Opinion California

Opinion Report 01.27.12

Joe Mathews: Big California, little fixes -- Californians are so busy bickering about incremental change, they're ignoring the state's real problems.  Mathews op-ed in LA Times

Dan Walters: California legislators once again earn scorn -- Last Tuesday, the Public Policy Institute of California issued a new poll that found, among other things, just 17 percent of the state's voters like the Legislature's performance. Simultaneously, the Legislature's top leaders provided another reason for Californians to harbor such scorn.  Walters column in Sacramento Bee

Joel Fox: Lawsuit over pay – How legislators can lose even if they win -- Senate Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg and Assembly Speaker John Perez took a big risk filing a lawsuit yesterday to prohibit the Controller from deciding if legislators should get paid when an unbalanced budget is passed. If they lose they will have helped establish the California State Controller as a new superpower in the political firmament. If they win, legislators are on the wrong side of the perception issue.  Fox in Fox & Hounds

U-T San Diego:  Legislative bosses betray voters – The next time the Sacramento establishment lines up behind any ballot measure involving money or budgets, voters shouldn’t just be wary. They should assume establishment advocates are both lying about the measure’s ultimate effects and hiding their true motives.  U-T San Diego editorial

John Myers: Podcast: Sales pitch -- Maybe all those years spent on the rough seas of California politics help explain why, so far, Governor Jerry Brown has charted a pretty successful course for his November tax initiative.  Myers in Capital Notes

Jon Diaz:  Big challenges for bold idea of high-speed rail -- The next few months will be critical in determining whether a plan Brown calls "a strenuous undertaking" is sunk by the naysayers or elevated by the visionaries and problem solvers of this era.  Diaz column in San Francisco Chronicle

John Myers: Reformers team up for November ballot – Advocates for major government reform have long lamented that if only they could find the financial backing for a political campaign, the voters would ratify changes to help end California's dysfunction. Now, it looks as though the white knight has ridden in... on his own jet.  Myers in Capital Notes

Stockton Record: Missing the point -- Democratic legislative leaders this week sued the state controller because he docked their pay last summer. That's not how they framed the suit, of course. It's an issue of the separation of powers, they claim. In reality it's an issue of lawmakers not doing the job they were sent to Sacramento to do.  Stockton Record editorial

San Jose Mercury News: Let voters follow the money – As political action committees pour millions into often-vicious campaign advertising in the Republican presidential primaries, the most outrageous thing is the murky source of funding: Donors behind the ads usually aren't identified until after the primary is over. California could prevent that from happening in state and local elections with a bill coming to a vote Tuesday in the Legislature. San Jose Mercury News editorial

Joe Mathews: Spend it like Beckham; Soccer star stays, pays California taxes – What's wrong with David Beckham?  It's been a week since the international soccer star recently decided to stay with Los Angeles Galaxy, the Major League Soccer franchise, instead of taking offers for more money to play in other countries, and he hasn't changed his mind. How could he do such a thing? Doesn't he know that his state taxes are going up this fall?  Mathews in Prop Zero

ECONOMY

Bakersfield Californian: Redevelopment agencies need a little more time -- The statewide redevelopment agency shutdown is likely to pave the way for more focused local investment to revive blighted urban areas and spur economic developments. But trying to shut down some 400 redevelopment agencies by next Wednesday is a difficult task and one that could jeopardize an effort to refashion local redevelopment.  Bakersfield Californian editorial

Riverside Press-Enterprise: Pension pipe-dream – Undue optimism will not pay for California’s public pension costs. The state instead needs retirement benefits that are sustainable long-term, and not an increasing drag on public budgets. Pension officials should base financial planning on cautious projections, and not rosy assumptions.  Riverside Press-Enterprise editorial

U-T San Diego: Kudos to city leaders on benefit reform – It took more than a year of hard work, but it’s paid off for San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders, his administration, the City Council and, most important, taxpayers. On Tuesday, the council gave final approval to a plan to trim the cost of retiree health care benefits by an estimated $714 million over the next 25 years.  U-T San Diego editorial

Modesto Bee: Public pension reform will take years -- Public pension reform has become a hot-button campaign issue, locally and throughout California, but making significant changes to a pension system cannot be done quickly or easily. Modesto Bee editorial

Long Beach Press-Telegram:  Plenty of ‘wow’ in Downtown Plan -- In the run-up to what eventually became the Pike project, Long Beach officials were looking for a "wow" factor that would distinguish the development from others in Southern California. While the "wow" didn't exactly materialize, there's a new, even more ambitious plan in the works.  The Downtown Plan, which the City Council has approved, goes beyond "wow."  Long Beach Press-Telegram editorial

EDUCATION

Bakersfield Californian: CSU’s plan for executive pay limits makes sense -- It appears California State University trustees are finally getting a grip on the state's economic reality. In a meeting Wednesday, the CSU board of trustees voted to cap the salary for newly hired presidents at no more than 10 percent of what the outgoing president earned, with a generous ceiling of $325,000.  Bakersfield Californian editorial

Joe Mathews: Save the budget: Abolish kindergarten -- As they look for ways to cut the budget, Gov. Jerry Brown -- like his predecessor Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger -- have focused on a very, very, very serious problem: All those kids who are starting kindergarten.  Mathews in Prop Zero

ELECTION 2012

Sacramento Bee: Romney shows why tax code changes are needed -- In highlighting our broken federal tax code, President Barack Obama has captured something important. Following the law, honestly and without cheating, millionaires and billionaires can pay lower federal tax rates than ordinary working Americans. That's got to change.  Sacramento Bee editorial

LA Times: A worthy pact on ‘super PACs’ -- Two U.S. Senate candidates in Massachusetts have agreed to temper the effect of 'super PACs.' Others should follow.  LA Times editorial

ENVIRONMENT

Orange County Register: Obama has greens squirming a bit -- When President Barack Obama promised this week to open 75 percent of potential offshore gas and oil resources to drilling and praised the controversial fracking method for extracting untapped oil reserves on land, a collective shudder went through his green constituency. Welcome to election-year rhetoric.  Orange County Register editorial

OTHER AREAS

Sacramento Bee:  Caltrans sidesteps accountability -- again -- This week's settlement between Caltrans and Duane Wiles is disturbing on several levels.  Sacramento Bee editorial

LA Times: Of doctors and drug makers -- Requiring the makers of drugs and medical devices to disclose most payments and gifts to physicians will protect patients and reduce medical costs.  LA Times editorial

State Sen. Kevin de Leon:  Social media can help transform California’s governance system -- If digital media can play a significant role in toppling evil despots in the Middle East, perhaps there is a place for it in achieving substantial government reform in our state.  De Leon op-ed in Sacramento Bee

Fresno Bee: Judge sends wrong message about car theft in Fresno – We believe that Wollert has already earned a jail sentence. How many more families need to have their cars stolen, and lives disrupted, before auto theft is considered a serious crime in Fresno? Fresno Bee editorial

Stockton Record: Time for results -- Is there really a new "Gang of 5" coming to Stockton to fight crime, or is the city just repackaging what's been going on for years?  Stockton Record editorial

Opinion Roundup 01.26.12

George Skelton: Poll shows strong support for Jerry Brown’s tax hike proposal -- Voters overwhelmingly back funding for education and raising levies on the wealthy. “We're in a good place,” governor's strategist says.  Skelton column in LA Times 

Joe Mathews: The jesters sue King John – Can the state legislature take away King John's crown?  When voters approved Prop 25 in 2010, they thought they were making it easier to pass budgets. But the measure also gave the state controller -- the fellow who signs the checks -- the power to withhold the pay of legislators if they don't pass a budget the controller judges to be balanced.  Mathews in Prop Zero

