North Bay Rep. Lynn Woolsey is usually hand-in-glove with conservation groups, but a deep schism is developing between the Petaluma Democrat and some environmentalists over an oyster farming operation at Point Reyes National Seashore.

Drakes Bay Oyster Company's permit expires in 2012, and the 1,100-acre property that it leases from the National Park Service is scheduled to become protected wilderness at that time. The company, the largest commercial shellfish operation in California, wants the lease extended, and it has been battling with the National Park Service for years.

The Park Service has published reports saying the oyster farm is detrimental to the surrounding area, but a recent review by the National Academy of Sciences found that those conclusions were overstated.

Many conservation groups object to a commercial operation, such as the oyster farm, delaying a wilderness designation.

Woolsey sided with conservation groups last year, writing letters that helped block an attempt to attach a lease extension to the Interior appropriations bill.

Now, however, she is siding with Sen. Dianne Feinstein, who has attached a rider to extend the lease to this year's Interior appropriations bill. Woolsey issued a written statement citing environmental safeguards included in Feinstein's amendment, but conservation groups are lobbying hard against it.

In addition to objections to delaying the wilderness designation for the Drakes Bay area within Point Reyes National Seashore, critics point out that using the congressional appropriations process cuts the public out of any discussion of the merits of extending the oyster farm's lease.

The House version of the bill - which doesn't include the oyster farm lease language - passed last week, so the issue may get hashed out by a conference committee.

-- Jim Sweeney

Common sense tells us that 40 school districts is more than we need in Sonoma County (population 486,000). Practical experience tells us one school district isn't enough for Los Angeles and several surrounding cities (population about 4.5 million).

But who would have guessed there's an even goofier model out there?

Well, leave it to New Jersey, which has two dozen school districts that don't have any schools at all.

According to an Associated Press report, efforts to eliminate the school-less school districts began in 1969. A law finally passed in 2007. Since then, three more districts closed all their schools. Yet another law passed last week to eliminate the no-school districts prior to the 2010 school year.

Perhaps the extra year was granted to allow time for one last reunion ...

In fairness to New Jersey, the U.S. Department of Education says there are almost 300 school districts across the country - including more than 50 each in Maine, Massachusetts and Vermont - that don't bother with schools. (It would be too easy to make a wisecrack here about classes only siphoning money from big-time prep sports machines.)

Perhaps we can take inspiration from the Garden State and root up some of Sonoma County's myriad school districts, then plant them in a more streamlined education system.

And maybe we can take less than 40 years to do it.

-- Jim Sweeney

This won't balance the state budget, in fact it won't even make a dent in it, but a state commission's decision to cut the car allowances, fringe benefits and expense checks for California legislators is welcome just the same.

The California Citizens Compensation Commission voted unanimously Tuesday to cut all three by 18 percent, effective Dec. 1.

Look for some blow back, however. The commission's lawyer warned the members that they didn't have authority to change legislative per diem, the $173-a-day expense reimbursements paid to state senators and Assembly members every day that the Legislature is in session. Because of the way legislative rules are written, it's also paid  many days that the Legislature isn't in session. Some years ago, a reporter caught one Assembly member claiming per diem on Thanksgiving.

The checks, which nominally cover living expenses for a second home in Sacramento, add up to about $35,000 a year. The money is tax free. Abuse of a similar benefit caused a recent scandal in Britain's House of Commons that nearly brought down Prime Miister Gordon Brown

It's past time for a hard look at per diem payments for state legislators.

-- Jim Sweeney  

Obama haters out there should check out this entry from Dan Froomkin's White House watch blog at washingtonpost.com. Obama lovers ought to check it out, too. It's a good reminder that in politics, image often counts for more than principle.

For those who don't want to follow the link, here's the Reader's Digest version: In a bid to limit access to public records, Obama Justice Department lawyers have adopted some of the reasoning used by the Bush Justice Department. But here's the kicker - the purpose of the exemption they seek to create is to ensure that officials aren't picked on by the likes of David Letterman and Jon Stewart.

-- Jim Sweeney

California once was governed responsibly. We hear it every election, usually from those running to govern California.

Well, here's a wonderful piece of state history courtesy of the Sacramento Bee's Capitol Alert: For readers who are tempted to romanticize state politics back in those days, we leave you with the story of Milton Latham.

Governor in early 1860, Latham promised in his inaugural address to tackle the state debt. It was close to an eye-popping $3.9 million. Million with an M.

Then Latham persuaded the Legislature to appoint him to a vacant U.S. Senate seat. The senator, you see, had died in a duel.

All in all, Latham was governor for five days. It's still the record.

And the next governor inherited the state debt.

So much for the good old days.

-- Jim Sweeney

Sonia Sotomayor didn't have much choice but to quit the Belizean Grove, the women's only club that bills itself as the XX chromosome equivalent of the Bohemian Club. As a federal judge, she probably shouldn't have been a member to begin with. I doubt it costs her the Supreme Court seat - and it really shouldn't - though it's fair game for the confirmation hearings.

I also don't think that Justice Antonin Scalia has any business joining the boys to pee on trees at the Bohemian Grove, but according to the program for the 1997 encampment, the justice spoke on church, state and the constitution. He resigned his membership before being appointed to the court. So did Justice Anthony Kennedy.

What do you think?

-- Jim Sweeney

A couple of readers have correctly pointed out an error in my Sunday column about my trip to Iowa.

(To see it, click here) At the end, I noted that one of the messages on the wall in the basement was from my Uncle Roland - apparently left in 1934 - that read "Roly, age 14, Bode, IA. 50519"

That is what you call an anachronism as zip codes didn't go into effect until 1963. I went back and checked the video. The message actually reads "Roly, age 14, Bode, IA, P.O. Box 222."

