[courtesy of California Progress Report]

By Bill Cavala
A veteran of over 30 years in Sacramento

Jess Durfee was elected to the Democratic National Committee over the weekend.

His election was a merit-based decision of the Party’s Executive Board. Durfee isn’t a big contributor to the party or a Member of Congress or a noted ideologue. He’s the Chair of the County Central Committee in San Diego County.

County Central Commitees were a creation of the Progessives in the second decade of the last century. They were designed to weaken the major parties by breaking any connection between them and those elected to real offices as Democrats or Republicans.

State Committee members are a combination of activists who show up at open meetings to win election and cronies of elected officials who are appointed. But County Committee members are directly elected by party registrants in the direct primary. They need know nothing of how to win elections, may represent ideological extremes, may indeed simply be motivated by an egotistical need to see their name on the ballot.

I have known County Committee members who believed the votes they got made them comparable to Members of the Legislature or Congress.

This disparate group selects a Chair. In San Diego’s case, Jess Durfee.

by Be_Devine [courtesy of Calitics - Front Page]

My views about Senate District 3 could not be more clear. In an epic story of self-importance, I've described Carole Migden's numerous disdainful violations of California law and how she is now assisting the Republican-led effort to overturn California's valuable campaign finance laws.  I explained why it would have been ruinious for the Party if the CDP had endorsed Migden. Most recently, I described Migden's meltdown just prior to being booed off the stage at the CDP Women's Caucus after she questioned the gender identity of a group of Leno supporters by questioning "Are those women? They look like heavy guys to me." *(see update on the flip) Transphobic much? 

by Be_Devine [courtesy of Calitics - Front Page]

Earlier this week, the California Fair Political Practices Commission levied $9 million in fines against Carole Migden for her violations of California law. This new $9 million fine is in addition to the $350,000 the FPPC fined Migden last week. At that time, the $350,000 fine was the largest fine ever levied by the FPPC.  If you have a spare 15 minutes, consider reading my detailed analysis of Carole's most recent problems with the law.

The California Democratic Party meets this weekend and it will vote on whether the Party will endorse Mark Leno, Carole Migden, or Joe Nation for SD-3. The CDP must not endorse Carole Migden.

by Be_Devine [courtesy of Calitics - Front Page]

As previously reported, Carole Migden was recently hit with the largest fine in the history of California's Fair Political Practices Commission ("FPPC").  She was found guilty of 89 separate violations of California law and fined $350,000.

The record FPPC fine, however, is only the tip of the iceberg for Senator Migden.  She still has several unresolved violations of California law, which the FPPC chairman calls "serious and deceitful."  Rather than letting the FPPC proceeding run its course, Senator Migden chose instead to join forces with radical right wing Republicans by filing a lawsuit in Federal Court to declare California's campaign finance laws unconstitutional.  Senator Migden is happy to undo years of valuable campaign finance reform just for a shot at saving herself from her clear violations of the law.

This is the long and sordid tale of Senator Migden's numerous violations of California law.  It is a tale not only about her recent lawsuit (Migden v. The Fair Political Practices Commission), but also a tale about Carole Migden's serious and deceitful assault on the notion of fair political practices in general (Carole Migden versus fair political practices).  It will take a while to unravel the mess that Carole Migden has created.  So grab a beverage, get a comfy chair, and hold on for the ride . . . 

[courtesy of California Progress Report]

And there's a lot more

By Frank D. Russo

The California Senate considered over 100 bills yesterday, passing most of them and deferring action until next year on those that did not have the votes to pass. Some measures were defeated on floor votes and were granted reconsideration, meaning that they can be voted on again.

The Senate will reconvene at 9:30 a.m. today and has hundreds of more bills to consider and is receiving dozens of new measures from the Assembly where Senators have to decide whether to concur in amendments made in that body. The Senate may adjourn for the year as early as next Tuesday, September 11.

Here are some of the bills passed by the Senate that caught our eye, many of which are going directly to the Governor to join the big pile "on his desk." He has until October 14 to decide whether to sign, veto, or allow these bills to become law without his signature.

AB 1212 (Nunez) Prelude to Tribal Gaming Compact. Letter of Agreement for San Manuel Band of Mission Indians. This was a "gut and amend" of a bill that had dealt with workers' compensation. It passed 32 to 2 was immediately transmitted to the Assembly, passed, and sent to the Governor.

[courtesy of California Progress Report]

By Ned Wigglesworth
Policy Advocate
California Common Cause

The California state legislature stands poised to approve a bill that would wrest control of local elections from cities and counties and vitiate local laws designed to check the financial influence of special interests in local elections. The bill, AB 1430, would prohibit local jurisdictions from regulating the source and amount of money that political parties can use to campaign for candidates – even though the state legislature does the exact same thing for state elections.

Jacqueline Jacobberger, President of the League of Women Voters of California says: “This bill is an end run around local campaign finance laws and a gift to special interests who want to dominate local elections with big contributions. A move like this will only feed voters’ cynicism about the legislature, undermining the appreciation the public has had for the recent accomplishments of their elected representatives. It seems counter to the spirit of the political reforms that legislators are considering this year.”