Some quick mentions of goings-on for this first full day of sun in Sacramento in years... okay, maybe it just feels that way.

* On The Ballot: A crime and punishment showdown is now set for November, as the initiative designed to crackdown on sexual predators-- known as Jessica's Law-- has qualified for the ballot. Supporters say they collected more than 700,000 voter signatures, more than needed to qualify for the November 7 ballot. The initiative would increase the penalties for possession of child pornography, make more sex crimes eligible for a life term in prison, and would require paroled sex offenders to be monitored with a GPS device for life. The initiative's namesake was 9-year-old Jessica Lunsford, a Florida girl abducted and killed last year. The initiative's placement on the ballot marks the official end of a debate over a legislative compromise at the Capitol which stalled out weeks ago. Democrats balked at some of the provisions over things like the cost of GPS monitoring, while Republicans balked at attempts to lessen the penalty for those caught with small amounts of explicit child pornography. Governor Schwarzenegger joined backers in kicking off their campaign last fall; expect this to be one of those "tough vs. soft on crime" campaigns come this fall.

* Westly Jabs: Democratic gubernatorial candidate Steve Westly arrived for his speech today to the Sacramento Press Club with some attacks on his Democratic challenger, the incumbent governor, and critics who have panned his proposals for balancing the budget without taxes or big spending cuts. On that last issue-- the budget-- Westly arrived with a PowerPoint presentation ready to go, offering a lot of facts and figures in defense of his plans for going after tax cheats and shifting more lottery proceeds to education. "It's high time we have a governor versed in the numbers," he said. However, Westly defended his support for one particular tax increase, Proposition 82, going so far as to say that universal preschool is a higher funding priority than even K-12 education. And as for those jabs at his opponents... on Phil Angelides' call for tax increases to help balance the budget, Westly said there's no way to get the necessary GOP votes on that proposal in the Legislature. "Even if you think that's good policy," he said, "who's going to vote for that?" And turning to Schwarzenegger, Westly shrugged off the governor's right to claim credit for the state's improving economy. "Frankly," he said, "the governor's had very little bearing on that."

* More Medicare Bailout: Governor Schwarzenegger today extended the state's emergency program to ensure seniors and the disabled get their prescription drugs during the federal Medicare transition. That transition left many recipients in the lurch, and state officials agreed in January to temporarily cover the costs. Today's extension means the state will keep picking up the tab through May 15. Total cost to California taxpayers so far, according to Schwarzenegger's office: more than $54.3 million.