Well, I haven't done an open thread in a while, but that doesn't mean that they aren't just as worthwhile. I'll be a little quiet for the next week or so, but feel free to chatter away. So, a few pieces to chew on...
* The CA State Law Enforcement Association is having their annual Foundation Golf Tournament, with the proceeds going for college scholarships. It's in Napa on Oct. 7. You can get more details here.
* New York is beating us on the Marriage Equality race in more ways that one. The latest polls in CA show the barest of majorities in support, but New York is up at 55%. One way or the other, Prop 8 will be gone by the middle of this decade.
* Well, even though our economy stinks, at least Apple is popular with looters. Hooray for California (and the nation's) largest corporation!
* The Census Data came out today. I haven't had the chance to review it, but well, there's lots of it. The state has grown by a couple million since 2000 and has changed its composition. More details as I analyze a bit further.
* Tomorrow, the owner and the "safety officer" of the labor company that was monitoring the conditions during the death of Maria Isabel in 2009 are expected to settle on a plea deal that will get them no jail time whatsoever. UFW has additional details on the story as well as a contact form to send the DA an email opposing this deal.
* Yay, the Senate will pass the cuts on Thursday. Sooo...hurting the middle and lower class, check. Still waiting on where the "shared sacrifice" part comes in.
* We had been getting some good news on the revenue front. Turns out it might just be that more money was withheld than in previous years, and tax refunds are bigger than expected.
So, you want some links? I'll give you some links!
* The staff of the redistricting commission must also meet the conflict rules. In case you thought anybody was going to have some experience in this committee, well, forget about it.
* Check out this video -->. You can make of it what you will. Yes, that is Sen. President Pro Tem. Darrel Steinberg and a bunch of former legislative leaders.
* Mail-in voting increased again in California in the November 2010 election. Some are worried about that for a number of reasons. Fraud, transience, and other issues still trouble states like Oregon that have gone mail-in entirely.
* John Howard takes a look at the anti-consumer MICRA legislation that Jerry Brown signed back in 1975. The measure capped pain and suffering damages at non-inflation adjusted $250K and protected insurance companies over the rights of patients. Victims of medical malpractice in the state are left to virtually fend for themselves as it just doesn't make economic sense for talented attorneys.
* In theory, when you don't pay the sales tax for an online purchase, you are supposed to pay the use tax. Unfortunately, not enough Californians are actually doing that, and we're losing over a billion dollars per year. George Skelton wants California to get serious about collecting, working through our own state measures and/or working with the federal government to end the sales tax moratorium.
* The rough census total from California? About 39 million people in the nation's largest state. If we were a nation, that would make us roughly the world's 30th largest country.
* Worker's compensation? Yeah, it's supposed to be about helping injured workers. Sure would be nice if it actually did that.
My apologies for the lack of content today. But let's get to what happened today:
* Remember how we have been complaining about the over-representation of Republicans on the redistricting commission? Well, it continues. Despite their 10+point registration disadvantage, in their first meeting, the panel elected Republican Claremont City Councilman Peter Yao as the chair of the committee.
* Let the legacy defining begin. Steve Wiegand of the Bee looks at Arnold's record. Meanwhile, Arnold himself is still on the job, looking at the task of making "ugly cuts."
* Steve Cooley beat Meg Whitman in absolute votes. This isn't much consolation, as he is running over 40,000 votes behind Kamala Harris, but it has to be something. Typically there is a big dropoff after the top of the ticket, and this year is no exception. But Whitman did that poorly. Cooley spent about $1.55/vote, while Whitman spent about $36.63. Wow. That's going to leave a mark of Grif's inheritance.
* Meg thinks Fresno is awful! Worse than Detroit apparently. I'm sure when she's running on Romney's ticket, the people of Michigan are going to love that just as much as the people of Fresno liked it.
* CalBuzz analyzes just how wrong AP's story on Jerry Brown and the death penalty really was. And by wrong, they mean totally out of the ballpark, nowhere near the truth, zero research wrong. AP edited and reissued the story, but they owe not only Brown, but the truth and the people of California, an apology.
* Stephen Colbert is going to testify on a UFW and Farm Bureau bill. He interviewed Zoe Lofgren about the bill for last night's show. For tonight, they'll air a segment of Colbert working on a farm.
* Meg Whitman dumped another $15 million into her campaign, breaking the all-time record in self-funding for a campaign, previously set by Michael Bloomberg in his 2009 reelection. She plans to spend $150 million.
* And oh yeah, she is telling the cops what they want to hear. Apparently, cops and firefighters aren't subject to her pension plans...just because. Teachers? Yup.
* Dr. Ami Bera is hitting Dan Lungren on his pension. There's a lot of grist with Lungren. Hopefully we will see something that focuses on the pension rather than the ethics issues and Lungren's poor positions on the issues.
* Well, Arnold hasn't lost his sense of humor. He made fun of Sarah Palin as he was flying over Anchorage. He tweeted this photo to the right and said "Over Anchorage, AK. Looking everywhere but can't see Russia from here. Will keep you updated as search continues."
* The supporters of Prop 23, decided that they are going to lose on the issues. Well, that is basically the only possibility given their attacks on the 89-year old George Shultz, a co-chair for the No on 23 campaign.
* Robert was KALW's Your Call Radio this week to talk about the California election. You can listen to the MP3 here.
* Carly Fiorina did so well the first time, she wants another debate! The two major party candidates for the Senate race have scheduled another debate on September 29.
* Carly. The Tea Party. Marin County. Oh to be a fly on the wall, but no luck as it is closed to the press.
* It is a tough time for incumbents, especially Dan Lungren and Jerry McNerney. That being said, the Republican in McNerney's district ran against Garamendi last year. That has to have some negative repurcussions.
