SACRAMENTO AND LOS ANGELES — If you've been elected to something somewhere in California, you're probably writing a wish list for President-elect Barack Obama.
With the inauguration about nine weeks away, Long Beach Mayor Bob Foster is seeking $111 million to replace 28 miles of storm drains. State Sen. Darrell Steinberg (D-Sacramento) is talking up $321 million for sewage-treatment plants and clean-water facilities.
Los Angeles City Councilman Bill Rosendahl wants a light-rail line to Los Angeles International Airport. And money for homeless veterans. And did he mention universal healthcare?
"The sooner he focuses on healthcare, the better," said Rosendahl, who represents coastal neighborhoods such as Venice and Playa del Rey. "It's as important a priority as getting out of Iraq."
Jubilant over the arrival of a Democrat in the White House, government agencies across this heavily Democratic state are hoping not just for a piece of an upcoming stimulus package but also for four years of a California-friendly administration.
California politicians remember the bond that President Bill Clinton forged with the Golden State a decade ago -- and the money that came with it. So this year, the policy pitches and outright shopping lists have an especially broad sweep, taking in such topics as education, energy, transportation, housing, healthcare, job training, immigration and air quality, among others.
Even Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who was stumping for Sen. John McCain just a few weeks ago, has begun saying the state will thrive if Obama is successful. Last week, he reminded business leaders in Fresno that the state generates more in federal taxes than it receives in services and funding -- something generally true of states with large numbers of wealthy residents.
"There's 40-some billion dollars they are holding back," Schwarzenegger said. "So it's not like we are asking for a bailout, because it's our money."
One proposal being discussed among Obama advisors is an economic stimulus package that would provide money directly to states so that they can head off tax increases and spending cuts. Such a move could help fill the huge hole in California's budget.
Beyond that, the spending proposals include sound walls along freeways, upgraded electrical transmission lines, port security grants, neighborhood mural programs and tax breaks for the construction of rental housing.
