by David Dayen [courtesy of Calitics - Front Page]

[courtesy of California Progress Report]

By Janis R. Hirohama

Speaking for the proponents and strong allies of the California Voters FIRST initiative, I found it perplexing to learn of Speaker Núñez’s apparent opposition to our well-balanced and bipartisan effort to secure a fair redistricting process for California. A diverse group of organizations has been working since 2005 to eliminate the current conflict of interest in the redistricting process and have attempted to do so in cooperation with the Legislature. For the past three years, the Legislature has promised to put a redistricting reform measure on the ballot – and the Speaker himself has been widely quoted as supporting redistricting reform. But at the end of each legislative year, no progress has been made. After three years, it’s clear that real reform is going to require an independent initiative.

This is the environment that prompted us to move forward with our California Voters FIRST initiative. We will continue to qualify our measure for the November 2008 ballot and will conduct an aggressive campaign to see it enacted by voters. We will not be deterred in our efforts to give communities the voice they deserve and end the status quo that brings nothing but partisanship and gridlock to Sacramento.

[courtesy of The California Majority Report]

Instead of working to balance the budget with lawmakers, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has been bellowing carbon from his private jet with trips up and down the state to editorial boards in Republican outposts. He skirts talk of the budget deficit he created with billions in tax cuts from the repeal of the vehicle license fee. Instead, he focuses on an executive power grab he calls "budget reform."

But where's the details of his proposal?

Four months after rolling the proposal -- a re-do of the one voters solidly rejected in 2005 -- Schwarzenegger has failed to produce the legislation for review. No lawmaker has introduced the proposal on his behalf (not even a Republican), even as a courtesy.

Sound familiar? It should.

Schwarzenegger went nearly nine months before putting his health care proposal into bill form. And when he finally did, he couldn't find a single author or vote for it.

Arnold's budget reform notion -- which will have no effect on this year's budget -- is nothing more than that. Perhaps he should focus on the problem at hand, take ownership of it, and then show some leadership. The "don't blame me" act he's putting on isn't working, particularly among legislators.

[courtesy of The California Majority Report]

It appears that the proposed Republican power grab initiative to split California's electoral college votes is dead (as in stake through its heart, dead).

Yesterday was the last day for the right-wing proponent of the measure to file signatures for the initiative. And there was no sign of signatures being filed anywhere in the state. That means there's no chance it will make the November 2008 ballot since the clock has run out.

The death of the proposal ends a series of gang-that-couldn't-shoot-straight attempts by Republican operatives to divide and conquer California's votes, which are widely expected to go to the Democratic nominee in November. Now neither Hillary Clinton nor Barack Obama will need to worry about the threat of a Romney or McCain siphoning off any votes from the Golden State.

Congratulations to all grassroots Democrats that helped thwart this Republican effort.

[courtesy of California Progress Report]

By Robert Cruickshank

The basic elements of Arnold's education reforms have begun to make their way into the press, and unsurprisingly, they're not good. Arnold intends to use his "Year of Education" to make a power grab at the expense of teachers, students who have different educational needs, and even basic democracy.

The most dramatic reforms appear to have been abandoned due to the budget crisis, as Arnold is in fact likely to propose balancing the budget on the backs of students. But other changes that don't involve money will still appear in his State of the State address on Tuesday:

"In his State of the State address on Tuesday, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is expected to announce an ambitious but controversial education agenda that includes merit pay for teachers, more local control of school finances, and essentially barring 4-year-olds from entering kindergarten."

Additionally, the AP adds some more proposals that seem likely to be unveiled:

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

[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."