[courtesy of The California Majority Report]

The Sacramento Bee reports that legislators have no fundraising limit for ballot measures, allowing them to skirt a 2000 law limiting campaign contributions."Politicians have used the funds for everything from TV ads featuringthemselves to family Christmas cards to leverage in policy negotiationswith well-heeled special interests."

Peter Stahl reminds us all why Proposition 98 is a bad idea in today's California Progress Report. In contrast, Proposition 99 limits eminent domain without destroying rent control.

The race to replace Rep. John Doolittle is getting ugly, saysthe San Francisco Chronicle. Former Rep. Doug Ose is painting hisopponent Senator Tom McClintock as a carpetbagger, while McClintock forhis part is calling Ose "a Republican that votes like a liberalDemocrat." Grab your popcorn.

There's more...

Image courtesy Sacbee.com 

by fnpople [courtesy of Calitics - Front Page]

Charlie Brown, running for Congress in California's 4th District, needs our help! I just received this email in my inbox, as I'm sure hundreds of you also have. Let's send Charlie into battle well-armed and prepared for these foreign invaders (quite literally foreign-- none of the Republicans running in this race even come from the 4th District) by sending in a donation to the Brown campaign!

by Charlie Brown for Congress [courtesy of Calitics - Front Page]

I decided to run for Congress against John Doolittle because I believe we desperately need a new direction for America.

My decision was never about political ambition or blind partisan loyalties, but fulfilling a promise I made to defend our country, and to serve the community where Jan and I have been proud to live, work, and raise our children these past 17 years.

Today, State Senator Tom McClintock announced he is going to move from his district in Southern California in order to run for Congress in our district.

My position hasn't changed. I still firmly believe we need a new direction - for our country.
And I believe the last thing District Four needs is another career politician who needs driving directions just to find our district.

Click here to give Senator Tom McClintock a warm welcome when he arrives.

This will be the ninth different political office that Tom has run for in California. If you are scoring at home, here's the list:

by David Dayen [courtesy of Calitics - Front Page]

[courtesy of The California Majority Report]

Cal Poly SLO's proposal to found an engineering program in Saudi Arabia is generating anger, reports the LA Times. The engineering programwould train only men in engineering, although other classes would beavailable to women. "No matter how you cut it, we're supporting theoppression of women," said Jim LoCascio, Cal Poly professor ofmechanical engineering.

Frank Russo at the California Progress Report looks at a new study that discovered that immigrants have a significantly lower crime rate than native Americans. Let's hope the facts win out over hysteria on immigration.

State Senator Tom McClintock (R-Thousand Oaks) hasn't said that he will run for Doolittle's seat,but that hasn't stopped former Representative Doug Ose from preparing a$500,000 ad campaign on his behalf.

There's more...

Image courtesy of Sacbee.com

[courtesy of The California Majority Report]

As Governor Schwarzenegger officially enters lame duck status, chatter among Democrats about the 2010 gubernatorial race is already picking up. In this, our third rating guide, we've dropped five candidates, including several members of the California Congressional delegation who appear to be quite comfortable hanging around the nation's capital. And we have a new leader on the board as well as a new #2 and #3.

With a lockhold on the state's constitutional offices and the Legislature, Democrats are in a strong position to recapture the gubernatorial nomination. On the Republican side, Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner is drifting to the right to try to head off the expected run of State Senator Tom McClintock. That move will only help Democrats. In fact, LG Garamendi already has seized on Poizner's political positioning on Prop 93 to lash out at his weak performance in the wake of the San Diego fires.

[courtesy of The California Majority Report]

State Senator Tom McClintock has long enjoyed a reputation in Capitol circles for being a straight-shooting, principled conservative. You may not believe what he believes, but you usually get a sense that he knows what he's talking about.
 
That's why it's stunning that McClintock, in a speech last week to the Western Conservative Politcal Action Conference, called global warming a "farce." In a rant against environmentalists, he blasted the state's new greenhouse emissions law, co-authored by Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez, saying it would hurt industry and -- get this -- even cause starvation in the world.
 
Even the most neanderthal true believers in the Republican Party have begun to shed this line of thinking. Economic conservatives are acknowleding global warming and recommending market-based solutions. Moderate Republicans, like Sen. John McCain, are signing on to legislation on Capitol Hill to promote "cap and trade" programs. Even religious conservatives have taken up the cause of global warming. 

There's more...

Image courtesy Western Alliance.