[CA Dem. Assembly Speaker] Núñez's ire brings fast results

Somewhere in Sacramento there are a couple of sizzling, four-letter- word-laced voicemails left by Democratic Assembly Speaker Fabian Núñez -- who went absolutely ballistic the other day over a new radio ad put out by his friends in the California Alliance for Jobs.

Bad enough that the ad, which features comedian Will Durst, praises Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger for putting $1.3 billion of gas tax money back in the budget for road repairs.

But the alliance -- which gets a good chunk of change from Democrat- friendly unions -- also took a poke at Núñez and company, telling listeners: "Before we break out the champagne, remember -- we still need a final budget from the Legislature."

Word is, upon hearing the ad, Fabian hit the proverbial roof -- calling alliance lobbyists and leaving those ear-singeing voice mails.

"He never talked to me,'' said alliance head Jim Earp. "I heard about them thirdhand -- but what I heard isn't printable."

From what we're told, Núñez was ticked off on a number of fronts. For starters, he had already proposed putting the money back into roads.

"But the governor -- who was a Johnny-come-lately to the issue -- gets the credit,'' Núñez spokesman Steve Maviglio said.

Then there was the political etiquette. Apparently, the alliance folks gave the governor a heads-up about the ad, but said nothing to the speaker when they met with him the day before the commercial started running.

. . . Did it work? Well, the ad still praises the governor, but it's been tweaked to drop all mention of pushing the Legislature.

"But really,'' said Dennis Oliver, communications director for the Alliance on Jobs, "the events are absolutely not connected."

And on that same page:

Pumping up the plaza: San Francisco spent a cool $1.5 million to spruce up United Nations Plaza in time for Mayor Gavin Newsom to host last week's big U.N. World Environment Day conference.

Department of Public Works officials tell us that the fix-up had been in the pipeline for the past five years, but that once San Francisco landed the celebration, the sprucing was put on the fast track.

Crews worked seven days a week to gussy up the broad brick plaza between Market Street and Civic Center, an area that over the years has been a magnet for drunks, drug dealers and panhandlers.

Workers put down 10,000 new bricks, rolled down patches of sod, power- cleaned light posts, sand-blasted the concrete fountain, polished the inlaid brass lettering and strung the flags of 191 U.N. nations across the plaza.

Among the expenses:

-- $84,257 for 16 globe-shaped lights -- plus two spares, in case any break.

-- $23,108 for a new pair of 40-foot flagpoles.

-- $23,491 for nine new light fixtures.

-- $22,000 for a 7-foot-wide granite plaque commemorating World Environment Day and the 60th anniversary of the signing of the U.N. Charter in San Francisco.

And $500 for the small bronze plaque -- in braille -- that describes the bigger granite plaque.

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