I'm not sure how I messed that up. My notes include a mention of the silver Bode water tower near the public school. The tower reads "Bode, 50519." I must have somehow merged the two.

What's interesting is that I didn't know my father's address in Bode, which made it difficult to find his house. Before we went there, I looked for the street address among the family letters, but the only letters I could find simply said "The family of Oscar T. Gullixson, Bode, Iowa."

There was no need for an address, I guess. Everybody knew where they lived.

Anyway, thank you to the readers who pointed out the mistake.

- Paul

As the old saying goes, elections have consequences.

For Bob Deis, the county administrator, it was his job. It's not yet clear if the same fate awaits Steve Donley, Rohnert Park's city manager.

Deis, who stepped down today, has been at odds with county employees and county retirees for at least a year. Cuts in retiree health benefits and a tougher negotiating stance at the bargaining table made for difficult - perhaps poisonous - relations.

His departure was engineered in closed session and announced in a press release. Details eventually will leak but the politics aren't hard to sort out.

One of the new board members - Shirlee Zane - was elected with cash and support from public employees. She was skeptical of Deis' approach during the campaign and has voted against staff recommendations on several items, most notably during the recent budget hearings.

Valerie Brown, who narrowly survived a challenge in November, also was critical of some of Deis' recommendations. And so was Supervisor Mike Kerns, who has announced his own plans to step down. The other new board member, Efren Carrillo, also raised questions about the approach to employee health benefits during the campaign. He also joined Kerns and Brown in asking about the cost of outside legal counsel during the recent budget hearings.

Of course, Deis' ouster does nothing to change the county's financial situation. It remains to be seen if a different administrator will ease tensions with county employees.

In Rohnert Park, Donley has been on active duty military leave since last year. A new council majority was elected while he was gone, and they've been sharply critical of city management since, including several closed-door reviews of the interim manager.

Donley, who is widely respected in local government circles, recently requested a performance evaluation from the council. Will that end the same as today's session between Deis and the Board of Supervisors?

-- Jim Sweeney

Here is the list state officials have released of the landmarks and government office buildings that Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has proposed selling to help California bridge its $24.3 billion deficit. Overall, the state expects to raise $3 billion off the sale of these properties. The sad part is that would barely makes up for just the growth in the projected budget deficit in the past few months. The gap has grown from $21 billion to $24 billion.

Landmarks:

1. San Quentin State Prison; Estimated value: $1 billion
Estimated time it will take to sell: To be determined

2. Del Mar Fairgrounds, Del Mar, San Diego County; Estimated value: $350 million to $650 million; Esimated time to sell: 24 to 60 months.

3. Orange County Fairgrounds, Costa Mesa; Estimated value: $96 million to $180 million
Estimated time to sell: 24 to 60 months.

4. Cow Palace, Daly City; Estimated value: $40 million to $75 million; Estimated time to sell: 24 to 60 months.

5. California Exposition and State Fair, Sacramento; Estimated value: $80 million to $150 million; Time to sell: 24 to 60 months.

6. Ventura County Fair, Ventura; Estimated value: $37 million to $70 million
Time to sell: 24 to 60 months.

7. Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and Sports Arena, Los Angeles; Estimated value: TBD
Time to sell: 24 to 36 months.

State office buildings:

1. California Department of Justice Building, Sacramento; Estimated value: $132.2 million.

2. California Office of Emergency Services, Sacramento; Estimated value: $33.6 million.

3. Capitol Area East End Complex, Sacramento (Five buildings that house the Department of Education, Department of Health Care Services and Department of Public Health.) Estimated value: $463.9 million.

4. Elihu M. Harris Building, Oakland; Estimated value: $166.7 million.

5. Franchise Tax Board Complex, Sacramento; Estimated value: $396.7 million.

6. San Francisco Civic Center (Earl Warren/Hiram Johnson
building), San Francisco; Estimated value: $357.6 million.

7. Junipero Serra State Building, Los Angeles; Estimated value: $76.4 million.

8. Justice Building, Sacramento; Estimated value: $34.1 million.

9. California Public Utilities Commission Building, San Francisco; Estimated value: $124.9 million.

10. Judge Joseph A. Rattigan Building, Santa Rosa; Estimated value: $7.8 million.

11. Ronald Reagan State Building, Los Angeles; Estimated value: $181.9 million.

To find out more about surplus state property, click here to go to the California State and Consumer Services Agency web site. 

- Paul Gullixson

Sports fans and union members may have plenty to debate with President Obama's nomination of Sonia Sotomayor to the U.S. Supreme Court.

As a self-proclaimed Yankees fan, she starts with two strikes against her.

But, given that her decision that ended the 1994-95 strike, a brush-back may not be in order.

Sotomayor quickly rejected the arguments of baseball owners after players offered to end the strike in April 1995 and clear the field of replacement players. The owners held out for punitive new work rules that were rejected by the National Labor Relations Board, including an end to anti-collusion rules.

"This strike has placed the entire concept of collective bargaining on trial," she said at the time.

Early reports on Sotomayor say, that like retiring Justice David Souter, she's hard to predict. On sports and unions, that appears to be true.

Five years after siding with baseball players, she rejected arguments by the NFL Players Association, which tried to block Ohio State running back Maurice Clarett from leaving school early for the NFL draft.

"That's what unions do every day -- protect people in the union from those not in the union," she said.

Her wisdom, no doubt, will be debated, especially if she keeps rooting for the Yankees. But try finding anyone who thinks Clarett helped himself by leaving Ohio State ...

-- Jim Sweeney