California Blog Roundup for July 27, 2006

by: jsw

Thu Jul 27, 2006 at 19:22:42 PM PDT

Today's California Blog Roundup is on the flip. Teasers: Phil Angelides, Arnold Schwarzenegger, CA-04, CA-11, Richard Pombo, John Doolittle, Proposition 89, Proposition 87, health care, telecom.

Governor's Race -- Poll Stuff

• Bill Cavala's take on the Field Poll.


• Julia Rosen's take on the Field Poll.


• Randy Bayne on the Field Poll.


• PowerPAC on the Field Poll.


• Julia Rosen on the PPIC Pool.

Governor's Race

• Riffing off of the PPIC Poll, Frank Russo has a great post on the popularity of the solutions proposed by AB 32, the Global Warming Solutions Act, and the perils of Schwarzenegger's proposed end-run around it.


• Angelides on Energy.


• Does anyone seriously think that Schwarzenegger will do anything that actually addresses the public's need for affordable and universal health care? Me neither.


• D-Day is a bit off in his interpretation of this Angelides statement, but he's right that Schwarzenegger is a tool of big oil.


• Even better from D-Day, a history of Schwarzenegger's involvement with Ken Lay during the 2001 Enron fleecing of California.


• From ABC, looks like it might be tough for Schwarzenegger on immigration. Can't get Latinos and please the nativist base. More here, from PowerPAC.


• Fudgsicles for the little people, Arctic AC for Schwarzenegger. Leading by example is so passé.


• Why Latinos are electorally important, and why Schwarzenegger fails them. For more, see Bill Cavala with some context on the California Republican history with Latinos.


• This is a good question. What are Schwarzenegger's core values?


• It's hard to say, because he keeps changing his positions, depending on whether it's an election year or not.


• What we do know is that it's an election year, so it's time for Schwarzenegger to pretend to care. More pretending to care.


• P.S. This is what actual caring looks like.

Jerry McNerney / Paid-For Pombo / CA-11

In a nutshell, it appears that Paid-For Pombo's killing of a buffalo was worth about $5K, which he didn't repay or document. Mmmm... buffalo meat, seasoned with bribery.

15% Doolittle / CA-04

• Time to rewrite the civics textbooks. Local governments hire lobbyists who give money to 15% Doolittle as campaign contributions (with the 15% kickback), junkets and fancy dinners, then local governments get earmarks. That's how it works.


• 15% Doolittle: I would save the freezer. Real people with real illness don't matter to me.


• Do Republicans like 15% Doolittle seriously believe that morality is only a below-the-waist as defined-by-them issue? Never mind, stupid question. Of course they do.

Propositions

• Common Cause and the League of Women Voters say Yes on Prop 89.


• mathature at Daily Kos says Yes on Prop 89.


• s9 at MojoWire says Yes on Prop 87.

The Rest

• Update on AB 2987, the statewide video & internet franchise bill. Some progress has been made.


• This is a really interesting piece on increasing investment and stability in the grid over the long term.


• Ferial Masry (Dem Candidate, AD-37) is opening up a campaign HQ in Thousand Oaks.


• Assembly Member Dave Jones on why Sacramento should not impose a regressive sales tax to subsidize the billionaire who will benefit most from a new Kings stadium.


• Sheila Kuehl on prisons and transportation in the most recent budget.


• Bob Brigham is not all that happy with Barbara Boxer.


• Shorter Dianne Feinstein: I don't have a clue about why people are concerned about the integrity of their vote.


• One more convert to the popular presidential vote plan.


• Dan Gillmoor thinks the Hearst involvement in the Merc takeover smells fishy.


• Not California, but I have a soft spot for Alaskan politics.