California: George Miller

On a cultural note, that was one hell of a Tony Awards show last night in Hollywood.  What?  That wasn't the Tonys?  Then what were all the dance numbers, bad staging and endless references to West Side Story all about?  Anyway, here are the links...

• Wanda Sykes has a nice message as part of Equality California's new "I Do" campaign.  It's nice to see her stepping out in front of the battle for marriage equality.  The proceeds of merchandise sales support continuing education efforts from Let California Ring.  And while I'm at it, Dustin Lance Black's Oscar acceptance speech for his "Milk" original screenplay was very powerful as well.

When the cuts to the federal economic recovery bill in the Senate were made public, my back-of-the-envelope calculation was that $5-$8 billion dollars in aid to California would be lost.  The San Jose Mercury News did the math and came up with similar numbers.
The $838 billion Senate bill would create about 400,000 jobs in the state by funding infrastructure projects, from schools to roads to broadband. But that's 51,000 to 63,000 fewer jobs for the state than the $820 billion House bill, according to the Center for American Progress. The Senate plan puts a heavier emphasis than the House bill on stimulating the economy through tax cuts, in addition to direct government spending.

With U.S. Rep. Henry Waxman's (D-Los Angeles) ascension to the top post on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, Californians now have more influence in Congress than ever before, political observers say.

Waxman joins two other Californians atop the congressional power structure: Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco) and U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-Martinez), who chairs the Education and Labor Committee.

While his name has been out there as one of the few sure bets to join President-elect Barack Obama's cabinet as Secretary of Labor, Martinez Congressman George Miller made it clear Thursday he really doesn't want the job.

Miller, chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, told the Los Angeles Times that he wants to stay right where he is - in Congress.