Free Republic

Assembly Speaker Karen Bass touted Uncle Sam as a realistic savior Wednesday for California's multibillion-dollar budget shortfall – but critics say the tactic could backfire by raising false hopes. "I'm still concerned that some folks are looking at this in isolation and not in its national and international context," Bass said of a projected budget gap of $27.8 billion over two years. Rather than Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's approach of bridging the gap by roughly a 50-50 formula of tax increases and program cuts, Bass said it's realistic to turn to federal officials for a bailout that would avoid cuts. "I...

SACRAMENTO (AP) - Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez leaves for a three-day trip to Mexico this week to meet with Mexican President Vicente Fox and other officials, a visit he says is needed to repair frayed relations between California and its largest trading partner. Nunez said Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's recent comments on border security, including his praise of the volunteer Minuteman patrols, offended some Mexican officials. "I didn't realize the attitude in Mexico toward Gov. Schwarzenegger is bad, very bad," Nunez, D-Los Angeles, said during a Tuesday news conference. "When I talk to people from Mexico, high-ranking officials from Mexico, it...

SACRAMENTO (AP) - Calling Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger out of touch with voters, Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez said Thursday that the Legislature's Democratic majority would consider the governor's proposals to restructure government when ready but were not worried about facing him in a special election. Nunez, D-Los Angeles, criticized Schwarzenegger's plans to bring four sweeping constitutional amendments to voters later this year as "cowboy politics" that seeks to bypass negotiations over the issues with lawmakers. "This is a governor that is strictly a pro-big business governor," said Nunez. "This is not a people's agenda; this is a corporate agenda." Schwarzenegger's constitutional...

SACRAMENTO (AP) - Embattled Secretary of State Kevin Shelley should not be forced to testify before a legislative panel if he decides to resign his offices, Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez said Thursday. Shelley's appearance before the Joint Legislative Audit Committee was pushed back at least three weeks after independent counsels appointed by both parties said they needed more time to review the case. The reprieve also means that legislative leaders have more time to negotiate the possible conditions of Shelley's resignation, which has been rumored in the Capitol for weeks. Nunez, D-Los Angeles, said he did not think Shelley should...