[courtesy of California Progress Report]

By Robert Cruickshank
California High Speed Rail Blog

The California Chronicle has two short articles about the State Senate's approach to high speed rail, focusing on Democrat Leland Yee of San Francisco and Republican Roy Ashburn, whose district sprawls across eastern California but is based in Bakersfield. The articles help explain the politics surrounding HSR in our state capital, and may give us a preview of what we can expect to unfold Monday morning at 10 at the Senate Appropriations Committee hearing on AB 3034.

The Yee article focuses on his work to restore the "spine" of the HSR corridor, from SF to LA and Anaheim, which as you all know was threatened by AB 3034's provision for building smaller, potentially disconnected HSR corridors instead. The article quotes my comments from Tuesday in support of Yee's position, and includes this portion from a Yee press release:

[courtesy of California Progress Report]

By Robert Cruickshank
California High Speed Rail Blog

The Senate Transportation Committee yesterday approved AB 3034 by an 8-4 vote. But as Erik Nelson at the Contra Costa Times reports it included some great amendments, including Sen. Leland Yee's plan to restore the primacy of LA-SF:

“The committee, at the urging of Sen. Leland Yee, D-San Francisco, restored language that restricted use of the $9.95 billion in bond proceeds to the "spine" of the 800-mile system, which is now slated to run from Anaheim to Los Angeles to San Jose and San Francisco through the Antelope and San Joaquin valleys.”

by Robert in Monterey [courtesy of Calitics - Front Page]

by Brian Leubitz [courtesy of Calitics - Front Page]

Over the flip, I'll be posting some legislator's remarks on the marriage decision.  I'll only get a few now, so any editors should feel free to add some or throw them in the comments.

[courtesy of California Progress Report]

By Leland Yee, Ph.D.
Assistant President pro Tem
California State Senate

Recently newspapers, broadcasters, online media outlets, schools, libraries, and civic groups across the country celebrated open government with Sunshine Week 2008. Here in California, I am working with First Amendment and public access advocates, teachers, students, and labor unions on a series of bills to provide greater transparency of government and increase public access to records that rightfully belong to the people. These bills range from protecting state whistleblowers and student speech rights to allowing public access of government contracts and reviewing of audits.

Protecting Journalism Teachers and Student Speech

[courtesy of California Progress Report]

By Leland Yee, Ph.D.
Assistant President pro Tem
California State Senate

Earlier this month, the Los Angeles Times uncovered a smoldering controversy regarding tobacco industry funded research at the University of California (UC). It is puzzling how, in good conscience, the UC can accept such money from a company with an extensive and documented history of marketing their addictive product to teens.

In fact, in August 2006, a federal court condemned the tobacco industry’s grant research programs as self-serving investments designed to mislead the public and distort public policy. In addition, the US President’s Cancer Panel recommends that recipients of National Cancer Institute grants be prohibited from accepting money from the tobacco industry. Furthermore, prestigious institutions across the world have declared that taking money from the tobacco industry for research is against the mission and purpose of their university.

In spite of this overwhelming condemnation of tobacco industry dollars supporting research, in September the UC Board of Regents ignored the findings of legal and academic experts and voted to continue to do business with the tobacco industry through research grant funding.

[courtesy of California Progress Report]

By Leland Yee, Ph.D.
Assistant President pro Tem
California State Senate

As someone who was proud to support John and Elizabeth Edwards and their fight to bring about one America, I am equally proud that we have another outstanding candidate in Barack Obama who can bring about the change that is necessary in our country.

Senator Obama is the only candidate who has the credentials, integrity, commitment, and the ability to inspire that our country needs. As Senator Ted Kennedy said last week, "With Barack Obama, we will turn the page on the old politics of misrepresentation and distortion. With Barack Obama we will close the book on the old politics of race against race, gender against gender, ethnic group against ethnic group, and straight against gay."

Whether it be the misguided war in Iraq, America’s ruined reputation in the world, the dropped ball in Afghanistan, the ignored genocide in Darfur, the botched response to Katrina, or the millions of Americans who are hungry, jobless or in need of healthcare, the Bush Administration has failed this country. Now, more than ever, we need the leadership of Barack Obama and his ability to unite all Americans.