[courtesy of California Progress Report]

I am an attorney and small winery owner seeking the Democratic Nomination for the California State Senate race in the 15th District, a District that comprises five counties spanning from Santa Maria to Santa Cruz.

I am running because I believe every political race should have at least two candidates so that the freer and broader flow of ideas and perspectives are afforded to the People. Seeing there was no Democratic contender for this race, I immediately contacted my local Democratic Party, filed the necessary papers, and formally announced my intention to become California's next State Senator for the 15th District on May 22, 2008.

[courtesy of The California Majority Report]

Dennis Morris, a lawyer and small business owner, is running as a write-in candidate for the Democratic primary in Senate District 15. To avoid any risk of accountability in the general election, incumbent Republican Senator Abel Maldonado is also running as a write-in candidate for the Democratic primary in Senate District 15. If Maldonado secures more write-ins than Morris, then Maldonado will have effectively removed all Democratic opposition to his reelection in a very Democratic year in a somewhat Democratic district. If you think California's 15th Senate District deserves a choice in who represents them this November, first, visit the Monterey County Democrats for more information on the race. Then, read this letter from Dean Morris provided by our friends at Calitics:

by Robert in Monterey [courtesy of Calitics - Front Page]

[courtesy of The California Majority Report]

A settlementis near on California's overcrowded prisons, reports the SacramentoBee. Two federal judge referees have laid out a plan that would givemore funding to manage probationers, cut down returns to prison forminor parole violations, and give time credit incentives for inmateswho complete programs.

Governor Schwarzenegger's lottery plan could shortchange educationin the future, says Legislative Analyst Elizabeth Hill. "We certainlyhave a concern with the magnitude of the governor's lottery proposal,"Hill said . "We think, in terms of our counterproposal, it's much moremodest."

A House investigative committee has found that White House officials were involved in persuading EPA Administrator Stephen Johnson to refuse to regulate greenhouse gas emissions.

There's more... 

by David Dayen [courtesy of Calitics - Front Page]

I've found myself wistful over the demise of health care reform in California, if only because it was so painful to watch.  It was fairly glaring from the start that the resources and the budget structure weren't there to manage such a big issue.  The lesson learned should be that a broader consensus has to be reached, but also that you have to work within the narrow structures forced by the state's processes, or else work to change them.  Such is also the case with prison reform, which is actually a far less insurmountable a goal.

About a week ago we heard about a potential "deal" on solving the prison crisis, where the state would settle the lawsuits that are forcing the possibility of a dramatic release of prisoners.  But notice how this is being done.  It's a "deal" without reform.

over..

[courtesy of The California Majority Report]

Democrats in both houses of the Legislature have passed separate bills extending health insuranceto millions of Californians, the Sacramento Bee reports.  The two bills-- AB 8 and SB 48 -- require employers to either contribute 7.5 percentof their payroll to health care or pay into a state fund, though theydiffer on who qualifies for exemptions.  "We're going to say, to allCalifornians, from this point forward, that health care is a rightafforded to everyone in this state," Assembly Speaker Fabian Núñez said.

The Senate and Assembly also passed similar bills reforming our state's prison sentencing,the San Jose Mercury News reports.  Both bills would create anindependent panel with the authority to rewrite the guidelines thatjudges follow when sentencing.  The sentencing reform could helpCalifornia's growing problem with overcrowded prisons.  Democrats saythat the measures will bring fairness and common sense to ourpunishments for laws, while Republicans were quick to call them "softon crime."

[courtesy of The California Majority Report]

Governor Schwarzenegger punted the issue of California's overcrowded prisons yesterday.  The prison-reform plan he signed yesterday will add 50,000new beds and allow inmates to be shipped out of state.  On a positivenote, the plan attempts to lower the recidivism rate of inmates byproviding them with necessary skills for the outside world.  "In thecritical few months before an inmate is released, our re-entryfacilities will focus on job training and placement, on education, onanger management, substance abuse and family counseling and housingplacement," Schwarzenegger said.  Umm, shouldn't we have been doingthat already?

A proposed plan to improve the Folsom Dam has passed environmental review.  The new and improved dam will doubleSacramento's flood protection, and for cheaper than previous proposalsestimated.  It's good to see the government learning lessons fromHurricane Katrina.