California Roundup: Jobs! Jobs!! Jobs!!!

* Why not just burn the money up? The $26 billion federal "jobs" bill passed today will include $2.5 billion "to help balance the state budget and pay the salaries of its schoolteachers."

* John "Cobol" Chiang, the state cotroller who is unable to fix his paycheck-cutting devices to reduce state employee payments, nevertheless reports that the state managed to spend a billion dollars more than projected during in the month of July. The numbers [pdf].

* As noted earlier, the controversy over the city of Bell's excessive pay for top officials has begun to draw in the cluster of neighboring towns. Maywood, the troubled burg that recently made a splash by outsourcing most of its city services, is cutting its close ties with Bell. That's significant because Maywood's "outsourcing" turns out to have been a cosy deal in which it allowed Bell—which seemed to be flush from ripping off its taxpayers—to take over many city functions. (Ousted Bell Assistant City Manager Angela Spaccia is apparently still officially the interim city manager of Maywood, but that's expected to end soon.) Given the skill with which Bell diversified its liabilities, Maywood will not be the last place looking to get loose of Bell.

* Fish intifada! South Coast sea urchin divers spit seawater over new environmental bill that will protect the ugly and unloved sea creatures from harvesting.

* Powerless governor can't even lay people off: Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger appeals a Monday ruling prohibiting him from furloughing state workers.