Free Republic

Warning that private lenders will look askance at smoke-and-mirrors accounting tricks, state Treasurer Bill Lockyer told a legislative committee today that lawmakers should rely heavily on spending cuts to balance the budget. "It seems to me that the kind of budget we will require before the end of June is almost entirely comprised of cuts," Lockyer told the 10-member, two-house conference committee charged with fashioning a plan that eliminates a $24.3 billion deficit. "My suggestion to you is don't delay the pain. It's going to be awful, but just get it done. It's going to be worse if it doesn't...

California has joined the lengthening queue of supplicants seeking help from Uncle Sam. State Treasurer Bill Lockyer is lobbying some in Congress to secure a federal backstop or guarantee on $12 billion to $16 billion of short-term revenue anticipation notes, or RANs, that the state may need to sell as early as July. Lockyer thinks it may not be possible to sell this debt without federal help, and is seeking to have the Troubled Assets Relief Program, or TARP, expanded to allow banks to sell municipal debt to the federal government, according to a state treasury spokesman. Barring that, he...

Fitch Ratings downgraded California's general obligation bond rating Thursday due to concerns about the state's economy and ongoing budget problems, likely raising costs for taxpayers and dampening demand for $4 billion in bonds the state intends to sell next week. California's bond rating now ranks lowest among the 50 states, according to Fitch. The announcement came days before State Treasurer Bill Lockyer plans a bond sale starting next Wednesday to replenish the state's Pooled Money Investment Account and enable the state to begin paying out $500 million to projects that desperately need public funding to continue. Lockyer spokesman Tom Dresslar...

It's looks like state Treasurer Bill Lockyer is going to be the next governor of California – at least for a day. With Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and other top office holders heading to Washington, D.C., to witness the presidential inauguration of Barack Obama, California's affairs of state will be left to the man who stands sixth in line to the Governor's Office under the state constitution. Lockyer will be riding high because – in order of succession – Lt. Gov. John Garamendi, Senate Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg, Assembly Speaker Karen Bass, Secretary of State Debra Bowen and Attorney General Jerry...

It is, of course, difficult to avoid the headlines these days. We certainly are in difficult economic times. First, the government artificially inflated the housing market and the price of oil. Then government artificially raised interest rates to combat those inflated market prices which sent the housing market in a downward spiral. The fallout was so bad that eventually oil prices fell because the economy was so weakened by the terrible policies of the government. Now government wants to “fix” the problem it created – but all the pain will be incurred by you. Nationally, Obama wants to spend upwards...

The entire state Legislature will meet today in a "joint convention" to get even more dire news about California's woeful financial situation. Treasurer Bill Lockyer, for instance, will tell lawmakers that unless a budget is adopted the state will stop financing construction projects for roads and other infrastructure. That's not just bond sales for future projects -- those will stop, too. It means projects that are underway will no longer be able to draw down cash from the treasurer's pooled account as the state's general fund moves toward insolvency. Thousands of jobs could be lost. "No budget, no state financing,"...

State Treasurer Bill Lockyer on Tuesday proposed a $5 billion bond measure to combat global warming by getting California's largest building owner - the state government - to improve its energy efficiency. Lockyer said he wants the Legislature and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to sign off on a November 2008 ballot measure to retrofit the state's massive building inventory with solar panels and other clean energy technologies. In a meeting with The Bee Capitol Bureau, Lockyer said the state needs to move "as rapidly as possible" to "green our buildings" if it is serious about its commitment to cut California's greenhouse...

Like you, I have been watching the disastrous turn to the Left that is now taking place in Sacramento – and like you, I don’t intend to sit idly by. Spending is growing faster and the deficit is growing bigger than under Gray Davis. The Governor who promised to “cut up the credit cards” has doubled our debt burden in just three years. And 72 hours after he took the oath of office, the Governor who promised never to raise taxes proposed the second biggest tax increase in California’s history to provide free health insurance to illegal aliens. I have...

Judge to rule on new interpretation of Prop. 83 -- SAN FRANCISCO -- The state abruptly changed its position today on the meaning of a voter-approved law that restricts where sex criminals may live, telling a federal judge that the law would bar any of California's more than 90,000 registered sex offenders from moving to a home within 2,000 feet of a park or school. U.S. District Judge Jeffrey White said he felt "a little bit ambushed'' by the shift by Attorney General Bill Lockyer, who had stated in writing less than two weeks ago that Proposition 83 would not...

