Capitol Alert

Dan says that California Republican Party officials ignored former legislator Jim Brulte's advice years ago, but now they're tapping him to help reverse the party's decline in the Golden State.

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VIDEO: Dan Walters says the California Republican Party ignored former Senate Republican leader Jim Brulte's advice years ago, but given the November election results, its officials are tapping him now.

California Republicans in the Assembly looking to revive their party have a new team on their side.

Assembly Republican leader Connie Conway on Thursday announced a new "Diversity Outreach Team" made up of government staff members. A news release says the group will focus on "helping strengthen Republican ties with women, ethnic communities and young people."

"We know that most Californians share our common-sense ideas, but we need to do a better job communicating that message," Conway said in a statement. "To become the majority party again, we must not only talk to diverse communities but also listen and that's what our Diversity Outreach Team is all about."

Conway spokeswoman Sabrina Demayo Lockhart (whose Twitter account is at this link) will head the team:

• Ivette Barajas, the Spanish-language press secretary for the Assembly Republicans, will oversee outreach to Latinos. (She's on Twitter here.)

• Ronald Ongtoaboc, a member of the Asian Pacific Islander Capitol Association and a communications consultant for the Assembly Republican Caucus Office of Member Support and Outreach, will focus on outreach to Asian Americans.

• Roleeda Statham, the community outreach consultant for that caucus office, will focus on outreach to African Americans.

• Michele Kane, now the caucus office's deputy director for news videos, will focus on outreach to women. (Her Twitter account is here.)

• John Bockweg, a UC Davis junior and a student intern with that caucus office, will focus on outreach to young voters.

Today in Sacramento, Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg speak today at services for Mort Friedman, the philanthropist who died Wednesday at age 80. The funeral starts at 11 a.m. in the Friedman-Lichter Sanctuary of Mosaic Law Congregation, 2300 Sierra Blvd. Click here to read more about Friedman's life and his impact on Sacramento culture.

HOLIDAY MUSIC: Today's lineup in the Capitol rotunda includes the Broadway-style group High Voltage at 11 a.m., the Cosumnes River College Chamber Choir at noon, and the Golden State Accordion Club at 1 p.m. Click here for information about this weekend's schedule.

CAKE AND CANDLES: Sen. Jim Beall, D-San Jose, celebrates his 61st birthday today.

For the fourth year in a row, the California State University has received a record number of applications.

During the application period that ended Nov. 30, nearly 295,000 students applied for fall admission to at least one school in the 23-campus system, CSU officials reported today. That was an increase of 10 percent from last year.

Freshmen applications were up to 173,985 from 166,028, while transfer applications grew to 108,726 from 92,806. Officials attribute the increase in transfer applications to limits they put on transfer admissions this year because of an uncertain budget situation before voters decided on tax increases in the November election.

"Every CSU campus received more applications from first time freshmen and transfer applicants than last year," said a statement from the CSU Chancellor's Office.

University of California officials plan to release application data for their system in January.

Education may be the largest single segment of California's budget, but the state proportionately spends less of its money on elementary and high schools and colleges than the national average, according to a new Census Bureau report.

The statistic is gleaned from the bureau's annual report on state government finances, the latest of which covers 2011.

The report tallies California's "general expenditures" last year at just under $225 billion -- spending from both the state's own taxes and other resources as well as $64.5 billion in federal funds. Education is almost $75 billion of that, according to the report -- or exactly one-third, somewhat below the national average of 35.8 percent.

California's level of education spending in 2011 was fractionally lower than in 2010. Other states ranged from a high of 46.6 percent in Georgia to a low of 24.9 percent in Alaska.

Democratic Assemblyman Tom Ammiano said Thursday he will try to rewrite state tax laws that he believes allow businesses to avoid higher taxes when commercial property changes hands.

Proposition 13, the landmark 1978 California tax change, limits annual tax increases on both commercial and residential properties at 2 percent each year after a sale takes place. When property is sold, the new owner typically pays property taxes based on the new market value.

