Democrats Get Cover for Maldonado Vote
Republican state Sen. Abel Maldonado may be hanging on to his day job for a while longer.
While Assembly Democrats are playing coy about whether they’ll vote to approve the Santa Maria lawmaker as California’s next lieutenant governor, a news conference Monday was a pretty good indication that the fix is in.
Democratic Assembly members Pedro Nava, Jose Solorio and Tony Mendoza all showed up to announce that they wouldn’t be voting for Maldonado when his nomination comes before the full Assembly later this week.
Normally, it’s no big deal when a trio of Democratic backbenchers complains about an appointment made by a Republican governor. But it’s no coincidence that it was three Latino Democrats making the argument that a Latino Republican shouldn’t be appointed to what – in theory anyway – is the number two office in state government.
Carly Had a Demon Sheep
(with apologies to Mary and her little lamb)
Carly had a demon sheep
With eyes red as hot coal
And everywhere that Carly went,
The demon sheep would go
There it was on You Tube one day,
One of those new campaign rules,
And it made the journalists laugh and play
To see the political fools
Paper or Plastic? Choose Wisely, the Green Police are Watching.
Like many of you, I spent the better part of Sunday shuffling between my BBQ, my fridge, and the television, taking in the spectacle of the Super Bowl. And like most who watch, I was looking forward to seeing which ads would make me laugh this year. Hands down, Betty White saying “that’s not what your girl friend said” in the Snickers ad was my favorite as far as funny goes. But it was another ad that really stood out for the message it conveyed.
Audi’s ad for their new A3 TDI clean diesel “green car” was both funny and scary. Funny in that it skewered the stereotype of the fanatical “eco-agency” stormtroopers citing and apprehending offenders of seemingly outlandish environmental laws and regulations. Funny in that they used a clever remix of the Cheap Trick classic song “Dream Police” (and even funnier that my 10-year-old daughter knew the words – thanks Guitar Hero). But then I remembered this, the AB 32 Scoping Plan.
Railing Against This Costly Track
When the federal government announced less than two weeks ago that California would get $2.25 billion to help develop a high-speed rail system, it made me wonder if the time has finally come for this good idea.
If built, California’s high-speed train, or HST, would be of great interest to the state’s business and political leaders. After all, you could board a train in Los Angeles, speed along at up to 220 miles an hour, and arrive in San Francisco a little more than two hours later. Spurs would go to other cities, such as Anaheim, San Diego and Sacramento.
Alas, the more I read up on it, the more I felt like I had boarded the blue train that Johnny Cash crooned about. There’s a real funding question and a seriously optimistic view of the ridership.
But let’s start with this basic question: If the HST existed and you were planning a trip from Los Angeles to San Francisco, why would you consider boarding it?