We're still waiting and watching as the speakership battle plays out.
Word earlier this week was that Assembly Speaker Karen Bass could call a caucus vote -- most likely the final showdown between speaker hopefuls John Pérez and Kevin de León -- as soon as tonight.
But it looks like it will be at least another day until Democrats vote for their pick to lead the lower house.
Alert readers will recall that Bass tried to put an end to the speakership war last week by announcing that Pérez would be her successor. The basis for that claim was that Pérez had the commitments of at least 29 fellow Democrats. In recent years, members of the ruling party have united behind the candidate who secures the support of the majority of the caucus, though the speaker must ultimately be elected by a majority vote.
But it takes 41 votes to become speaker, and de León's 20-or-so loyalists haven't shown any public signs of giving up the fight just yet. It's still unclear when the two sides will come to an agreement -- or what it will take for them to get there.
The Assembly is expected to convene for floor votes on "Race to the Top" legislation Wednesday, so you can expect Pérez supporters to be pushing hard for a resolution in the next 24 hours.
We'll keep you posted.
In the meantime, a clash over those dueling versions of "Race to the Top" legislation continues today.
The Assembly Education Committee is scheduled to vote on legislation aimed at ensuring California can cash in on up to $700 million in federal stimulus funds for schools. The one-time pile of federal dollars up for grabs is part of the Obama administration's "Race to the Top" competitive grant program.
There are two versions in play, both aimed at hitting federal guidelines for states applying for the funds. The Senate approved its bill, which is based on Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's proposed package of changes to the education system, last month. The Assembly introduced its version last week.
Schwarzenegger immediately blasted the Assembly bill as insufficient, but the lower house appears set on pushing its own plan. And The Senate, anticipating more work to be done to finalize a plan before the Jan. 19 application deadline for the funds, is planning to come back next week.
The barbs continued yesterday.
After speaking to a group of school children here in Sacramento, Schwarzenegger praised the recently updated Senate version for having "all of the ingredients in there that we need in order to be very competitive" and criticized the Assembly's bill as a watered-down plan.
"I say that's not good enough," he said of the Assembly bill. "What we have to have is be the most competitive. We have to be number one."
His comments didn't sit well with the Assembly bill backers.
"It is unfortunate that the governor is focused on the wrong competition. It's not about him," Bass shot back in a statement. "He wants his plan to pass regardless of the merits and regardless of what it would cost our schools. It's race to the top not race over a cliff."
Both the Assembly bill and the Senate's version are on the agenda to be heard by the committee. Bee columnist Dan Walters sorted out some of the issues on the table and the behind-the-scene forces driving the "Race to the Top" debate earlier this week. Click here to read that piece.
Latest posts:
About Comments
Reader comments on Sacbee.com are the opinions of the writer, not The Sacramento Bee. If you see an objectionable comment, click the "report abuse" button below it. We will delete comments containing inappropriate links, obscenities, hate speech, and personal attacks. Flagrant or repeat violators will be banned. See more about comments here.