But Ammiano, D-San Francisco, believes businesses are structuring property transactions specifically to avoid triggering reassessment at the sales price. The technique involves ensuring that the new ownership consists of partners, not one of which owns more than a 50 percent stake.

Ammiano is not pursuing a voter amendment that would change Proposition 13 in the state constitution. Instead, he wants to write new laws that prevent businesses from avoiding reassessment in such a manner.

Dan says a new survey shows Californians are more optimistic, but there's still a long way to go.

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VIDEO: Dan Walters says the state has a way to go to achieve its trademark optimism.

Stop the presses: Proposition 13 is still popular, according to a new Public Policy Institute of California poll.

But 58 percent of likely voters surveyed support changing it to allow for what's called a "split roll" property tax in which commercial properties are assessed at their current market value. Two-thirds of Democrats and 58 percent of independents favor such a move, but Republicans are divided on the issue, with 47 percent for it and 48 percent against it.

Mark Baldassare, PPIC's president and its survey director, joins policy associate Jui Shrestha at a luncheon today to discuss the results of the wide-ranging survey, which you can read at this link.

The event runs from noon to 1:30 p.m. at the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacramento, 1017 11th St. Click here for more information and to register in advance. Lunch will be provided at no charge.

Also in Sacramento, state schools chief Tom Torlakson gives welcoming remarks at a UC Berkeley symposium on K-12 schools and sustainable communities. Click here for the agenda of the all-day event, which starts at 10 a.m. at the Tsakopoulos Library Galleria, 828 I St.

Tonight, the group California Women Lead hosts a panel discussion at the University of Southern California's Sacramento Center about women's impact on politics. Panelists include Beth Miller of Miller Public Affairs, Karen Skelton of Skelton Strategies, and Dan Schnur, director of USC's Jesse M. Unruh Institute of Politics. The group's executive director, Rachel Michelin, will moderate. It's too late to register, but you can read more at this link.

CAPITOL STEPS: Members of the group Intactivist protest the practice of infant circumcision. They plan to gather on the west steps of the Capitol at 11 a.m.

HOLIDAY MUSIC: It's that time again. The American River Chorus performs at the Capitol rotunda at 11 a.m., followed by the Davis High School Advanced Treble Choir at noon. Click here for the full schedule.

Gov. Jerry Brown, lawmakers and the state's future all looked brighter to residents after last month's passage of the Proposition 30 tax hike, according to a new poll released tonight by the nonpartisan Public Policy Institute of California.

Brown's approval rating hit 48 percent among all California adults and slightly higher, 49 percent, among likely voters.

Legislators are less popular, the poll found, but the mercury is rising. Thirty-four percent of California adults gave the Legislature a thumbs up, the highest PPIC total since January 2008, when its approval rating was 39 percent.

Forty-four percent of respondents said things in California generally are going in the right direction, the highest tally since June 2007 -- and up 30 points from a low of 14 percent in July 2009.

"Many Californians are feeling positive about the state's outlook now and optimistic about the future," Mark Baldassare, PPIC president, said in a written statement. "But they also are feeling fiscally frugal. They are strongly opposed to raising their state taxes and strongly in favor of spending limits."

Among other findings:

Thanks to passage of Proposition 30 last month, high-income Californians would pay the nation's highest marginal income tax rates -- nearly 52 percent -- if President Barack Obama and Congress fail to make a deal to avoid the so-called "fiscal cliff," according to a new study.

Without a fiscal cliff deal to the contrary, the Bush era tax cuts on high-income taxpayers would expire next year and rates would return to their previous levels.

Gerald Prante, an economics professor at Lynchburg College in Virginia, and Austin John, a Lynchburg economics student, calculated marginal tax rates -- the highest rates on the highest levels of income -- for all 50 states. They combined state, federal and, where applicable, local income taxes, plus payroll taxes for Social Security and Medicare and included the deductibility of some taxes.