Larry Gerston: Sinking the water bond – So, Governor Jerry Brown is thinking about postponing the $11 billion water bond scheduled for the November ballot. His reasoning is simple enough: If the water bond is taken off the list of ballot issues, perhaps the voters will be more willing to support his temporary tax hike package. Gerston in Prop Zero

Joel Fox:  Trouble for Brown’s tax strategy in poll numbers -- Governor Jerry Brown’s hope of clearing the field of all other tax increase measures except his own ran into trouble with the release of the newest Public Policy Institute (PPIC) poll.  The poll indicates that proposals that simply tax the rich may fair better than Brown’s plan of income and sales tax increases giving proponents of the tax the rich proposals incentive to carry on.  Fox in Fox & Hounds

Sacramento Bee: State should put an end to plum patronage boards -- Before he asks voters to approve a tax increase, the governor needs to get rid of the Unemployment Insurance Appeals Board and as many other obvious examples of outdated boards, commissions and government departments as he can.  Sacramento Bee editorial

Visalia Times-Delta:  Lawmakers set new high for arrogance -- Democratic leaders filed a lawsuit Tuesday charging that Chiang exceeded his authority when he withheld lawmakers' pay because they failed to meet a constitutional deadline to pass a state budget by June 15. The Democrats claim they are doing this to establish some constitutional points, not to get their money back. Regardless, they are revealing their stupidity, arrogance and utter disconnect with the voting public of California. Visalia Times-Delta editorial

Bakersfield Californian: Cuts to state parks would end up costing more -- Surely, Gov. Jerry Brown doesn't want to go down in history as the California chief executive who closed the state parks.  Bakersfield Californian editorial

Dan Morain: A shallow promise of justice in housing scandal -- Before they proceed with their latest housing crisis task force, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder and New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman ought to sit down with Jose Rodriguez. That would require that Holder and Schneiderman leave Washington and New York, and spend time in the unglamorous city of Stockton, which competes with Las Vegas for having the highest foreclosure rate in the nation.  Morain column in Sacramento Bee

ECONOMY

Jim Boren: Fresno County workers need to do the math – On the same day that striking Fresno County workers protested a 9% pay cut at the Board of Supervisors meeting, the county quietly paid $191 million into the unsustainable county pension system. A key reason the county has had to lay off workers and force other employees to take pay cut is to fund the overly generous pension program for those same employees.  Boren in Fresno Bee Opinion Talk

Bill McEwen: Fresno County strike was not a wise decision -- I'm sure that leaders of a three-day Fresno County employee strike will declare it a success because that's what unions always do. But the truth is the walkout was ill-advised, poorly conceived and a slap in the face to the most vulnerable members of our community.  McEwen column in Fresno Bee

LA Times: Engineering a jobs program -- Putting people from low-income neighborhoods to work on L.A. transit projects is worth a try. LA Times editorial

EDUCATION

Stockton Record: Testing into numbness -- Judging schools by test scores gets an “F”' from one of its creators.  Stockton Record editorial

ELECTION 2012

Debra Saunders:  Obama’s game plan -- do nothing -- Obama constantly carps about his lack of support from the Republican-led House. I think the president has decided that he cannot succeed in the face of political opposition. So he is not charging up those stairs. Unless Washington walks in lockstep behind Obama, he's not going to try to get anything done.  Saunders column in San Francisco Chronicle

ENVIRONMENT

Sacramento Bee: San Francisco’s green ethos only goes so far -- Gee, do you think San Francisco could get any more hysterical about proposed alternatives to the city getting its water from a submerged and majestic canyon in Yosemite National Park?  Sacramento Bee editorial

NATIONAL ISSUES

Riverside Press-Enterprise: Privacy overreach -- Legislative overkill is not the solution to online piracy. Congress’ initial approach to combating Internet copyright violations was a dangerous overreach that deserved to stall, as it did last week. Now Congress needs to develop a more carefully targeted way to protect intellectual property rights.  Riverside Press-Enterprise editorial

OTHER AREAS

Orange County Register:  ‘Narrow win’ for limits on police searches -- Supreme Court throws out warrantless GPS tracking; broader issues of high-tech monitoring put off for now.  Orange County Register editorial

LA Times: Dude, LA’s not that rude -- L.A. is no longer nation's rudest city, according to a travel magazine survey. But is there a double standard at work with the new No. 1, New York? LA Times editorial

 

 

 

 

 

Opinion Report 01.25.12

Joe Mathews: Don’t look now! There’s consensus in the Legislature -- So hide your eyes! Because there's a growing consensus among legislators -- both Democrats and Republicans. An optimistic consensus even. That consensus: state tax revenues are about to come back in a big way. Mathews in Prop Zero

John Myers: If not for schools, would Brown’s tax hike be a dud? --Governor Jerry Brown will no doubt love the headline out of the brand new statewide public poll: 68% of likely voters say they support his November initiative to raise taxes and earmark the money for public schools.  But dig deeper into the poll and it's pretty clear that were it not for the linkage to schools, the Brown proposal would either be less popular... or fail to break the 50-percent barrier altogether.  Myers in Capital Notes blog

Timm Herdt: How Democrats could lose in a free-for-all --In all his years as an activist, Lacayo, the one-time national political director for the United Auto Workers, has never seen anything quite like what is about to unfold in the spring of 2012: the survival-of-the-fittest, anyone-can-vote-for-any-candidate primary that will produce not party nominees but simply two finalists for the November election.  Herdt in Ventura Star

Dan Walters: California judges resume war over money and power -- As the Legislature reconvened this month, California's judges resumed their civil war over money and power. It pits Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye and the State Judicial Council, along with one faction of trial and appellate judges, against a rebellious faction, organized as the Alliance of California Judges, over how to allocate pain as the courts adjust to reduced financing. Walters column in Sacramento Bee

Sacramento Bee:  Lawmakers spin their wheels on pension reform -- The Legislature is stalling, waiting to see if either of the two pension reform initiatives that have been proposed by private interests can gather the necessary signatures to qualify for the November ballot. If and when those measures qualify – and it's doubtful they will because no deep-pocket supporter has yet emerged willing to finance the effort – only then will lawmakers likely approve some sort of weak pension reform measure and stick it on the ballot to try to confuse voters and defeat serious reform. Sacramento Bee editorial

Stockton Record: Do we need new hiring bill? -- Making having a job to even be able to apply for a job is wrong, discriminatory and has the potential of filtering out highly qualified, energetic workers. It should be banned so that unemployed but otherwise qualified applicants have a shot at the job. Stockton Record editorial

Head to Head:  Should state outlaw requirement that job applicants be employed? -- Sacramento Bee editorial writer Pia Lopez and Ben Boychuk, associate editor of the Manhattan Institute’s City Journal, debate the issue.  Head to Head in Sacramento Bee

ECONOMY

Michael der Manoeul Jr.:  SEIU strike decision is an affront to taxpayers --
The chair of the Fresno County Lincoln Club writes that there are more than 20 million people out of work in America today, and against this backdrop, the local SEIU organizes a strike in Fresno County. This is an outrage, and we should not put up with it.  Der Manoeul Jr. op-ed in Fresno Bee

Orange County Register: O.C. pension battle ahead -- John Moorlach, incoming chairman of the Orange County Board of Supervisors, in his State of the County address Tuesday, outlined a plan to "preserve the financial viability of the county" by reining in skyrocketing pension costs facing the county. Mr. Moorlach advocates reasonable and modest savings in the formulas for calculating the pensions of county employees. He and his board colleagues face an intense battle to do so.  Orange County Register editorial

