The American Recovery and Investment Act of 2009, better known as the stimulus package worth a heaping $787.2 billion, sought in part to put Americans back to work. With $71 billion stipulated for energy and environmental incentives, and another $20 billion for green tax incentives, that funding has the potential to create a better environment, and the jobs--in California and beyond--to work toward it.

And so we take the first step toward one-party rule! In a blistering blast of naivete, State Senator Abel Maldonado has defected to the cause of the budgetary compromise with one condition attached to his move: there must be a proposal for nonpartisan primaries on the ballot.

California officially has a budget-yes! Now that that order of business has been taken care of, let's turn to another pressing local problem: water in the time of drought.

California's fiscal future lookspositively dire. The budget deficit isexpected to soar to more than 40 billion (more than 1,000 per resident) overthe next year. It is the perfect stormof falling tax revenues caused by the popping of the equity and real estatebubbles, and soaring unemployment claims. But the Legislature and the governor are not the only ones to blame;just look at the results of the last election.

Voter ignorance is in large part to blame as well.

In a rare instance, Democrats and Republicans have an issue to unite against: open primaries.

February has been an exciting time for California and the nation. It has also been an unsure one for many California residents, while we waited for a final agreement by state leaders on a 2009-2010 state budget. By Tuesday, February 17, it was expected that the California Senate and Assembly would vote on a final proposed budget on Saturday, February 21, 2009. At the same time, on Tuesday, February 17, President Obama signed into law the $787 billion federal stimulus program, which is supposed to help alleviate the economic hardship in California.

Goodthing all that budget nastiness has abated in Sacramento, because someone's mentioned the"D" word and that's always good for controversy.

So grab acopy of "Chinatown"and pop some corn. We're in for with a drought of water but a flood offinger-pointing.

Waterwars kicked off Friday, when state water officials called for allCalifornians to cut water use 20 percent.

"Of all the gin joints in all the towns, in all the world, she walks into mine."

When Rick utters these fateful worlds in "Casablanca," the audience understands it's more than just mere blind luck, mere fortune. Still, why him, and why then?

Equally confusing is why state and federal leaders would continue down the path more traveled, a path of tax hikes, up and up and up...

From the Mercury News:

Inthe end, Democrats blinked — as much for lack of sleep as the starkrealization that, by further stalling on the state budget, Californiawould blow up before their weary eyes.

Open Voter Registration. At the time they register, all voters shall have the freedom to choose whether or not to disclose their party preference. No voter shall be denied the right to vote for the candidate of his or her choice in either a primary or a general election for statewide constitutional office, the State Legislature, or the Congress of the United States based upon his or her disclosure or nondisclosure of party preference.