SAN FRANCISCO - A lawsuit challenging the voter-approved measure that toughens restrictions on where registered sex offenders may live should be dismissed because it does not specify any penalties for violators, California's attorney general says. Proposition 83 prohibits registered sex offenders from living within 2,000 feet of a school or park. A day after the measure passed Nov. 7, an unidentified California registered sex offender who lives within the 2,000 boundary filed the lawsuit, arguing, among other things, that it punishes him for a crime he's already paid for. Attorney General Bill Lockyer moved late Wednesday to dismiss the lawsuit,...

LOS ANGELES - Democrat John Garamendi won a close race for lieutenant governor, as Republicans faltered in their efforts to win statewide offices and gain power in Sacramento. Garamendi, who currently serves as insurance commissioner, edged out conservative Republican state Sen. Tom McClintock, an anti-tax ideologue, in Tuesday's election. Democrats also won races for California attorney general, treasurer and controller. "The conclusion to be drawn here is that California is still a true progressive state even though it has a nominally Republican governor," Garamendi said. With 93 percent of precincts reporting, Democratic state Sen. Debra Bowen had a slim lead...

Welcome to the live thread for the California Primary Election. Polls are open until 8pm tonight. If you are a registered voter, it is your duty to vote and defend your rights and civil liberties, protect your pocketbook, and vote the bums out where applicable. Feel free to discuss issues key to your local area that others may be interested in. Post your polling place experiences if you like. And post numbers as they come in later tonight.

Los Angeles - California prosecutors, in light of a recent state attorney general's opinion, may no longer release routine information about the arrest records or parole status of criminal defendants to avoid violating their privacy rights. The opinion from Attorney General Bill Lockyer fundamentally alters prosecutors' relationship with the public, said Thomas W. Newton, general counsel of the California Newspaper Publishers Association. "The public's interest to disclose outweighs the privacy interest of the accused. It may be time for the Legislature to take another look at what is a fair balance," Newton said. Los Angeles County District Attorney Steve Cooley...

Statement Regarding Suit Joinder October 23, 2006, 6:00 PM Today we were contacted by the Attorney Generals Office and the Secretary of State. Each expressed that they would seek to join the lawsuit as nominal defendants in an effort to be heard in this matter. Although the Plaintiffs are skeptical of the motives of the existing AG Bill Lockyer, we felt that the interests of justice would dictate that we agree to allow them to join the suit without opposition. We agree that they probably have an interest in the outcome of the suit given that it affects their...

Condemnation of an intimidating mailer from congressional candidate Tan Nguyen's campaign swelled Thursday, as state investigators continued interviews in the county and the U.S. Justice Department joined the probe. State Attorney General Bill Lockyer told Nguyen's opponent, Rep. Loretta Sanchez, D-Garden Grove, that details should become clearer in the next few days and that his office "would be making arrests," Sanchez said. Nguyen, a Republican, said Thursday that a campaign worker helped put out the letter without his knowledge and that she had been fired. He called the letter, which targeted immigrant voters, "flawed and ill-conceived." But Orange County Republican...

Parrish for treasurer He promises to reduce interest payments, issue state bonds and challenge Wall Street. Two qualified men with strong Long Beach ties are running for state treasurer in the Nov. 7 election. We met with Bill Lockyer, the Democratic state attorney general, who lives in Belmont Shore, and Claude Parrish, a Republican who keeps his state Board of Equalization office on Broadway and Pine Avenue downtown. We liked both men and found ourselves wishing that term limits weren't eliminating their current jobs, which we view as appropriate to their respective skill sets. But since the position of treasurer...

LOS ANGELES – Charitable funds given to the J. Paul Getty Trust were improperly used to pay the travel expenses of the foundation's former chief executive and buy artwork for retiring board members, the California attorney general said in a report Monday. The investigation found some improper spending at the $9 billion trust, the nation's third-largest private foundation, but no fraud. However, an attorney who has served in key law enforcement posts was appointed to serve as an independent monitor of the trust – the first time in state history that someone will oversee the dealings of a charitable trust....