EDUCATION

LA Times: CSU pay plan doesn’t add up -- CSU's trustees are about to approve a compensation policy for top managers that, overall, makes no sense for CSU's mission and today's economic realities.  LA Times editorial

Long Beach Press-Telegram:  State senator’s legislation would place a cap on compensation for CSU presidents -- CSU trustees are correct to want to attract excellent leaders for their campuses. The state universities are crucial to California's future. But the trustees must recognize that citizens are demanding new austerity in government, and that extends to university presidents.  Long Beach Press-Telegram editorial

Merced Sun-Star: Community college tuition hikes put education out of reach for many -- We urge residents to contact their elected representatives to point out the logical fallacy of raising community college fees while relying on our local college to train people for jobs.  Merced Sun-Star editorial

ELECTION 2012

Calbuzz panel: Newt could win, then crush GOP -- With Mitt Romney demonstrating all the verve of an attack mouse, not to mention his tax returns, off-shore bank accounts and serial flip-flops, members of our Calbuzz Consultanate are reconsidering that in-the-bag nomination they predicted just a couple of weeks ago. Calbuzz

San Jose Mercury News: Romney should release 10 years of tax returns -- Two years aren't going to cut it. If Mitt Romney wants voters to trust him, he's got to come clean. San Jose Mercury News editorial

Bakersfield Californian:  Gingrich shows refined skills on campaign -- Surging Newt Gingrich has fashioned his rise to the top of the Republican heap on a curious combination of tactics: disdain for the mainstream media and complete dependency on the mainstream media.  Bakersfield Californian editorial

STATE OF THE UNION

LA Times: State of the Union: Mixing politics and policy -- Obama offers economic fixes — and previews his 2012 campaign — in his State of the Union speech.  LA Times editorial

Fresno Bee: Obama strikes election themes in speech to Congress -- The speech sounded a lot like a campaign kickoff, and that’s fine. This is an election year, and Obama and his opponents are in a battle of ideas. The president had the stage last night, and his GOP opponents will get their chance to respond. Fresno Bee editorial

U-T San Diego: Divisive, deceptive account of U.S. woes -- We realize that the State of the Union speech was first and foremost a political exercise meant to help Obama win re-election, and that most of its content will be forgotten within hours. But there is something unnerving about a president concluding his best chance to win re-election is through capricious populism built on the premise that America is rigged.  U-T San Diego editorial

Contra Costa Times: Obama calls for economic fairness in State of the Union address -- President Barack Obama's State of the Union address appropriately focused on restoring the nation's economy in a manner that is fair to all Americans. Contra Costa Times editorial

Orange County Register: Obama’s focus on fairness, not on a foul record -- The president's State of the Union litany of election-year promises doesn’t jibe with what he’s done so far.  Orange County Register editorial

San Jose Mercury News: Obama lays campaign groundwork -- and why not? -- President Barack Obama's 2012 State of the Union address was his most political, clearly a set-up for this year's re-election campaign. But in some ways, it also was his most effective.  San Jose Mercury News editorial

Doyle McManus: Obama’s common touch -- It was a blue-collar State of the Union speech, aimed at the swing voters the president needs to woo.  McManus in LA Times

ENVIRONMENT

Lois Henry: If a fee is charged in a forest, is it fair? -- I have an update for you on fees being charged to access popular areas in our national forests.  Well, it's not so much an actual update, more like another bit of government madness.  Henry column in Bakersfield Californian

Riverside Press-Enterprise:  Solar gambling -- Playing market favorites is as wrong in the solar business as it is in the automobile, banking and insurance industries. Washington is risking tax dollars in ways that are fundamentally at odds with a free market and wise governance.  Riverside Press-Enterprise editorial

OTHER AREAS

LA Times: Navigating the Supreme Court’s GPS ruling -- Whether there is a broad right to freedom from new kinds of intrusive electronic surveillance remains to be answered.  LA Times editorial

Contra Costa Times: Supreme Court got it right on GPS decision -- The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday correctly ruled that police in almost all cases must obtain a search warrant before planting tracking devices on suspects' cars. But the decision, in a Washington, D.C., case, could endanger the convictions in one of the East Bay's most notorious murder cases.  Contra Costa Times editorial

Steve Lopez:  A peculiar parking pattern -- A high number of cars parked at downtown L.A. meters carry disabled placards that let owners park for free.  Lopez column in LA Times

Opinion Report 01.24.12

Dan Walters: Jerry Brown’s budget ups the stakes over California education -- The state budget contains hundreds of specific provisions but none is bigger, more complicated, more politicized, more emotional – or more important – than the 30 or so billion dollars that it spends on K-12 education.  Walters column in Sacramento Bee

Peter Schrag:  The new, new Jerry Brown: Thinking big -- Jerry Brown, justly famous through a long public career for reinventing himself, last week re-emerged as that – for him -- most improbable of figures, Gov. Edmund G. “Pat” Brown, his gung-ho father.  Schrag in California Progress Report

LA Times: A State of the Possible plan for Obama -- Given the likelihood of resistance from Republicans in Congress, the president should devote his energies to meaningful but less polarizing measures that could help the economy.  LA Times editorial

LA Times: Spare California courts from cuts -- California government has cut and must keep cutting, even though at this point all cuts are substantive and they hurt. But there are some things that need to be protected when everything else is taking a hit. Courts have taken as much slashing as they can bear, and then some.  LA Times editorial

Susan Rose:  Retain state Commission on the Status of Women - The war against women continues nationally and in California the challenges grow.   Rose op-ed in San Francisco Chronicle

ECONOMY

Contra Costa Times:  New lab campus will help Richmond and all of East Bay -- The new campus is expected to generate more than $200 million in spending impacts to Richmond, which city leaders claim is on the cusp of an economic renaissance. We certainly hope that is true because a resurgent Richmond would be very good news for all of the East Bay.  Contra Costa Times editorial

EDUCATION

Sacramento Bee: CSU presidents’ salaries still don’t fit fiscal reality -- The California State University board of trustees will convene Wednesday to take up its revised formula for paying CSU campus presidents. CSU analysts have improved the method for computing presidents' salaries. But they haven't gone far enough.  Sacramento Bee editorial

U-T San Diego: School district’s stonewall hard to believe -- The Sweetwater Union High School District is in the middle of a corruption scandal in which evidence implicates four current and former Sweetwater officials. For more than a year, the U-T San Diego Watchdog team has turned up story after story detailing district improprieties. Given this backdrop, it’s pure folly for Superintendent Ed Brand to try to block the release of an investigation into one particularly odd mess. U-T San Diego editorial

ELECTION 2012

Debra Saunders: Gingrich can’t run entire campaign against media -- I believe Republican primary voters are too pragmatic to nominate such a flawed candidate. So I'll go with Pitney, who said, "In South Carolina, people were trying to send a message that they didn't like mainstream media, but if it starts to appear that Gingrich has an actual chance of winning the nomination, it's a different vote. People's calculations will change."  Saunders column in San Francisco Chronicle

ENVIRONMENT

San Francisco Chronicle: Californa’s clean-car agenda -- The air board is taking on the huge but necessary challenge, one that might need adjusting if the facts warrant. But there's little question that cleaner cars should soon rule the road.   San Francisco Chronicle editorial

