No one seemed more frustrated with the process of negotiating and enacting a new state budget this year than Senate President pro Tem Don Perata. And this morning, calling that process "in near collapse," he suggested a new discussion on … Continue reading »

The budget impasse is history with today's long-awaited final approval by both houses of the Legislature. Governor Schwarzenegger is expected to sign the budget, and line-item slash about $700 million in spending, by the end of the week. It was … Continue reading »

A more bite-size edition of the Capital Notes Podcast this week. We discuss the potential for a budget deal next week (and some reportedly heavy lobbying of one GOP lawmaker to cast an aye vote) and the race for the … Continue reading »

Day 48 of the state budget impasse is here… and the disagreement between Democrats and Republicans now threatens everything from the bottom line of companies that do business with the state to infrastructure bonds the state's top investment official says … Continue reading »

What happened to Dan Rather, you say? The former CBS anchor now produces specials for the cable channel HD Net. And this week, he examines the controversy behind voting machines. The program is called The Trouble With Touch Screens, and … Continue reading »

Day 3 of Governor Schwarzenegger's "Pass The Budget Already" Tour rode through the Inland Empire this morning. The event in Riverside was pretty much the same as the previous two days: a focus on social services programs that are impacted … Continue reading »

[update: Turns out when Mayor Hall was referring to 39% of "his money" that comes from the state government, it was literally his money... not cash for the city of Bakersfield. Thanks to Bakersfield Californian reporter James Burger for setting … Continue reading »

There's some angst among voters over the budget stalemate in this morning's Field Poll, but actually figuring out who they blame is hard to do. Nonetheless, if you had to search for blame in these tea leaves… The poll of … Continue reading »

Governor Schwarzenegger hit the road today to attempt to put a little pressure on Republicans in the state Senate. But it's hard not to notice how polite the pressure is… especially considering the governor's rhetoric during the last protracted stalemate. … Continue reading »

Here's at least one theory on the budget impasse that most folks haven't pondered: it could be the fault of Democrats who drew the district maps six years ago. That's the gist of a column in this morning's Capitol Morning … Continue reading »