk. It is an outrageous sentence, and shows how easy it is to manipulate the legal system if you are a celebrity and have money. He should have gotten significant prison time.
Stallworth, 28, also reportedly reached a confidential financial settlement with the family of the victim, Mario Reyes, 59, a construction worker killed early on March 14 by Stallworth, who was driving a Bentley after a night of drinking.
Even the prosecutor was in the bag for Stallworth. Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle said Stallworth did not have a previous criminal record, cooperated with authorities and willingly accepted responsibility for his actions. In addition, the victim's family wanted to put the case behind them.
But the victim's family shouldn't be determining a sentence, athough they rightfully should be heard, and their wishes considered. This case is the State of Florida vs. Donte' Stallworth and not the Family of Mario Reyes vs. Donte' Stallworth. There's a reason for this. It's a crime against the community and not just the victim or his family. Society has an interest in a fair outcome, or our legal system becomes meaningless.
The message out of this case is that you can drive drunk, kill someone, take responsibility for it, give the victim's family money and then get a mere 30 days in jail.
At least the NFL knows something about justice. The league on Thursday indefinitely suspended Stallworth because of the case.
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger got chewed on a bit today about the state's water troubles during a Fresno appearance. Hey, this is supposed to be friendly territory for the governator. But the lack of water apparently has many San Joaquin Valley residents on edge.
The Sacramento Bee has the story here. Click here for The Fresno Bee's version of the Schwarzenegger story. There's an audio link to the speech.
The Fresno Bee's John Ellis reported this in his early dispatch from the Tower Theater:
"About 200 people, including Fresno Mayor Ashley Swearengin, Clovis Mayor Harry Armstrong and other local government officials, attended the morning session at the Tower Theater. Outside, about 50 protesters waived signs and chanted in support of a variety of causes, ranging from more water for Valley farms to more money for universities and social services. Some protesters said they support higher taxes to forestall deeper state budget cuts."
After a questioner attacked Schwarzenegger on his lack of success in getting a comprehensive water deal, the governor asked Orange Cove Mayor Victor Lopez to respond, according to The Sac Bee:
"If there's been anybody that has stood with us, the farm workers, the farmers and the business people of the whole state of California (on building a better water delivery system) it's been this governor from Day One," Lopez shouted. "There is going to be victory, because we have the best governor that any state in this whole nation has ever had!"
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and the Democratic leadership in the California Legislature is in a standoff over taxes. Schwarzenegger says he will veto a budget that contains higher taxes and the Democratic plan contains tax increases.
The Associated Press is reporting these tax increases; $1.50 per pack on cigarettes; a 9.9% tax on oil production, and a $15 increase in the vehicle license fee (the VLF doubled last month). The Democratic plan also would require income tax withholding for independent contractors, and corporate tax breaks adopted in recent budgets would be eliminated, according to the AP.
"We just had the largest tax increase four months ago, the largest tax increase in the history of California," Schwarzenegger said during a news conference outside his Capitol office. "So to now, four months later, come out and do another tax increase is irresponsible."
Democrats say the fairest way to close the $24.3 billion budget gap is through a combination of spending cuts and tax increases.
The budget stalemate is getting serious again in Sacramento and it appears that the Democratic majority in the Legislature and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger cannot find common ground on a solution. That's not good, and we're back to threats of the state running out of money.
Senate President pro Tem Darrell Steinberg, released this statement Tuesday night:
"Tonight, the Budget Conference Committee voted for an oil extraction revenue proposal that the Governor himself proposed last November, along with billions in cuts to key state investments. The Governor also already cut state worker salaries by 10 percent, and now proposes cutting another 5 percent. From the beginning of the year, we've made it clear that every Californian must sacrifice to get us through these difficult fiscal times. Tomorrow, we unveil a Democratic budget that reflects that ideal."
Here's an AP story on the day's events:
Calif. Democrats want higher taxes, fewer cuts
.
