Changes to bill offer more control

Paul Clinton

The Santa Ana assemblyman proposing a bill that would establish a

wide-reaching nature conservancy to oversee the 96 miles of the Santa

Ana River has agreed to amend his proposal to enhance local control.

Assemblyman Lou Correa (D-Santa Ana), who floated the proposal as

Assembly Bill 496, is also readying his legislation for a Tuesday

hearing in the state Senate.

Correa on Friday submitted 22 changes to the bill, which he

introduced in February.

The bill would establish a wild lands conservancy similar to the

Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy, which can secure bond money to

purchase land to be set aside as open space, pay for habitat

restoration or improve flood control and drainage.

Correa amended his bill after the Board of Supervisors,

Assemblyman John Campbell and others criticized it for ceding too

much control to Sacramento lawmakers. Assemblymen Ken Maddox and Tom

Harman (R-Huntington Beach) have endorsed the bill.

Among Correa’s changes is the creation of a local advisory panel

of experts who would report to the board. Correa also clarified

language that prevents the agency from levying taxes, regulating land

use or using eminent domain to seize land.

Getting independence from Davis

GOP fund-raiser Buck Johns is celebrating the Fourth of July as

“Independence Day from Gray Davis” by hosting a recall event at his

Santa Ana Heights home. Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Vista), who has

indicated he would put his name on the ballot as a replacement

governor, will speak at the event, which begins at 4 p.m.

Issuing a colorful flier, which included sketches from the

Revolutionary War, Johns derided the governor as “King Davis” for his

move, a week ago, removing a 1998 discount on vehicle registration.

The move resulted in a tripling of that cost.

The flier asks: “Taxation Without Representation?” and invited

supporters of the Davis recall to “join us as we kick off

California’s taxpayer revolution.”

A different coming out announcement

In an unconventional move, supervisorial candidate Eddie Rose

released a list of the people he’s not looking for an endorsement

from.

Rose, a former Laguna Niguel councilman, said Wednesday he is

seeking the Fifth District seat on the Board of Supervisors. The

seat, which is now held by County Chairman Tom Wilson, will be open

in 2006. However, Wilson is running for the 73rd District Assembly

seat in 2004 and, if he wins, the seat could need a replacement as

early as January of 2005.

“I am proud to say that the following individuals/groups have NOT

supported my candidacy,” Rose wrote in an e-mail.

The list includes O.J. Simpson, Martha Stewart, Gary Condit,

Yasser Arafat, the Irvine Co., Ozzy Osbourne, Wilson, the Lincoln

Club, Jerry Springer, “Jihad [Rep.] Darrell Issa” and Merrill Lynch.

In 2000, Rose ran for the 48th District congressional seat won by

Issa at the time. He ran as a Democrat.

Public ‘Gallups’ away from governor’s budget strategy

With Gov. Gray Davis electing to implement a series of tax hikes,

instead of broadly cutting spending on programs, a Gallup Poll

released in early June shows that a majority of Americans don’t favor

that approach.

The poll, taken between May 30 and June 1, reported that 79% of

Americans supported “cutting spending,” while only 13% said they

agreed that “raising taxes” is a better answer to budget shortfalls.

When asked specifically about California’s budget crisis, 68% of

people who identified themselves as liberals said they supported

spending cuts. Of conservatives, 89% said spending cuts should be

enacted.