by Michael Kuykendall [courtesy of Blog for America]

Recent attacks on Obama create doubt that Clinton is the best person for the job. A rundown of the reasons I won't vote for Hillary to be the Democratic nominee.

[courtesy of The California Majority Report]

Cross-posted on Calitics. 

In yesterday's Fresno Bee, the editorial board takes a whack at Prop 93. Fair enough, I can handle a little criticism. But I'd like to go through this a little bit.

"Term limits should be changed. They haven't worked as well as voters once hoped. The net effect of term limits has been to reduce the experience level of those who serve in Sacramento, elevate the role of special interests and their lobbyists, and turn electoral cycles into an unending marathon on fundraising and focusing on the next job, rather than on California's increasingly serious problems."

Now that's something I can agree with, and something that I'm guessing most progressives would agree with. So, a reasonable start there. But then they get into their hang up: redistricting. Why are term limits and redistricting related? Why because the governor said so of course! Silly Californians. 

There's more...

[courtesy of California Progress Report]

By Bill Cavala
A veteran of over 30 years in Sacramento

The people have imposed qualifications on public office to make sure that those who run and win have the ability to do the job. Thus you must be an attorney to run for judge or district attorney. And all candidates must be registered voters, a fact that establishes citizenship and residency in a district. Candidates for partisan office must have been registered in their party for a year, and so on.

The latest redistricting initiative – backed by Republican Governor Schwarzenegger – takes the opposite tack. It would have a Commission draw political districts that has no qualifications. Rather, it would exclude everyone who had qualifications.

Commissioners would be chosen by three randomly selected certified auditors, none of whom would have any experience or knowledge of the redistricting process.

These unqualified screeners would then pick a pool of people chosen from those with no experience and with no relations with experience – going back 10 years.

These unqualified voters would be randomly reduced to 14. Ideologically extreme Minority Party Members or indifferent unaligned voters would hold the balance of power on the Commission. This group would choose the staff.

by Brian Leubitz [courtesy of Calitics - Front Page]

by David Dayen [courtesy of Calitics - Front Page]

[courtesy of The California Majority Report]

The House has passed a bill designed to tighten lending rules for mortgages,but the bill have a harder time getting passed in the Senate, reportsInside Bay Area. It is facing criticism from the White House andlobbying by the mortgage industry, while being supported by Democrats(not a single Democrat in the House voted against the bill) andconsumer advocacy groups.

The tanking housing market is having a negative effect on employment in California,reports the San Francisco Chronicle. Construction and financepredictably suffered the greatest job losses in October, but job growthslowed across most other sectors as well.

[courtesy of The California Majority Report]

As the victims of last month's Southern California wildfires begin to rebuild their lives, one would think Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner would be out standing guard against insurance company malfeasance. But with today's pledge to dump $1.5 million of his seemingly bottomless pool of cash into the No on Prop 93 campaign, Lt. Governor John Garamendi is not convinced Poizner's priorities align with the interests of the people of California:

"Today our state is still recovering from last month's devastating Southern California fires where nearly 2000 people lost their homes," Garamendi said. "I would expect that our Insurance Commissioner would be focused on helping our fellow Californians rebuild their lives, not playing politics. Today we must focus on healing California. There will be plenty of time for politics tomorrow."