By JULIET WILLIAMS
Associated Press Writer
SACRAMENTO (AP) -- An emerging Democratic plan to address part of
California's $24.3 billion deficit appears unlikely to win support
from the governor and GOP lawmakers, raising the prospect of
another prolonged deadlock in budget negotiations.
Further delays could jeopardize the state's finances. Controller
John Chiang has warned the state could run out of cash by the end
of July unless lawmakers pass a balanced budget quickly.
The increasing likelihood of another budget stalemate prompted
Standard & Poor's to place California on credit watch Tuesday.
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is proposing steep cuts in social
services while vowing not to accept any plan that includes higher
taxes or does not close the entire $24.3 billion shortfall.
"If they come back to us with anything that's not the full
problem, if they come back to us with whatever they solve, they
solve through tax increases, it's not something we can support,"
said Aaron McLear, spokesman for Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Assembly Speaker Karen Bass has said Democrats are considering a
severance tax on oil production and closing some corporate tax
loopholes. They also are discussing another increase in the vehicle
license fee after raising it during a February budget vote -- this
time by $15 -- to keep state parks open.
The cuts they have proposed so far are billions of dollars less
than the governor's plan. A joint conference committee voted
Tuesday to cut $5.5 billion from education, nearly $1 billion less
than Schwarzenegger proposed, and eliminate California's high
school exit exam.
On a straight party-line vote, the Democratic-controlled
committee also voted 6-4 to reject the governor's proposal for a 5
percent salary reduction for some 235,000 state employees. The pay
cut would have come on top of two-day-a-month furloughs the
governor imposed in February, which have reduced state employees'
pay by nearly 10 percent.
The administration projected the latest move would save $470
million a year.
"It's outrageous that the Legislature would ask Californians to
pay higher taxes but refuse to cut the pay of state workers by 5
percent," Schwarzenegger said in a statement. "This is exactly
why so many Californians have lost faith in Sacramento's ability to
solve problems."
Democratic leaders said they will provide a formal summary of
their budget plan Wednesday. The full Legislature could take up the
package as early as next week.
As described so far, the Democratic budget plan would face a
steep climb to generate enough Republican support to reach the
two-thirds vote threshold needed to pass.
Schwarzenegger has proposed deep cuts to fill the $24.3 billion
deficit that has emerged since he and lawmakers passed a budget for
the 2009-10 fiscal year in February. That package increased sales,
income and vehicle taxes that were expected to bring in another
$12.8 billion.
On Tuesday, the governor's finance department said the taxes now
are expected to generate far less -- about $11.1 billion through
June 2010.
The recession has led to a sharp drop in tax revenue that has
widened the state's deficit since the February budget deal.
For the fiscal year that begins in July, Schwarzenegger is
proposing a mix of $16 billion in spending cuts, borrowing from
local governments and fees on property owners to close the deficit
for the fiscal year that begins July 1.
His cuts would eliminate health care coverage for nearly 1
million children from low-income families and California's
welfare-to-work program. He also has proposed closing 220 state
parks.
Whatever plan eventually emerges from the Legislature,
Californians are likely to be angry at lawmakers when they start
seeing reduced state and local services, Field Poll executive
director Mark DiCamillo said. He said poll respondents gave their
lowest-ever approval ratings to legislators last year.
"It's really up to the Legislature now to show that it can act
to resolve this situation or face even a greater wrath," DiCamillo
told the Sacramento Press Club Tuesday.
Even so, he said, voters are "against cutting back on the
schools. They're against cutting back on health care. They're
against cutting back on law enforcement and higher ed. So what the
Legislature is facing is really a 'damned if you do, damned if you
don't' situation."
In Washington, D.C., Tuesday, President Barack Obama's press
secretary, Robert Gibbs, responded to a reporter's question about
providing "emergency aid" to California, even though the state
has made no direct request for financial assistance.
"It's obviously not an easy time for the state of California,"
Gibbs said. "We'll continue to monitor the challenges that they
have. But this budgetary problem, unfortunately, is one that
they're going to have to solve."
McLear, Schwarzenegger's press secretary, said California has
not asked for any type of federal bailout.
