Assembly Speaker Karen Bass Calls on Federal Government to Address California’s Budget Shortfall

RELEASE

Wednesday, November 12, 2008
For Immediate Release

Media Contact(s):

Joey Furutani
Nakatomi & Associates
310.914.5000, Joey@nakatomipr.com

Edward Headington
Headington Media Group
818.720.7181, Edward@HeadingtonMedia.com

In Keynote Address at Pat Brown Institute’s 16th Annual California Policy Issues Conference, Bass says Infusion of Cash is Needed to Avoid “Devastating Cuts to Education”

LOS ANGELES, CA—In her keynote address today at the Edmund G. “Pat” Brown Institute’s 16th Annual California Policy Issues Conference, Assembly Speaker Karen Bass urged the federal government to address the budget crisis in California and called on President Bush to take action in the final days of his Administration.

The theme is year was “California’s Future on the Horizon: Implications of the 2008 Elections” and Bass said legislative analysts have placed California’s projected budget shortfall at $27.8 billion.

With its large population and economy, “California is really unique,” she said. “Our budget is over $100 billion and approximately one‐third of the nation’s foreclosures occurred in our state. This is not just a California problem, so it can’t just be a California solution.”

Bass called on the federal government to provide an immediate infusion of discretionary cash to California so that legislators can avoid what she termed would be “devastating cuts to education and to health and human services.”

Additionally, to avoid the budget impasse that has become an annual event in California, Bass called for a state Constitutional amendment that would reduce the number of votes required in the legislature to pass a budget from two‐thirds to a simple majority. She also called for an end to term limits in the state legislature, saying they create an environment in which some elected office holders are leery of voting to raise revenues before they run for higher office.

“We suffer from term limits as a state,” she added.

Bass represents the 47th Assembly District. She became Speaker of the Assembly in May 2008.

The Assembly Speaker’s speech was one highlight of a conference that brought together elected officials, civic leaders and experts from the political arena, academia and the business community, to discuss and debate the implications of the Nov. 4, 2008 elections and what they mean for California.

On Election Day, “voters overwhelmingly indicated their willingness to invest in California’s future—an idea our namesake, former Governor Pat Brown, understood so many years ago,” said Dr. Jaime A. Regalado, Executive Director of the Pat Brown Institute of Public Affairs, citing the approval of major infrastructure funding and school bonds statewide.

Attendees heard from experts from the media, voter organizations and local and state government. In one panel on “Youth Organizing, Mobilization and Turnout,” experts discussed social networking tools and their effects on voter turnout. Another panel, on “The Role of Race, Class and Gender in the 2008 Elections,” looked at the significance of these issues and their impact on California.

“Overwhelmingly, panelists agreed that a byproduct of the 2008 elections was an electorate that is engaged and involved like never before,” said Regalado.

Bass echoed that sentiment in her keynote speech, saying she hopes to take advantage of the huge network of voters who mobilized to elect Barack Obama: “As an organizer, I wonder how do I tap all that energy to get and sustain their involvement.”

Held at the Millennium Biltmore Hotel in downtown Los Angeles, the PBI’s 16th Annual Policy Issues Conference was supported by Kaiser Permanente—with additional sponsorship from AT&T, Sempra Energy, the James Irvine Foundation, SEIU Local 721, the State Building and Construction Trades Council of California, Sony Pictures, the California Federation of Teachers, IBEW Local 47, Verizon, Chevron, and the California Faculty Association and Southern California Edison.

For almost three decades, the Edmund G. “Pat” Brown Institute of Public Affairs has focused on state and community issues—dedicated to the quest for social justice and equality of opportunity, enlightened civic engagement, and enhancing the quality of life for all Californians.

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The Edmund G. “Pat” Brown Institute of Public Affairs, a presidentially chartered institute at California State University, Los Angeles, is a non-partisan public policy center dedicated to sustaining vision and legacy of former California Governor Edmund G. "Pat" Brown through convening public policy forums, engaging multi sector stakeholders and diverse communities, and conducting timely policy research and community driven initiatives. For more information, go to http://www.patbrowninstitute.org/.

PBI‘s 16th Annual California Policy Issues Conference is Today!

ADVISORY

Wednesday, November 12, 2008
For Immediate Release

Media Contact(s):

Joey Furutani
Nakatomi & Associates
310.914.5000, Joey@nakatomipr.com

Edward Headington
Headington Media Group
818.720.7181, Edward@HeadingtonMedia.com

“California’s Future on the Horizon: Implications of the 2008 Elections”

Keynote addresses by Assembly Speaker Karen Bass and Patt Morrison of KPCC 89.3 FM and the Los Angeles Times

WHO: Panelists will include elected officials, civic leaders and experts from the political arena, academia and the business community, who will discuss and debate the implications of the 2008 elections and what they mean for California. For the full conference program, visit http://patbrowninstitute.org/events/235.