Ten years ago, when Arnold Schwarzenegger was enhancing his movie career with "Jingle All the Way," his future environmental adviser Terry Tamminen was working as a pool-cleaning expert, water cop and would-be Bard of the Bay. As Santa Monica Baykeeper, Tamminen spent his days tooling around in his boat harassing litterbugs. He also was promoting copies of his book, "The Ultimate Pool Maintenance Manual," while playing the role of Shakespeare in a children's play he wrote. Over the objections of some Republican advisers, Schwarzenegger appointed Tamminen as secretary of the California Environmental Protection Agency. Then he became the governor's cabinet...

Lockyer, Parrish vie for treasurer WINNER TO BE INVESTOR-IN-CHIEF By George Avalos MediaNews The major-party candidates for state treasurer recognize the challenges that come with being California's investor in chief -- a job often regarded as nothing more than a financial and economic soapbox. State Attorney General Bill Lockyer, a Democrat, and state Board of Equalization board member Claude Parrish, a Republican, are among a handful of candidates vying for a post whose occupant can get the ear of Wall Street, which for years has scrutinized California's financial health and mammoth government operations. (SNIP) The two candidates disagree about the...

Automakers can continue their lawsuit seeking to block strict vehicle emission standards adopted two years ago by California regulators, a federal judge said in a ruling filed Monday. U.S. District Judge Anthony Ishii sided preliminarily with a coalition of automakers on their three major arguments against the state law, which was passed in 2002 and adopted two years later by the state air board. He threw out two lesser arguments, but ruled the suit should go to trial Jan. 30. The tailpipe standards adopted by the California Air Resources Board were designed to cut greenhouse gas emissions from cars and...

SACRAMENTO, California – Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger on Wednesday is expected to sign into law the United States' first state cap on greenhouse gas emissions, after striking a deal with legislative Democrats that brought California and the governor global notoriety. But even before the bill is signed, the law's future is in doubt. Federal lawsuits related to greenhouse gas issues, involving California, Vermont and Massachusetts, could cloud California's latest attempt to be a leader in the fight against global climate change. At the heart of California's attempt to curb the gases believed responsible for global warming are state auto regulations that...

Ah, election year. Don't you just love it, folks? It's a time for debates on the airwaves, flyers in the mail ... and bat-crazy lawsuits in the courtroom. Over in California, State Attorney General Bill Lockyer hopes to trade up for a position as treasurer of the nation's wealthiest state. But before he gets there, he wants to fill California's coffers to the brim -- and get some free press in the process. And so, on Wednesday, he filed a federal lawsuit against the auto industry, alleging that automakers Ford (NYSE: F - News), GM (NYSE: GM - News), DaimlerChrysler...

Attorney general's attack on automakers can only be described as a political stunt When companies are accused of breaking state law, then it's understandable when the state attorney general files a suit against them. That's a key role of a state's top cop. But it's reprehensible when an attorney general uses the powers entrusted to him to launch what can best be described as a political witch hunt against companies that are out of favor. We see this nationwide as various state attorneys general file lawsuits against gun manufacturers and tobacco companies, not because those companies violated the law, but...

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - California sued six of the world's largest automakers over global warming on Wednesday, charging that greenhouse gases from their vehicles have caused billions of dollars in damages. The lawsuit is the first of its kind to seek to hold manufacturers liable for the damages caused by their vehicles' emissions, state Attorney General Bill Lockyer said. It also comes less than a month after California lawmakers adopted the nation's first global warming law mandating a cut in greenhouse gas emissions. An automaker trade group called the global warming move a "nuisance suit." Car manufacturers have also held...

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - California filed suit against Ford Motor Co. (NYSE:F - News), General Motors Corp. (NYSE:GM - News), Toyota Motor Corp. (Tokyo:7203.T - News) and three other carmakers on Wednesday, charging that greenhouse gases from their vehicles have cost the state millions of dollars.

Barry Munitz , chief executive of the J. Paul Getty Trust, had a private lunch with his friend Attorney General Bill Lockyer as the state probed Munitz for allegedly mismanaging trust money, the Los Angeles Times reported. Lockyer, California's top law enforcement official, acknowledged that the January lunch at a downtown pizzeria might look bad, but said the two did not discuss the investigation. He said, however, Munitz did disclose plans to resign from his $1.5 million-a-year post because of the controversy surrounding his lavish spending. Munitz quit a month later and agreed to forgo more than $2 million guaranteed...