State Treasurer Bill Lockyer previously asked the Obama
administration to consider having the federal government guarantee
a short-term loan to help the state avoid hundreds of millions of
dollars in additional lending fees.
The Obama administration said a federal guarantee was "not in
the cards," Lockyer spokesman Tom Dresslar said.
"The treasurer and the controller believe that if the governor
and the Legislature adopt a credible solution by the end of June,
we can go to the credit market and borrow without any help from the
federal government," Dresslar said Tuesday.
Sen. John Ensign's office has released a statement admitting that the senator had an extramarital affair. "I deeply regret and am very sorry for my actions," Ensign said in the statement.
The Washington Post reported this: "The affair, which was with a woman who worked for both Ensign's re-election campaign and his Battle Born leadership political action committee, began in December 2007 and ended in August 2008."
Ensign, a Republican, was elected to the Senate in 2000 and re-elected in 2006, He had been considering a run for president in 2012. He is a veterinarian and owned two animal hospitals in Las Vegas before running for the Senate.
I mostly like David Letterman's humor. I give great leeway to comedians when they are skewering public figures. Most of them have it coming, Politicians being the subjects of jokes on late-night talk shows comes with the territory.
But Letterman went way over the line on his joke about Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's daughter. He compounded it by taking forever to apologize.
Letterman's early defense was he thought he was making a joke about Palin's 18-year-old daughter instead of the 14-year-old daughter. That's supposed to make it better? Suggesting that Yankee player Alex Rodriguez knocked up either daughter is not appropriate. In fact, it's sick humor. Are Letterman, and his writers, tone deaf?
Finally a week later, Letterman offered an apology during his monologue on Monday's show.
Here's a video of the apology.
The latest Democratic proposal in the California Legislature would raise some taxes and fees to help balance the state budget. Here's a partial list:
-- New taxes on oil production.(California is only oil-producing state that gives oil companies this tax break).
-- $15 increase in the car tax (It already doubled this year as part of February budget agreement).
-- Accelerated collection on some personal income taxes.
-- Increased corporate taxes.
Binge drinking, which is defined as purposefully becoming intoxicated by heavy consumption of alcohol over a short period of time, is on the rise among young people, especially those in the 21 to 24 age group. That is increasing the incidents of drunk driving and alcohol-related deaths, according to news reports.
In Clovis, police have begun breaking up parties in which teens are being served alcohol. On Saturday night, Clovis police broke up 19 teen parties in an operation that is going after underage drinking. Underage drinkers aren't necessarily binge drinkers, but many of them are headed in that direction.
Click here for the story about the Clovis PD's underage drinking operation. I support this program. I also think the adults who supply alcohol to minors should be fully prosecuted, and not let off with a warning..
The Legislature is supposed to pass a balanced budget by June 15. Lawmakers not only ignore this law (don't they take an oath to uphold all laws?), but they haven't even balanced last year's budget yet. So don't expect a balanced budget for the new fiscal year to be passed by midnight Monday.
The key term is "balanced budget" because the Legislature keeps passing budgets and the governor keeps signing them, but they aren't in balance. That's what they did in February when they hailed that "breakthrough budget compromise." It was put together with smoke and mirrors.
Now the budget gap is $24.3 billion, and the state controller is again talking about issuing IOUs to pay the state's bills. What a mess.
Mayor Ashley Swearengin and her downtown team, led by Craig Scharton, are putting together the planning documents that she says will finally revitalize downtown Fresno. A 21-member citizens committee will be a key part of the process. So here's your chance to offer your ideas for downtown.
In the comments section, tell us how you would fix downtown and we'll make sure the mayor and her downtown czar see them.
Click here to read The Bee editorial board's thoughts on downtown.
The mayor has budgeted $900,000 to develop the Fulton Corridor Specific Plan, which will be the city's roadmap to revitalization.
There's a lot at stake, including the future of the Fulton Mall. Will the mall be opened to traffic, and will its stately trees be cut down so people can see the signs on buildings?
Those are among the ideas being offered. Make sure your voice is heard, no matter how you feel about the Fulton Mall or the greater downtown area.