Proposition 30 added three percentage points to the marginal state income tax rate for California's highest-income taxpayers, bringing it to 13.3 percent. That action raised California over other high-tax jurisdictions to a marginal rate of 51.9 percent, slightly higher than New York City's level. Hawaii was the only other place with a calculated rate above 50 percent.

Their report was published by the Social Science Research Network.

Termed out of their California legislative posts in two years, Assembly Speaker John A. Pérez and Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg are finding themselves on a collision course for higher office.

Pérez opened a campaign committee last Friday to raise funds for a possible bid for lieutenant governor in 2018, creating the specter of a same-party fight with Steinberg, who opened a similar committee early last year.

Incumbent Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom will be termed out in 2018, creating a vacancy for a position likely to be filled by a Democrat because of the party's dominance in voter registration statewide.

Doug Herman, Pérez's political strategist, said the Los Angeles lawmaker is considering the lieutenant governor post among his "serious options" for continuing public service after leaving the Assembly.

But creation of an exploratory committee does not obligate either Pérez or Steinberg to run for lieutenant governor.

"Six years is a lifetime in politics," Herman said. "I don't expect the two of those guys to run against each other."

Steinberg, a Sacramentan, currently has more than a half-million dollars in his lieutenant governor campaign coffers, while Pérez's newly created committee has not yet reported any donations.

Under California term limits, Steinberg would be ineligible to run for the Legislature after 2014. Pérez is not barred from seeking a state Senate seat and could serve up to eight years there.

Dan says it could take nearly a year for the California Legislature to have a full roster of members.

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VIDEO: In today's video, Dan Walters says the Legislature's seat juggling is already underway.

Now that you've recovered from the hubbub of swearing-in ceremonies and receptions, it's time to kick back and take in a movie or two. Of the political variety, of course.

Two films screening near the Capitol this evening are likely to catch the interest of Alert readers:

California State of Mind: The Legacy of Pat Brown is a documentary about Gov. Jerry Brown's father, the former governor who oversaw creation of landmark fair housing and employment laws, the expansion of California's highway system, the development of the California Aqueduct and the creation of the state's Master Plan for Higher Education. The 7 p.m. screening at the California Museum (1020 O Street) includes a panel discussion with filmmaker Sascha Rice and journalist Phil Bronstein, executive chair of the Center for Investigative Reporting. The group is sponsoring a full-day of workshops and talks related to the film. More details are here.

Knife Fight is a full-length feature film co-written by Democratic strategist Chris Lehane. The political thriller stars Rob Lowe (as a Lehane-ish political consultant), Carrie-Anne Moss, Julie Bowen and Eric McCormack. Bee columnist Dan Morain makes a cameo appearance in the film, which he wrote about in this column last year. Tonight's screening at the Crest Theater is a fundraiser for scholarships handed out by the Sacramento Press Club. A reception begins at 5:30 p.m., with the screening starting at 7 p.m. More information is here.

Both screenings follow the lighting of the Capitol Christmas tree at 5 p.m. on the West Steps. Gov. Jerry Brown is scheduled to light the 50-foot tall white fir tree with 10-year-old Christian Anderson of Costa Mesa. KFBK's Kitty O'Neal will emcee the ceremony, which includes performances by the California Army National Guard's 59th Army Band, Galena Street East, St. Paul's Baptist Church Choir and students from Brown's two charter schools, the Oakland Military Institute and Oakland School for the Arts.

A friend of first lady Anne Gust Brown has been appointed by Brown's husband, Gov. Jerry Brown, to the State Personnel Board.

Lauri Shanahan, 50, held various positions at Gap Inc. from 1992 to 2008, replacing Gust Brown as chief administrative officer at the company in 2005. Shanahan's appointment was announced this afternoon.

Shanahan, of Woodside, is currently a principal at Maroon Peak Advisors, a retail and consumer products consultancy, according to the governor's office. Like the governor, she is a Democrat.

The personnel board settles disputes between employees and the state. The position pays $40,669 a year, and the appointment requires Senate confirmation.

Assemblyman Ben Hueso, D-San Diego, is already readying a run for the Southern California Senate seat set to be vacated by state Sen. and Democratic Rep.-elect Juan Vargas in the coming weeks.

Hueso confirmed his decision to U-T San Diego reporter Michael Gardner Monday -- the same day he was sworn in for a second term in the state Assembly. Vargas, who has yet to announce when he will give up his Senate seat, has already endorsed his candidacy.

Hueso, who just took the oath of office Monday for his second term, said he wants to move up to the Senate because it offers a "bigger base of support" to accomplish key goals. One of those is improving trade between Mexico and the U.S. and easing border crossing gridlock.

"Mexico is our largest trading partner -- larger than China," Hueso said in an interview. "They are big friends of ours."

Once Vargas resigns, Gov. Jerry Brown will call a special election to fill the seat. The primary contest will be held about sixteen weeks from that date. Sen. Gloria Negrete-McLeod, D-Chino, will also step down from the Senate to take a seat in Congress.

Because both senators were last elected to their seats in 2010, the contests will be held using the state's pre-redistricting political maps.

Dan sees "a new era dawning in the Legislature," with some juggling going on.

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VIDEO: Dan Walters pronounces a "new era" for the California Legislature and foresees some juggling among the Democrats.

If you have a Bill Clinton sighting today, rest assured that the former president is indeed in Sacramento making use of his Arkansas twang.

Clinton headlines tonight's installment of the Sacramento Speakers Series at the Community Theater on L Street across from the Capitol. The event starts at 8 p.m. Last time Capitol Alert checked, single tickets were still available.

As for Gov. Jerry Brown's schedule, he heads to Southern California for the Democratic Governors Association's winter meeting being held at the Beverly Wilshire.

Even so, there will be no shortage of official appearances in the capital city. Proposition 39 backer Tom Steyer joins a host of elected officials, environmentalists and labor activists to talk up legislation to implement the energy efficiency part of the ballot measure voters approved in November.

The measure is expected, among other things, to furnish about $500 million a year for five years to retrofit schools and government offices, as the Bee's Kevin Yamamura reported in this story before the election.

The presser, which begins at 11 a.m. at Sacramento's Mark Twain Elementary School, will be crowded. Among those listed to attend are Senate leader Darrell Steinberg, campaign co-chairman Sen. Kevin de León, Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson, state schools chief Tom Torlakson, Sens. Ricardo Lara, Fran Pavley and Curren Price and Assemblywomen Nancy Skinner and Norma Torres.

Health Access, meanwhile, sponsors a post-election symposium on implementing President Barack Obama's health care reform. Listed speakers include Health and Human Services Secretary Diana Dooley, legislators Ed Hernandez, Richard Pan and Holly Mitchell, and representatives of health and budget groups. That event runs from 1 to 5 p.m. at Sacramento's Citizen Hotel.

TWITTER: The Bee's Torey Van Oot has put together a public list of California legislators' Twitter accounts, which you'll find at this link. You can even subscribe. The list now stands at 94 members. If we've overlooked your account, send Torey an email at tvanoot@sacbee.com.

Democrats started the 2013-2014 legislative session today with a supermajority in both houses, but the respective leaders took different approaches to marking the occasion.

In the Senate, members were serenaded by a children's choir singing "What a Wonderful World." Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg cheered when a letter certifying the unofficial election results was read.

The Sacramento Democrat addressed the supermajority power, which could allow Democrats to raise taxes or put measures on the ballot without GOP votes, throughout his address on the floor. He called the results of the election "a validation that the Legislature faced incredible challenges with strength, with decisiveness and we never flinched from the hardest of hard decisions," chronicling the deep cuts that helped the state climb back toward the black from a $42 billion budget deficit.

Some of the California Legislature's newest members are adding more than an elected title to their resume as the 2013-2014 session begins.

New leadership assignments announced by Assembly Speaker John A. Pérez today put five Democratic freshman members of the Assembly in a caucus post, with more than a dozen more controlling a committee gavel as they begin what could be 12 years in the lower house. Returning Democratic Assemblyman Roger Hernández, who has been in the news over allegations of driving under the influence and other bad behavior, will not serve as Democratic whip, a position previously announced.

The Senate has not released its full committee chair lineup for the new session, but Democrats announced that they have retained Sen. Ellen Corbett, D-San Leandro, as majority leader. Newly elected Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson, D-Santa Barbara, was added to the Rules Committee roster, along with Democratic Sen. Kevin de León and Republican Sens. Bill Emmerson and Jean Fuller. Senate Republicans announced that Sen. Ted Gaines, R-Rocklin, will serve as caucus chair.

Pérez , Assembly GOP leader Connie Conway, Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg, and Senate GOP leader Bob Huff will all remain in their leadership posts.

The full list of Assembly leadership assignments is posted after the jump, with new members designated with an asterisk.

Freshman Assemblyman Travis Allen already is in the Capitol's "doghouse," but it's nothing personal, apparently.

Allen simply was unlucky.

"The only thing you could read into who's in the doghouse right now is that as they drew names, he had a lousy draw," Assembly Speaker John A. Pérez said.

Allen, a Huntington Beach Republican, was assigned a shoebox-size, fifth-floor office that is nicknamed the "doghouse" because of its history: Assembly speakers often house members there as punishment for votes or actions taken.

Allen shrugged off the matter shortly after he was sworn into the Legislature on Monday, the first day of a two-year session.

"No vote has been cast yet, so I think it would be kind of difficult to offend anybody," Allen said, smiling.

"It's an honor to serve the people of California -- in any capacity and in any office," added Allen, a certified financial planner who won the 72nd Assembly District seat from Orange County.

Allen's cramped office, Room 5126, is just 391 square feet -- 135 tinier than the next smallest Assembly office and about 300 smaller than the norm.

Pérez said that he worked with Assembly Republican leader Connie Conway in assigning GOP Assembly offices. Conway handled requests from returning members of her caucus first, Perez said.

"Neither she nor I wanted to use that office punitively, so she went through a random process of selection to decide how to house the new Republican members. ... It was literally a drawing of lots," Pérez said.

Sabrina Lockhart, Conway's spokeswoman, confirmed Pérez's account Monday.

The doghouse was assigned last year to the now former Assemblywoman Linda Halderman, an outspoken Fresno Republican who was one of the most conservative members of a predominantly liberal Assembly.

Allen said, essentially, that size doesn't matter. No hard feelings.

"We're in the building, and we all get a vote," he said simply.

PHOTO CREDIT: California Assembly website.

Warning about potential insolvency among workers' compensation insurers, state Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones is supporting an increase in employer-paid premiums -- even though an overhaul of the compensation system for injured and ill workers, passed by the California Legislature this year, promised savings to employers.

Jones' "recommendation" is not binding on insurers, who are free to set their own premiums, but the insurance commissioner's positions are generally followed in the industry. He is, in effect, responding to insurers' complaints in recent years that their costs of providing cash benefits, medical care and rehabilitation to disabled workers have outstripped their revenues.

Jones described his "pure premium" recommendation of $2.56 per $100 of payroll as "a modest 2.8 percent increase" over the current "filed rate" of $2.49.

With workers' compensation insurance premiums running about $12 billion a year, Jones' recommendation, if adopted by insurers, could cost employers more than $300 million a year.

A pair of Democratic state senators announced today plans to introduce legislation aimed at requiring more disclosure of campaign contributions made by nonprofits.