Bill McEwen: EPA’s $21 million won’t fix Valley’s toxic air -- The Environmental Protection Agency this morning will announce that it's sending $21 million to help clean the air in the smoggy San Joaquin Valley and elsewhere in California.  In addition, the federal agency will roll out its plan for protecting the health of Valley residents with an emphasis on air and water quality, enforcement of public health standards and environmental justice. Better late than never, I suppose.  McEwen column in Fresno Bee

Lois Henry: Water agencies brawl over ‘use it or lose it’ rule – The gloves have definitely come off in the latest round over the Kern River. Kern Delta Water District had put the rest of the water world on notice last spring that it planned to use all of its remaining Kern River water rights in a series of new projects, such as groundwater recharge, etc. It recently circulated its environmental impact report for comments and, boy howdy, did it get 'em -- from both barrels.  Henry column in Bakersfield Californian

Riverside Press-Enterprise:  Clean-air equity -- Clean-air regulations should apply to businesses on tribal land as well as those elsewhere.  Riverside Press-Enterprise editorial

NATIONAL ISSUES

Sacramento Bee: Congressman Giffords exits Congress with grace -- Gabrielle Giffords has done plenty for her country. Her grit and grace have inspired Americans, and people around the world. Let her focus on herself, and on healing. Sacramento Bee editorial       

San Francisco Chronicle: Gabrielle Giffords should inspire the best in Congress -- Her courage and her resilience have been an inspiration to many, and a counter to the cynicism about Congress and the people who serve in it.  San Francisco Chronicle editorial

Sherry Bebitch Jeffe:  Hollywood vs. Silicon Valley – Usually, when Northern and Southern California fight, it’s over water. And it’s always been brutally political. Lately the battle has centered on the flow of information. And it’s been brutally political.  Bebitch Jeffe in Prop Zero

OTHER AREAS

Sacramento Bee: High court’s GPS ruling leaves much unsettled -- The nation's highest court made an emphatic stand Monday for safeguarding privacy and civil liberties in the digital age.  Sacramento Bee editorial

Bakersfield Californian:  Reinforcements needed in war on meth abuse -- We're losing the war on meth. That's a tough admission to make, given all the time, resources and money we've dumped into the fight. But statistics and the growing anecdotal narrative don't lie: Methamphetamine abuse refuses to go away, and it's taking lives and dollars along for the ride, particularly in the Central Valley.  Bakersfield Californian editorial

Matier & Ross: Occupy Oakland tab up to $3 million and counting -- Every week for the past month, more than 100 cops, or roughly one-fifth of the city's patrol force, are called in to work the Saturday night Occupy demonstration held downtown. Estimated cost: about $50,000 a week.  Matier & Ross in San Francisco Chronicle

San Jose Mercury News:  Valley should help bring a Super Bowl to Santa Clara -- Next year’s Super Bowl will be in New Orleans' Super Dome. In 2014 it'll be in New York and in 2015, Phoenix. In 2016, or as soon as possible after, why not a Super Bowl in the 49ers' new Santa Clara stadium? It could happen, but only if Silicon Valley leaders make it a priority and start working on it together.  San Jose Mercury News editorial

Rosalind Barnett and Caryl Rivers: Gender equity: Doing the math -- Do boys lose out when girls start to do better in math? Do girls' successes lead to a "boy crisis"? An important new study says the answer is a definitive no. When girls do better in society, both sexes benefit. Gender equity is good for everybody.  Barnett/Rivers op-ed in LA Times

Opinion Report 01.23.12

George Skelton: The pension clock is ticking -- Gov. Brown wants “something real” in the way of reform, but he isn't conveying a sense of urgency in resolving the complex issues.  Skelton column in LA Times 

Larry Gerston: Brown’s budget:  Fuzzy math again – In his state of the state address last week, California Governor and new state cheer leader-in-chief Jerry Brown gushed over the "fact" that during the past year, the state's annual structural deficit was slashed to $5 billion from $20 billion. As a result, the governor beamed, a balanced budget is in sight. Bravo, except the numbers don't add up.  Gerston in Prop Zero

John Myers: Dems pre-endorsements presage tough 2012 -- For casual political watchers, it may be hard to believe that small gatherings of diehard Democrats in January will decide who wins races for the Legislature or Congress come November. And yet, in some cases, that's exactly what could happen after this weekend. Welcome to the world of intraparty competition under California's new primary election rules.  Myers in Capital Notes blog

Dan Walters: California civil service unions in denial on pension costs -- Whenever someone suggests that California's public employee pension systems need reform, civil service unions react dismissively, often with attacks on the credentials or even the morals of critics.  Walters column in Sacramento Bee

San Jose Mercury News: State still has far to go on prison health care -- It's hard to celebrate California's progress in meeting constitutional health care standards for prison inmates when it's spending the outrageous sum of $10,000 per inmate each year to do it.  San Jose Mercury News editorial

Sacramento Bee: Don’t let call for public vote on parking sidetrack arena decision -- It is premature and unproductive to entertain a public vote on a parking deal financing a new Sacramento arena.  Sacramento Bee editorial

CRIMINAL JUSTICE

Riverside Press-Enterprise:  Prison secrecy -- Thwarting public scrutiny of California’s prisons is foolish policy, particularly given the corrections system’s large cost and numerous legal troubles. Legislators should pass a bill that would give reporters greater access to prison inmates, and end a practice more intended to deter bad publicity than serve any public purpose.  Riverside Press-Enterprise editorial

ECONOMY

Steven Greenhut: Denying California’s plight won’t ease it -- California's officials don't believe in the private sector. They are representatives of the government class, and Jerry Brown is that group's highest-ranking member.  Greenhut in Orange County Register

Ventura Star: From overseas, U.S. economy is looking good -- It may not feel so good to us still struggling to pull out completely from the 2007-09 recession. But from a foreign perspective, our U.S. economic recovery, especially in manufacturing, looks pretty darn good. In fact, the major foreign economies regard the United States with a touch of envy.  Ventura Star editorial

EDUCATION

San Francisco Chronicle: Ideas on saving higher education merit more study -- From the University of California's ultra-select medical school to the state's scores of commuter colleges, hard financial times are forcing new approaches.  San Francisco Chronicle editorial

Dana Bunnett: Without more money, equal education is out of reach for California -- If we want to be great again and fair to all students in California, we have to be willing to pay for good public schools.  Bunnett op-ed in San Jose Mercury News

ELECTION 2012

LA Times: Gingrich’s ‘outsider’ gambit -- After years spent in Congress and politics, he now rails at the “elites in Washington and New York.”  LA Times editorial

Orange County Register:  A flight from Romney, not to Gingrich -- GOP nomination contest narrowed down to a man not trusted by many against a man with high negatives.  Orange County Register editorial

ENVIRONMENT

San Francisco Chronicle: Let the dam at Hetch Hetchy stand -- California faces genuine water issues. A growing population needs more water, and agriculture wants a stable share as well. But a fanciful idea to tear down the dam achieves nothing in pushing the state forward. This is one notion to dismiss.   San Francisco Chronicle editorial

William K. Reilly: As California drives, so drives the nation -- A cross-country series of hearings focusing on the next round of national standards for cleaner, more fuel-efficient cars will wrap up in San Francisco this week. That's appropriate. California has long played a leading role in ensuring cleaner, more efficient cars for all Americans - not just Californians.  Reilly op-ed in San Francisco Chronicle

NATIONAL ISSUES

LA Times: Sue your own state? Why not? -- The Supreme Court, in a Maryland case, should rule against the state, and also reexamine other decisions that have made it hard for people to sue their own states.  LA Times editorial