WHAT: PBI 16th Annual California Policy Issues Conference on “California’s Future on the Horizon: Implications of the 2008 Elections”

WHEN: Wed., November 12, 2008; 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. (Lunch keynote at 12:30 p.m.)

WHERE: Millennium Biltmore Hotel @ 506 South Grand Avenue in downtown Los Angeles. Valet parking is located at the hotel entrance on Grand Avenue. Self parking is available at the Pershing Square garage, across the street from the hotel; the lot entrance is located on Olive and 6th Street. The Pershing Square Metro Station is located across the street from the hotel.

WHY: For almost three decades, the Edmund G. “Pat” Brown Institute of Public Affairs (PBI) has focused on state and community issues—dedicated to the quest for social justice and equality of opportunity, enlightened civic engagement, and enhancing the quality of life for all Californians. Hear from the experts on the implications of the 2008 elections and what it means for our state and the nation.

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The Edmund G. “Pat” Brown Institute of Public Affairs, a presidentially chartered institute at California State University, Los Angeles, is a non-partisan public policy center dedicated to sustaining vision and legacy of former California Governor Edmund G. "Pat" Brown through convening public policy forums, engaging multi sector stakeholders and diverse communities, and conducting timely policy research and community driven initiatives. For more information, go to http://www.patbrowninstitute.org/.

Jaime Regalado quoted in the Contra Costa Times

Caruso rules out run against Villaraigosa

Rick Orlov
Contra Costa Times
November 7, 2008

Leaving Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa with a clear path to re-election, billionaire developer Rick Caruso announced Friday that he will not run for the city's highest office in the March election.

Caruso, developer of the popular Grove shopping center in the Fairfax District as well as the Americana at Brand in Glendale, cited the effect such a campaign would have on his family.

"I think I could have won," Caruso said in a telephone interview. "And I really am disappointed that I came to this decision. It all came down to family. I have four great kids and a great wife and they were all for it.

"But I've been around local officials, and I've seen the impact on their families. I know I disappointed a lot of people, but maybe sometime in the future."

Caruso, who reportedly said he was willing to commit some $10 million to the race, has been active in civic affairs for nearly two decades. He served in appointed positions for former Mayors Tom Bradley, Richard Riordan and James Hahn.

Among his posts was president of the Police Commission and the Board of Water and Power Commissioners.

"The mayor is in," said Jaime Regalado, director of the Edmund G. "Pat" Brown Institute of Public Affairs at California State University, Los Angeles. "Rick Caruso represented the only real challenger he would have faced. Even if he was running only for a one-year term, the mayor should easily win re-election."

There has been wide speculation that Villaraigosa is looking to run for governor of California in 2010. He has not issued a declarative statement that he would serve out a full term as mayor.

...

Jaime Regalado quoted in the Los Angeles Times

New L.A. County supervisor brings ambitious agenda

Mark Ridley-Thomas wants to raise pay for employees and reopen King-Harbor hospital. He easily defeated L.A. Councilman Bernard C. Parks for the seat.

Garrett Therolf and Molly Hennessy-Fiske
Staff Writers - Los Angeles Times
November 6, 2008

Mark Ridley-Thomas will become Los Angeles County's newest supervisor Dec. 1, joining colleagues who stayed mum or actively opposed his campaign and owing more to a single special interest than any supervisor in recent memory.

Yet a resounding victory over Los Angeles City Councilman Bernard C. Parks and a reputation for shrewd consensus-building was expected to aid Ridley-Thomas in an ambitious agenda, including better compensation for county workers and a pledge to reopen Martin Luther King Jr.-Harbor Hospital by January 2010.

Ridley-Thomas prevailed with 61% of the vote to Parks' 39%. Parks, who was planning his father's funeral Wednesday, made no public statements. His son and chief of staff, Bernard Parks Jr., said his father plans to serve the remaining three years of his council term and will run again in 2011.

Meanwhile, Ridley-Thomas awoke Wednesday to face myriad public policy challenges. That reality was reinforced at a morning news conference where he was greeted by Sheriff Lee Baca, leaders of the sheriff's deputy unions, representatives of small businesses, environmental activists and Maria Elena Durazo, chief of the labor federation that spent $8.5 million to elect him.

The first item of business, he said, would be to build momentum for King's reopening.

