Free Republic

Senate President Pro Tem Don Perata on Friday postponed a confirmation hearing for a state official tapped by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to carry out the overhaul of the California workers' compensation system. Influential labor and legal organizations are pressuring Democratic lawmakers to oust Andrea Hoch, the administrative director of the Division of Workers' Compensation. Her critics, including Perata and other Democratic legislators, assert that new formulas she crafted to determine permanent disability benefits would cut payments by up to 70 percent and reduce medical care for severely injured workers. Hoch declined comment Friday. A Schwarzenegger spokesman indicated the governor will...

SACRAMENTO (AP) - One of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's appointees is facing a tough confirmation fight because of regulations that opponents say go beyond the sweeping changes lawmakers adopted last year in the state's workers' compensation system. The Republican governor's nomination of Andrea Hoch as director of the Division of Workers' Compensation has drawn strong opposition from labor unions and groups that represent injured workers and workers' attorneys. And a lobbyist for one of Hoch's biggest supporters, the California Chamber of Commerce, says the appointment may be in trouble. "It's in question right now," said Charles Bacchi. "It's hanging in the...