OTHER AREAS

Jim Newton: Herb Wesson, LA City Council’s new boss -- Wesson's elevation to the job isn't likely to launch a new era of cohesive black politics in the city. Rather, a more likely effect is that it's good news for Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa.  Newton in LA Times

San Francisco Chronicle: 49ers season just shy of super -- The disappointment of Sunday's overtime loss to the New York Giants cannot eclipse the thrills and wonder of the San Francisco 49ers’' remarkable run this season.  San Francisco Chronicle editorial

Stockton Record: Down and pushed out -- Stockton could not let the Mormon Slough shanty town continue.  Stockton Record editorial

Opinion Report 01.23.12

George Skelton: The pension clock is ticking -- Gov. Brown wants “something real” in the way of reform, but he isn't conveying a sense of urgency in resolving the complex issues.  Skelton column in LA Times 

Larry Gerston: Brown’s budget:  Fuzzy math again – In his state of the state address last week, California Governor and new state cheer leader-in-chief Jerry Brown gushed over the "fact" that during the past year, the state's annual structural deficit was slashed to $5 billion from $20 billion. As a result, the governor beamed, a balanced budget is in sight. Bravo, except the numbers don't add up.  Gerston in Prop Zero

John Myers: Dems pre-endorsements presage tough 2012 -- For casual political watchers, it may be hard to believe that small gatherings of diehard Democrats in January will decide who wins races for the Legislature or Congress come November. And yet, in some cases, that's exactly what could happen after this weekend. Welcome to the world of intraparty competition under California's new primary election rules.  Myers in Capital Notes blog

Dan Walters: California civil service unions in denial on pension costs -- Whenever someone suggests that California's public employee pension systems need reform, civil service unions react dismissively, often with attacks on the credentials or even the morals of critics.  Walters column in Sacramento Bee

San Jose Mercury News: State still has far to go on prison health care -- It's hard to celebrate California's progress in meeting constitutional health care standards for prison inmates when it's spending the outrageous sum of $10,000 per inmate each year to do it.  San Jose Mercury News editorial

Sacramento Bee: Don’t let call for public vote on parking sidetrack arena decision -- It is premature and unproductive to entertain a public vote on a parking deal financing a new Sacramento arena.  Sacramento Bee editorial

CRIMINAL JUSTICE

Riverside Press-Enterprise:  Prison secrecy -- Thwarting public scrutiny of California’s prisons is foolish policy, particularly given the corrections system’s large cost and numerous legal troubles. Legislators should pass a bill that would give reporters greater access to prison inmates, and end a practice more intended to deter bad publicity than serve any public purpose.  Riverside Press-Enterprise editorial

ECONOMY

Steven Greenhut: Denying California’s plight won’t ease it -- California's officials don't believe in the private sector. They are representatives of the government class, and Jerry Brown is that group's highest-ranking member.  Greenhut in Orange County Register

Ventura Star: From overseas, U.S. economy is looking good -- It may not feel so good to us still struggling to pull out completely from the 2007-09 recession. But from a foreign perspective, our U.S. economic recovery, especially in manufacturing, looks pretty darn good. In fact, the major foreign economies regard the United States with a touch of envy.  Ventura Star editorial

EDUCATION

San Francisco Chronicle: Ideas on saving higher education merit more study -- From the University of California's ultra-select medical school to the state's scores of commuter colleges, hard financial times are forcing new approaches.  San Francisco Chronicle editorial

Dana Bunnett: Without more money, equal education is out of reach for California -- If we want to be great again and fair to all students in California, we have to be willing to pay for good public schools.  Bunnett op-ed in San Jose Mercury News

ELECTION 2012

LA Times: Gingrich’s ‘outsider’ gambit -- After years spent in Congress and politics, he now rails at the “elites in Washington and New York.”  LA Times editorial

Orange County Register:  A flight from Romney, not to Gingrich -- GOP nomination contest narrowed down to a man not trusted by many against a man with high negatives.  Orange County Register editorial

ENVIRONMENT

San Francisco Chronicle: Let the dam at Hetch Hetchy stand -- California faces genuine water issues. A growing population needs more water, and agriculture wants a stable share as well. But a fanciful idea to tear down the dam achieves nothing in pushing the state forward. This is one notion to dismiss.   San Francisco Chronicle editorial

William K. Reilly: As California drives, so drives the nation -- A cross-country series of hearings focusing on the next round of national standards for cleaner, more fuel-efficient cars will wrap up in San Francisco this week. That's appropriate. California has long played a leading role in ensuring cleaner, more efficient cars for all Americans - not just Californians.  Reilly op-ed in San Francisco Chronicle

NATIONAL ISSUES

LA Times: Sue your own state? Why not? -- The Supreme Court, in a Maryland case, should rule against the state, and also reexamine other decisions that have made it hard for people to sue their own states.  LA Times editorial

OTHER AREAS

Jim Newton: Herb Wesson, LA City Council’s new boss -- Wesson's elevation to the job isn't likely to launch a new era of cohesive black politics in the city. Rather, a more likely effect is that it's good news for Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa.  Newton in LA Times

San Francisco Chronicle: 49ers season just shy of super -- The disappointment of Sunday's overtime loss to the New York Giants cannot eclipse the thrills and wonder of the San Francisco 49ers’' remarkable run this season.  San Francisco Chronicle editorial

Stockton Record: Down and pushed out -- Stockton could not let the Mormon Slough shanty town continue.  Stockton Record editorial

Opinion Report 01.22.12

Dan Walters: Jerry Brown still thinks he can govern California -- Jerry Brown evidently does not want to join the nascent movement to overhaul – perhaps radically – California's dysfunctional political structure.  Walters column in Sacramento Bee

John Myers: November’s Ground Zero initiative --While talk about California's November ballot has focused largely on tax proposals or possible social and criminal justice measures, watch for the real political slugfest to be over an issue near and dear to the hearts of organized labor: union dues deducted from members' paychecks.  Myers in Capital Notes

Sacramento Bee: A minimum safety net is needed as Brown shifts focus on welfare program -- The governor's proposal favors the most work-ready of welfare families. It penalizes the least able, the mentally ill often, or victims of domestic violence or substance abusers. It doesn't just penalize adults; it hurts children too. While the policy refocus on work is a good thing, a minimal safety net needs to be preserved. Brown fails on that score.  Sacramento Bee editorial

Contra Costa Times: Reform abuses before reviving redevelopment -- Any revival of redevelopment agencies must include some major reforms to avoid the abuses and problems of the past. Contra Costa Times editorial

Dan Morain: Latest auto-insurance brawl not personal -- From the courts to the Capitol to the ballot, insurance magnate George Joseph and attorney Harvey Rosenfield, who wrote the 1988 initiative that regulated auto insurance, have been butting heads for a quarter century. They assure me it's not personal.  Morain column in Sacramento Bee

Bakersfield Californian: Who’s behind that ad? Fair question -- The California DISCLOSE Act, sponsored by Assemblywoman Julia Brownley, D-Los Angeles, would compel the sponsors of political advertisements on TV, radio, mailers or websites to prominently list the three main donors to the political action committee financing the ad. AB 1148 successfully passed through the Assembly appropriations committee last week. Money will always be a part of U.S. elections. One of the few effective solutions we can come up with is this sort of transparency.  Bakersfield Californian editorial

ECONOMY

Daniel Borenstein:  Be honest, tell taxpayers how much we owe --It's time for public agencies to come clean about their debt.  Borenstein column in Contra Costa Times

