The Political Landscape:

In a letter to his colleagues in the California State Assembly, U.S. Rep. John Campbell (R-Newport Beach) Wednesday warned against a Democrat-backed health-care reform bill in the Senate that could cost the state as much as $3 billion to $4 billion a year, according to the governor’s office.

“Costs from this bill will begin to impact the state general fund starting in 2012 and will reach $3.2 billion per year upon full implementation of the bill in 2018,” Campbell wrote. “I might add that this $3.2 billion annual estimate is very conservative, with estimates in the governor’s office ranging up to $4 billion in additional costs per year.”

As of Wednesday night, the Senate was expected to vote in favor of the bill this morning.

If approved, the reform bill would be the biggest expansion of federal health care programs since the enactment of Medicare and Medicaid in 1965.

“California, as you all know faces a $21-billion deficit right now and the Legislature and governor have been unsuccessful in crafting a plan to deal with that gap,” Campbell wrote in the letter.

“How can we possibly expect the state to add another $3 [billion] to $4 billion in costs when the state has no plan to pay for existing expenses?”

DEVORE: TAX BREAKS WAY TO GO FOR HEALTH-CARE REFORM

Assemblyman Chuck DeVore (R-Newport Beach) criticized Democrat-backed health-care reform and advocated using tax breaks to give more people access to health insurance this week during an appearance on the Fox News program “The Strategy Room.”

“I don’t think they attacked the right problem,” DeVore said of a health-care reform bill working its way through the U.S. Senate. “In the long term, this health-care reform is going to lead to a decline in health-care quality in America.”

DeVore said he believed that using tax breaks to reimburse the uninsured for private health insurance could give more people access to health care, rather than a Democrat-backed plan that includes a proposal for a public health insurance plan.

NO AGREEMENT ON FUTURE OF FAIRGROUNDS

Costa Mesa Councilwoman Katrina Foley recently called on state Assembly and state Senate members from Orange County to state their position on Assembly Bill 1590, which calls for rescinding a July assembly bill that authorized the sale of the Orange County Fairgrounds.

Apart from Assemblyman Jose Solorio, the bill’s author, and Assemblyman Van Tran (R-Costa Mesa), who co-authored the bill, only state assembly members Jim Silva, Jeff Miller and Diane Harkey have endorsed the bill.

State Sen. Tom Harman has stated no position.

He’s waiting until bids for the fairgrounds are accepted to review them before making any decisions.

State Sen. Mimi Walters stated that she cannot take position because of a conflict of interest.

The rest of the delegates either didn’t respond to the city or they oppose the bill.