A letter writer to The Fresno Bee offers a proposal that could control the growing number of text messages and help our government at the same time: impose a 5-cent tax on each text message sent.
You can read Daniel Schwartz's letter by clicking here.
This would be a tax mostly on young people. The Nielsen Company reports that the typical American teenager with a cell phone sent and received an average of 2,272 text messages per month in the fourth quarter of 2008. That's almost 80 messages a day, which doubled the average of a year earlier.
Dear High School Graduates:
Everyone else is giving you advice so I thought I'd add the thoughts of someone who hasn't been in high school for 40 years. It's a tough world out there, especially with an economy that isn't exactly embracing new workers. Be patient because that will change.
So here are some rules for living that have come from years of making mistakes and sometimes learning from them.
1. You don't have to know exactly what you want to do in life, but you should know that the road to success is guided by education. It could be college, vocational school or online training. But be a lifelong learner.
2. Don't do something really stupid that will affect your life forever. That includes driving under the influence, getting an ugly tattoo, marrying someone you just met after a night of drinking.
3. Work hard, but have fun doing something outside of your routine. Try out for "American Idol," join community theater, do poetry readings, play co-ed soccer, volunteer in one of the hundreds of groups that need help.
4. Don't use credit cards if you can't pay them off at the end of the month. If you run up a $2,000 debt, the odds are that you'll never pay it off -- especially if you think making the minimum payment will get you out of debt.
5. Find a mentor who can guide you. It could be a parent or another relative. But the best would be someone not a blood relative who is really wise and wants to help. Suck all the knowledge you can out of that person and don't be afraid to keep asking questions when you think you've worn out your welcome.
6. Get handy with tools. You'll save a fortune in your lifetime by not having to call a plumber, electrician or similar professional to do basic household tasks. It's a lot cheaper and a lot faster to do it yourself. But know your limits and hire professionals for things outside your pay grade.
7. You may think you don't need sleep, but you'll appreciate it when you're older and it's more difficult to get a full night's sleep. But don't sleep until noon. Those morning hours can be very productive. Appreciate naps.
8. Love life and love people -- even those who you don't think you can stand. Everyone can help make you a better person if you give him or her the chance.
9. Be patient. . . This is a trait that I'm much better at now that I'm older. I only wish I had been more patient when I was young.
10. Smile a lot, and laugh every chance you get.
There's a bigger battle brewing over Sarah Palin within the Republican Party than outside of it, according to conservative columnist Kathleen Parker. You can read the column by clicking here.
Here are the opening paragraphs of Parker's column:
Sarah Palin, governor of Alaska and GOP "It" girl, can warm up the Republican base like a hot toddy in a duck blind. But further inside the party organization, the air is a little nippy.
What happened? In a word, bungling.
Everyone seems to have a Sarah Palin story of ignored calls, mishandled invitations or unanswered e-mail. Disorganized is how one might charitably describe the Palin operation.
Supporters of Assemblyman Juan Arambula, D-Fresno, who just got kicked off two Assembly budget committees by Assembly Speaker Karen Bass, shouldn't be complaining. The assemblyman has supported Bass and that means giving her the power to change his committee assignments.
Arambula, a moderate in the liberal Democratic caucus, was booted by Bass after he told The Bee that he wants more spending cuts instead of tax increases to close the budget gap. So Arambula was replaced on the Budget Committee and Budget Subcommittee No. 4. by a more liberal member, San Francisco Democrat Tom Ammiano.
I don't think that's fair, but what does Arambula or his supporters expect? It's time that Arambula push for Bass' ouster as Assembly speaker, or take his punishment from his leader. He can't have it both ways.
As for me, I don't think Bass should keep the speaker's post. She's been very ineffective, and that's not good for the Democratic caucus in the Legislature or the residents of the state. The Sacramento Bee is reporting that Bass' hold on the speakership is shaky. Click here for that story.
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger says water is his No. 1 priority, and he promised to get a comprehensive water plan passed as soon as the budget is done. He made that commitment during an editorial board meeting at The Fresno Bee on Tuesday.
