It’s an annual rite of the legislative session – the California Chamber of Commerce designates its job-killer bills. How will they fare this year?

Marc Levine, the North Bay’s new assemblyman, and Michael Allen, the man he replaced, each got lucrative appointments on Thursday courtesy of Speaker John Pérez.

Assemblyman Michael Allen says pension reform is “a work in progress,” with additional steps potentially including a hybrid system that shifts some of the risk for investment losses from taxpayers to public employees.

State senators met for 20 minutes today. On the agenda: Making sure that their daily expense payments continue through the holiday weekend even though the Legislature isn’t in session.

The state’s decision to grab local redevelopment funds will have a big impact in Santa Rosa, according to City Manager Kathleen Millison and Economic Development Director David Gouin. They say the city will lose more than 2,800 construction jobs and $84 million it had planned to invest in projects, programs and services. They want residents to contact the Legislature and urge lawmakers to postpone the Feb. 1 deadline.

Local government officials express horror, warning of ‘carnage’ to budgets, delays for critical community projects and setbacks for economic recovery efforts.
School officials are encouraged, expecting to enjoy a larger slice of the property-tax pie.

A lease car has been a unique perquisite for California legislators, providing SUVs, luxury sedans and the occasional muscle car of their choice. But the keys are being collected.

Assemblyman Michael Allen has been appointed to a high-profile state committee that will address a crisis with public employee pensions. But the choice is drawing concern from critics, given the Santa Rosa Democrat’s long history of advocating on behalf of unions.

H. Christian Gunderson, a Petaluma chiropractor and counselor, is running for an open seat in the state Assembly representing Marin County and a segment of Sonoma County including about half of Santa Rosa. “California needs healing,” Gunderson said, asserting that “doctors would make better politicians.”

Gov. Jerry Brown signed a bill authored by state Sen. Noreen Evans that is designed to even the playing field in California’s competitive Dungeness crab industry. The bill, SB 369, sets crab trap limits in an effort to prevent out-of-state fishermen from gaining unfair advantage in the pursuit of the prized crustacean.