Bass is in a tough position as prison cuts stall in the Assembly
Well, the governor had the prison plan he wanted for a few hours Thursday, but the way things look now that bill better be written in erasable ink.
While the state Senate managed to muster the bare-minimum 21 votes needed to pass the Legislature’s part of the $1.2 billion cut in the state prison system, the Assembly adjourned at midnight after hours of private deliberations and sub rosa horse-trading couldn’t bring out enough support to send the measure to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s desk.
Since legislators, who arrived back in Sacramento last Monday after a month-long summer recess, are fleeing the capital for a three-day weekend, that means nothing is going to happen on the prison bill until Monday.
Why a Pollution Tax is a Good Idea
Loren Kaye’s piece yesterday did a very good job of outlining one of the less publicized elements of items under consideration at the Governor’s Commission on the 21st Century Economy, a proposed Pollution Tax. As the author of that item, I would like to add a couple of thoughts.
First, the idea of modernizing our tax system should, as directed by the Governor in establishing the Commission, both reflect the current composition of California’s economy, and the future to which we aspire. One of the clear aspirations we have as a state is to be part of the solutions to global climate change, especially reducing Green House Gas emissions. Perhaps the enduring legacy of the current state administration will be their very positive and aggressive public policy efforts to reduce GHG’s, and establish California as one of the primary centers in the world for developing and taking climate change solutions to market (think about Tesla and the many other California-born ideas in this regard).
Democrats’ prison bill empowers felons, risks safety of Californians
Yesterday, the California Senate Democrats passed Assembly Bill 14xxx with the intent to reform California’s prison system and save $1.2 billion along the way. While these are good intentions, what this dangerous measure really does is empower felons while risking the safety of California citizens.
Elements of the bill include releasing inmates early from prison through a variety of different means including good time credits for just sitting in a prison cell; rewarding thieves for stealing vehicles valued under $2,500; and creating a public safety commission that would require membership of a felon.
Early release is not the answer and it’s doubtful that it will lead to real savings. First of all, what kind of message are we sending to criminals when the Legislature approves early release of felons before they have served their time?
Public Safety is Non-Negotiable
Yesterday, by majority vote, the State Senate passed a measure that will release thousands of convicted felons from prison and back into California communities. The State Assembly was scheduled to vote on the measure in the evening. We never did. But some form of this bill will come before us for a vote in the near future.
As the State Assembly debates how to make $1.2 billion in cuts to the Department of Corrections, California stands at a crossroads.
All parties agree that one of government’s core functions is public safety. There is also no doubt that our corrections system needs to be reformed. Where we differ is on the question of whether or not California’s budget problems are reason enough to abdicate our responsibility to keep California communities safe.
Career tech education gets big support after more declines in enrollment
Dan Walters opined today that vocational skills could get a big and needed boost from SB 381, a bill that will be heard in the Assembly Appropriations committee tomorrow. The bill simply asks that any high school requiring those courses approved by the UC and required for admissions to both UC and CSU campuses for graduation also provides career tech options for its students.
SB 381 protects curricular pathways for all students by saying ‘no’ to districts who wish to force a one-track "A-G" system on all students without providing career-preparatory coursework, too.
Take a look at this video of soundbytes from technical education students (and a teacher or two) who were recognized yesterday in the legislature. These students show the passion and success these courses produce, as well as the impediments to real-world technical education opportunities. Every Legislator should watch this.
Preclude Class Actions? Is It Too Logicial?
Let me first of all state I am not a lawyer. I will wait for the applause to settle down. Kidding.
I recently read an article titled, “AT&T Edits Contract to Preclude Class Actions.” It stated that AT&T has amended its terms of service to preclude consumers from participating in class actions, whether handled via litigation or arbitration. They also prohibit consumers from bringing class actions even in an arbitration setting.
It seemed too logical to just amend your terms of service and stick that into them. What a great way to rid our world of class actions once and for all. I mean binding arbitration has been in contracts forever and it seems to meet the various legal challenges. However, this has been challenged once and that was involving a former garbage truck driver for the Atlas Disposal Company. He was trying to sue and get a class over the issue of work breaks, but Atlas had both mandated artbitration and prohibited class actions.