I'm with him. Fix the financial mess, of course, and then fix the state's water problem. Both are in crisis, and mostly because people would rather argue about political philosophies than reach a compromise that works for everyone.
There'd be plenty of water for environmental, agricultural and urban uses if we'd do three things: 1) Build dams. 2) Build underground storage facilities. 3) Impose strict conservation. The problem is the various interests in the water fight don't want to find common ground. That's unfortunate for all the people and environmental causes that need more water.
Schwarzenegger claims a water deal will happen soon, and he'll see that it gets done. He also claims that he'll get a budget deal completed within two weeks, so we'll see.
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger met with The Fresno Bee editorial board for an hour Tuesday evening. Click here for the video of that session.
E.J. Schultz of The Bee's Capitol Bureau covered the meeting. Click here for his story on the governor's appearance. Click here to read The Bee's editorial on the subject.
Readers submitted dozens of questions for the governor. Because of the time constraints, we couldn't ask all of them, but we did work two of the questions into the conversation with the governor. You can hear the governor's answers on the video that's linked above.
Thank you for your interest in this meeting.
Fresno Mayor Ashley Swearengin will be in Sacramento this morning with a delegation of California mayors to meet with Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on how state budget cuts will affect local governments.
Schwarzenegger then will head to Fresno. Among his appointments is an afternoon meeting with The Bee's editorial board on the latest efforts to solve the budget problem. Let me know in the comments section if there are any questions you want us to ask the governor.
It seems that the education coalition, labor, social services advocates and health care backers are still pushing for tax increases to solve the $24.3 billion state budget gap. They apparently didn't see the results of the May 19 special election in which voters rejected tax increases.
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Republican lawmakers say tax increases have no chance of being part of the latest budget solution. Details are in this Sacramento Bee story.
Here are the taxes that tax backers support, according to the Sac Bee:
-- Increasing the top personal income tax rate from 9.3% to 10% for incomes of more than $250,000 and 11% for incomes of more than $500,000.
-- Restoring state fees on motor vehicle licenses to their 2003 levels.
-- Reassessing all commercial property, thus raising property taxes on nonresidential property.
-- Increasing corporate income tax rates.
-- Imposing an oil production tax.
-- Raising tax rates on tobacco products and alcoholic beverages, and extending the state sales tax to some services and admissions to entertainment venues and sporting events.
-- Repealing legislative actions last year that gave tax breaks to California corporations and small businesses.
OK. . . I understand that the new iPhone coming out June 19 will be loaded with stuff, and still will be a bit pricey. . . $199 for the 16 GB and $299 for the 32 GB. But how about the cost of the 8-gigabyte iPhone 3G being rolled back to $99, instead of $199? That's the recession affect.
Do you remember Apple's first iPhone? That's the one that two years ago cost $499 for a 4-gigabyte version and $599 for 8 GB. The early birds should have waited. . . But it made them pretty cool to have the first iPhone, even if they were substantially lighter in the wallet because they went first.
The Associated Press reports the latest iPhone news was unveiled at Apple's annual gig for software developers. Apple calls it the World Wide Developers Conference
CEO and co-founder Steve Jobs, who is on a medical leave, did not appear at the conference in San Francisco, according to the AP. Jobs is scheduled to return to Apple from his medical leave at the end of the month.
 On my way in to work this morning, I was listening to a segment on National Public Radio about "Sex Without Intimacy: No Dating, No Relationships." It's about "hooking up," the trend where young adults who are delaying marriage longer instead turn to sexual encounters with no strings attached.
Young people from high school on are so preoccupied with friends, getting an education and establishing themselves, they don't make time for relationships.
"Going out on a date is a sort of ironic, obsolete type of thing," says 25-year-old Elizabeth Welsh, who graduated from college in 2005 and now lives in Boston. She says that among her friends, dating is a joke. "Going out on a date to dinner and a movie? It's so cliche -- isn't that funny?"
I think I'd be opposed to this trend no matter what my personal circumstances were. But as someone who is newly single again, I find it downright depressing.
