[courtesy of California Progress Report]

By Frank D. Russo

The California Field Poll released results this morning
on how likely voters in the February 2008 election break out on Proposition 93 (the "Limits on Legislators' Terms in Office" initiative) and the 4 referenda to overturn Indian gaming compacts that will receive a proposition number and be on the ballot--unless a court decides otherwise based on the amount of time to collect signatures.

Field shows that the term limit measure has more likely voters supporting it--by 49% to 31% and that the "yes" side on the referenda (to approve the compacts) is ahead 52% to 35%. But that doesn't tell the entire story about the likely passage or failure of these measures where normally support for the yes side on a ballot proposition has to be significantly higher at this stage of the campaign cycle to prevail. It is easier to defeat a ballot prop than to pass one, as all any organized opposition generally needs to do is to sow seeds of doubt and voters either vote no or don't vote at all.

But we've seen exceptions to this in the last election cycle--where the infrastructure bonds were passed, and support actually went up closer to the election, because of a unified campaign by the Governor and Democratic legislators. And because of money.

[courtesy of The California Majority Report]

"Just wondering about the status of health care reform. Is it dead yet or still breathing?" That's the text of an email I got from one of the state's leading health care reporters yesterday. And that's the question of the year: will health care reform pass?
 
The short answer is this: if there's a will, there's a way. The Speaker and Senator Perata say they want it to happen. So has the Governor. So it likely boils down to one thing: Will the Governor bend enough and compromise so that employers pay their fair share? Or will he stick to his guns, oppose any increase in the employer fees and changes in the individual mandate, to appease his business community allies. Will he stick with a lottery financing plan that hasn't mustered much support from any camp, nor has it gotten a bump in the press?
 
There's no doubt that the California Labor Federation's publicity jihad against the Governor's bill got under the Administration's skin. Comments from administration officials in the mainstream press, along with op-eds, showed the Adminstration fully engaged in an effort to portray organized labor as the bad guy in the debate, even as the fires raged on in southern California.
 

[courtesy of California Progress Report]

By Derek Cressman

Frustrated with the refusal of all but one Republican senator to support a budget deal that Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger negotiated with legislative leaders, Democrats are threatening a recall campaign against Sen. Jeff Denham, whose district includes eastern Monterey County.

A recall could help break Sacramento's gridlock by taking the issue directly to voters, but improvements in the recall process itself would make this a better tool to resolve issues like this one.

Senate Republicans are holding up the budget over several grievances, including a disagreement with Attorney General Jerry Brown's actions to require developers to consider the impact of future growth on global warming. The current California law requiring a two-thirds vote to approve a budget gives the Republican minority unique leverage which they are using to try to deny Brown the funds to enforce the California Environmental Quality Act as he sees fit.

[courtesy of California Progress Report]

By Dave Johnson
Seeing the Forest

The California Secretary of State ordered tests on all the voting machines. They flunked. Most vote machines lose test to hackers, says the San Francisco Chronicle:

State-sanctioned teams of computer hackers were able to break through the security of virtually every model of California's voting machines and change results or take control of some of the systems' electronic functions, according to a University of California study released Friday.

The researchers "were able to bypass physical and software security in every machine they tested,'' said Secretary of State Debra Bowen, who authorized the "top to bottom review" of every voting system certified by the state.

Suppose they fix these "vulnerabilities? But o matter how much testing you do and bugs or vulnerabilities you fix there are going to be more - the ones we don't know about. That is how it is with computers.

[courtesy of California Progress Report]

By Bill Cavala
A veteran of over 30 years in Sacramento

In recent “tests” established by the Secretary of State, all of California’s electronic voting machines “failed” security tests designed to see if computer hackers could break into the various systems.

The Secretary of State has a short time to decide whether or not to decertify the machines for use in next years (early) Presidential primary.

There is a cadre of activists joined together through internet blogs and labeled (by elections officials), the “black bag” people. Outraged by Republican tactics in Florida where George W. stole the election (with a little help from a Republican Supreme Court), these activists are now paranoid about what the GOP might do to stay in power.

One of the electronic voting systems used in California – Diebold – had a CEO who contributed to George W. Sufficient evidence to some that Diebold was putting in the fix in the factory to stack the cards against the Democratic nominee.

When no evidence for that scenario was uncovered, the next logical step was to assume that the systems were made “insecure” to allow hackers to alter the results from the outside.

by Julia Rosen [courtesy of Working Californians blogs]

Right on. Speaker of the Assembly Fabian Nunez just declared that there will be no break for the legislature until a budget is passed. That means working weekends and holding off on any summer recesses, until there is a signed budget. SacBee:

Assembly Speaker Fabian Núñez ordered the 48 Democrats and 32 Republicans in the lower house to stay within close proximity of the Capitol every day, including weekends, until a budget is passed.

Specifically, Núñez's memorandum to lawmakers' offices said that if an unplanned floor session is called, legislators must be close enough to reach the Capitol within one hour.

All of those Bay Area and Central Valley folks who drive a few hours to the Capitol will have to stay in their Sacramento residences. It's not simply a daily check-in, but a one hour notice that Nunez has slapped on the legislators. If they choose not to comply, then no travel reimbursements.

The Assembly will pay for no plane fare or other travel by its 80 members during negotiations for a state budget, which was supposed to have been adopted before the new fiscal year began July 1.

"Is that a big pressure point?" Núñez said when asked about the travel restriction. "I don't know. Probably not. But I'll tell you what, I do know a lot of people who have vacation plans this week - Republicans and Democrats."

read more »

[courtesy of California Progress Report]

By Gary A. Patton
Executive Director
Planning and Conservation League

We’ve just gotten news that a group of California business leaders have petitioned Governor Schwarzenegger and legislative leaders to break our best environmental laws. They’re demanding that the Legislature rip a hole in the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) to give their businesses a free ride on global warming pollution.

The petition is an unofficial declaration of war against CEQA, and California’s new global warming program, the Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006, signed by Governor Schwarzenegger just nine months ago.

Here’s what I wrote the Governor, California Senate leader Don Perata, and California Assembly leader Fabian Nunez:

"RE: Business Attack on the State’s Global Warming Prevention Efforts

Dear Governor Schwarzenegger, Senator Perata, and Speaker Núñez: