Political list makers

The Capitol Weekly newspapers in Sacramento has listed the bottom half of the top 100 most influential people in California politics. At number 90, Charles Munger of Berkshire Hathaway. Here's the entry:

Perhaps nobody is causing more heartache for Speaker Nancy Pelosi than Charles Munger. The Stanford scientist and son of the Vice-Chairman of Berkshire Hathaway has made it his mission to take drawing Congressional districts out of the hands of the Legislature. He has dedicated millions to qualifying a measure for the November ballot to do just that. Congressional Democrats, fearing their incumbency threatened, have responded in kind with millions of their own.

Munger is also an owner of the Los Angeles/San Francisco Daily Journal, the state's leading legal newspaper (and a former employer of mine).

L.A. developer and mayoral aspirant Rick Caruso makes the list at number 57.

Appointinated

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has named Southern California mall developer and generous donor Rick Caruso to the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Commission, the Sacramento Bee reports. Caruso had flirted with the idea of running for mayor of L.A.

Also, Schwarzenegger appointed former Capitol reporter Bill Ainsworth, who took a buyout at the San Diego Union-Tribune in September, as deputy director of communications for the California State Lottery. The gig pays $91,000 a year.