Pop singer Kelly Clarkson has a current hit single right now called "I Do Not Hook Up." I haven't heard the song yet, but I heard radio host Ryan Seacrest grilling her about the wisdom of her putting that message out there. I say more power to Kelly, for standing by her convictions. There's no shame in that.
What do you think about the trend of hooking up?
Some San Joaquin Valley legislators are an exception, but most state lawmakers have refused to cut their own pay, even while asking state workers to make big financial sacrifices. This double standard is typical of how the Legislature operates.
Because of the way the Legislature is set up, members would have to cut their own pay voluntarily. This Sacramento Bee story tells who are living this double standard.
Here is what Valley lawmakers are doing:
-- Assembly Member Mike Villines, R-Clovis, 5% pay cut.
-- State Sen. Jeff Denham, R-Atwater, 3% pay cut.
-- Assembly Member Jean Fuller, R-Bakersfield, 3% pay cut; declined car allowance.
-- Assembly Members Juan Arambula, D-Fresno, and Connie Conway, R-Tulare, have declined their car allowances.
This means the other Valley lawmakers -- Sen. Dean Florez, D-Shafter, Sen. Dave Cogdill, R-Modesto, Sen. Roy Ashburn and Assembly Member Danny Gilmore, R-Hanford, and Assembly Member Tom Berryhill, R- Modesto -- are taking their full pay and car allowances.
The financial mess in state government isn't entirely the fault of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. The Democrats who hold the majority in the Legislature caused much of the problem by not being able to control their spending over the past decade. But the problems we have today occurred on the governor's watch, and they will be part of his legacy.
I explore Schwarzenegger's gubernatorial tenure that began in 2003 with the recall of Gov. Gray Davis and continues today with a budget gap that has grown to $24.3 billion. Click here to read today's column.
The governor has been manipulated by Democrats and has no clout with members of his own party. But he has 18 months to salvage his legacy. Can he do it and does he have anyone in the Legislature who can help him?
To celebrate the Fourth of July and the Second Amendment, a pastor in Kentucky wants responsible gun owners in his church to bring their firearms to worship service on June 27.
The Associated Press reports that Pastor Ken Pagano, a former Marine and handgun instructor, said some backlash was expected, but there's only been a "little bit" of criticism.
"We're just going to celebrate the upcoming theme of the birth of our nation," Pagano said . "And we're not ashamed to say that there was a strong belief in God and firearms -- without that this country wouldn't be here."
The guns can't be loaded and security will checking at the door, according to church officials. Pagano also Pagano is wants church members to bring a canned good and a friend to the service.
Pagano's New Bethel Church in Louisville is a member of the Assemblies of God.
The Fresno Bee editorial board says the ruling issued Thursday by the National Marine Fisheries Service was shoddy work that doesn't take into account all the factors that are harming the fishery. While the feds are blaming water projects for the decline, they ignore "sewage dumping from Sacramento and Stockton, the private pumps that divert water without screens, other pollution from nearby urban areas and the impact of striped bass and other invasive species on the protected species."
You can read the complete editorial by clicking here.
The Sacramento Bee reports that between January and March of this year, the actual number of state government employees grew by 1,362 full-time jobs. Remember the governor's hiring freeze?
In the private sector in California, the unemployment rate went from 10.1% to 11.2% during the same period that the number of state employees increased.
Check out more details from the Sac Bee's piece called "California state employees have a pampered image" by clicking here.
The budget gap only gets bigger, as the Sacramento politicians fail to deal with the state's financial problems. The shortfall was $15 billion in February, $22 billion in May and $24.3 billion today.
Do they understand that if you continue to spend more than you take in, the gap grows?
The Fresno Bee's editorial board weighes in on the issue in this editorial.
Sacramento's unwillingness to deal with the budget is very depressing for someone who believes strongly in representative government. This crisis is one more reason that I think the California Legislature should be be abolished and reconstituted as a part-time agency with only one house, similar to Nebraska's unicameral legislature. I'd also make it a non-partisan legislature. Democrats and Republicans are so last century.
