After the tree repair project was done, our group was invited to join the students, teachers, and parents of Sunset School for their end-of-the-year barbecue and potluck. The highlight of the picnic was watching friend Enoch, 6"4" and always high on life, hula hoop and cartwheel across the playground with first-grade girls a fourth his size. Their smiles were a mile wide.

Saturday's fun didn't end with Enoch's acrobatic showcase. That night, San Francisco classic rock station KFOG threw its annual "Kaboom" fireworks party on Piers 30 and 32. As with the New Year's Eve celebration, the real party, however, was here on Treasure Island.

With the largest crowd I've seen gathered here to date (rivaled only by the March wedding that featured a surprise appearance by Elton John), we enjoyed an amazing view of waterfalls of light pouring across the Bay Bridge, coupled with The City as a backdrop for the show -- not a bad combo.

What a day.

-Gabe

*************************** ADVERTISEMENT *************************** YOUR AD HERE! Want to send a message to 1,800+ individuals each week? Place your ad here! This newsletter is not spam, so everyone who receives it has asked for it. For rates and other information on advertising, drop a message to ads@capenq.com. *********************************************************************

The governor's proposal is unique in the United States. It gives credence to his oft-stated premise that education is his top priority, and it provides a bold political statement on behalf of one of his most important supporters, the California Teachers Association. It also gives Davis national exposure -- stories on his proposal ran Sunday in the New York Times and the Washington Post -- and it belies the popular conception of Davis as a timid, hesitant politician.

Under Davis' plan, credentialed public school teachers in California -- there are about 280,000 of them -- would be exempt from the state's personal income tax for all income earned as teachers. Moonlighting income would not be covered.

For a beginning teacher, this would amount to a tax break of roughly $500; a veteran teacher averaging $48,000 to $50,000 might see a tax benefit of about $1,300. Credentialed public school district personnel such as counselors and librarians also would be covered; private school teachers, even if credentialed, would not.

Not surprisingly, his plan received support from teacher groups and educators, who said it would help teachers financially as well as provide incentives for new people to enter the profession.

But Republicans in the Legislature were critical, and even Assembly Speaker Robert Hertzberg, a member of Davis' own party, was cautious. Leaders of both parties questioned whether it was wise to give significant tax breaks to one profession. What about nurses, day-care operators, police officers, firefighters and others who perform vital public services? Why shouldn't they have tax breaks?

The Legislature is controlled by Democrats in both houses, but they lack the necessary two-thirds vote majorities required to approve the state budget. That means the Democratic governor is going to have to persuade Republicans to vote for his plan, and right now the outlook for that support is uncertain at best.

Moreover, members of both parties are looking for tax breaks for the public at large, hoping to derive political benefit from the state's booming economy. In the end, this may wind up being the political tradeoff Davis will have to make: support a wide array of tax breaks in order to win approval for the major tax break he wants for teachers.

The governor unveiled his proposal as part of the carefully orchestrated series of leaks the administration has been conducting as a prelude to his revised budget for the 2000-2001 fiscal year. That document is scheduled to be unveiled this week, and it is the cornerstone of the budget that will guide California for the new fiscal year that begins July 1.

If Davis really wants his tax-exemption plan for teachers, he is going to have to fight for it. He is going to have to convince skeptical lawmakers of both parties that it is worthwhile and feasible, and that will be no easy task.

But Davis knows that however this political battle ends, he has already carved out a position for himself on the national stage as an educational reformer. And as a politician who undoubtedly has aspirations beyond the California governorship, that could prove valuable indeed.

--Jennifer Warren in the Los Angeles Times, who reported: "Are you a senior citizen? Congratulations! Gov. Gray Davis has declared May Older Californians Month. Did you fight in a war? Give yourself a hand! May is Veterans Appreciation Month as well. If you're a trilingual marathoner, you're really in luck. May is also Physical Fitness and Sports Month, World Languages and Culture Month. In most things, Davis has proved himself a most cautious man. When it comes to proclamations, however, he's like a teen with a new hot rod: pedal to the metal." May 14.
http://www.latimes.com/news/state/20000514/t000045625.html

--Dan Smith and Patrick Hoge in the Sacramento Bee, who reported that "State lawmakers on Friday moved to subpoena current and former Department of Insurance officials in their broadening investigation of Insurance Commissioner Chuck Quackenbush amid new reports that he benefited personally and politically from settlements with insurance companies. Newly disclosed records show that Quackenbush avoided legislative oversight by ordering insurance companies to make direct payments for advertising airtime to at least one member of his political team as early as 1997. He also required one company to send letters to policyholders, mailings that prominently featured his name." May 13.
http://www.capitolalert.com/news/capalert01_20000513.html