Senate Bills 2 and 3, by Sens. Ted Lieu and Leland Yee, are being crafted in response to an $11 million contribution an Arizona-based nonprofit made to influence two November ballot measure campaigns in the state. The Fair Political Practices Commission's efforts to force the group to reveal the source of the funds, which were used to support Proposition 32 and oppose Proposition 30, led to transactions involving two additional nonprofits that do not have to disclose their donors. Current law requires disclosure only when the donation is given to the nonprofit for the purpose of becoming a campaign contribution.

"Laundering money through nonprofits in an attempt to avoid transparency is fundamentally undemocratic," Yee said in a statement. "Our democracy should not be bought and sold in shady backroom deals."

For freshman Assemblywoman Marie Waldron, things already are falling apart at the Capitol.

Specifically, her office.

The Escondido Republican will report for her first day of legislative duty today to find her office carpet soaked, a ceiling tile collapsed, and water leaking from a fixture housing two fluorescent lights.

Assembly administrator Jon Waldie said the damage is due to the severe storm that ripped through the Sacramento area this weekend. The specific source of the leak affecting Waldron's office has not been found, he said.

Computers from Waldron's fifth-floor office were removed Sunday to prevent possible damage, Waldie said.

Meanwhile, Waldron will be relocated temporarily to the Capitol's first floor.

PHOTO CREDIT: Photo courtesy of the office of Assemblywoman Marie Waldron.

The Supreme Court on Monday kept the political world in suspense, as justices once again made no announcement concerning California's Proposition 8 and challenges to the federal Defense of Marriage Act.

The justices had met in private last Friday, to consider which petitions they would grant for a full hearing next year. High on the stack is the appeal by conservatives of a 9th Circuit Court of Appeals decision striking down Proposition 8. The ballot measure outlawed same-sex marriage, after thousands had already been performed.

Among court-watchers, the case is generally considered less likely to be granted a full hearing than the multiple Defense of Marriage Act cases. But in the court's orders issued promptly at 9:30 a.m. eastern time, the gay marriage cases were noticeably absent.

The court meets in private again on Friday. At least four justices must agree to hear a case before it's taken up for a full hearing.

Dan Walters says the move to make it easier for voters to approve parcel taxes for schools signals a move on Proposition 13.

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VIDEO: Dan Walters says the move to make it easier for voters to approve parcel taxes for schools signals a move on Proposition 13.

The Capitol will be abuzz today as the Legislature convenes its new session, lawmakers take their oaths of office and lobbyists make the rounds to at least 10 different receptions in honor of the members being sworn in.

The Senate begins its ceremony at 11:45 a.m., with Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom presiding in his role as President of the Senate. Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye will administer the oath of office. After the ceremony, Senate President pro Tem Darrell Steinberg will hold a press conference, to be streamed live on CalChannel.com. The lower house begins its ceremony at noon.

Then it's time to hit the bars, restaurants and night clubs that surround the Capitol:

BILLS: But it's not all about glad-handing today. A handful of legislators are also planning to introduce bills. Assemblymen Tom Ammiano and Luis Alejo, along with Sen. Kevin De León, are holding an 11 a.m. presser to announce the reintroduction of the so-called "Trust Act." The bill, which aims to curtail the deportation of undocumented immigrants arrested for minor or non-violent offenses, was vetoed in September by Gov. Jerry Brown. Author Ammiano said in a statement that he "wanted to reintroduce this immediately because these policies have been hurting people every day."

SHE SHARES: The "She Shares" speakers series featuring conversations with Capitol women continues tonight with a talk by Jennifer Siebel Newsom, the film maker who is married to Lt. Gov. Newsom. Siebel Newsom wrote, produced and directed "Miss Representation", a documentary about media portrayals of women. She will be interviewed by Karen Breslau, a former political reporter who now works for the Dewey Square Group. The event starts at 5:30 at the California Museum, 1020 O Street. Ticket info is here.

CAKE AND CANDLES: We send best wishes to Assemblyman Donald P. Wagner, R-Irvine, for an especially festive swearing-in day as he turns 52.