Ventura Star:  Building a case for California business growth -- For all the rhetoric Californians hear about accommodating the legitimate needs of employers, can state and local leaders successfully achieve that objective?  Oxnard and Ventura County need the question answered in the affirmative — without delay — and through concrete actions, not words. Ventura Star editorial

U-T San Diego: Think big: New vision needed for downtown waterfront -- Thanks to pension and budget crises, government dysfunction and a political culture of suspicion and mistrust, San Diego sometimes seems to have lost its ability to think big.  U-T San Diego editorial

U-T San Diego: Making the vision a reality -- U-T San Diego has concluded that the community is on the brink of making big mistakes on both the Chargers stadium and Convention Center fronts. U-T San Diego editorial

CRIMINAL JUSTICE

Stockton Record: Plan and action -- Stockton city officials said last week that they are about to engage in some aggressive street cleaning. They were not that crude in describing their initiative. And they were not talking about the recent leveling of a shantytown that had grown up along Mormon Slough. They were talking about making a list of the 10 people who authorities feel are causing the most trouble for the rest of us and going after them. Stockton Record editorial

Michael Fitzgerald: Stockton’s Marshall Plan needs full buy-in -- Popping an umbrella in a hail of criticism, City Hall rolled out the long-awaited crime-fighting Marshall Plan this week — or, rather, further revealed the evolving Marshall Plan process. Early media reports focused on five U.S. marshals the city intends to sic on Stockton’s 10 worst criminals. But that is just one intriguing component of a much broader effort.  Fitzgerald column in Stockton Record

EDUCATION

Peter Schrag: Uncertainty in Brown plan to rate schools -- If there was no surprise in the speech, there was ground for uncertainty and confusion. Brown had good reason to call for quicker delivery of data from tests after they're given; now test results often arrive long after they can provide useful data for the teacher of the student who was tested. Yet while he seemed to call for fewer tests, he also seemed to favor testing in a range of subjects broader than the current narrow emphasis on reading and math. Schrag op-ed in Sacramento Bee

Bakersfield Californian: Cuts to bus funding could hurt schools’ bottom line -- Californians have learned the hard way over the past two years that many cuts to the state budget only end up costing money, or doing harm, somewhere else. The latest example involves the likelihood that school districts may have to drastically pare back, even eliminate, the busing of students to and from campus.  Bakersfield Californian editorial

ELECTION 2012

Jerry Roberts and Phil Trounstine: New opens a can of whup ass in South Carolina (update) -- Newt wins the primary big. A couple of quick thoughts: “Unleash the American people.” Really? “Unleash?” Who are we, bitches? Like we said, Newt could conceivably win the nomination but never the White House.  Roberts/Trounstine in Calbuzz

Doyle McManus: Is Romney a true conservative? -- He has shifted over time on abortion rights, but a close look at his record shows that charges from rival Republican candidates that he's a closet moderate don't hold up.  McManus in LA Times

Debra Saunders: Perry’s campaign sputters into oblivion -- When former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman exited the GOP presidential primary earlier this month, left-leaning columnists were bereft. Huntsman, after all, was the Republican most respected by non-Republicans.  Expect few, if any, such dirges for Texas Gov. Rick Perry.  Perry, you see, never seemed embarrassed to be seen with other conservatives. Saunders column in San Francisco Chronicle

NATIONAL ISSUES

Sacramento Bee: Finding a balance on net privacy -- The Internet mouse roared last week, and it left the lions of Hollywood quivering.  Sacramento Bee editorial

Riverside Press-Enterprise: Stealthy donations -- Removing money from politics is an impossible task, but federal legislators could do far more to ensure that voters can follow the trail of campaign cash.  Riverside Press-Enterprise editorial

LA Times: In defense of family planning -- The Obama administration was right to fight over insurance coverage for contraception.  LA Times editorial

OTHER AREAS

Judy Sly: A politician, astronaut and three other makes for one interesting race --We have an interesting race shaping up in the new 10th Congressional District, which includes all of Stanislaus County and southern San Joaquin County. In this case, interesting means high-profile, expensive, potentially nasty and spiced up with some relative newcomers to politics.  Sly column in Modesto Bee

Long Beach Press-Telegram: Time to re-evaluate gubernatorial and presidential pardons -- The power of presidents and governors to pardon criminals is rarely a topic for debate except immediately after it is abused. So, let's jump on the opportunity while we can.  Long Beach Press-Telegram editorial

Bill McEwen: It’s time to invest in Valley Boys & Girls Clubs -- While politicians, police chiefs and community leaders try to figure out what to do about gangs and intolerable school dropout rates, the reality is that one of the answers already is here.  It's Boys & Girls Clubs, where Ponce, Gonzalez, Martinez and other youths get on -- or stay on -- the right track. McEwen column in Fresno Bee

LA Times: Paying for Prokofiev -- Upholding a 1994 law will force the payment of royalties by those who want to publish or perform works long in the public domain in the U.S.  LA Times editorial

Opinion Roundup 01.21.12

John Myers:  Podcast:  State your case, Mr. Brown – Governor Jerry Brown has now performed his two expected duties of the month of January: a budget and, as we saw this week, the State of the State address. Now, the tough work begins. This week's Capital Notes Podcast mulls Brown's big mid-week speech and how it frames his agenda for the year to come.  Capital Notes podcast

Joe Mathews: Should I take State of the State speech personally? --It's a wonder that Gov. Jerry Brown's mouth isn't full of straw. Because his state of the state speech was full of straw men -- various unnamed critics he accused of being against California, or being wrong, or being both. Brown in particular took swipes at journalists, writers, academics and foundation people. I wondered if I should take it personally -- since I am a little bit of all those things.  Mathews in Prop Zero

Joel Fox: Business faces taxes to offset unemployment insurance debt -- While much attention is focused on Governor Jerry Brown’s initiative tax proposal to fund education and public safety, a tax increase on business is included in the governor’s newly proposed budget. Brown wants to tax business on a per employee basis to make initial down payments in the debt created by the state’s Unemployment Insurance Fund.  Fox in Fox & Hounds

Gary Toebben:  Padilla bill on redevelopment should be top LA priority -- For Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, City Council President Herb Wesson and the members of the Los Angeles City Council, the number one priority for this week should be to rally Speaker John Perez and the other members of the Los Angeles Legislative Delegation to mobilize statewide support for Senator Alex Padilla’s bill SB 659, which would extend the life of Redevelopment Agencies (RDA’s) from Feb. 1 to April 15.  Toebben in Fox & Hounds

Riverside Press-Enterprise:  Prison debacle -- State government, not the courts, should control prison operations. But regaining oversight of prison health care requires the Legislature to avoid repeating the mistakes that led to the court takeover. Legislators need to cure the inmate health system’s fundamental flaw: political irresponsibility.  Riverside Press-Enterprise editorial

Sacramento Bee: Assembly fumbles whistle-blower bill -- Is it any wonder why Californians hold the Legislature in such low regard? It's bad enough that many legislators don't want to follow the rules they set for everyone else. They also play political games to avoid accountability.  Sacramento Bee editorial

ECONOMY

U-T San Diego: A rescue effort for Palomar State Park - A private effort has emerged to prevent the impending closure of Palomar Mountain State Park.  U-T San Diego editorial

CRIMINAL JUSTICE

Ventura Star: Stopping crime in the county a dime at a time -- If anyone doubts whether the nonprofit, all-volunteer Ventura County Crime Stoppers does any good by paying rewards for information to help solve or prevent crimes, consider the latest evidence. Ventura Star editorial