The purveyors of revisionist political history are back at work this week, inspired by the death of Enron Corp. founder -- and convicted felon -- Kenneth Lay to revive the myth that were it not for Enron and Lay, California wouldn't have experienced its 2001 energy crisis. ... --snip-- Attorney General Bill Lockyer had the good manners to remain silent about Lay's death from heart disease three months before he was to be sentenced for lying to mask the failing company's condition. It was Lockyer who in 2001 told an interviewer that "I would love to personally escort Lay to...

Welcome to the live thread for the California Primary Election. Polls are open until 8pm tonight. If you are a registered voter, it is your duty to vote and defend your rights and civil liberties, protect your pocketbook, and vote the bums out where applicable. Feel free to discuss issues key to your local area that others may be interested in. Post your polling place experiences if you like. And post numbers as they come in later tonight.

State Attorney General Bill Lockyer has developed a knack for making headlines whenever he travels to Washington, D.C. A year ago, he gained fame for criticizing Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's leadership style as having "an odor of Austrian politics" during a luncheon with Washington-based reporters. Last week, Lockyer had this to say about Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Mich.: "What a dumb----." Lockyer and other state attorneys general were holding a news conference to criticize a Rogers bill to prevent individual states from requiring health warning labels on food products. There's nothing like an expletive to set national media atwitter, as reporters later...

Attorney General Supports Poochigian’s Request for Review of First 5 Commission’s Use of Taxpayer Funds Citing Conflict, Lockyer Refers Investigation to Sacramento County District Attorney “Attorney General Bill Lockyer has acknowledged that allegations that the First 5 Commission may have misused taxpayer funds in connection with campaign advertising for Proposition 82 warrant a prompt review. Although the Attorney General’s office has investigated and prosecuted other state entities and officers in the past, he has decided to refer this case. I believe that Sacramento County District Attorney Jan Scully will fully investigate the matter and, if warranted, prosecute any civil or...

WASHINGTON - Arguing before the U.S. Supreme Court, state Attorney General Bill Lockyer said Monday that trial judges deserve the benefit of the doubt in overseeing jury selection in their courtrooms. Lockyer argued in Rice v. Collins that the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals should not have overruled the trial judge's decision that the prosecutor had nonracial reasons for dismissing two African-American women as potential jurors. Supreme Court justices, who did not immediately rule in the case, expressed concern about racial bias in jury selection, but several appeared to support Lockyer's argument. They also questioned statements by Los Angeles Deputy...

Recently released crime statistics show the homicide rate in California is 265 percent higher than the death rate suffered by U.S. and British military personnel in Iraq. According to the report "Crime in California 2004," compiled by California Attorney General Bill Lockyer, there were 2,394 reported homicides in the Golden State last year. That compares with 905 deaths of coalition forces in Iraq, chiefly Americans and Brits, during the same time period. A monthly average of 75 deaths of American and British forces has remained fairly constant over the last two years. The peak for homicides in California was in...

SAN DIEGO - At a critical point in Sempra Energy's $23 billion antitrust trial, California Attorney General Bill Lockyer's office threatened to file a separate lawsuit intended to leverage a settlement that would mean tens of millions of dollars in fees for Lockyer's longtime political ally and friend Tom Girardi and others on the legal team, lawyers and sources close to the case said. Girardi, his Los Angeles law firm Girardi & Keese and its employees contributed more than $260,000 to Lockyer's political campaign between 2001 and 2004 and gave him gifts, including plane trips, sports tickets and $325 in...

State Attorney General Bill Lockyer has subpoenaed Hollywood's major film studios to find out whether granting exclusive booking rights to specific chains has hindered smaller theater operators. Lockyer's investigation began in June 2004 after complaints by an independent theater in San Jose about Century Theatres and its "clearance" rights for many major studio releases. That particular dispute has since been resolved voluntarily without legal action, but other lawsuits are pending and Lockyer's investigation has been broadened to look at the whole industry. "The theaters that have complained to our office are independents," Lockyer spokesman Tom Dresslar said. "In a lot...

