Glazer announces controller bid + Repeal Prop 47? + Should Newsom support more oil?
Good morning and welcome to the A.M. Alert!
GLAZER JOINS CROWDED CONTROLLER RACE
Sen. Steve Glazer, D-Orinda, is looking for a new job. Specifically, he’s looking for the job of California state Controller. To that end, Glazer on Monday announced that he is joining the crowded race for that position.
“Few of us like to pay taxes. But all of us want to be sure that every tax dollar is spent responsibly and efficiently,” Glazer said in a statement announcing his decision to run. “There are too many sacred cows in government where politicians fear to tread. It is time to cut the bull, cut the fat, get the most for every tax dollar.”
Glazer enters a race that includes fellow Democrats Malia Cohen, Ron Galperin and Yvonne Yiu, as well as Republican Lanhee Chen.
Glazer also missed out on the chance to earn the endorsement of the California Democratic Party. That endorsement instead went to Cohen, who picked up 62.3% of the delegates’ votes during the weekend convention.
“I have a record of being fiercely independent of special interests and party bosses, and fighting for fiscal responsibility in all of the laws that we pass,” Glazer said in his announcement video.
His campaign points to his experience as mayor and councilman for the City of Orinda, as a trustee of the California State University, and as a member of the Joint Legislative Audit Committee.
You can watch Glazer’s announcement video here.
LAWMAKERS TO RALLY TO REPEAL PROP 47
Several Republican state lawmakers will join representatives of law enforcement and victim advocacy groups on Tuesday morning to rally in support of AB 1599, the bill by Assemblymen Kevin Kiley, James Gallagher and Jim Patterson to repeal most of Proposition 47, the criminal justice reform initiative approved by California voters in 2014.
If you recall, Prop. 47 changed the penalties for a number of criminal offenses from potential felonies to misdemeanors.
“When Prop. 47 passed in 2014, voters were told that this so-called “Safe Neighborhoods and Schools Act” would provide needed criminal justice reforms. In reality, it has been a disaster for public safety, taking away the tools we need to rehabilitate drug offenders and opening the door for rampant retail theft,” according to a statement from Kiley’s office.
Gathering on the west steps of the Capitol at 8:30 a.m. on Tuesday will be the bill’s authors and several other Republican lawmakers, as well as representatives from Crime Victims United, the California Peace Officers Association, the California District Attorneys Association, the California State Sheriffs Association and others.
After the rally, AB 1599 is expected to be heard sometime after 9 a.m. by the Assembly Public Safety Committee.
“The Legislature has the opportunity to correct this failed experiment and put the safety of our communities first,” the statement from Kiley’s office said.
LAWMAKERS CALL ON NEWSOM TO SUPPORT LOCAL OIL DEVELOPMENT
Republican and Democratic lawmakers have written a letter to California Gov. Gavin Newsom, urging him to support “a stable and affordable energy supply by adopting polices to allow Californians to take advantage of the abundant inland natural resources available in our state that will help ensure we are not dependent on foreign energy sources.”
The letter comes as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine threatens to drive already sky-high California gas prices even higher.
“Rising global energy costs are already having a direct impact at the pump, with gas prices hitting a recent high of $7.59 per gallon. Currently, the average price for a gallon of gas is $5.28, and last year, it was $3.76,” the letter reads in part.
The letter notes that California imports 75% of its crude oil supplies, with 6% of the state’s oil coming from Russia.
“That translates to 18,347,000 barrels of oil that were shipped to us in 2021. The state’s reliance on foreign oil has only grown because of state and federal policies that have severely limited the production of affordable energy within California. With the conflict in Ukraine, there is going to be increased demand on volatile energy supplies – making California more vulnerable to price swings,” the letter reads.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“Today marks six years serving as Speaker of the Assembly. I am humbled and honored by the ongoing support of my incredible colleagues. We’ve made so much progress together, and I could not be prouder of what we have accomplished. The fight is not over. Let’s get to work.”
- Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon, D-Lakewood, via Twitter.
Best of the Bee:
How can you help people in Ukraine from California? A Ukrainian lawmaker has some ideas, via Gillian Brassil.
The Biden administration proposed limits on new buses and large trucks to curb some of their greenhouse gas emissions by up to 90% in the next decade on Monday, via Gillian Brassil and Francesca Chambers.
A CalPERS IT specialist who was also a top state union official was unsuccessful in his attempt to restore his pay after CalPERS determined he submitted fraudulent time sheets, via Wes Venteicher.