California Insider

Every California governor since at least 1990 has taken office pledging to shift more control over education policy from Sacramento to local schools and districts. And every governor eventually grows fond of setting more rules from the Capitol, if only to implement the really good ideas he has that others don't share. Now candidate Steve Westly has rolled out a major education policy speech, and the centerpiece is, surprise, more local control. I have no idea if Westly as governor would live up to his pledges, but they're worth reading anyway. Here is a text of the speech. I did note one glaring omission: no mention of charter schools, which are booming in California and provide the purest form of local control, since they are created by local teachers, parents and communities and set their own rules while being held accountable for their results.

Assembly Speaker Fabian Nuñez and Assemblywoman Fran Pavley have introduced legislation to put teeth into Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's call for reducing greenhouse gas emissions to 1990 levels by 2020. The bill would require the state Air Resources Board to set caps on emissions levels and build a new reporting and tracking program to enforce them.

Insurance Commissioner John Garamendi is scheduled to undergo heart surgery today to repair what his office describes as "a problem with the mitral valve" in his heart. Garamendi was hospitalized over the weekend after experiencing "some discomfort" while working on his Northern California ranch. His office said he will continue to be a candidate for lieutenant governor.

Treasurer Phil Angelides today proposed investing $15 billion in state employee and teacher retirement funds in California infrastructure projects. The projects would include toll roads and bridges, port expansion, dedicated transportation corridors for goods movement, electricity transmission and energy retrofit projects that can generate what Angelides called a secure return on the pension funds’ investment. He said the program would be modeled after the “double bottom line” initiative he pushed and under which the pension funds have invested $14 billion in housing and business expansion in urban communities. Angelides said the Ontario pension fund in Canada has launched a similar project that is generating returns of 10 percent to 15 percent, but he said California’s pension funds could safely count on 6 percent to 8 percent returns. Finally, Angelides said his proposal would not be a substitute for a comprehensive, bond-based infrastructure plan, which he said he expects the Legislature to approve this year.

Separately, legislative leaders have been meeting to try to reach agreement on a public works bond package, and at least some aides believe that agreement could come as soon as this week.