The Fresno County Board of Supervisors stopped doing business with the Genesis Family Center on Tuesday, despite the agency's last-minute move to reform itself. But the board, in a 5-0 vote, said it was done with Genesis. Will this be a fatal blow to the high-profile agency?
Here is part of today's editorial in The Bee on the latest Genesis news:
This once politically connected agency sealed its own fate with the arrogant way it reacted to the embezzlement convictions of Genesis co-founders Elaine Bernard and Carol Dela Torre. The leaders at Genesis thought they could play by different rules.
Genesis board members ignored repeated calls for reforming the agency and only made changes when it was apparent the county was about to pull its lucrative contracts from Genesis.
Yesterday, former Vice President came out in support of gay marriage, according to this Associated Press article by Pamela Hess :
Former Vice President Dick Cheney said Monday he supports gays being able to marry but believes states, not the federal government, should make the decision.
"I think, you know, freedom means freedom for everyone," Cheney said in a speech at the National Press Club. "I think people ought to be free to enter into any kind of union they wish, any kind of arrangement they wish."
Cheney, who has a gay daughter, said marriage has always been a state issue.
Right now, on KVPR's local broadcast (89.3 on the dial), "Quality of Life" is discussing the Sunday election in Armenia. Terry Phillips, the usual moderator of the show, is broadcasting from Yerevan, the Armenian capital.
Here is an article I found online on ArmeniaNow.com that also talks about "Elections or Balance of Power: What will change in Armenia's political arena after May 31."
UPDATE: Radio program just wrapped up, but it will be rebroadcast at 7 p.m. this evening.
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger will make a big speech to a joint session of the Legislature today, as lawmakers and the governor try to get the state out of its budget mess. They have to figure out a way to close a $22 billion budget gap now that voters have said "No" to additional taxes.
Reporters in Sacramento say lawmakers are getting a bit testy, blaming everyone else for their problems. Well, here's a news flash. The state has a budget deficit because the Legislature has spent more money than it has taken in for several years, For our math-challenged politicians, a deficit is created when that happens.
Education and social programs are scheduled to take big budget hits. State employees also will be asked to make more sacrifices as the state trims its costs.
UPDATE: An Associated Press story on the governor's speech follows. . .
By JULIET WILLIAMS
Associated Press Writer
SACRAMENTO (AP) -- California's worsening budget crisis holds both pain and promise for the state's future, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said Tuesday to a joint session of the Legislature.
The state faces deep cuts to education and other core programs to plug a $24.3 billion deficit, while a steep decline in tax revenue has created a looming cash crisis that jeopardizes its ability to pay its day-to-day bills.
Even in such dire circumstances, Schwarzenegger said California can emerge more efficient and fiscally stable if lawmakers take steps to restructure government and rethink the services it provides with the revenue it has.
"We can only spend what we have. That is the harsh but simple reality," he said in the rare midyear appearance, which lasted less than 15 minutes. "Our wallet is empty, our bank is closed and our credit is dried up."
The governor's speech comes just four months after he and lawmakers agreed to a two-year budget package that was intended to close a deficit of $42 billion through mid-2010.
Declining tax revenue and overly optimistic assumptions about the tax increases they approved in February have reopened the state's deficit.
Schwarzenegger said state tax revenue has dropped 27 percent from last year and has returned to 2003 levels.
In a letter to legislative leaders last week, Controller John Chiang warned that California will run out of money to pay its bills on July 29. He called on lawmakers to pass a balanced budget by their June 15 constitutional deadline so the state can
access short-term loans in a tight credit market.
Its new fiscal year begins July 1.
"California's day of reckoning is here," Schwarzenegger said.
He has outlined a series of cuts that include an additional $5.2 billion reduction to public schools, laying off 5,000 state workers and further cutting the pay of another 200,000. He has proposed eliminating welfare for 500,000 families, terminating health coverage for nearly 1 million low-income children and closing 220 state parks.
"People come up to me all the time, pleading, 'Governor, please don't cut my program.' They tell me about how the cuts will affect them and their loved ones," Schwarzenegger said. "I see the pain in their eyes and I hear the fear in their voice.