"There has been some trepidation on the board when it comes to setting timetables, but I don't know how you get things done if you don't have benchmarks," Ridley-Thomas said.

The facility near Watts closed in August 2007 and much of its funding has been diverted to other programs. Ridley-Thomas said he hoped the debate over its fate could be reframed as one that also affects people in areas outside his district who might need the hospital in an emergency or whose local facilities could be overcrowded in King's absence.

Those at the news conference appeared eager to cash in on their support for the new supervisor, seeking a slew of political favors. They asked Ridley-Thomas to work for raises for tens of thousands of county workers whose contracts expire in coming years and to help persuade the Sheriff's Department to staff squad cars in Lynnwood with two officers rather than one.

"I called my city manager this morning and said we finally have a friend for Lynwood," said city Mayor Pro Tem Aide Castro.

Ridley-Thomas also signaled that he might reopen some long-settled controversies in the county, where his four colleagues have worked without turnover for 12 years in what they call the "county family." Although he is generally more liberal than the person he replaces, Yvonne B. Burke, he said he hoped to form alliances on law enforcement issues with the board's two Republicans, Mike Antonovich and Don Knabe.

For instance, the supervisor-elect said it was likely that he would consider enhanced retirement benefits for public safety officers that would allow them to retire at age 50 with 3% of their salary for each year served. The plan was deemed too expensive by the current board.

Personal relationships were sure to come into play, however, and it was unclear how Ridley-Thomas would engage Antonovich and Gloria Molina, the supervisors who campaigned against him.

Antonovich released a statement saying that he looked forward to working with his new colleague and Molina said in an interview that she can "work with anyone."

The relationship with Molina seemed especially frosty, however. She acknowledged that there "might be some personal animosity there," and he said playfully, "We'll see," regarding how the two would get along. Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky, who did not endorse a candidate in the race, said he was looking forward to working with Ridley-Thomas, whom he called inclusive.

Dermot Givens, a political consultant who has worked for Ridley-Thomas but was not involved in his latest campaign, said the new supervisor had no obvious allies on the board.

"People will be watching to see who is he going to make an alliance with, and is he going to let that alliance control him, or is he going to go in there as a leader and try to push his agenda," Givens said.

Others said Ridley-Thomas' ties to unions will make partnership with the board's conservatives impossible.

"He won't call it a mandate, but his supporters will -- to be a real champion for unions and working families," said Jaime Regalado,who heads the Edmund G. "Pat" Brown Institute of Public Affairs at Cal State L.A.

"Labor very much sees Mark as their champion, and specifically county employees," Regalado said. "They assume that they have somebody on the board now who will be in their corner."

Jaime Regalado quoted in the Los Angeles Daily News

Black, Latino voters helped Prop. 8 pass

Tony Castro
Staff Writer - Los Angeles Daily News
November 5, 2008

Latino and black voters whose record turnout helped carry Barack Obama to the presidency proved to be a double-edged sword for liberals in California, where the two groups were credited for the narrow victory of the gay marriage ban.

"Religion trumps politics," said pollster Mark DiCamillo of the Field Research Corp., who said exit polling data show that African-Americans and Latinos abandoned their traditional liberal Democratic coalition to support Proposition 8.

Seven out of 10 African- American voters and more than half of Latinos backed Proposition 8, according to Edison Media Research and Mitofsky International, which conducted the exit polling used by the National Election Pool.

The measure, which constitutionally bans same-sex marriages, was approved by about 52 percent of California voters in Tuesday's election.

Ironically, the record turnout of African-Americans and Latinos helped push Obama to victory in such states as Florida, Colorado, Nevada and New Mexico. Obama opposed Proposition 8, but not very strongly.

"Traditionally the liberal Democratic coalition consists of African-Americans and Latinos, and you see it in all of the initiatives locally ... all of those it passed with two-thirds (vote) requirement," said Fernando Guerra, director of the Center for the Study of Los Angeles at Loyola Marymount University.

The outcome was feared by many opponents of Proposition 8, as polls showed the no votes'
commanding lead was quickly evaporating ahead of the vote.

"The fear of those who were against Proposition 8 that this could be the scenario turned out to come true," said Jaime Regalado, executive director of the Edmund G. "Pat" Brown Institute of Public Affairs at California State University, Los Angeles.

Proposition 8 overturns a May California Supreme Court decision legalizing gay nuptials and rewrites the state constitution to define marriage as a union between a man and a woman.

Jaime Regalado quoted in the Los Angeles Daily News

Voters may face ballot confusion

Rick Orlov
Staff Writer - Los Angeles Daily News
October 26, 2008

For Michael Spitzer-Rubenstein, it's the campaign of Sen. Barack Obama that is driving him to the polls.

