[courtesy of California Progress Report]

The James Irvine Foundation has released a 44 page report, "New Experiments in Minority Voter Mobilization: A Report on the California Votes Initiative",that is the product of a multi-year study of infrequent voters.

The authors of this report, Melissa R. Michelson of California State University East Bay,Lisa García Bedolla of the University of California at Irvine, and Donald P. Green of Yale University are all respected scholars. Green is the author of Get Out The Vote! How to Increase Voter Turnout, published in 2004 by the Brookings Institution Press.

While the information here is of tremendous interest to those involved in the hurly burly of political campaigns, there is a very important point they make as well: The electorate that is turning out does not represent California's diversity. At the beginning of the report, they say:

by Brian Leubitz [courtesy of Calitics - Front Page]

In the days immediately following the great Merv Griffin's death, I bring to you a Quick Jeopardy-style "answer." Nursing homes, hospitals and other healthcare facilities.

The "Question"? What are places that I would be a lot more comfortable if they were unionized. You know, I'm not all that into my healthcare facilities trolling for the worker who will work for 25 cents less than the next guy.  But that's what your typical healthcare facility will do, because, profit is king, right?  And so, that is what brought me to the SEIU-UHW 2008-2010 Bargaining Convention in Oakland on Saturday.

The convention was a learning experience for me, but let's get to that over the flip.

by Julia Rosen [courtesy of Calitics - Front Page]

This needs to get out of my system before I can move on to other topics, like the still missing budget.  It's going to be pretty linky, but hey I am a blogger not an op-ed columnist.

Topics covered below the jump: diversity, Paul Hogarth and Clinton, the media and local blogging.

[courtesy of California Progress Report]

By Kenneth C. Burt

Seeking to enjoy a sunny weekend day, I traveled to Jackson, one of the larger towns in California’s historic Gold County. A region made famous by the influx of miners during 1849 from all over the globe, including Chile and Mexico.

Reading the local paper, the Ledger Dispatch, over lunch at the WOW! Bakery and Café, I was startled to read reporter Jennifer Gee’s July 27 commentary, “Where is the diversity?” It seems she was assigned to write a story on the state’s changing demographics, but found the locals afraid to talk.

“When I approached a prominent businessman, county official and minority group leader about the story, they declined to be interviewed, saying they’ve found when it comes to subjects like diversity, it’s best to stay under the radar.”

This came a couple of days after the Sacramento Bee ran a story on the legislative efforts to better care for a languishing monument dedicated to Latino World War II veterans. That story provoked a number of racially tinged reader reactions.

[courtesy of The California Majority Report]

Ted Lieu (D-El Segundo) explains his decision to request a cut in funding fornew judges in a piece published by the California Progress Report.Governor Schwarzenegger has had a dismal record on appointing judgeswho reflect California's diversity, despite an abundance of qualifiedcandidates.

George Skelton for the Los Angeles Times says that it's time for legislators to perform the "Dance of Death"on the budget. This description of the "ancient summer ritual" ispriceless: "Everybody dances around the fire. They throw stuff at us.We throw stuff at them. Everybody falls over dead, and we start allover again." Better start throwing stuff, because we're 16 days pastthe deadline for a budget.

Today's LA Times highlights another injustice that marriage equality could rectify. Heterosexual couples can support their partners for agreen card, but not gay couples. "Through Thick and Thin," adocumentary exploring these kinds of immigration woes, will premiere atOutfest tonight in Los Angeles.

There's more... 

Image courtesy of Barnes & Noble. 

by Kim Stevens [courtesy of Party Line]

Thanks to Matt Pope, President of the Democrats of Napa Valley, for this wrap-up of their recent event. Yountville Community Center, Yountville CA: On Saturday March 24, 2007, the Napa County Democratic Central Committee and the Democrats of Napa Valley...