[courtesy of The California Majority Report]

The so-called "bipartisan" effort to change the way California's legislative districts are drawn is being almost entirely funded by major Republican donors and backers of Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, according to new reports filed with the Secretary of State.

As noted here last week, the biggest backer so far is the New Majority PAC, which kicked in $150,000. On its website, the PAC says its "continued priorities include increasing Republican voter registration in targeted communities, identifying quality Republican candidates with an emphasis on bringing diversity into the Republican Party and supporting legislative Republican leadership in targeted races." The Governor's campaign committee also has kicked in $50,000.

Those Republican interests received additional backing last week, when another major donor, David Horowitz of the Horowitz Group in Laguna Niguel, added his support with a $5,000 check. Horowitz has given more than $100,000 to Schwarzenegger's campaign efforts since 2006 and more than $30,000 to the New Majority PAC. Horowitz has also given thousands to right-wing Republicans including State Sen. Tom McClintock, Assemblymember Chuck DeVore, and Assemblywoman Mimi Walters.

[courtesy of The California Majority Report]

The right-wingers behind the initiative to split California's electoral votes threw in the towel on the June ballot today. But it's not dead yet. There's a chance it may live to see the light of day in November. The atmospherics will be against it (general election with heavy Democratic turnout), but it's still worth keeping your eye on.
 
Here's the Statement from Chris Lehane, spokesman for effort against the initiative:

"The continued and repeated attempts by Republicans, especially the Rudy Giuliani forces, to pursue an effort to rig the presidential election makes clear that the Republicans will stop at nothing when it comes to holding onto power; they recognize that they will be a minority party if they lose the White House and will do everything they can to hold on to power, including lying, cheating, stealing, gouging and kicking below the belt. We have said it before and we will say it again -- this is the Freddie Kruger, Dracula and Rasputin of initiatives and that
so long as some Republicans believe that they cannot win the popular vote fair and sqaure this will never completely die until and unless we put in place a true reform such as a national popular vote."

[courtesy of California Progress Report]

By Joseph A. Palermo

Wealthy right-wingers from out of state are flooding California with cash to try to change the way the state's electoral votes are allocated. In time for the 2008 election (and thereafter) the Republicans want to snatch up at least 20 of California's 55 electoral votes in a new system that would replace the traditional winner-take-all method. As with past Republican shenanigans they intend to accomplish this feat by tricking the voters with a well financed, deceptively-worded ballot initiative.

"Take Initiative America -- California" is a corporation set up in Missouri that is charged with funneling hefty amounts of cash into the coffers of a group calling itself "Californians for Equal Representation." We'll be hearing a lot from "Californians for Equal Representation" on our radios and TVs as the group uses the latest techniques in post-Swift Boat propaganda to convince enough Californians that they should vote in favor of diminishing their state's relevance in national elections.

If successful, the Republican initiative will have the effect of diluting the impact of the state of California on the Electoral College.

[courtesy of The California Majority Report]

Assemblymember Chuck DeVore's initiative to allow the rapid construction of nuclear power plants in California bit the big one yesterday.

With no support and no funding, the initiative -- largely considered a publicity stunt by the right-wing Assemblymember -- was yanked. DeVore told the press he would reintroduce it if his legislation didn't get signed into law next year. And given the distaste for nuclear power among California citizens, it looks like the most DeVore will get out of it will be another few headlines.

DeVore cites nuclear power as clean energy that will help ease the global warming crisis. However, DeVore's concern about global warming seems to end when it comes to actually doing something about it: he joined all but one Republican legislator in opposing AB 32, California's landmark greenhouse gas emissions control law.

Image courtesy CorrosionCost.com.

by Brian Leubitz [courtesy of Calitics - Front Page]

Well, it looks like it's going to happen. The Right wingers aren't ones to give up just because they got rebuffed once.  They're at it again, and, if you believe them, they've got the signatures to get on the ballot:

Today, Californians for Property Rights Protection announced that the campaign has collected well over 700,000 signatures needed to qualify the California Property Owners and Farmland Protection Act for the June 2008 ballot. In order to qualify the eminent domain reform ballot measure, supporters must collect 694,354 valid signatures by November 26, 2007. The campaign is on track to submit more than 1 million signatures before this deadline. Link here

More on this proposition over the flip and why this is, yet again, a trojan horse.