[courtesy of The California Majority Report]

Independent voters in California may lean strongly towards the Democratic party, accordingto the Los Angeles Times. A not insignificant factor is the GOP'sdecision last year to shut out independents from their primary. "TheRepublicans have been caught with their pants down," said DemocraticParty campaign adviser Bob Mulholland.

The debate over Proposition 92 ,which would cap student fees and guarantee funding for communitycolleges, is coming to a boil. "We're confident we're going to win Feb.5," said Scott Lay, head of the Community Colleges League of California.

Many Californian lawmakers still drive gas-guzzling cars, according to the Oakland Tribune. Not surprisingly, Republicans have the more expensive (and fuel inefficient) vehicles.

There's more...

Image courtesy of A1Limobus.com

[courtesy of The California Majority Report]

In an unexpected twist, Senator Hillary Clinton topped the presidential field in third quarter fundraising today, raising $22 million for the presidential primary. Senator Barack Obama fell $3 million short with $19 million raised. Former Senator John Edwards trailed with a distant $7 million, while Governor Bill Richardson raised $5.2 million.

Numbers for the Republican field haven't fully trickled in yet, but it looks like the GOP had another lackluster quarter. Former Senator Fred Thompson raised $8 million and Senator John McCain raised only $5 million.

Photo courtesy Oakland Tribune.

[courtesy of California Progress Report]

Time for California to Enter the 21st Century

By Frank D. Russo

Fortunately, as far as we know, no one has died, and there are no reported illnesses from the latest discovery of the dangerous E. coli bacteria found in packages of Dole lettuce by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency on Monday that has resulted in a recall of lettuce in Canada and Illinois, Indiana, Maine, Michigan, Mississippi, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and other states here in the U.S. The mix of lettuce that was recalled was not sold in California.

We now know, only as of yesterday, that two of the lettuces in this mix produced in Ohio came from the Salinas Valley. That was reported late yesterday by the Oakland Tribune and came as an admission by Dole Fresh Vegetables president Eric Schwartz. But in the article, Schwartz refuses to identify the fields where the lettuce was grown, because of an ongoing investigation by the Federal Food and Drug Administration.

[courtesy of The California Majority Report]

The Legislature is close to a deal on the 52-day old state budget, butlawmakers left session late yesterday uncertain about their progress,with Speaker Fabian Nunez (left) saying he was "puzzled" about GOP holdouts, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. At this points, the hold-upappears to be over Republicans demands to reduce global warming relatedlawsuits and increase funding for suburban schools, both of littleimportance to the overall budget.

A group of parents and caregivers took to the streets in the Bay Areayesterday to remind Californians of the budget delay's real-lifeimpact, the Oakland Tribune reports. A number of day-care centers whosechildren receive state subsidies are turning to neighbors and churches to feed those in their care, and the kindness of strangers will also last them so long.

A new Field Poll shows a plurality of Californians inclined to supportefforts at splitting the state's electoral votes by Congressionaldistrict, the Chronicle reports. The tentative ballot measure filed byRepublican operatives is a partisan power grab that would essentiallygive an Ohio-sized prize to the GOP presidential candidate without true electoral reform.

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[courtesy of The California Majority Report]

The budget impasse may force child-care agencies across the state to stop providing services to tens of thousands of low-income children according to the LA Times. The shortfall would not only deprive thesechildren of developmental education and meals, but also jeopardize thejobs of thousands of child-care workers and parents. “Feeling a bithelpless” is right.

If that sounds pathetic, the Associated Press has quoted Senate President Pro Tem Don Perata as saying, "We are really governing ourselves like a Third World country."The AP also reminds us that California is one of the world’s largesteconomies, which ought to make this even more embarrassing.

Governor Schwarzenegger has dispatched an undisclosed number of CHP officers to Oakland as part of CalGRIP,a new state anti-gang initiative, according to the Oakland Tribune.Oakland mayor Ron Dellums persuaded the Governor to test the newprogram in the beleaguered city, which has been fighting a recent crimewave. But yeah, guess what...the officers will be paid using overtimefunds, because the forthcoming money for the program is tied up in thestalled state budget.

[courtesy of The California Majority Report]

When KQED's John Myers asked Assembly Republican Leader Mike Villines, R-Clovis, on Wednesday, if he thought the Governor would veto AB 8, the Democratic health care bill, Villines said he was "sure" Schwarzenegger will veto AB 8 if it reaches his desk. At a news conference Thursday in Pleasanton after his San Ramon speech, Schwarzenegger said he doesn't comment on bills before they reach his desk. However, according to the Oakland Tribune, the governor added "But there's no one in the Republican Party that speaks for me, I speak for myself." <> <>Meanwhile, seven months after the Governor said health care was his top priority for the year, he has not offered any legislation. The Governor's health care plan remains a concept and a press release, and nothing more.

[courtesy of The California Majority Report]

Open up any Bay Area paper today, and you'll learn that the driver of the gas truck that caused the collapse of the Oakland Maze served time for heroin use -- in 1996. The San Francisco Chronicle is happy to tell us that "[t]he driver of the gasoline tanker truck that overturned and ignited a fire that brought down part of the MacArthur Maze has a criminal record, including a conviction for possession of heroin in 1996 that earned him a 32-month state prison sentence," while the Oakland Tribune notes that "James Mosqueda Sr. accumulated a criminal record stretching from 1974-1996 that includes a misdemeanor hit-and-run; a felony drug possession that garnered him two years in state prison; and a second degree burglary, according to court records for Sacramento and Yolo counties. Yet the 51-year-old Woodland resident was able to obtain a license to haul hazardous materials and pass a Transportation Security Administration background check."

What an outrage! A man last convicted of a minor crime in 1996 -- for heroin use of all things -- managed to acquire a security clearance to drive a truck. Stop the presses. But wait, there's more. Again the Chronicle: