By a narrow margin, the voters of California elected Kamala Harris to be their Attorney General in 2010. Yesterday, she demonstrated that she has earned those votes.
A proposed $25 billion settlement with America's five largest mortgage servicers over the banks' fradulent foreclosure practices is still not good enough, a spokesman for California Attorney General Kamala Harris said Wednesday...
Shum Preston, a spokesman for Harris, said the latest version of the settlement... "is inadequate for California." ...
In September, Harris walked out of the national talks, citing limits that such a deal might put on California to continue its own investigations into alleged mortgage fraud. Earlier this week, a spokesman for Tom Miller, the Iowa attorney general who is helping to lead the negotiations, said there are now two versions of the settlement -- one with includes California and one which does not.
I assume there will eventually be some sort of settlement, with or without California. But one thing seems clear -- the settlement will be more favorable than it otherwise would have been because of the unrelenting stand California's Attorney General Harris has taken over the long course of these negotiations.
In large numbers, voters in California have elected so-called Democrats to the State Legislature. There are twenty five of these so-called Democrats in the State Senate, to fifteen Republicans.
But yesterday, in contrast with Harris, six DINOS (Democrats In Name Only) failed to vote "Aye" on SB 810, a bill that would put California on the path to single payer health care. The vote was 19-15. Twenty-one votes were needed. Had two of these six DINOs had the courage to escape the bonds of their one-percent health insurance masters, the bill would have passed. (As it is, the bill is not quite dead... yet. It can be brought up for another vote on Tuesday, January 31st, the absolute deadline for SB 810 to make it out of the Senate this year).
What's the solution? Personally, I would like to see the Wisconsin solution.
Every single one of these Senators bloodsucking servants of the one-percent should be recalled and voted out of office.
There is no reason for a California Democrat, or any Democrat, to be voting against the people. But unless it is made clear to them that we will no longer tolerate such behavior, it will continue unabated.
I doubt very much whether the organizations who are promoting California Single Payer have the cajones to do this. But you have to admit, it would be awesome if they did.
Who are these DINOs?
There were the four who abstained:
Senator Alex Padilla (Pacoima/LA area)
Email: Senator.Padilla@sen.ca.gov
Phone: (916) 651-4020
Fax: 916324-6645
Senator Juan Vargas (San Diego area)
Email: Juan.Vargas@sen.ca.gov
Phone: (916) 651-4040
Fax: (916) 327-3522
Senator Michael Rubio (Fresno/Bakersfield area)
Email: Michael.Rubio@sen.ca.gov
Phone: (916) 651-4016
Senator Rod Wright (Los Angeles area)
Email: Senator.Wright@sen.ca.gov
Phone: (916) 651-4025
Fax: (916) 445-3712
Two others had the courage, at least, to stand up and vote their convictions master's interests:
Senator Ron Calderon
Phone: (916) 651-4030
senator.calderon@sen.ca.gov
Senator Lou Correa
Phone: (916) 651-4034
senator.correa@sen.ca.gov
It is worthwile to note that bills very similar to SB 810 have passed the California Legislature in prior sessions. The trick was that the legislators who voted for the bill knew that then Governor Schwarzenegger would veto it. So they got a free pass from their health insurance company overlords.
This time there would be no such assurance (although a Jerry Brown signature is by no means assured), and you can see what has happened.
Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg, D-Sacramento, told reporters after the vote that he didn't feel the bill had a shot at getting approved and signed into law this year.
They know where their future bread is to be buttered, of that you can be sure.
11:31 AM PT:
Dear SB 810 Healthcare Activist,
Please contact State Senators Alex Padilla, Michael Rubio, Juan Vargas, and Rod Wright. Ask them to vote YES on SB 810.
On Thursday, January 26, SB 810, the California Universal Healthcare Act, was voted on. The vote was 19 for and 15 against with 6 senators not voting. We need 21 votes to pass SB 810.
We still have another chance, though. SB 810 is on “Reconsideration†and can be brought up again if the votes change. This will likely happen on Tuesday, January 31, which is our last day to pass it.
In Thursday’s vote all Republicans and Democratic Senators Ron Calderon and Louis Correa voted no. Democratic Senators Padilla, Rubio, Vargas, and Wright did not vote. All other Democrats voted for SB 810.
Between now and Monday we need to convince 2 of the 4 Democrats who did not vote to vote yes.
We normally only ask constituents to call legislators. In this case we want everyone in California to call them. Feel free to call both their local office and their Sacramento office, and to email them.
We encourage you to forward this alert.
Please let us know which senators you have contacted and if they indicated how they would vote.
Senator Alex Padilla (District 20 – Pacoima//LA area) can be contacted by email at Senator.Padilla@sen.ca.gov
In Sacramento at 916-651-4020
Or in Van Nuys at 818-901-5588
Senator Michael Rubio (District 16 – Fresno/Bakersfield area) can be contaccted by email at Michael.Rubio@sen.ca.gov
In Sacramento at 916-651-4016
Or in Bakersfield at 661-395-2620
Senator Juan Vargas (District 40 – San Diego) can be contacted by email at Juan.Vargas@sen.ca.goov
In Sacramento at 916-651-4040
Or in Chula Vista at 619-409-7690
Senator Rod Wright (District 25 – LA area) can be contacted by email at Senator.Wright@sen.ca.gov
In Sacramento at 916-651-4025
Or in Inglewood at 310-412-0393
Keep your message short and to the point. At this point, they are just tallying contacts to see which way the wind is blowing.
A simple message can be:
"I'm disappointed that the Senator did not cast a vote for SB 810 on the Senate Floor. Senator Leno plans to bring it up again on Reconsideration and I ask the Senator to support SB 810 then. It's the solution to the healthcare crisis that saves the state billions, guarantees healthcare for all Californians, and controls costs, while eliminating the denials of care and restrictions of provider choice imposed by private insurance companies."
12:04 PM PT: Roll call for SB 810 yesterday
http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/...
SENATE FLOOR : 19-15, 1/26/12 (FAIL)
AYES: Alquist, Corbett, De León, DeSaulnier, Evans,
Hancock, Hernandez, Kehoe, Leno, Lieu, Liu, Lowenthal,
Negrete McLeod, Pavley, Price, Simitian, Steinberg, Wolk,
Yee
NOES: Anderson, Berryhill, Blakeslee, Calderon, Cannella,
Correa, Dutton, Emmerson, Fuller, Gaines, Harman, Huff,
La Malfa, Strickland, Walters
NO VOTE RECORDED: Padilla, Rubio, Runner, Vargas, Wright,
Wyland