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
