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 Lorri Galloway running for O.C. supervisorJuly 2nd, 2009, 4:45 pm by Jennifer Muir
Galloway told Cunningham that she plans to be the only Democrat on the ticket, and warned former Anaheim Mayor and current Clerk-Recorder Tom Daly, also a Democrat, against running against her. “If I were him, I wouldn’t, and I’m going to do everything I can to get his endorsements,” she told Cunningham. Unemployment rate overshadows green energy jobsJuly 2nd, 2009, 3:14 pm by Jessica TerrellA staged photo-op at the White House this afternoon to tout successful green energy companies took a somber turn in the face of the June unemployment numbers released today. The unemployment rate hit a 26-year high after 467,000 jobs were lost in June. Joined by a group of CEOs – including two from California companies Hara and Applied Materials – President Barack Obama tried to strike an upbeat tone by highlighting green energy as a pillar for future economic growth. “I’m pleased to say that we’ve achieved more in the last few months to create a new clean energy economy than we had achieved in many decades before,” he said. Investment in energy and green collar jobs is supposed to play an important role in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Orange County was recently awarded an infusion of cash for green job training. The county is going to receive $937,890 in Recovery Act funds for the Green Corps, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger announced earlier this week. Don’t expect any state budget news until MondayJuly 2nd, 2009, 1:36 pm by BRIAN JOSEPH, Sacramento CorrespondentAction on the budget appears like it’ll wait until Monday. Orange County State Sen. Lou Correa, D-Santa Ana, headed back home at noon today, along with many of his colleagues. Senate Leader Darrell Steinberg, D-Sacramento, told reporters this morning that most senators are headed back to their districts for the July 4th Weekend, however, Steinberg and his top lieutenants will remain in Sacramento to continue negotiations on the budget. On the Assembly side, Orange County Assemblyman Jose Solorio, D-Santa Ana, is one of the few who will be sticking around Sacramento to help on budget talks. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s office said the governor will be in Sacramento if his presence is needed. For an outsider, taking the weekend off may look lazy, especially with the state starting to issue IOUs today. But keep in mind that lawmakers and their staffs (and reporters!) have been working virtually round the clock on this stuff since Wednesday of last week. There are a lot of frayed nerves and tired people in Sacramento today. Pham makes congressional bid official, faces Van TranJuly 2nd, 2009, 11:10 am by Martin Wisckol, Politics reporterAssemblyman Van Tran, R-Westminster, was recruited by the National Republican Congressional Committee to challenge Rep. Loretta Sanchez, D-Garden Grove, in 2010 - but he won’t have a clear path to the GOP nomination. Quang X. Pham is finalizing his Federal Elections Commission paperwork today to make his underdog congressional bid official, moving it from the exploratory phase. I’ve previously mentioned his possible run here and posted this item indicating that Tran’s stature in Little Saigon may have some fissures in it. Pham, a former Marine pilot and now owner of a pharmaceutical marketing business, has changed from a lifelong independent voter to a Republican for the race. “Most of my supporters and most of my policies - personal liberty, less government, lower taxes, Second Amendment - are Republican,” he said. And while he’s been well received by the GOP as a new Republican, his candidacy has not been eagerly greeted by party officials. OC Superior Court imposes layoffs, asks for buyoutsJuly 1st, 2009, 4:57 pm by Rachanee SrisavasdiOrange County Superior Court has laid off some employees, and plans to lay off more to cope with the state’s budget crisis. Read more about it on the Crime Scene blog here. Gay Tustin officer renews fight against ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’July 1st, 2009, 2:25 pm by Martin Wisckol, Politics reporterNational Guard Lt. Dan Choi of Tustin just issued a statement in which he acknowledged yesterday’s military panel recommendation that he be discharged for being openly gay - and that the decision makes it likely he’ll be fired. (Click here for the story on the panel’s decision and public reaction.) “I’m not going to hide my love,” he writes. Recalling the Cadet Prayer he recited while at West Point, Choi said he learned to “choose the harder right over the easier wrong