--Curtis Esquibel in the Contra Costsa Times, who reported that "Gov. Gray Davis has told a Santa Rosa-based Indian tribe he will not sign an agreement allowing the tribe to obtain ownership rights of Casino San Pablo -- at least for now. Therefore, the casino's sale to the Lytton Band of Pomo Indians is still up in the air and rests largely in the hands of the federal government. In a March letter answering a request from the tribe to reach a gambling agreement, or compact, the governor's office wrote that the state won't approve a compact because the tribe doesn't own land. The stance is moot to the Indians, who have been landless since the 1960s and are trying to acquire 50 acres in Sonoma County in addition to the casino property." May 13.
http://www.contracostatimes.com/news/stories_news/casinos_20000513.htm

--Cheryll Devall in the San Jose Mercury News, who reported: "Saying federal agencies must learn from this week's catastrophic fire, U.S. Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt imposed a 30-day moratorium on controlled burning in federal forest lands in the Western United States. Several federal agencies also will investigate the Cerro Grande fire, blown out of control by winds that spread a fire deliberately set to clear underbrush in the Bandelier National Monument. The fire has consumed an estimated 30,000 acres and destroyed 260 dwellings in Los Alamos, home to the nation's premier nuclear research facility. Babbitt defended the federal government's prescribed-burning program, in effect for five years, as 'solidly conceived.'" May 13.
http://www.mercurycenter.com/premium/front/docs/fire12.htm

2000 POCKET DIRECTORY OF THE STATE LEGISLATURE ---------------------------------------------- 27th Edition of "the little red book" is now available! Current contact information on each legislator, including photos, committee assignments, Capitol and district office addresses, phone numbers and staff. Separate listings of all Senate and Assembly standing, select, special research, joint and sub committees, with members, staff, phone and room numbers. Don't be without this indispensable directory!

2000 LEGISLATIVE UPDATES VIA EMAIL ---------------------------------- Receive late-breaking changes to the Pocket Directory monthly throughout the year -- via email. To keep your directory up to date, you will be provided with any "information changes" that occur after the February publishing date. In addition to "changes," the updates will include profiles of new members, alerts to new committees and other legislative news items. Easy way to keep your directory current!

2000 U.S. CONGRESS DIRECTORY ---------------------------- Convenient 4" x 9" spiral-bound directory includes photos, key staff members and committee memberships of the 100 U.S. Senators and 435 U.S. Representatives. Separate listings of Senate and House committee and subcommittee memberships, the President's cabinet with key staff members, the State governors with addresses and phone numbers, and the Supreme Court members with phone numbers.

ORDER NOW THROUGH OUR WEB SITE: http://www.capenq.com/order

or fax the EASY ORDER FORM from our brochure to (916) 442-1260

1999-2000 WHO'S WHO IN THE CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE ------------------------------------------------- 8" x 11" loose-leaf binder of political and personal biographies of all 120 legislators, including each legislator's photo, education, career, campaign issues, legislative interests and accomplishments. Each district information page has exclusively created easy-to-read district and "locator" maps. The Who's Who makes a wonderful legislative yearbook keepsake.

1999-2000 CALIFORNIA STATE AGENCY DIRECTORY ------------------------------------------- Information on the governor's appointments! This handy 4" x 9" directory lists all agency and department-level organizations and most division and branch-level offices. Includes names and titles of state officials, with addresses, phone and fax numbers. Where a vacancy exists, the position is listed without a name. The next more complete edition will be published in the Fall of 2000.

COMING LATER THIS YEAR

Open & Public III ----------------- Open & Public II is no longer available -- it is being updated now and will be available in September 2000. For a current guide to public meetings and the Ralph Brown Act, see The Legal Notebook.

OTHER PUBLICATIONS NOW AVAILABLE

* The Legal Notebook * Navigating the Legislative Process * Conflict of Interest Laws for Local Government Officials * Paper Trails: A Guide to Public Records in California * California Election District Zip Code Directory * Election District Diskette * Mailing Labels on Diskette * Senate, Assembly & Congress District Wall Maps

ORDER NOW THROUGH OUR WEB SITE: http://www.capenq.com/order

or fax the EASY ORDER FORM from our brochure to (916) 442-1260