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Yesterday, the Sacramento Bee reported that the California Republican Party and its leaders will attend a “lobster-fest” at Lake Tahoe to fund raise early next week.

The Lobster-Fest is no longer posted on the California Republican Party’s “Statewide Calendar of Events” webpage.

Related article at California Majority Report: Republicans Won’t Let a Budget Impasse get in the Way of Golf and Lobsters

A budget vote, only 48 days into the fiscal year — Cancel those Sunday plans: The Assembly and the Senate have tentatively scheduled floor votes on a budget bill that day. It does not mean a deal is imminent. Kevin Yamamura SacBee Capitol Alert John Myers Capitol Notes weblog JUDY LIN AP — 8/14/08

There has been no floor vote on the state budget yet. I do not understand why someone would choose to not use the public process to draw the public’s attention to a public matter of such critical importance as the state budget.

We are in the dark about the budget.

I have my family and friends calling me asking what is going on with the state budget? Have they voted on the budget yet? What’s holding up the budget? Any idea on when it’s going to be passed? I heared X about the budget, is it true? And a whole string of other questions.

There are 120 legislators. Two houses of the legislature: Senate and Assembly. Each house has a majority party and minority party leader. The 4 legislative leaders and the governor normally hammer out the budget and move on. But these folks are not even talking to each other. There has been a total breakdown in communication.

Lack of communication is the reason why we are in the dark.

I just had a conversation with Juan Carmen, Associated Students of UC Merced Director of Student Advocacy about a recent article in the Merced Sun-Star where he is quoted as saying:

Student Juan Carmen, 20, from Los Angeles, said he wasn’t surprised about the fee increase, mainly because of the state’s budget crisis. “I’m just glad it wasn’t like 10 percent or more,” Carmen said. “It’s still an increase, but it’s not like a major one.”

7.4% is a major increase! $490 is 50+ hours of work. Such fee increases places an additional burden on a students who have to pay for their education, housing and other living expenses.

We cannot continue to believe that moderation is the best approach to the issue of student fee increases.

The time has come where we have to be hard line, always. This continued march to raise hundreds of millions of dollars from 200,000 or so students over the past decade must end.

Here in Sacramento, it is hot and sticky. I am spent most of the day in the house, cooking lunch for the upcoming week (Mayra helped a lot), participating in 3 conference calls and coping with the weather. Right now, we are cooking a stuffed bell pepper with ground beef and making macaroni salad.

I like to relax on weekends and Sundays in particular. There is something to be said about calm before the week storm. It is also important to be able to find shelter in the form of meditation, exercising or cooking throughout the stormy week. It helps maintain some degree of sanity.

Over the past few days, I have been trying to figure out how I can explain to people my views on representative government. Specifically, how I think we should increase the size of the California state legislature from 120 to something greater (I am shooting for 360 or 480 for the sake of “ranging” the debate).

The National Conference of State Legislatures has a page about this very issue. The size of the state legislature affects just about everything.

I do not believe we can depend on 40 and 80 people (or 120 total) to effectively represent the diverse geographic, political, economic, social and fiscal interests of a 35+ million person state. What has been rattling my brain the past few days is how to construct and deliver a convincing argument for increasing the size of the legislature.

In about 7 days we are set to experience a “watershed” moment in history. In a conversation with the Lt. Governor, we discuss state and national politics and pondered what Tuesday, February 5 would bring.

Change is what next Tuesday is going to bring. A change in our state politics; a change in our national politics and a change in the hearts and minds of people.

On Saturday, Senator Obama rocked the South Carolina Primary. I was in Yosemite at the time. Reception was poor enough so I did not learn of the results until Mayra and I left the snow-covered park and returned to Merced.

I was happy to spend the day with Mayra in the place John Muir called “The Yosemite.” A majestic place of absolute amazement.

Standing with Mayra in the frigid air, looking at the snow-capped Half Dome and basking in the glow of the sun, I was at peace.

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