[courtesy of The California Majority Report]

As four more pro-democracy activists are jailed in Burma, the San Francisco Chronicle reports on the hand-wringing in D.C. over ending tax breaks for U.S. companies that do business with the country's repressive military junta.
 
The L.A. Times is following the fight to guarantee sick leave to California workers. AB 2716 (Ma) has cleared the Assembly and the Senate is expected to send it to Governor Schwarzenegger sometimes this summer. Schwarzenegger has yet to signal whether he will sign the bill.
 
The Liberal OC has a tongue-in-cheek preview of what a constitutional amendment to "protect marriage" might look like. Among the eight co-sponsors of the real federal amendment are Republican Senators David Vitter and Larry Craig, who are currently engaged in a tie for biggest sex scandal of the 21st century.

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[courtesy of The California Majority Report]

Legislation by Assembly Speaker Karen Bass (D-Los Angeles) and Senate President pro Tem Don Perata (D-Oakland) providing immediate relief to homeowners caught in the mortgage crisis is on its way to the Governor’s desk. As we learn in this Assembly Web Report, SB 1137 would require lenders to contact property owners to attempt to avoid foreclosure, provide tenants additional time to move from a foreclosed property and mandate maintenance of foreclosed properties to diminish the impact on the value of neighboring homes. The legislation is an urgency measure, meaning it will become law once the Governor signs it.

[courtesy of The California Majority Report]

The McCain campaign has displaced it's top campaign strategist with an associate of Karl Rove in what is being called "an expression of our understanding of the need to scale up for a general election campaign against Barack Obama," by campaign spokesperson Jill Hazelbaker. Steve Schmidt, also a former Schwarzenegger strategist, will now direct the campaigns "communications, scheduling and basic political strategy" according to the New York Times.

Meanwhile, McCain faces some hard hitting questions from ace reporters Piper and Spencer Macke, ages 5 and 6, respectively.

David Dayen at Calitics is looking closely at density trends in California. Our state is following the national trend of increasing migration towards urban centers. AB 1252 (D-Caballero), recently signed by the governor, is directing state infrastructure funds towards developing urban plans to meet the growing urban transit and housing needs the shift demands.

[courtesy of The California Majority Report]

Tom McClintock, the career politician who’s run for seemingly every office in the state at one point or another, has long claimed to be a champion for conservatives who "want their Constitution back". McClintock, now running for a congressional seat more than 400 miles away from the state Senate district he currently represents, has been described as a "righteous defender of the Constitution."

That’s why it’s particularly interesting (not to mention hypocritical) that McClintock financed his primary campaign through the campaign finance law known as the "Millionaire’s Amendment" that the Supreme Court last week ruled is unconstitutional.

[courtesy of The California Majority Report]

Thousands of pre-paid phone cards are bought every year but there are no regulations to insure the consumer gets what they paid for. California State Assemblymember Hector de la Torre (D-South Gate) is pushing legislation through the state capitol to make sure consumers don’t get ripped off by unscrupulous phone card sellers. Assembly Bill 2885 would regulate the phone card companies the same way land line and cell phone companies are regulated. Here’s more in this Assembly Web Report.

[courtesy of The California Majority Report]

John McCainis facing difficulties garnering support, reports the LA Times. Only45% of McCain backers are "very" or "somewhat" enthusiastic about theman, compared to 81% of Obama supporters for the Democratic nominee.And individuals who had contributed to President Bush's re-electioncampaign are balking at funding McCain's campaign.

The state Legislature has given approval to a billthat would increase the chance that children who are suspected victimsof abuse at home will be present at court. The bill, pushed byAssemblyman Dave Jones (D-Sacramento), passed the Assembly 76-0.

Barack Obama has spoken out in opposition to the ballot measurethat would ban same-sex marriages in California. Obama said that hesupports extending "fully equal rights and benefits to same-sex couplesunder both state and federal law."

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[courtesy of The California Majority Report]

The California Commission on the Fair Administration of Justice has released a report finding that California's death penalty system is "dysfunctional,"reports the LA Times. Delays from sentencing to execution are twice thenational average. The commission noted that the state could save $100million a year if the death penalty was replaced with a life sentencewithout the possibility of parole.

Tom Brokaw had some harsh wordsfor Governor Schwarzenegger on Sunday. The host of "Meet the Press"told the governor, "If you were the CEO of a public company, the boardwould probably say, 'It is time to go.'" Ouch.

While Californian legislators will be spending their summers putting together a budget,it's worth noting that other legislatures have already gone home --with traditional farewells. For example, "In Missouri and Georgia,legislators fling the piles of paperwork on their desks into the air."

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