Results tagged “karenbass”

Among the various laws signed by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger yesterday was one strengthening an already existing law aimed at paparazzi.

The Assembly Ethics Committee yesterday had to drop the investigation into former Orange County Assemblyman Mike Duvall after they were advised the panel lacked authority over the issue.

Assembly Speaker Karen Bass today removed Assemblyman Jeff Miller (R-Corona) from his Ethics Committee post after he listened to Mike Duvall discuss two sexual trysts, one allegedly with an energy lobbyist.

In light of the dirty/naughty/sexual bragging video featuring Orange County Republican Assemblymember Michael Duvall talking about an affair or two, possibly one of them with a lobbyist, Speaker Karen Bass this morning announced his removal from two committees. “I am saddened and disappointed in the recent comments made by Assemblymember Mike Duvall," she said in a statement. "There is no question his comments were inappropriate. In consultation with Minority Leader Sam Blakeslee, I have removed Assemblymember Duvall from the Assembly’s Utilities and Commerce and Rules Committees and I have directed our Ethics Committee to look into this matter. The Assembly has some very important policy work to complete in the next couple of days and we will not allow this situation to become a distraction.” The alleged lobbyist worked for a major utility.

Despite the fact that the state Assembly rejected a proposal allowing new offshore drilling in the budget vote a few weeks ago, the issues is back. Or, as Dan Jacobson of Environment California puts it, "the coast won and the oil companies lost... Or so it would seem."

Come June 15th--that's just 13 days from now--the state of California could be a path to having no money, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger told the legislature yesterday. Tough choices lie ahead, such as those we've been hearing about since last week like the cutting of most all state parks and all of welfare. He's urging lawmakers to pass those budget proposals within the next two weeks, a short time to solve a $24 billion deficit.

Over a half million dollars in pay raises for State Democrat and Republican Assembly staffers have been canceled amidst media and public pressure that broke yesterday afternoon. “I absolutely don’t want the people who oppose public education and who want to drown government in a bathtub to use this as some sort of club against the responsible, urgently needed ballot initiatives Californians will be voting on,” Assembly Speaker Karen Bass (D-Los Angeles) said at a news conference this afternoon, noting that the issue was becoming a distraction to her campaign for tax increase measures on the May 19th ballot.

When the banking industry tried to justify their expensive habits they do for employees to President Obama last month, he gave them a stern warning: "Be careful how you make those statements, gentlemen. The public isn't buying that. My administration is the only thing between you and the pitchforks."

It was a rough Valentine's night for California's lawmakers, as they worked until the wee hours trying to resolve our budget. But in the early morning hours today it became apparent that the budget was not going to get the one last Republican vote it needed, and it has stalled.

An event this past weekend was put together by the local lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community to honor California's Speaker of the California State Assembly, Karen Bass. The job of Speaker, which Bass recently got, is pretty much the second most powerful political job in the state with her current top duty is to balance the budget, which is no easy task.

Her first job? The state's budget crisis. The state is "a giant in crisis," she said. "Bass announced that she had asked former governors Pete Wilson and Gray Davis to help set up a bipartisan commission to study overhauling the state's tax structure. The panel will be asked to come up with recommendations 'to identify more consistent sources of revenue,' Bass said" in the LA Times. On Wednesday, Gov. Schwarzenegger will release a plan to combat the budget shortfall that could be up to $20 billion.

• Newly elected state speaker, a Democrat named Karen Bass who was raised in Los Angeles, has made friends on both sides of the aisle, the LA Times said. She is the first African-American to assume the top spot and has some pretty lofty goals, including providing healthcare and improving education. Wait, those are things EVERY politician should be doing.
• Of course, by now you know all about the L.A. Marathon. But you may not have heard that the Los Angeles Fire Department treated 73 participants; transporting 23 of them to area hospitals. None of the injuries were life-threatening, they said.
• What's one of the best part about Spring Training? Rumors! The Daily News reports that Nomar could play a "handful of games" at shortstop this season. Just four more weeks until Opening Day.
• The blood in my veins is Dodger Blue, but the color of my face when driving to games is sometimes red. So, I applaud the City Council for at least broaching the possibility of public transportation to Dodger Stadium late this week.\
• An El Segundo woman warded off an attacker last night with pepper spray as he pinned her to the ground straddling and fondling her. She reached for the pepper spray and ran away, gagging and coughing.
• But her weapon of choice would not have worked if she was a reporter at the Daily News. Yesterday, we told you that the Daily News laid off 22 staffers earlier in the week. Today, the list of the fireds was published. The deceased includes Alex Dobuzinskis, a great reporter who covered Glendale and Burbank and the News' lone Washington D.C. reporter.
• The newspaper business is not the only one hurting these days. Nearly 1,600 teachers could lose their jobs as Orange County's 28 school districts scramble to find ways to cut from their operating budgets amid a mounting state budget crisis.
• Is Hillary Clinton being subversively endorsed by Saturday Night Live? Last week, SNL feature a skit parodying the media's "love affair" with Barack Obama and last night, they had Clinton on the show getting two minutes of free campaign air time. SNL has not officially endorsed Clinton, but should media outlets allow candidates a free shot at advertising? If NBC allowed Obama two free minutes, don't you think the Clinton camp would be the ones needing a pillow?

For the last ten years, state representatives from Los Angeles have dominated the role of Speaker of the Assembly, including Mayor Villaraigosa, LA City Council Herb Wesson and Anaheim Mayor Curt Pringle. Today, Karen Bass, the assemblywoman who represents neighborhoods from West LA to Culver City to Baldwin Hills, had enough votes to become Speaker of the Assembly up in Sacramento.