Some pretty embarrassing chatter has come to light in recent days, better illuminating the new relationship between the state of California and the new federal leadership. This month, it was alleged that the Obama administration threatened to withhold nearly $7 billion in federal funding, that otherwise was supposed to go to California as part of the federal stimulus program, to help pay for medical costs attached to Medicaid.

California has once again become a Favored Nation in the eyes of Washington. After eight years in the political doghouse, we have been returned to our national leadership position - at least as far as auto emissions standards are concerned.

Two top state Democratic leaders -- Lt. Gov. JohnGaramendi and state Controller John Chiang -- came down hard on Gov.Arnold Schwarzenegger last week, claiming he was making a low-profile,back-door attempt at doing away with a 40-year-old moratorium on oildrilling in state waters.

Contained in the governor's May revised budget is a plan to launchlegislation that would authorize one oil company to begin drilling offSanta Barbara at an existing oil platform that sits very near theborder between state and federal waters in the oil- andecologically-rich Santa Barbara Channel.

It's all about NIMBY - Not In My Backyard - thinking in California. Cut the budget, except for my sacred cow.

The Sacramento Bee reports that a community group is pushing the City Council to rescind its 35 percent cut in the budget of the Department of Parks and Recreation that would - among other provisions - reduce lawn-mowing from once a week to once every three weeks and close bathrooms except for special events.

There is no clearer statement of the direction of any organization than its budget. Given the opportunity to impact the direction for all of California through this month's budget-related ballot initiatives, the state's voters are likely to say "no thanks" in mass quantities by not showing up at the polls.

Hospitalized in a Washington, D.C.-area medical center since mid-April, a spokesman for U.S. Rep. Pete Stark said late Wednesday that the congressman continues to recover from a bout of severe pneumonia.

A funny thing happened on the way to the budget compromise: numbers may have been just a little fudged.

SANFRANCISCO -- Despite the state's airwaves being plastered by TVcommercials showing firefighters and teachers predicting furthereconomic disaster for California should Props. 1A through 1F fail, amajority of likely voters in a poll say they will vote against atleast five of measures during the upcoming May 19 special election.

Now, just because something is fashionable, that doesn't mean it's right. Unfortunately, many government leaders these days don't seem to grasp that fact. A bill currently in the California Assembly would make it a rule that consumer products would have to be labeled according to the amount of greenhouse gases used to create said product. For an already ailing business community, this is a terrible idea.

California's citizens are again being asked to navigate the bizarre landscape of political discourse in order to make decisions that we pay our legislators to make for us. This time, the political paralysis that is called party loyalty may well force Republicans voters to oppose the spending controls that Democrats agreed to with great reluctance.