As gasoline prices topped $3 a gallon, Sen. Joe Dunn, D-Santa Ana, proposed a state constitutional amendment to allow regulatory control of pump prices. "Price caps aren't a solution to a dysfunctional market," said Dunn, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, who plans to hold hearings later this fall on California's fuel costs. "However, they are a damage- control measure until solutions are developed." His bill, SCA18, would give the state Public Utilities Commission authority to regulate gasoline prices. Hawaii, which has the nation's highest fuel prices, began capping wholesale gasoline prices Thursday. On Friday, Attorney General Bill Lockyer, a...

LOS ANGELES - Potato chips and french fries could soon come with a warning label if the state's top attorney prevails in a lawsuit filed Friday against nine fast food chains and snack-food makers. Attorney General Bill Lockyer asked for a court order requiring McDonald's, Burger King, Wendy's, Frito Lay and other companies to warn consumers that their fries and chips may contain acrylamide, a chemical the state says causes cancer. "In taking this action, I am not telling people to stop eating potato chips or french fries," Lockyer said. "I know from personal experience that, while these snacks may...

Sacramento -- A painting of the United States sinking into a toilet, formerly on display in the cafeteria of the state Department of Justice, has been moved by Attorney General Bill Lockyer to his 17th floor office, where public access is limited. The artist who created the piece, Stephen Pearcy, said Lockyer's decision to move the painting violated his First Amendment right to political speech. The painting's inclusion in a larger exhibit displayed in the state building sparked protests from some conservatives and served as fodder for talk radio shows. "His office is not public. The decision to move it...

California's Supreme Court decision Friday to restore a redistricting measure to the November special election ballot is bad news for state Attorney General Bill Lockyer, who was trying to have it removed on a technicality. But the ruling is very good news for anyone fed up with the state's rigged system for electing lawmakers. In California, incumbents draw their own district lines, which has made elections as suspenseful as professional wrestling. Of 153 state and Congressional races last November, not one seat changed party hands. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has made redistricting reform a centerpiece of his agenda, and nearly one...

San Francisco -- The state Supreme Court denied immediate review today of a challenge to California's ban on same-sex marriage, making it more likely that voters will have their say on the issue before it reaches the high court. Attorney General Bill Lockyer, who is defending the marriage law, and the city of San Francisco and same-sex couples who are challenging it all asked the court last month to bypass an appellate court and take up the case directly. The court occasionally takes such a step on important issues that need to be resolved promptly. But the justices denied the...

SactoDan/Western Alliance Exclusive Andy Nevis, the CA High School Conservative blogger of the Western Alliance attempted to deliver his petition today. The petition which contained some 3000 signatures demands that Attorney General Bill Lockyer remove the anti-American art contained in the exhibit. One picture in particular, ''Tanks to Mr. Bush'' by Berkeley liberal Steve Pearcy raised public ire. With a Fox 40 News Crew in Tow, Mr. Nevis went into the AG's office at 1300 I Street to deliver the petition. After a brief interview outside the building, Andy went in to deliver the petition. The Guard behind the bulletproof...

SACRAMENTO – A state appeals court on Tuesday refused to put Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's redistricting initiative back on November's special election ballot. The 3rd District Court of Appeal, in a 2-1 decision, said supporters' use of two versions of the initiative in the certification process was a "clear violation of the constitutional and statutory procedures for the circulation of an initiative petition." "The petitioners were under a duty to disclose the discrepancies as soon as they learned of them...," said the ruling by Justices Coleman Blease and M. Kathleen Butz. "Their failure to make a public disclosure has tainted ......

The Art of Politics, PatriotismSacUnion.com Staff Report Published: July 29, 2005 (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli) A painting titled "T'anks to Mr. Bush!" by attorney-artist Stephen Pearcy, is displayed in the Department of Justice cafeteria in Sacramento. ** (Photos from Thursday’s protest are located below.)** The California Department of Justice building has become ground zero over a collection of artwork that critics have attacked for being ‘anti-American.’ The most controversial painting depicts the U.S. flag in the shape of the United States being flushed down a toilet. Thursday night the debate was elevated to new heights as more than 600 hundred people...