It's an awful feeling. But we have no choice."
The Republican governor and legislators of his own party say they will not raise taxes, after agreeing to $12.8 billion in higher sales, personal income and vehicles taxes earlier this year.
Democratic and Republican lawmakers agree they face a series of bad choices. Before Schwarzenegger's address, the Democratic leaders of the Assembly and Senate pledged to work quickly to resolve the deficit.
Other lawmakers were less charitable after the governor's speech.
Assemblyman Tom Ammiano, D-San Francisco, said Schwarzenegger glossed over his own role in creating California's fiscal crisis and showed a "cavalier" attitude about the problems.
"He didn't take any responsibility. It's hard to believe he really does care," Ammiano said. "I think it trivialized the crisis, really."
In the May special election, voters rejected all five budget-related measures placed on the ballot by Schwarzenegger and legislative leaders. That included three the governor said would have raised about $6 billion. Another measure would have extended the tax hikes for one to two years.
Schwarzenegger has said he interpreted voters' rejection as a repudiation of borrowing and further tax increases to balance the budget, but their message is far from clear. On Election Day, many voters said they were simply frustrated about being asked to vote in a non-election year on complicated issues they believe should be decided by elected officials.
Schwarzenegger also asked lawmakers to eliminate some state boards and commissions, reviving parts of his 2004 California Performance Review. While getting rid of them will solve only a fraction of the state's deficit, the action is intended to send
a symbolic message to taxpayers.
He also wants to consolidate the departments that oversee financial institutions and merge California's tax-collection operations.
In the revised budget he released last month, Schwarzenegger proposed selling state property, such as the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, the state fairgrounds in Sacramento and San Quentin State Prison, which he said would bring in more than $1
billion.
State revenue has continued to plummet as residents have reduced spending and the state's unemployment rate soared to 11 percent. Democratic lawmakers and the Schwarzenegger administration have even inquired about having the federal government give California a loan guarantee, an unprecedented step that is seen as way for the state to lower its borrowing costs.
Despite the doom and gloom, Schwarzenegger also tried to convey a more hopeful message, asking lawmakers to rise to the challenge and demonstrate to the rest of the nation that California can dig its way out of its deep budget hole.
The crisis provides an opportunity to make state government operate more efficiently and stretch taxpayer dollars.
"People are writing California off. They're talking about the end of the California Dream," Schwarzenegger said. "Let's prove all the pundits wrong. Let us use this crisis as an opportunity, as an opportunity for great changes, lasting changes."
We have been troubled by the ever-increasing name calling on this blog. We encourage passionate responses, but we don't think it is helpful to call fellow bloggers names. You can attack their postings, their ideas, their politics. But you will not be allowed to attack them personally.
We will not post comments that are direct personal attacks, or are vulgar. We understand that crude attacks on people in public places have become common in our society. But this isn't the shopping mall where anything goes in a public setting.
Thanks for your cooperation.
On Sunday evening, about 3,000 people showed up at Fresno's City Hall to celebrate the state Supreme Court decision that upheld Proposition 8. That rally came a day after supporters of same-sex marriage held a rally at City Hall. Click here for the latest story on the rally in support of traditional marriage.
"It's not Prop. 8 anymore," said organizer Jim Franklin. "It's now an official part of our constitution. It upholds the people's right to govern themselves and it defines marriage in the state of California as between one man and one woman."
A day earlier, supporters of same-sex marriage rallied at City Hall. The group included Hollywood celebrities Charlize Theron and T.J. Knight of the TV show "Gray's Anatomy." Click here for a story on that rally.
Police say Dr. George Tiller was shot and killed while serving as an usher at his Wichita, Kansas, church Sunday morning. Tiller was one of the few doctors performing late-term abortions. The alleged shooter is in custody. Click here for the story.
Tiller survived a 1993 shooting outside his clinic. The shooting prompted Attorney General Eric Holder to direct federal marshals to "offer protection to other appropriate people and facilities around the nation.
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