Western Political Review November 2006

Carson City, NV -- Nevada was once a kind and chivalrous place, where even state senators from different political parties would hold doors open for one another or wave each other ahead in traffic.

Not anymore. The Republicans in the majority in the Nevada Senate plan to restructure some state Senate committees to ensure Republicans retain majorities on every panel, Majority Leader Bill Raggio, R-Reno, said Friday.

That's necessary because the Republicans lost a state Senate seat in the recent election, leaving them with the slimmest possible edge, 11 of them to 10 Democrats.

Phoenix, AZ -- Democrats in Arizona's Legislature benefited from their party's national momentum and the popularity of incumbent Gov. Janet Napolitano, gaining more ground in the state House and Senate than they had in any election since 1990.

With the final votes tallied, Democrats picked up six seats in the 60-member House and one seat in the Senate, narrowing the GOP majorities to 33-27 and 17-13, respectively.

The gains dashed Republicans' hopes from a year ago of winning the two-thirds majority they needed in both Houses to overturn Napolitano's frequent vetoes. And the results have given Democrats hope that they can team with moderate Republicans to make their own imprint on state laws.

The gains in the House give the Democrats more representation than they have had since the 1991-92 session.

Juneau, AK -- Lame-duck Gov. Frank Murkowski praised a measure setting an advisory vote on same-sex benefits for public employees but didn't say where the issue was headed next.

Gov.-elect Sarah Palin issued a press release thanking Murkowski for leaving the issue to her administration, even though Murkowski didn't say he would do that.

Nor did Palin make clear what her administration would do.

A delay would give her administration "the opportunity to get a team in place to review our options," she said.

The Alaska Legislature met in special session recently after the state Supreme Court ordered the state to provide benefits for same-sex partners of state and local government employees and retirees. The Legislature passed two bills and one resolution on the topic.

Denver, Colorado, November 16, 2006 -- Gov. Bill Owens presented his final budget proposal Tuesday, calling it a solid framework on which Democrat Gov.-elect Bill Ritter can build.

Owens' plan reflects a boost in general revenue spending of roughly $433.5 million in 2007-08, thanks to Referendum C and a steady upswing in the economy.

Owens presented his 2007-08 budget proposal to the Joint Budget Committee.

The Republican governor's spending plan calls for a significant chunk of new money to go to K-12 education, higher education, capital construction, cyber security efforts, health care and prisons.

Colorado Springs, Colorado, November 16, 2006 -- A Colorado Springs man has sued his former employer, claiming the company discriminated against him because he is white.

Steven Pagel alleges in a federal lawsuit that Aspen Diversified Industries, an affiliate of the Pikes Peak Behavioral Health Group, had a practice of removing whites from managerial positions and replacing them with Hispanics.

His suit, which also alleges the company permitted derogatory comments about whites, does not specify who Pagel felt was responsible for the alleged practices. Former Fountain Mayor Ken Barela, who is Hispanic, headed the company during Pagel’s time there.

Bozeman, Montana, November 16, 2006 -- Sen. Joe Balyeat, R-Bozeman, was cited by state wildlife officials for hunting on private land without permission after he killed an elk on media mogul Ted Turner's Flying D Ranch.

Balyeat said Wednesday that he accidentally wandered onto a part of Turner's ranch near Gallatin Canyon while hunting earlier this month and shot an elk there. There were no signs or fences, he said.

Ranch hunting guides told him it was private land after he and his sons had hiked out the meat over two days.

‘‘I was absolutely convinced it was public land,'' Balyeat said.

"It was an honest mistake. My confusion was caused by inconsistency in the way the signs were posted along one border," he told the Chronicle. "There were no signs or any indications that I had crossed onto private land. I never would have gone there, much less shot an elk there, had there been signs."

The Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks said it gave Balyeat a $135 ticket for hunting without the landowner's permission after getting a complaint from Turner's ranch security office.

Helena, Montana, November 16, 2006 -- Gov. Brian Schweitzer outlined his budget Wednesday, stressing big spending on education, property-tax cuts and putting many millions into a new state savings account.

The governor's plan, required by law to be released the Nov. 15 before each legislative session, includes increased spending of $775 million. About $375 million of that is for one-time-only projects, meaning that money wouldn't be figured into future state budgets.

Schweitzer also proposed a spending cap of $1.8 billion per year, with any money coming in on top of that going into what he envisions as the Big Sky savings account. Schweitzer said the savings account would be a way for the state to put money aside in good times to be spent when state coffers aren't so flush.

Carson City, Nevada, November 16, 2006 -- Incoming Assembly Speaker Barbara Buckley, D-Las Vegas, on Wednesday announced Assembly leadership assignments and the Democratic members of Assembly Committees for the 2007 legislative session.

