[courtesy of California Progress Report]

By Susan Smartt
Executive Director of the California League of Conservation Voters

Super Tuesday and the political excitement generated by the February presidential primary has passed, and most Californians, particularly those who care about the environment, are looking ahead to the November presidential elections. Indeed, the inertia and environmental backsliding by the Bush Administration over the last seven years give environmentally-minded Californians including the folks at the California League of Conservation (CLCV) good reason to look ahead (see http://ecovote.org/heat/). However, if you care about issues like global warming, sprawl, protecting the coast or the quality of the air that you’re breathing as you read this, you should join CLCV in treating the June 3rd primary with the same urgency as the November election.

by gohlkus [courtesy of Calitics - Front Page]

With the February 5th primary election approaching rapidly, in which voters in California and 21 other states will pick which presidential candidates represent each party, we have a rare opportunity to make a monumental decision.

For the first time in years, we have an opportunity to elect a president who will give the global climate crisis the level of attention that is required to tackle it.

But how are we to know where the candidates stand on global warming, if reporters simply refuse to ask the right questions? Of the 2,938 questions asked of the presidential candidates since January 2007, just 6 mentioned global warming (source: League of Conservation Voters).

So the California League of Conservation Voters is taking matters into our own hands. Read on....

The California League of Conservation Voters (CLCV) has asked presidential candidates four critical questions about global warming, in short:

[courtesy of The California Majority Report]

As Senator John McCain appears to have the GOP presidential nomination within his grasp, leave it to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to try to transform McCain into an environmentalist with his announcement today.
 
According to the League of Conservation Voters, McCain has voted pro-environment just 26 percent of the time during his career in Congress. (Arnold's lifetime rating is in the low 50's, according to the California League of Conservation voters, though he had his best year ever in 2007 at 63 percent).
 
Among McCain's key anti-environment votes: voting to allow coastal drilling and drilling in the Artic Wildlife Refuge.
 
No, Arnold, McCain is no friend of the environment.

by David Dayen [courtesy of Calitics - Front Page]

[courtesy of California Progress Report]

By Susan Smartt
Executive Director of the California League of Conservation Voters

The California League of Conservation Voters protects our state’s environment by educating our legislators about how to protect, preserve and enhance California’s natural wonders.

California has benefited from CLCV’s commitment to ensure that the environment a priority among lawmakers. Many legislators have fought hard to address important needs like global warming, water conservation and air quality.

However, the current system of legislative term limits act as a high barrier to effective governing – that is why CLCV supports Proposition 93, the Term Limits and Legislative Reform Act.

Right now, legislators can serve three terms of two years each in the Assembly and two terms of four years each in the state Senate for a total of 14 years. This discourages long-term thinking to tackle California's biggest environmental challenges, like the implementation of Assembly Bill 32, the Global Warming Solutions Act.

The flaw in the current system of term limits is that it keeps legislators from gaining enough experience to be truly effective. It also hinders proper oversight of the implementation of complex, important legislation. We can clearly do better with a reformed system of term limits.

[courtesy of The California Majority Report]

The state's top progressives are throwing their weight behind Prop 93, the Term Limits Reform initiative.

The campaign is soon expected to release a long list of elected progressive supporters. Meanwhile, just about every major progressive group in the state -- in addition to the California Democratic Party -- has issued its endorsement.

Sierra Club, Equality California, Greenling Institute, California Professional Firefighters, SEIU, AFSME, California Church IMPACT, the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund, California League of Conservation Voters, California State Council of Laborers, and the California Labor Federation have all endorsed.

The Term Limits Reform Measure -- which would give members more experience in each house of the legislature but reduce terms to 12 years -- continues to poll well in independent polls. Its only soft spot is among Democrats. Many oppose the notion of term limts, period. But this measure is a reasonable improvement to the law, which is why the state's leading progressive groups and elected officials are behind it.

[courtesy of California Progress Report]

[Editor's note: The following letter was sent to Poizner who heads the opposition to Proposition 93 from Susan Smartt, Executive Director of the California League of Conservation Voters. No answers to the questions she has asked have been received. California voters deserve to know this information and we wait.]

November 28, 2007

Mr. Steve Poizner
Insurance Commissioner

Dear Commissioner Poizner:

The Contra Costa Times reported last week that a Virginia-based organization gave $1.5 million in contributions to your campaign committee against Proposition 93 but refuses to disclose where the money came from. You have claimed to support political reform but now you’ve accepted $1.5 million in campaign contributions from an out-of-state source that refuses to say who gave the money or why.