EDUCATION

Alan Bonsteel and Larry Sand: School choice reforms are more vital than ever -- As we honor National School Choice week beginning Sunday, one fact stands out: 2012 marks the year when there can be no turning back in school choice reforms. Bonsteel/Sand op-ed in Long Beach Press-Telegram

NATIONAL ISSUES

LA Times: Web freedom vs. web privacy -- The massive Internet protest against PIPA and SOPA may have blocked flawed bills, but their intent and language need to be better aligned so they can move ahead.  LA Times editorial

OTHER AREAS

Ventura Star: A growing problem -- First Lady Michelle Obama may want to broaden her obesity-fighting program from schoolchildren to commuters using mass transit. The mandate is there. It's not called the seat of government for nothing.  Ventura Star editorial

Opinion Report 01.20.12

LA Times:  Don’t skimp on school tests -- Cutting back on such tests, as Gov. Jerry Brown has proposed, will not improve education. The tests remain key yardsticks of achievement.  LA Times editorial

Contra Costa Times:  Brown on right track in proposing local control, better testing at state’s schools -- A decentralized, more flexible education system with a broader, less intrusive and timely method of student assessment is an achievable goal that can go a long way toward improving California's public schools.  Contra Costa Times editorial

Stockton Record: Brown offers voters clear choice -- Gov. Jerry Brown challenged California voters Wednesday with a stark choice between higher taxes or even deeper cuts to education.  Stockton Record editorial

U-T San Diego: Baffling Brown ignores basic facts -- Brown is right that his firmness on some budget issues has forced a more responsible approach from fellow Democrats in the Legislature, and for that he deserves credit. But on two of the biggest issues of the day (high-speed rail and education), the governor’s remarks Wednesday were simply baffling.  U-T San Diego editorial

John A. Pérez:  Redevelopment agencies key to housing, job growth -- Redevelopment as we knew it is not likely to come back, so the focus has to be on identifying different approaches to meeting those goals. We need to avoid creating more problems. The hasty sell-off of redevelopment assets at fire-sale prices, for example, would be short-term thinking that we would soon, and rightfully, regret. Pérez op-ed in San Francisco Chronicle

Richard Epstein: California ill-served by redevelopment agencies -- It's wishful thinking to believe that tweaking this program can separate development wheat from development chaff. That can't happen because the key defects in redevelopment programs are impervious to legislative correction. California is well advised not to revive local redevelopment agencies.  Epstein op-ed in San Francisco Chronicle

Riverside Press-Enterprise: Rail fantasy -- Gov. Jerry Brown’s continued support for California’s high-speed rail plans is heavier on wishful thinking than practicality.  Riverside Press-Enterprise editorial

John Wildermuth: Brown lays out the battles he’ll fight – You can say this about Gov. Jerry Brown: He doesn’t mind a fight.  His State of the State address Wednesday morning was missing some of the in-your-face rhetoric that former Gov. Schwarzenegger was known for. And there was plenty of old-guy-looking-back reminisces from the state’s oldest-ever governor. But in a low-key, even-toned address, Brown made it clear he plans to fight at least three battles this year.  Wildermuth in Fox & Hounds

Dan Walters: Unemployment tax increase looms as Capitol battle -- A big fix for the Unemployment Insurance Fund would be a pitched political battle of epic proportions, involving powerful and antagonistic interests. Although he deserves credit for opening the door, Brown apparently doesn't relish the larger battle, at least not yet. Walters column in Sacramento Bee      

Ethan Rarick:  California’s Central Valley project? The feds bailed us out – I don’t disagree with the larger Brown/Duran point that grand ambitions require a certain audacity even in the face of troubled times, but to set the historical record straight, it should be noted that the state did not build the Central Valley Project during the Great Depression or at any other time. In fact, when it comes to the CVP, California tried to build it, flopped, and had to be bailed out by the federal government.  Rarick in Fox & Hounds

ECONOMY

Fresno Bee: Fresno County workers won’t get public backing for striking in this economy -- The 4,100 Fresno County employees who plan to strike for three days in protest of pay reductions of 9% or more might want to rethink their strategy. Losing three days pay beginning Monday would amount to an additional pay cut of about 1%, and the walkout won’t endear them to county residents, who have also taken pay cuts, or even lost their jobs in today’s economy.  Fresno Bee editorial

Long Beach Press-Telegram: Port of Long Beach looking up -- Last year was not the best one for the second-largest port in the country. In 2010, cargo volume at the Port of Long Beach was down 3 percent. The port lost a major tenant to its neighbor, the largest port in the U.S. - Los Angeles - that will reduce its business by about 10 percent. But 2012 has started out to be a better - much better - year for the port and, by extension, the region. Long Beach Press-Telegram editorial

CRIMINAL JUSTICE

Sacramento Bee: Progress in reducing prison overcrowding -- Gov. Jerry Brown's realignment already is having a positive impact on the statewide prison system.  Sacramento Bee editorial

Stockton Record: The good with the bad -- We should not ignore progress state has made with prison issues.  Stockton Record editorial

LA Times: Say no to retroactivity -- The Supreme Court is being asked to let new laws aply to old crimes in cases against immigrants who are legally in the country. The answer should be no.  LA Times editorial

EDUCATION

David B. Cohen and Sandra Dean: Let educators help improve teacher quality -- Ultimately, teaching quality is an investment too vital to ignore. We need to clearly define what California teachers must know and be able to do at various stages, and then provide teachers with continual professional development, growth-oriented evaluation and expanded career pathways.  Cohen/Dean op-ed in Sacramento Bee

ELECTION 2012

LA Times: Happy trails, Rick Perry -- Will the departure from the GOP race of the divisive, inarticulate Texas governor help Gingrich?  LA Times editorial

Jerry Roberts/Phil Trounstine:  New opens a can of wup ass in S.C. smackdown -- Newt Gingrich won a bombastic, electrifying and overwhelming victory in Thursday night’s big pre-South Carolina primary debate.  Roberts/Trounstine in Calbuzz

NATIONAL ISSUES

San Francisco Chronicle: Saying no for now on the Keystone XL pipeline -- The White House has shown a practical streak on energy issues: working with Detroit on higher-mileage vehicles, and curbing mercury emissions from power plants after lengthy health studies. Putting a pipeline on hold is another instance where careful deliberation - not Beltway politics - is the right course.  San Francisco Chronicle editorial

San Jose Mercury News:  President -- finally -- stands up to Big Oil, GOP -- President Barack Obama finally seems to be standing his ground in the philosophical fight with Republicans over the direction of the country.  The decision to not approve the Keystone oil pipeline was the right one.  San Jose Mercury News editorial

Ventura Star:  No oil but plenty of politics flows from XL pipeline -- The Washington insider newspaper Politico described President Barack Obama's decision to reject the planned Canada-U.S. Keystone XL pipeline as a political "win-win" for both parties. Whatever the political benefits of the decision, it is a lose-lose for domestic energy policy and our relations with Canada. Ventura Star editorial

Sacramento Bee: It’s a sad day when monuments depend on whims of the rich -- What does it say about our nation that it has come to this – that if Rubenstein hadn't stepped forward, the Park Service would be scrounging for contributions and a national treasure would stay shuttered even longer? Is our government really that broke and bereft of ambition?  Sacramento Bee editorial

OTHER AREAS

U-T San Diego: A slap on the mayoral wrist -- As a matter of principle and legal technicality, San Diego City Attorney Jan Goldsmith is probably right in criticizing Mayor Jerry Sanders for ignoring legal advice in allowing, without City Council approval, a 10-day change of Qualcomm Stadium’s name last month to allow one of San Diego’s best corporate citizens, Qualcomm Inc., to promote its new Snapdragon processors for smartphones during three nationally televised football games.  U-T San Diego editorial

