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

by David Dayen [courtesy of Calitics - Front Page]

by Julia Rosen [courtesy of Calitics - Front Page]

The buzz around Sacramento is that the big announcement the No on 93 (term limits) folks are making tomorrow that uberrich State Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner (he of the gubernatorial ambitions) will be backing the campaign with a significant contribution.  I guess he gave up on the whole dedication to recovery after the fire thing and is instead leaping headfirst into a pretty charged political battle.  CapWeekly:

Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner, a Silicon Valley millionaire who has heavily bankrolled his own political races, has decided tofinance the campaign against a February ballot initiative that would allow the current crop of legislative leaders to stay in power for several more years, Capitol Weekly has learned.

A public announcement was expected Thursday at a Capitol news conference at which Poizner was expected to attend. On Wednesday evening, Kevin Spillane, a spokesman forthe No on Proposition 93 campaign, declined to confirm or deny Poizner's role.

Note that Poizner's consultant Wayne Johnson is reportedly serving as a media consultant for the No on 93 campaign.  This is well orchestrated to build the buzz and create interest in the announcement.

[courtesy of California Progress Report]

By Sara S. Nichols

Is it just me or did all involved overplay the Halloween theme this year in political/policy circles? Every year there's at least one or two press hits at Halloween about what's "really scary." But this week I felt like it was a constant barrage of increasingly desperate and hateful emails from campaigns or organizations all with almost identical language:

This year for Halloween, dress up as someone really scary, "a right winger," "a Republican," "a prison guard," or "a supporter of compromise health care plans."

Strangely, I expected to see the corollary on the right--about how scary liberals are. Maybe it's because I'm not on any of their listserves, but I couldn't find it. I thought if People for the American Way is helping me dress up as the terrifying specter of Ann Coulter, surely someone has put together an Al Frankenstein costume?

Okay, I was able to find the Minnesota College Republicans Youtube posting on Al Frankenstein, but is that all?

Frankly, the whole theme needs to be put back in its grave for a couple of more years. These tired undead advertisements are mostly very boring and predictable.

[courtesy of California Progress Report]

Calitics, maintained by Brian Leubitz and Jeremy Woodburn, is a community blog site that focuses on California public policy issues and politics at a state and local level.

If you visit the site, you will see many different authors with distinct voices and approaches and a lot of comments from Californians (and elsewhere).

Since the fires have broken out in Southern California, they have had a variety of insights--dozens--that you can read by clicking here and going to their "fire" tagged posts. These include some "live blogging" by Lucas, who lives in San Diego and gave hour by hour observations of the fire.

There is also an excellent "Blog Roundup" where hundreds of postings in California and from outside our state but about California are sifted--and those that relate to current issues and politics in the state are listed with links many times per week, approaching a daily basis. Because of the hundreds of postings on other sites pertaining to the fires, there have been separate listings on that topic that is worth looking at to see what those with unique perspectives are thinking about the fire, its implications, how it is affecting them, and what can be done to help out.

A great site in ordinary times--and to get information about the fire.

by Patrick Briggs [courtesy of Blog for America]

We often hear that we should think local in our politics. Pasadena resident, Peter Dreier (proud to say he lives on my block!), has an important essay out on the centrality of affordable housing, an involved citizenry with their city council, and a good public education system, to a socially just Pasadena community. Please read these links to find out more:

http://www.jewishjournal.com/home/print.php?id=18365

Here is a link to a report commissioned by the Pasadena Educational Foundation. It was written by Richard Kahlenberg, an educational consultant. The report pointed out that Pasadena has more world-class institutions colleges, museums, theaters, hospitals, and science-based businesses -- than any other city its size. If these institutions and the broader community got behind our public schools, there's no reason that PUSD couldn't be a first-class school system.

http://www.pusd.us/article.php?story=20060606114711995

[courtesy of California Progress Report]

By Mike Thompson
Member of Congress
First District of California

Occasionally, an issue comes before Congress that is so clearly aligned with American values that Members across the political spectrum come together to support a solution. Giving uninsured children access to health care is one of those issues. And the strong bipartisan House and Senate votes for the reauthorization of the State Children’s Health Insurance Program were examples of how Congress is trying to cut through politics to improve the lives of American families.

The State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP, known in California as Healthy Families) has a history steeped in bipartisanship. A Democratic President and a Republican Congress created the program, which today covers about 6.6 million American children – 800,000 of whom live in California. They are members of families that make no more than 250 percent over the poverty line – too much to participate in Medicaid and too little to afford private insurance.