The final vote update from Los Angeles County has given Democrat Steve Fox a slight lead over the presumed Republican victor in the 36th Assembly District, putting the seat in Democrats' column by a margin of just 145 votes.

Fox trailed Republican Ron Smith by about 2,000 votes the day after the Nov. 6 election, according to local reports, but the gap has narrowed in recent weeks as remaining absentee and provisional ballots were counted. The final count by Los Angeles County, which is one of three counties in the district, put Fox ahead with just over 50 percent of the vote.

A win in the 36th Assembly District gives Democrats control of 55 seats in the lower house -- one above the supermajority Assembly Speaker John A. Perez secured with another Election Day upset. Fox is unlikely to be a sure vote for Democrats in the 2013-2014 Legislature, however. The attorney and teacher ran as a Republican in a 2008 Assembly contest and has signed the Americans for Tax Reform pledge against raising taxes.

Smith said Sunday he is planning to seek a recount. He said a stronger than usual Democratic tilt for provisional ballots in his district and other races has left him with the belief that "there is a political group that has learned how to manipulate the election by playing with provisionals," which are ballots that are cast in cases where a voter who has requested an absentee ballot, has moved within a district without updating his or her registration, or is not on the polling place voter roster shows up in person to cast a ballot.

"No one, including myself or any consultant, could have conceived that I was over 3 percentage points ahead after the election...and now the provisionals came in... that it would overturn the (results)," he said. "Mathematically, statistically, that just doesn't happen."

Given his lead, Smith had been preparing to be sworn into the state Legislature along with the other 79 members of the Assembly tomorrow.

"I had most of my staff getting ready to be hired, my picture was up on the wall, I had my office that was assigned to me, and I already had two pieces of legislation that were going to be introduced Monday," he said.

Assembly Democrats, meanwhile, were celebrating plans to add another member to their supermajority during today's swearing in ceremony.

"This is icing on the cake-- a tremendous win and part of the Democratic wave in our state in an area the Republicans took for granted," Steve Maviglio, a strategist and spokesman for Assembly Democrats, said. "We'll be rolling out the welcome mat on Monday."

Editor's note: This post was updated with comments from Smith and Maviglio.

Sen. Lois Wolk, a Davis Democrat, said Friday she will write a constitutional amendment making it easier for voters to pass library taxes and bonds.

Wolk's announcement came a day after Sen. Mark Leno, D-San Francisco, said he will write a measure lowering the vote threshold for school parcel taxes. Democrats won supermajority control of both legislative houses in November's election, enabling them to place constitutional amendments on the ballot without GOP votes.

The latest proposal would lower the threshold for library parcel taxes and bonds from two-thirds down to 55 percent. According to the California Local Government Finance Almanac, all five library parcel taxes failed on the November ballot. But a proposal in Pomona received 60.5 percent, while another in Santa Barbara received 57.6 percent, enough to pass under Wolk's proposal.

Wolk said public libraries are strapped for money at a time when students must rely on them as schools shut their own libraries. She heads the Senate committee responsible for reviewing tax legislation.

"We've seen major reductions in hours and even closings," Wolk said in a statement. "Lowering the voter threshold to 55 percent will give more local communities the ability to keep libraries open and serving their needs."

PHOTO: Librarian Nora Gortze, right, checks in books for Becky Hallett, left, at a Yolo County branch library in 2009. Yolo County libraries reduced operating days due to staff furloughs that year. Paul Kitagaki Jr. / Sacramento Bee

Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg asked Gov. Jerry Brown administration officials Thursday to preserve a children's health care program for now, asking the governor to backtrack on one of his June budget demands.

Legislative Democrats reluctantly agreed to phase out Healthy Families in 2013 to satisfy Brown in budget talks in exchange for softer cuts to other programs that serve low-income Californians. Healthy Families serves more than 860,000 lower middle class children whose families earn too much to qualify for Medi-Cal but struggle to afford health insurance.

Dan Walters says bankruptcy court is the new home for California's pension debate.

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