[courtesy of California Progress Report]

By Frank D. Russo

Just look at the headline and first paragraph of a KPIX-TV commissioned poll through SurveyUSA:

“California State Senate District 3: Carole Migden Defeated 2:1 in Primary Challenge -- In a Democratic Primary today in California's 3rd State Senate District, 18 days until votes are counted, incumbent Senator Carole Migden is defeated in her bid to keep her party's nomination… Mark Leno, assemblyman from California's 13th assembly district, gets 42% of the vote; Joe Nation, former assemblyman from CA's 6th district, gets 22%; Migden finishes effectively tied with Nation, at 21%. Leno leads in almost every demographic sub-population.”

It doesn’t get any better for Migden or Nation throughout this survey—in favorable-unfavorable ratings and the results by various subgroups to the extent the poll is accurate as to the smaller samples of those in the subgroups. Overall, this survey of 1000 voters out of which 516 were determined to have already voted or to be likely voters, has a margin of error of 3.2% as to the favorable/unfavorable ratings and 4.4% as to who voters would vote for. The poll is fresh—from last Tuesday May 13 to Wednesday May 14. It was released Thursday.

[courtesy of California Progress Report]

In the Democratic weekly radio address, Assemblymember John Laird argues that the Governor’s budget proposal unfairly hurts struggling Californians.

You may listen in English or Spanish. The transcript is below.

Hello, this is Assembly Budget Chair John Laird.

Earlier this week, we saw the governor present his updated budget proposal for next year.

The governor’s proposals are not the right answer for California and are not a real fix. They’re bad for our economy, lay off teachers and are based on risky assumptions.

However, I am glad the Governor recognizes that we need to bring in more revenue -- that the budget deficit cannot be solved through cuts alone.

But there are cuts in this budget proposal that unfairly hurt struggling California families.

Also, the current budget does not address long-term solutions and I think it’s important to do that. So, I applaud the governor for embracing the proposal for a tax commission that will study ways to bring our state’s revenue collection into the 21st century.

[courtesy of California Progress Report]

By Lynda Carson

The June 2008 Ballot has a dangerous measure known as Proposition 98 (California Property Owners and Farmland Protection Act, or CPOFPA). If passed by the voters, Prop. 98 would terminate rent control, tenant protections, and would place homeowners at risk by allowing unscrupulous property owners to challenge existing building codes and zoning laws that may prohibit the placing of a “pig sty” next to someone’s home, or a “porn shop” next to a church or school.

There are only two state ballot measures coming up in June, one known as Prop. 98 and the other as Prop. 99. Both competing measures are meant to prevent government from taking private property for other private use, and are in response to a 2005 U.S. Supreme Court decision that allows the government to take private property and turn it over to another private interest for economic development. Activists across the state, say that Prop. 98 is bad, and Prop. 99 is good.

Prop. 98 is also a stealth measure that guts protections for land, air, water, species and natural resources, according to a legal analysis by the environmental law firm of Shute, Mihaly and Weinberger.

[courtesy of California Progress Report]

By Linda Sutton

[courtesy of California Progress Report]

By A.G. Kawamura
Secretary
California Department of Food and Agriculture

I'd like to clarify a few points made in today's commentary concerning my department's plan to eradicate a ravenous pest from California. For more than a year now, in dozens of sessions and settings, I have met - in an open, transparent manner - with citizens and local officials about the moth eradication plans of the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the California Department of Food and Agriculture. And I remain committed to conducting this eradication program openly. Working with sound science and within the legislative process, we have established a system to protect California from invasive pests, diseases and other threats to our agriculture, environment and habitat. I look forward to working with legislators and constituents to continually improve this system.

California is no stranger to protests and political demonstrations, and we should all embrace such activities as vital to our public discourse. However, we should all collectively draw the line when misinformation is spread and causes unwarranted fear. Unfortunately, I feel that has happened in response to the campaign to eradicate the pest known as the light brown apple moth.

[courtesy of California Progress Report]

By Steven J. Ybarra, JD

Race, sex and age are always issues in every political campaign.

In every political campaign a successful candidate will confront racism, acknowledge economic inequality, and assure voters of all ages that their agendas will be addressed. For the last eight years I have trained thousands of political activists to address race, sex and age in the fight to get political power. Most intelligent people acknowledge that political power is never given - it is only taken.

The Mexican American in today's society is feared as an illegal alien in his own country. He is not viewed as a contributor but as a tax burden on white and black society, even though he is the one who is a strong part of the backbone of small business in America. He is attacked as the one who is stealing jobs. Mind you the phrase is always about “illegal aliens” but racists rarely are able to distinguish between those who are citizens and those who are not.

The Mexican American is a citizen who is feared by the beltway political bubble because of its inability to pigeonhole this voter into any clear mold.

[courtesy of California Progress Report]

We’re just 18 days away from Election Day

By Frank D. Russo

Monday is the deadline to register to vote for Californians who wish to participate in the upcoming June 3, 2008 statewide primary election which will determine who is running for Congress, state legislative offices, local offices, and also will determine the fate of state and local ballot propositions.

We have been getting increasing questions regarding where to obtain information on candidates and ballot propositions—which is a good thing—but the first step is to make sure everyone who wants to vote is eligible to do so.

We’ll be posting more about sources of information to become an informed voter—which include the California Voter Foundation Online Guide, the Secretary of State’s page on this election, and, of course, the California Progress Report and that Google search bar in our banner at the top.

Secretary of State Debra Bowen has provided the following information on how to register or make sure you are registered: