Karen Bass

Legislation to help Californians ensnared in the subprime home loan foreclosure crisis was forwarded to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's desk for signature or veto this week.

Senate Bill 1137, authored by senate President pro Tem Don Perata (D-Oakland) and Assembly Speaker Karen Bass (D-Los Angeles), would require lenders to contact property owners to attempt to avoid foreclosure, provide tenants additional time to move from a foreclosed property and mandate maintenance of foreclosed properties to diminish the impact on the value of neighboring homes.

The California Republican Party is circulating remarks that Assembly Speaker Karen Bass made to the Sacramento Press Club on June 5 regarding presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama.

At issue is Bass’s assertion that Obama should pick a vice presidential candidate who is “more centrist than he is.”

Asked by a reporter about if Obama’s should be considering a woman in his vice presidential search, Bass responded, “…I think that he needs to take his time and be thoughtful and identify who his vice presidential candidate should be. And I don't think, and I'm going to be concerned about, if there's a drum beat to try and force him to pick a candidate, whether we're talking about Hillary Clinton or anybody else frankly. I don't think that's the way it should be done. I was happy to see this morning that he's identified several people, including Caroline Kennedy, who's going to help vet who his candidate will be.”

Karen Bass becomes the first  African-American woman to become the Speaker of the California State Assembly – a job that could, if she does well, put her in contention for a down-ticket statewide office in 2010.  One Democratic legislator says that there will be room for Bass on a Democratic slate in two years.

More PolitickerCA.com coverage: Bass sworn in as Assembly Speaker (video)

Democratic Assemblywoman Karen Bass was sworn in as speaker Tuesday, making her the state’s 67th Assembly speaker and the first African American woman in the nation to lead a legislative body.

She takes the reines from outgoing speaker Fabian Nunez. 

Bass’s 47th District seat, which she has occupied since 2005, spans Los Angeles and Culver City.

A plan by outgoing Assembly Speaker Fabian Núñez to change the way legislative districts after the 2010 census isn’t likely to gain much steam, especially with Karen Bass poised to become the new Speaker next week. Núñez wants a bi-partisan commission to draw districts – but his newly-found reformer position comes in response to a ballot initiative pushed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to create a different kind of commission. Former Gov. Gray Davis, Common Cause, the League of Women Voters, and AARP are backing Schwarzenegger’s plan.

LA City Councilman Herb Wesson passed up what many consider to be a “walk in the park” opportunity to run for L.A. County Supervisor when Yvonne Burke announced her retirement.

The former California Assembly Speaker appears to have his sights set on becoming President of the City Council, either nudging aside current President Eric Garcetti, or perhaps pushing him aside might be a better phrase.

Some people say that this is the first step in Wesson’s greater scheme, to become L.A.s 2nd African American Mayor.