"This is my first election and I couldn't be more excited," said Spitzer-Rubenstein, 18, who also made calls for the Obama campaign in Los Angeles.

But, other than a couple of other items, he said he was unsure how to vote on all the ballot propositions.

"I know about (Proposition) 8, but a lot of the other ones are pretty confusing," he said. "There's no way anyone can really know about some of the issues that are on the ballot."

It's a dilemma facing all voters, a record number of whom have registered for the Nov. 4 election. When they get inside that voting booth, the nearly 30 races, measures and propositions could lead to information overload.

Enthusiasm over Obama's historic candidacy has swollen voter registration rolls, where in Los Angeles County, more than 4.1 million people are registered. Of them, 451,000 are new voters, half of them ages 18 to 25.

Democrats already held a 51 percent to 25 percent edge over Republicans in Los Angeles, with an additional 20 percent registered as independents. Among new voters, however, 56percent are signing up as Democrats, county elections officials said.

Political analysts expect a dropoff in interest as voters, especially the new ones, make their way down the ballot.

"As a rule, there is always a drop-off regardless of the election," said Republican strategist Allan Hoffenblum. "What happens is people get excited about voting for president and then they get their ballot and they see elections for state senators or assemblymen or the ballot propositions and judges. They don't know any of these people, so they just pass and go to issues they are familiar with."

Bob Stern of the Los Angeles-based Center for Governmental Studies agreed, saying it is even more difficult for new voters, who often don't even receive campaign mailings because they haven't voted before.

Among the best known statewide ballot measures is Proposition 8, which would ban gay marriage.

"I imagine there will be some people turning out just for that - on both sides," Stern said.

Jaime Regalado of the Edmund G. "Pat" Brown Institute of Public Affairs at California State University, Los Angeles, said it is always a danger that voters pass on certain items.

"At the same time, you get concerned about people voting when they don't know anything about the people or the issue," he said. "With new voters, both parties hope they just vote a straight Democratic or Republican ticket."

Read more.

Jaime Regalado quoted in the Los Angeles Daily News

Latinos Driving Growth in U.S.

Tony Castro
Staff Writer - Los Angeles Daily News
October 24, 2008

In a historic change with political and cultural implications for the nation's largest minority group, a baby boom has helped Hispanics account for just over half of the overall population growth in the United States since 2000, according to a report released Thursday.

Different from the past, the nation's Latino population growth in this decade has been more a product of birthrate than immigration, according to the report from the Pew Hispanic Center.

Since 2000, the nation's Latino population has increased by 10.2 million - 6 million from births in the United States and 4.2 million from immigration.

"What we are now seeing is the secondary impacts of Hispanic international migration from the '80s and '90s," said Richard Fry, a senior research associate at the center, a nonpartisan research group based in Washington, D.C. "Now fertility - natural increase - is driving Hispanic growth."

Los Angeles and the San Fernando Valley are a microcosm of the phenomenon, with heavy immigration waves in the 1980s and 1990s leading to more American-born Latino children, Fry said.

Overall, the nation's Latino population has grown by nearly 30 percent, from about 35 million in 2000 to about 45 million in 2007, according to the Pew report. By comparison, the non-Hispanic U.S. population grew just 4 percent over the same period.

Los Angeles County, where the Latino population has increased by about 435,000 so far this decade, ranked first in the nation in Hispanic population, according to the report.
The Latino population growth so far this century is just a small part of the coming population explosion, demographers say.

California Budget Project researchers estimate that the state's Hispanic population will increase by 65 percent in the next 12 years while its non-Hispanic white population will grow by only 2.3 percent.

In California especially, the Latino population growth could change political power in electing more Hispanics and driving changes in public policy.

Already, U.S.-born children of Latino immigrants in the 1980s and 1990s are influencing change.
"There is a very large, young Hispanic second generation, and these are kids who were born to immigrants in the 1980s and '90s," Fry said. "In terms of California politics, now that these kids are all 18 and they can vote, I think about how they are going to influence the outcome in California."

Jaime Regalado, director of the Edmund G. "Pat" Brown Institute at California State University, Los Angeles, agrees.

"What that means is that there is going to be an increasing demand on ramping up for a fair share and a far more level playing field virtually across the board," he said. "We've heard that in politics. We've heard that in higher education (and) in K-12, making the schools more balanced, parallel and equal.

"But we're going to be increasingly hearing that as well in business and economic pursuits, whether it's small business, whether it's hiring by corporations or in foundations, whether it's in the leadership of the labor movement."

Read more.