Bernie Anderson, D-Sparks, will be speaker pro tempore; John Oceguera, D-Las Vegas, Assembly majority leader; and Marcus Conklin, D-Las Vegas, assistant majority leader.

Sheila Leslie, D-Reno, will be majority whip, and Debbie Smith, D-Sparks, and William Horne, D-Las Vegas, will serve as assistant whips.

Buckley said that the growth and infrastructure committee from last session will be eliminated and the taxation committee reinstated. She is also forming a select committee on corrections, parole and probation, to be chaired by Assemblyman David Parks, D-Las Vegas. This new committee will examine the Nevada corrections system from both a policy and funding perspective.

Other assignments are Oceguera as chairman of commerce and labor; Bonnie Parnell, D-Carson City, as chairwoman of education; Ellen Koivisto, D-Las Vegas, as chairwoman of elections, procedures and ethics; and Harry Mortenson, D-Las Vegas, as chairman of constitutional amendments.

Marilyn Kirkpatrick, D-North Las Vegas, will serve as chairwoman of government affairs; Leslie will serve as chairwoman of health and human services; Anderson will serve as chairman of judiciary; Jerry Claborn, D-Las Vegas, will be chairman of natural resources, agriculture and mining; Kathy McClain will serve as chairwoman of taxation; Kelvin Atkinson, D-North Las Vegas, will serve as chairman of transportation; and Assemblyman Morse Arberry, D-Las Vegas, will serve as chairman of Ways and Means.

Helena, Montana, November 10, 2006 -- Just days after Tuesday's elections appeared to give Republicans key gains at the Montana Legislature, circumstances have surfaced that could erase those gains.

In the House, where initial election results showed Republicans winning a 50-49 edge, the margin in one key race shrunk Wednesday to the point where a recount will determine the final outcome.

If the recount reverses a victory in House District 58 by Republican Krayton Kerns of Laurel over Democratic Rep. Emelie Eaton, Democrats would seize control by the same 50-49 edge.

And in the Senate, where Republicans picked up two seats to forge a 25-25 tie, Republican Sen. Sam Kitzenberg of Glasgow said Thursday he's considering switching parties or declaring himself an Independent, thus giving Democrats majority control.

Kitzenberg, a moderate Republican who often votes with Democrats, said he thinks Democratic Gov. Brian Schweitzer is doing “a great job” and needs to have Democrats in control of at least one house of the Legislature.

Kitzenberg said he'd wait to see what happens in the HD58 recount before deciding what to do.

Austin, TX, November 6, 2006 – He said it, really. Governor Rick Perry told capitol press corps members in Texas yesterday that it was his view that non-Christians would be condemned to hell.

The Dallas Morning News reported his comments in the paper his morning… many Republicans are claiming that this is a smear job by the DMN, however our sources confirm Perry made the comments.

Perry is coasting to re-election, so it looks like bad news for non-believers and evil-doers in Texas in 2007.

Sacramento, CA, November 5, 2006 -- Californian's are lining up to make some mega-decisions regarding state spending.

Using the "bonds-are-different-than-taxes...really" approach, Republicans and business groups are trying to stuff billions of dollars in additional debt into the portfolios of voters.

Reports from both liberal and conservative sources indicate that some of the largess may pass, but others, will get the thumbs down by voters.

At the top of the ticket, Angelides remains a dead-bang loser on Tuesday.

It should be another typical year for Democrats overall however. They'll hold powerful majorities in the Assembly and Senate.

Republicans have a shot at picking up the Lt. Governor's office, holding the Secretary of State's office, and picking up the Controller's office.

Republican pundits suggest Arnold's lopsided win will keep Democrats at home.

Democrat strategists on the other hand say that many initiative campaigns have so much money and in the absence of available TV time millions of dollars are being poured into GOTV efforts.

If the Democrats are right, this could sink the Reps on Tuesday.

Much is being made about the Doolittle and Pombo races. A lot of this is pure spin. We don't' expect either to lose. Their seats are just too safe thanks to the "lets just keep California Republicans in the permanent minority redistricting" deal.

Austin, TX, November 5, 2006 -- Rick Perry is living large these days...well sort of.

The incumbent governor is likely to skate to re-election thanks to a packed field of disgruntled Republicans, lame Democrats and wacky independents.

Perry will likely win with less that 40% of the popular vote this week.

That pretty much sums up voter sentiment with regards to the governor who signed the biggest tax increase in the history of Texas.

The bill, sent to him courtesy of the Republican dominated Texas Legislature.

And Republicans wonder why their voters aren't getting excited about the election this year.

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