Gov. Jerry Brown used to accuse GOP lawmakers of taking their cues from anti-tax activist Grover Norquist or Los Angeles radio hosts John Kobylt and Ken Chiampou.
But when Brown said Wednesday that the Republicans' real master was the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association, his aim fell closer to the Capitol.
"Now, it's not really a group," Brown told nurses in San Francisco. "It's only one guy, and he runs a mail house – they send out mail."
That guy, association President Jon Coupal, said Thursday that Brown's remarks are a "significant stretch."
Brown said some GOP senators told him they would have liked to vote for his tax and jobs plan, which died in the legislative session's final hours, but couldn't because of the association's clout. He accused them of an "unconstitutional delegation of power."
California Republican Party Chairman Tom Del Beccaro issued a statement Thursday calling Brown's accusation a "shameful comment made by the most politically beholden governor in America."
Coupal was more measured, saying that lawmakers are less interested in his group's views than in "representing the interest of their constituents" and that the association is open to negotiating with Brown.
– David Siders
WINNER ALERT
And the winning caption in Capitol Alert's latest contest is: "OK, Kevin, if we are gonna settle this Vernon thing with rock-paper-scissors, we both can't keep throwing out paper!" The quip, which took 32.4 percent of the vote, was submitted by Jason Fox, legislative manager for the California Society of CPAs. Readers sent in captions for the photo, left, of Assembly Speaker John A. Pérez and Sen. Kevin de León.
– Torey Van Oot
WORTH REPEATING
"It's extraordinarily unlikely that any Republican is going to win the state of California in a presidential race. ... California is an ATM."
KAREN HANRETTY, Washington-based GOP strategist, telling the San Francisco Chronicle that Mitt Romney's decision to skip the California Republican Party convention this weekend to focus instead on raising campaign cash in the Golden State is based on a harsh reality
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