The Buzz: Lawmaker hopes to collar support for dogs-at-work bill

No, the Legislature is not going to the dogs – despite Assembly Concurrent Resolution 103.

The "Take Your Dog to Work Day" resolution urges employers to honor canines on June 20 in the same way that they set aside one day per year for employees to bring a child to their job site.

Assemblyman George Plescia, R-La Jolla, said he owns two dogs and proposed the resolution to promote a movement by Pet Sitters International and to emphasize that canines make great companions.

ACR 103, which has not yet been voted on, said a 2006 survey found that millions of employees feel that having pets at work would lead to a more creative environment, more collegiality and less absenteeism.

Plescia's resolution says nothing, however, about employees who might be allergic to dogs, scared of them or bitten by them.

Here's another catch: Dogs aren't permitted in the Capitol, except working dogs assisting people with disabilities.

What's next? Cat lovers demanding equal time? If so, count Plescia out.

"Cat lovers would have to come up with their own day," he said. "Not that I'm against cats, but my wife is allergic."

Schwarzenegger's bad analogy

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger tries hard to embrace various cultures in his job as governor. In 2006, he visited a Moon Festival in Los Angeles to celebrate the Asian fall holiday. He has attended services at African American churches.

But he tried a little too hard to be multicultural Monday during a town hall in Fresno.

Schwarzenegger awkwardly applied the saying "Never again" to the state's ongoing problems with the budget. The phrase, popularized by the Jewish Defense League, refers to a commitment to never allow another Holocaust-like atrocity to occur again.

In recent years, other groups fighting genocide in places like Darfur have adopted the phrase to rally support for their cause.

So it seemed odd for Schwarzenegger to use a phrase evoking the deaths of thousands of innocent people in describing the state's systemic budget problems.

"And that's why I say, let us all make an effort to say this – you know, the old Jewish saying – never again," Schwarzenegger said. "Never again. Let's make this the year where we say never again, because we can solve the problem. So this will never, ever happen again."

The Green governor

Schwarzenegger last week announced he appointed Erich Shiners, 38, as legal adviser for the Public Employment Relations Board. What makes Shiners unique?

He's a member of the Green Party, according to the press release.

While Schwarzenegger has appointed plenty of Democrats in his time, the Republican governor has rarely reached out to minor parties.

He has only twice before appointed Green Party members – to the Board of Guide Dogs for the Blind and the Tehama District Fair Board – and both were unpaid. Shiners will earn $93,000 annually.

About the writer:

• The Buzz is compiled by The Bee's Capitol Bureau and written this week by Kevin Yamamura. Reach him at (916) 326-5548 or kyamamura@sacbee.com.