If he takes over as California's lieutenant governor, Sen. Abel Maldonado said Tuesday he would continue to oppose a project that's been kicked around to drill for oil off the Santa Barbara coast.
"My vote will remain the same," Maldonado told reporters during a conference call. He said he opposes the plan because he isn't assured oil platforms would be removed once the project is done.
The lieutenant governor sits on the State Lands Commission, whose members have so far blocked a drilling proposal in the so-called Tranquillon Ridge off the coast. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger wants to open up drilling to raise revenue, and some Democrats say they reluctantly support the plan.
Former Lt. Gov. John Garamendi voted against drilling while on the Lands Commission. Now Garamendi is in Congress. And on Wednesday, Maldonado has his first hearing in the Senate Rules Committee to see if the Legislature will let him take over as second-in-command.
Schwarzenegger nominated Maldonado last November. The Legislature can vote to confirm, reject or not take any action on the nomination. If Maldonado is confirmed by Feb. 16, a special election can be set up to pick a successor in June.
If the Legislature does nothing, Maldonado said, he becomes lieutenant governor at midnight on Feb. 21.
"I think my chances are going to be good," Maldonado said in anticipation of the confirmation hearing.
Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg, the Sacramento Democrat who chairs the Rules Committee, has suggested that Maldonado could prove helpful in passing some budget-fix ideas this month while still in the Senate.
Last year Maldonado earned wrath from fellow GOP by joining Democrats in voting for temporary income tax increases to cope with the budget deficit. Maldonado said Tuesday that this time budget fixes shouldn't include taxes.
But Maldonado is considering another idea. Steinberg is interested in trying to raise an estimated $1.9 billion in revenue by requiring 3 percent to be withheld on payments to independent contractors, a proposal blocked last year by the governor and GOP lawmakers.
"It's something we need to be looking at," Maldonado said.
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.