Opinion Report 01.19.12

Dan Walters: Jerry Brown puts his contradictions on display -- Early on, Brown the penny-pincher was on full display, praising legislators for cutting spending last year to close the budget deficit and urging more this year. But a few paragraphs later, the penny-pincher turned into big spender as he urged those same legislators to put the state more deeply into debt by authorizing billions of dollars to begin construction on a much-troubled north-south bullet train system.  Walters column in Sacramento Bee 

George Skelton: No longer on national stage, Jerry Brown addresses California’s needs -- His State of the State speech shows that he's a full-time governor without ambitions for higher political office. But the old “Gov. Moonbeam” emerges to back the bullet train.  Skelton column in LA Times

Fresno Bee: State of State speech sounded a lot like a campaign kickoff -- Gov. Jerry Brown's State of the State speech, while offering many themes about California, seemed to be the opening salvo in the campaign to pass his temporary tax measure in November. Even the speech's title, "California on the Mend," suggested that the budget crisis can be solved with the tax measure and additional program cuts.  Fresno Bee editorial

LA Times: Brown’s vision for California -- In his State of the State address, he offers a controversial yet simple plan, one that mostly gets it right.  LA Times editorial

Sacramento Bee: Jerry Brown needs to flesh out his 2012 agenda -- His agenda is clear – a balanced budget, regulatory reform, clean energy, high-speed rail, a Delta water deal, more local control for schools, pension reform and implementation of realignment. But he needs to be more forthcoming on how he plans to make headway on the big items on his agenda.  Sacramento Bee editorial

Bakersfield Californian: State of the State: Same old battle lines -- Republicans won't give Brown a chance to fix the state's financial woes. The governor is now appealing to voters. We hope they make the right decision.  Bakersfield Californian editorial

John Myers: Brown urges action, vision in State of the State -- If there's one takeaway from Governor Jerry Brown's 2012 State of the State address, it may be this: Brown faces the unique task this year of preaching both boldness and austerity... all at the same time.  Capital Notes blog

San Jose Mercury News:  State of State hopeful, but high-speed rail needs to sidetrack -- Gov. Jerry Brown's indomitable optimism shone Wednesday through his second State of the State speech, and we hope he's right about California's resilience. However, in defense of those "dystopian," "declinist" naysayers he scorned -- wait, was he talking about us? -- we will note that the governor went on to outline massive barriers to resurgent prosperity.  San Jose Mercury News editorial

Dan Morain: Brown buys a risky ticket on high-speed rail -- Gov. Brown made clear that high-speed rail is a point of pride. He sees it as part of his legacy. It also fits with his view that California, for all its problems, is on the ascent.  Morain column in Sacramento Bee    

Long Beach Press-Telegram: Don’t let bullet train derail state’s plans -- Gov. Brown outlined a long agenda for 2012. He wants to stimulate jobs, tackle energy and environmental issues, improve schools, reform state pensions and make prison realignment work. For the state's future, a lot of those projects are vital. Bullet-train skeptics want to make sure our leaders aren't sidetracked by a project that is not.  Long Beach Press-Telegram editorial

STATEWIDE ISSUES

LA Times:  Too many bills for California? -- Senate and Assembly leaders must set priorities rather than taking a scattershot approach.  LA Times editorial

Joel Fox: On the tax initiative front, one down, more to go? -- With the Think Long Committee taking a rain check from the ballot, Governor Jerry Brown will continue his efforts to sweep aside other tax increase proposals so that his temporary income tax/sales tax increase plan will have a clear field when voters decide on tax increases next November.  Joel Fox in Fox & Hounds

Long Beach Press-Telegram: Keep political ads accountable -- A bill that would make it clear who the major donors to political ads really are is scheduled to be heard by the Assembly Appropriations Committee today. San Fernando Valley Assemblyman Felipe Fuentes, chairman of the committee, should see that the bill makes it out of the committee intact.  Long Beach Press-Telegram editorial

Contra Costa Times: Closing state parks makes no sense financially -- Gov. Brown should do what his predecessor did and reverse his plan to close the parks. They are an important and cost-effective way to provide inexpensive recreation to millions of financially strapped Californians who cannot afford anything else.  Contra Costa Times editorial

Riverside Press-Enterprise:  Health revamp? No -- Here is a recipe for indigestion: The same people who cannot balance the state’s budget propose to revamp health care. The Senate should instead kill legislation that would put the state government in charge of providing health coverage for everyone. California does not need to saddle taxpayers with unaffordable costs based on an unrealistic premise.  Riverside Press-Enterprise editorial

EDUCATION

Bruce Fuller: Gov. Brown’s school proposal should get a passing grade -- Gov. Jerry Brown's budget aims to give school districts greater flexibility in spending state funds.  Fuller op-ed in LA Times

ELECTION 2012

LA Times: Mitt Romney, the 15 percent man -- The fact that his tax rate is about 15% is a good argument for revisions of the tax code.  LA Times editorial

NATIONAL ISSUES

San Jose Mercury News:  Prevent more foreclosures with new housing director -- President Barack Obama has an opportunity this week to help millions of Americans struggling with high housing costs that burden them and cripple the U.S. economy. He should answer calls to appoint a new a federal housing regulator, replacing the acting director who has been inexplicably reluctant to aid homeowners in mortgage trouble.  San Jose Mercury News editorial

Debra Saunders:  President Obama should pardon marines in corpse case -- President Obama should pardon the four Marines who were captured on video as they urinated on three corpses, presumably dead Taliban.  Saunders column in San Francisco Chronicle article

OTHER AREAS

U-T San Diego: Chickens come home to roost -- again -- Yet another example of the absurd extravagance in pay and benefits for some public employees is now playing out in the San Miguel Consolidated Fire Protection District in East County, where the chickens are coming home to roost – big time – as they so often do.  U-T San Diego editorial

Orange County Register: Dress on your own time, officers -- Taxpayers, reform advocates and those concerned with responsible government budgeting and reining in the power of public employee unions claimed a small victory this month when the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear an appeal of a lawsuit against the city of San Diego by its police officers, seeking back pay and overtime for tasks including putting on their uniforms before coming to work. The nation's highest court sent a message to police unions: Get dressed on your own time, like the rest of us.  Orange County Register editorial

Bill McEwen: Cheers to Fresno police in home-invasion case -- The nature of the news business is to focus on the odd, the unexpected and the corrupt. The watchdog role is a responsibility that media take seriously -- and one that the public expects us to fulfill. But there should always be room on our pages, newscasts and websites to highlight a job well done.  Fresno police got the job done in a fast-moving, potentially deadly situation Tuesday. Thank you.  McEwen column in Fresno Bee     

Lois Henry: They’ve been violent; now they need help – People ask me all the time how they can get involved and make a difference in our community. Well, here's a doozy: Become a mentor to a wife beater.  Walk beside him, listen to his woes and show him a better way. No easy task.  Henry column in Bakersfield Californian

Sacramento Bee: Sacramento council’s despicable delay tactics return -- A majority of the City Council insists on inventing reasons to deprive voters of the right to decide whether they want to change how Sacramento is governed. The strategy is delay and inaction, in hopes that people will just get sick and tired of the issue. It is incredibly cynical, an affront to those who care about the city's future.  Sacramento Bee editorial

Visalia Times-Delta: Open government is not optional -- Let's be clear, once again: Public business must be conducted in public. Open government presents far fewer problems than closed government, for everybody.  Visalia Times-Delta editorial