In California the State Attorney General has put up a display of Anti-American artwork - sponsored by the Attorney General's office, displayed in the California Department of Justice building (taxpayer funded) and co-sponsored by another taxpayer funded agency (the California Arts Council). There is a poll - do you find the display acceptable? You can see the "artwork" in display at taxpayer expense - SEE THE "ART" HERESo FReepers - Vote to Say THIS GARBAGE SHOULDN'T BE SPONSORED BY TAXPAYERS IN A STATE BUILDING - CLICK HERE AND VOTE!!

SACRAMENTO (AP) - A display of political artwork in the state Department of Justice sparked dueling protests and a culture clash Thursday. Rival protesters shouted "No to censors" and sang "God bless America" outside the Attorney General's building, where a painting of a star-spangled map of the United States being flushed down the toilet now hangs as part of an exhibition of art by lawyers on legal themes. The California Republican Party, along with conservative bloggers and a Sacramento talk radio host, have called on Attorney General Bill Lockyer to remove the painting from the exhibit. The piece, titled "T'anks...

Patriotic Art Show Set for Thursday This coming Thursday the heated political debate surrounding an art exhibit co-sponsored by State Attorney General Bill Lockyer will intensify when conservative opponents of the Lockyer-sponsored exhibit put on their own, counter exhibit. The Sacramento-based pro-military non-profit group, Move America Forward, has announced it is teaming up with Sacramento talk show host, Mark Williams of KFBK 1530, to put on an “I Love America” art exhibit and rally. Organizers say they want to showcase a pro-American display of art because they feel the artwork hanging from the walls of the California Department of Justice...

The state Attorney General's office denounced California City's use of eminent domain in a brief filed Tuesday, calling it "the most serious violation" of redevelopment law in the state. In the brief filed in Kern County Superior Court, California Attorney General Bill Lockyer described the case as a "poster child for this abuse." "There's tremendous economic incentive to condemn vacant land as blighted," said Deputy Attorney General Dan Siegel. "But redevelopment means what it says. It's conditional on finding urbanization and blight." California City added more than 15,000 acres to its redevelopment area in 2003, saying the land was legally...

Patriotic Art Show to Counter Attorney General's ExhibitSacUnion.com Staff Writer Published: July 25, 2005 A painting titled "T'anks to Mr. Bush!" by attorney-artist Stephen Pearcy, is displayed in the Department of Justice cafeteria in Sacramento, Calif., Tuesday, July 19, 2005. This coming Thursday the heated political debate surrounding an art exhibit co-sponsored by State Attorney General Bill Lockyer will intensify when conservative opponents of the Lockyer-sponsored exhibit put on their own, counter exhibit. The Sacramento-based pro-military non-profit group, Move America Forward, has announced it is teaming up with Sacramento talk show host, Mark Williams of KFBK 1530, to put on...

Mark Williams to Launch Protest of Attorney GeneralThe tone in the bully’s voice was almost exuberant; it was certainly smug and self-satisfied. The bully is a creep named Steven Pearcy, and he was trying to buffalo his way onto my Sacramento talk show on KFBK 1530 AM to bask in the glory of the attention he felt due him. Pearcy was boasting about California Attorney General Bill Lockyer’s endorsement of his vile bile, and now Steve Pearcy wanted to take me to task for my role in organizing what is now my second mobilization of the general public to denounce...

<p>The thing about protest art is that, well, sometimes it leads to protest.</p> <p>State Attorney General Bill Lockyer, a Democrat, has come under fire for hosting an art exhibit in the Department of Justice cafeteria that includes a painting of the flag-adorned United States being flushed down a toilet with the phrase "T'anks to Mr. Bush!"</p>

War Triggers Art Tussle in California's Capital(CNSNews.com) - In California, the latest debate over the arts is taking place at the building housing the state Department of Justice. The conservative California group, Move America Forward, is criticizing what it calls the "anti-American" exhibit currently in front of the building and sponsored by the state's Democratic attorney general, Bill Lockyer. Move America Forward also plans to erect its own "pro-American" art exhibit in front of the Department of Justice building on July 28. "A Creative Merger: Lawyers and Artists" is the name of the liberal-minded exhibit causing the stir, labeled...