by David Dayen [courtesy of Calitics - Front Page]

by Linda Seltzer [courtesy of Blog for America]

While the main purpose of the upcoming Democratic Convention is to elect a nominee, there is also the task of writing the platform.  I believe that the DFA should concentrate effort into the climate change section of the Democratic Platform.  Perhaps we in the DFA can arrive at a formal committee of people to draft private text to be used in the platform.   A well-researched and well-written document has the best chance of getting accepted.  The question for everyone is: what would you like to see in a DFA position paper on climate change?  Perhaps there are some energy experts out there reading this.  I would like to see support for telecommuting and flexible hours as part of the platform.  These actions require no funding, no research money and no waiting for futuristic technology.  They can be implemented now and would alleviate the current situation of people idling in traffic lines at rush hour.  The only change needed is a change in outdated customs and modes of thinking.  

by Julia Rosen [courtesy of Calitics - Front Page]

[courtesy of California Progress Report]

By Frank D. Russo

Yesterday, the California Coalition for Civil Rights (CACCR), on behalf of over 50 organizations, sent a letter to the California Fair Employment and Housing Commission urging them to seek guidance from the Attorney General on the legality of a Schwarzenegger Administration proposal to replace judges used by the Commission to enforce California's civil rights laws.

The plans, announced in September by, drew protests from the civil rights community and a letter from 20 legislators including the Speaker of the Assembly and the President pro Tem of the Senate about the timing of the proposal which they see as contrary to law and policies set by the legislature. As we reported on Monday, the Commission, which has to approve any changes, had previously decided to seek an opinion from the Attorney General but later quietly reversed course on that decision. California State Senator Sheila Kuehl described this action in September as the dismantling of the state's civil rights enforcement body that dates back to the era of the Rumsford Fair Housing Act.

by Brian Leubitz [courtesy of Calitics - Front Page]

I will admit that I'm occasionally a bit of a policy wonk. Not always, but you know, I have a degree in the whole "policy field" and I sometimes like to talk policy (or write as the case may be). One policy that I know reeks of fear-based politics with little to show in return: Jessica's Law. Sure, it won easily, and even Phil Angelides endorsed it.  Really, only a very select few spoke out against it. Fear is a bad poliy basis, and there seemed to be little reason for this law other than FEAR. Sen. Jackie Speier's bill had already passed and provided most of the protections of Prop 83. And the provisions that it lacked were just plain bad policy.

[courtesy of California Progress Report]

By Frank D. Russo

The California Field Poll released its latest data on whether California registered voters feel the state is on the "right track" or the "wrong track" and found that we are divided evenly with 42% supporting each of these conclusions. This is a mercurial number, as Mark DiCamillo, director of the Field poll noted. The findings here present a Rorschach test (those old inkblots used by psychiatrists) for interpretation, and a brief review of how the printed media has reported on this reveals that some of the numbers here can be easily misstated or misinterpreted.

The Right Track/Wrong Track Numbers

The first question asked in today's poll is: "Thinking about things here in this state, do you think things in California are generally going in the right direction, or do you feel things are seriously off on the wrong track?"

Today's tie is actually an improvement from the last survey done in August where the numbers were 42%-45% in favor of the wrong track gestalt but within the margin of error of 3.7% of today's poll.

[courtesy of The California Majority Report]