Each week I do a column with a quick overview of what’s happened in the state in the past week. In case your local paper doesn’t carry it (and please ask them to!), I’ve attached it here.

This Week in Politics and Policy. January 19, 2007

Pull Quote – “When the people are not excited about it, how do you make the legislators excited about it?”

Scott Harris

It’s time for our weekly tour around the great State of California, highlighting what’s new in Sacramento and what’s happening around the state that affects you, your family and your business.

Prisons have moved front and center in Sacramento starting with Governor Schwarzenegger’s State-of-the-State address when he said that our jail system is 73,000 inmates overcapacity and will require at least $11 billion to fix. The Governor pointed out that prisons don’t get a lot of attention because they’re not sexy said, “When the people are not excited about it, how do you make the legislators excited about it?”

Well, $11 billion– even in California - is a lot of money and people are starting to pay attention. Proposals are now floating around Sacramento to create a sentencing review commission, taking another look at who goes to prison, why and for how long. The Governor has also suggested ending parole supervision for roughly 20,000 non-violent ex-convicts. While that move won’t reduce the number of prisoners, it will free up resources to focus on the more serious offenders. The key is that Californians are starting to pay attention to prison reform, which will help focus our elected officials’ attention on the problem and hasten the day when we find solutions.

The Governor made national news when he refused to automatically support the 2008 Republican candidate – yet to be determined – for president. Governor Schwarzenegger said. “I think you have to look at all the candidates. We need to look at everyone. Let’s see what they have to say, what their approach is. Do they really have a great plan?”

He’s already taken heat from Republicans for this perceived betrayal, but doesn’t it make sense for all of us to review all of the candidates and make a decision based on which one we believe will best represent our interests and those of the country? As the two major parties become less relevant to our everyday lives, we will see this “post-partisan” approach more often. Politicians ignore this realty at their peril – not ours.

Last note. The Governor wants to move our 2008 primary from June to February, making us more of a player at the national level. Historically, by the time June rolls around, the presidential candidate for each party has already been selected, so little to no attention (except for hitting us up for money) is paid to the California electorate. As the Governor said “We’re the No. 1 state in the nation, the number one place in the world and we’re an afterthought in the campaign.” Let’s hope Sacramento makes this happen.

That’s it for this week and remember, California is the Alpha State: the greatest state in the world’s greatest country.

Scott Harris is a political commentator and can be reached at scott@alphastate.org. His blog, columns and radio show can all be accessed at AlphaState.org.