SACRAMENTO

Hey Consumer Watchdog, It's Only Ok If You Are a Republican? Get it?

October 6, 2011 by Calitics

by Brian Leubitz

Consumer Watchdog (CW) has more than its share of enemies.  While most normal Californians have very little idea who they are, the denizens of the Capitol are not really normal, are they? They have a pretty good idea of who they are.

They have enemies from the 2007 health care fight, where California ended up with no health care reform package, partly because the left didn't want to be complicit with Gov. Schwarzenegger's plan.  You see, fellow progressives, we are supposed to stand by while the "adults" do all the negotiating and then cheer when we get some scraps.  By adults I mean, the corporate right, the Tea Party, and the center-right Democrats.  So, you know, "serious" people.

It turns out that when CW helped out with blowing up that 2007 process, there were some hard feelings. And these things linger in Sacramento.  Of course, for Consumer Watchdog, it is hardly the first time they've pissed anybody off.

Fast forward to this year, when AB 52, health insurance rate regulation is up in the Senate. It ultimately fails, and Sen. Ed Hernandez, the chair of the Healthcare committee that ultimately passes it to the full Senate, catches some flack.  Hernandez didn't ultimately support the bill in the full Senate, or at least he has said as much.

Supreme Court Hears Medi-Cal

October 3, 2011 by Calitics

by Brian Leubitz

The United States Supreme Court opened up its 2011-2012 term, and oh yeah, they're talking California:

The Supreme Court began a new term Monday by refereeing a major healthcare dispute to decide whether cash-strapped states like California can cut their Medicaid payments to doctors and hospitals who serve low-income patients.
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Lawyers for California and the Obama administration urged the court to rule that Medicaid is a "voluntary" effort to provide medical care for the poor and that disputes over funding should be resolved by healthcare officials in Sacramento and Washington, not by federal judges in San Francisco.
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Fed up homeowners to stand up to Wall Street Banks

September 23, 2011 by Calitics

Note: This is a preview to two weeks of actions, rallies and mobilizations of homeowners who are fighting to "Make Wall Street Banks Pay" in the Bay Area (Spet 26-29) and LA (Oct 3-6). Details of events can be found at www.MakeBanksPayCalifornia.com

Last Thursday’s news was startling even for those who already knew California is at the epicenter of America's foreclosure crisis. New data showed that California had a staggering 55% increase in foreclosure notices in August, the highest in the nation. Coincidentally, it also marked three years since the shocking day that Lehman Brothers declared bankruptcy and our economy began to unravel.

Brown's Approval Stable

September 20, 2011 by Calitics

by Brian Leubitz

In the latest Field poll (PDF), somehow Gov. Jerry Brown has managed to maintain a plurality of support.  His September numbers are actually slightly better, from 46 to 49 % approval from June.  Despite lying down in the stink that is Sacramento politics right now, it seems the putrid stench seems to linger on the Legislature rather than in the Horseshoe.

To some extant, he is getting an "independence" streak.  Although, I'm not sure this is the quote that he would like to describe that:

Bower, a Democrat, said he found Brown a "little flaky" last time he was governor, but he thinks Brown is more focused now that he is 73 and in his third term.

"He's one foot in the grave and the other on a banana peel," Bower said. "He doesn't have a thing to lose. ... I think he just kind of tells it like it is."

Brown likely is benefiting from that image and, among other things, from the popularity of a series of symbolic measures he used early this year to demonstrate his frugality in the state's budget crisis, including recalling thousands of state-issued cellphones and cars.