[courtesy of The California Majority Report]

Another out-of-state billionaire that funded the Swift Boat veterans campaign against Sen. John Kerry has dumped $100,000 into Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's partisan attempt to eliminate minority seats in the legislature. He was also joined by a Republican real estate developer who contributed an equal amount.

Texas oil profiteer T. Boone Pickens made his six figure donation into the Schwarzenegger fund this week. Pickens is one of President George Bush's largest backers, with a long history of donations to his state and national campaigns. In 2004, he contributed $3 million for Swift Boat ads. He also has been a player in other Republican independent expenditure efforts.

The Pickens donation is in addition to another $250,000 Schwarzenegger raised from another out-of-state billionaire, New York City Mayor Bloomberg.

Oh -- and that's not the only 100k donation made to the campaign this week. Real estate developer Rick Caruso also chipped in a cool 100K himself. Caruso has given more than $500,000 to Schwarzenegger's campaigns and officeholder accounts over the last four years as well as more than $130,000 to the California Republican Party.

I can't wait to hear how Common Cause justifies these eye-popping six figure donations from special interests trying to influence the California legislative process. Funny how this so-called "good government" group has been amazingly silent about the six figure contributions it once fought to regulate, isn't it?

[courtesy of California Progress Report]

By Bill Cavala
A veteran of over 30 years in Sacramento

My first boss in the Legislature was Budget Chair under Speaker Unruh, and his particular interest was in the State’s program for crippled children.

When Ronald Reagan ended 8 years of Pat Brown in 1966, that program was gutted to save money. Dozens of kids died for lack of care. Thousands more were beset with the emotional problems that occur when teased by their peers for the inability to speak with a cleft palate. I learned of their situations individually, by answering letters from anguished parents for my boss.

It showed me that there was a difference between Democrats and Republicans. A difference worth fighting for.

And, it demonstrated to my satisfaction that, when you lost, a lot of people paid the consequences.

So when I read the tepid arguments of due process Democrats who would sacrifice the election advantages provided by partisan redistricting in the name of “fairness” or “due process”, I feel disgust. Such people view politics as a game where the outcomes matter less than ‘how the game is played’. Matter less to themselves, I’m sure. But not to those whose lives – or quality of life – is directly dependent on political outcomes.

[courtesy of The California Majority Report]

[courtesy of The California Majority Report]

Signature gatherers are now getting $1.50 for each signature on the petitions to put the Governor's redistricting measure on the November ballot -- a significant sum that signals that effort is having difficulty qualifying. Just a few weeks ago, signature gatherers were receiving just 50 cents a signature.

When the initiative was announced several months ago, its backers said they would push their extensive volunteer efforts to gather signatures. Indeed, Common Cause, AARP, and the League of Women Voters have all used their networks to get signatures. Apparently without any luck.

Meanwhile, the campaign reported four hefty donations yesterday. What did they have in common? The same thing as nearly all the other major donations to the campaign. They all are from contributors to the New Majority PAC and dozens of conservative Republican candidates.

There's more...