and to never be content with a half truth when the whole can be won.” “That’s why I can’t give up now,” he writes. “I’ve got to keep on fighting…. The only way we can win this fight for truth is if the political cost of discrimination eventually becomes too great for the system to operate successfully.” To that end, he is gathering signatures on a petition he plans to deliver to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on July Fourth. If you don’t already see it below, click on the prompt to read Choi’s statement including links to the petition. Arnold: state deficit balloons to $26.3 billionJuly 1st, 2009, 1:36 pm by BRIAN JOSEPH, Sacramento CorrespondentGov. Arnold Schwarzenegger had some bad news and harsh words for the State Legislature this morning after lawmakers blew past the June 30 deadline for fixing California’s budget deficit. The bad news: thanks to the Legislature’s inability to capture some education cuts by yesterday, the end of the 2008-09 fiscal year, the deficit has been raised by $2 billion. The state now faces a $26.3 billion deficit with State Controller John Chiang poised to begin issuing IOUs tomorrow. Schwarzenegger squarely blamed this “sad story” on the Legislature, saying lawmakers refused to act quickly and then pandered to special interests when they did. “The Legislature’s failure to act … sent a message to California voters and to the taxpayers that ‘We want you to make the sacrifices, but we in Sacramento don’t want to make any sacrifices whatsoever,’ ” the governor said. California wins protracted emissions battleJuly 1st, 2009, 12:04 pm by Jessica TerrellCalifornia was granted a federal waiver Tuesday that will allow the state to enact strict environmental standards for automobiles, including a 20 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from new cars by 2012. The decision comes at the end of a protracted fight between California, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Bush administration and automobile manufacturers about whether a state could require stricter emission standards than those required by federal law. By the time California won the waiver, President Obama had announced his intention to pursue a federal law governing greenhouse gas emissions from tailpipes. “California’s waiver will bridge the gap between now and then,” said Lisa Page, a spokeswoman for Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. “What it means for consumers is spurring our green economy and more fuel efficient cars.” Read the rest of this entry » Legislature fails to pass stop gap to delay IOUsJuly 1st, 2009, 12:31 am by BRIAN JOSEPH, Sacramento CorrespondentThe State Senate met up until the midnight deadline to pass the three-bill package that would have delayed the state issuing IOUs starting Thursday, but Senate Republicans withheld their support to kill the proposal. As a result, about $3 billion in education cuts are lost. The Senate and the Assembly are scheduled to meet again Wednesday morning. Senate Leader Darrell Steinberg, D-Sacramento, noted after the Senate’s unsuccessful session that State Controller John Chiang said he wouldn’t begin issuing IOUs until Thursday. Steinberg says he thinks that gives the Senate one more day to try. Military board calls for discharge of gay Tustin officerJune 30th, 2009, 4:16 pm by Martin Wisckol, Politics reporterUPDATED with fresh comments from Choi.  In a news conference in Syracuse, N.Y. on Tuesday, June 30, 2009, Lt. Dan Choi, who has publicly announced he's gay, vows to fight a military administrative board's recommendation that he be discharged from the the New York National Guard for violating the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy. - AP Photo Lt. Dan Choi of Tustin should be discharged from the National Guard because he violated the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy for gays, a military panel in New York decided this afternoon. Such recommendations are typically approved by military brass. Choi, an Arabic linguist who served in Iraq, made an announcement on national television in March that he was gay, and co-founded a West Point alumni group called Knights Out to support gays and lesbians in the armed forces. Choi, a combat veteran, told the Associated Press that the recommendation amounted to firing him “for nothing more than telling the truth about who I am. “I’m a leader. A setback is an opportunity to keep fighting, and I’m going to do that through my actions,” Choi said. ADVERTISEMENT
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Anaheim City Councilwoman Lorri Galloway announced her plans to run for Fourth District supervisor today during 
