Paul.Gullixson: December 2008 Archives

One of the allegations against Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich is that he tried to pressure the Tribune Co. to oust a couple of Chicago Tribune editorial writers. The carrot for doing so was possible financial assistance in the sale of Wrigley Frield, which the Tribune Co. is trying to sell.

What's interesting is, according to the 78-page criminal complaint against Blagojevich, after that carrot was dangled, Tribune CEO Sam Zell's chief of staff reported that Zell "got the message and is very sensitive to the issue" and that "Reading between the lines, he's going after that section."

Going after that section?

Here's the Chicago Tribune's official statement on the issue:

"The actions of the company, its executives and advisors working on the disposition of Wrigley Field have been appropriate at all times," Tribune said in its statement. "No one working for the company or on its behalf has ever attempted to influence staffing decisions at the Chicago Tribune or any aspect of the newspaper's editorial coverage as a result of conversations with officials in the governor's administration."

Here's a link to a great blog item on this issue by Peter Zollman of PoynterOnline.

So what's the message here? Are editorial writers important enough to risk a gubernatorial seat - or something that can be swapped for cash?
Either way, just spell our names right.

- Paul Gullixson 

For those who were concerned about what would happen to Carole Migden now that she has been ousted from her 3rd District state Senate seat by former Assemblyman Mark Leno, worry no more. Even in the face of a $11.5 billion budget deficit, Sacramento has a way of taking care of its own.

Migden has just landed a seat on the Integrated Waste Management board, a state government job that pays $132,178 a year.

Reportedly at the urging of new Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger officially named Migden, a San Francisco Democrat, to the high-paying seat today.

Like it or not, the Integrated Waste Management Board has often served as a holding place to former state legislators, former staff members and even family members of politicans who are waiting to run for office or waiting for something better to come along.

During the June primary, Migden was turned out by district voters, including southern Sonoma County, who had clearly had it with her behavior including her erractic driving and reckless oversight of campaign spending. Migden, if you remember, was fined a record $350,000 earlier this year for campaign finance violations.

So why exactly do Steinberg and Schwarzenegger believe the public is going to support their decision to put Migden in this position? It's not clear. Given that Migden is not exactly an expert on waste management, one's left to wonder what other kind of deal was made here.

So let's see. Sacramento needs to cut between $5 billion and $8 billion from its budget . . . Any suggestions?

- Paul Gullixson

In a column that will be on our editorial page on Thursday, Thomas L. Friedman of the New York Times raises questions about Pakistan's tame reaction to last week's carnage in India. "Who in the Muslim world, who in Pakistan, is ready to take to the streets to protest the mass murders of real people, not cartoon characters, right next door in Mumbai?"

It's a provocative piece.

But maybe we should raise similar questions about America's tame reaction to the "Black Friday" killing of Jdimytai Damour, a Wal-Mart employee in Long Island, N.Y. who was trampled by over-eager shoppers.

What a sad commentary on our nation's proccupation with "stuff." 

Leonard Pitts Jr. of the Miami Herald delves into this in a column that will be on our opinion page. He's the first of our regular columnists to take on this issue. (To see his column, click here.)

Pitts writes, "Four people, including a pregnant woman, were injured. And Damour was killed as people stomped over him, looking for good prices on DVDs, winter coats and PlayStations. Nor was the mob sobered by his death. As authorities sought to clear the store, some defiantly kept shopping; others complained that they had been on line since the night before.

"And here, it seems appropriate to observe the obvious irony: Black Friday is the traditional beginning of the Christmas shopping season, Christmas being the holiday when, Christians believe, hope was born into the world in the form of a baby who became a man who preached a gospel of service to, and compassion for, our fellow human beings."

So much for that.

What Pitts doesn't mention is that the 34-year-old Jdimytai Damour was no small man. He was 6 feet, 5 inches tall and weighed 270 pounds.
He died of asphyxiation. But his official cause of death should be . . .  what? The Christmas rush?

- Pau Gullixson

Noreen Evans, the new chairwoman of the Assembly Budget Committee, is not the only North Coast legislator to land a plum committee post.

Mark Leno, who succeeded Carole Migden in the 3rd District state Senate seat, which includes southern Sonoma County, has been named chair of the Senate Public Safety Committee. This is a position that Leno told us he had been hoping for during his endorsement interview. Leno had served on the Public Safety Committee while in the Assembly and had chaired that committee for a time.

Leno is the first openly gay man elected to the state Senate in California.

Meanwhile, Sen. Pat Wiggins, D-Santa Rosa, has been named chairmwoman of the Local Government Committee. She previously had been chairwoman of the Public Employees and Retirement Committee.

According to the list of committee chairmanships released today by Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg, that position now will be filled by Sen. Lou Correa, D-Santa Ana.

- Paul Gullixson