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No matter how often we hear the standard lecture about how liberal Californians are, events like this (Nancy Vogel, LAT) continue to call commonly held wisdom into question, even as such news passes by unnoticed: "The Death With Dignity Act cleared two committees but was never brought up for a vote on the Assembly floor. [Assemblymember Lloyd] Levine said 33 of the 80 lawmakers had committed to vote for the bill — short of the necessary 41." Sure, some of the polls say that most Californians have favored assisted suicide for years—but if this is the case, why hasn't state...

The Homeowner & Property Protection Act A resolution to propose to the people of the State of California an amendment to the Constitution of the State, by amending Section 19 of Article I thereof, relating to eminent domain. WHEREAS, This measure shall be known and may be cited as “The Homeowner and Property Protection Act”; and WHEREAS, Eminent domain has been subject to widespread abuse in California, whereby local governmental entities have condemned property and transferred it, by sale, lease, or otherwise, to the control, management, or exploitation of private entities for private use and profit on the theory that...

The bill provides: "Provides for the issuance of distinctive license plates for African-American veterans; provides that such distinctive license plates shall bear the words "African-American Veteran"; provides for a one-time service charge of $10 for each such plate."

Although most of the mainstream media reported on the Budget vote, it was interesting all of the interesting facts and details they left out of their reports. So I thought you might be interested in some of more relevant details not discussed. Read More... Craig DeLuzVisit The Home of Uncommon Sense… www.craigdeluz.com

SACRAMENTO (AP) - Democratic Assembly and Senate leaders announced Friday they have reached an agreement on a state budget, delaying a debate on the thorniest spending issue - public education. The spending plan approved Friday by the conference committee doesn't raise taxes and is balanced, according to Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez and Senate President Pro Tem Don Perata. However, not all legislators agreed that it is, indeed, balanced. "When you have a budget and the largest part is education, to suggest that you've balanced this budget is absurd," said Sen. Dick Ackerman, R-Tustin. "This is about narrowing the differences that...

The California Assembly is betting that kids learn more with small books. Lawmakers voted Thursday to ban school districts from purchasing textbooks longer than 200 pages. The bill, believed to be the first of its kind nationwide, was hailed by supporters as a way to revolutionize education. Critics lambasted Assembly Bill 756 as silly. "This bill is really the epitome of micromanagement," said Assemblyman Keith Richman, R-Northridge. "(It's) absolutely ridiculous." "With all due respect," said Assemblyman Ray Haynes, R-Murrieta, "this Legislature worries more about the rules than they do about whether children learn." But Assemblywoman Jackie Goldberg, a Los Angeles...

SACRAMENTO (AP) - The Assembly passed legislation Thursday that would curb Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's fundraising by putting a $5,600 limit on donations to ballot measure committees controlled by candidates or officeholders. The bill was designed to close a loophole in a voter-approved campaign finance law that Schwarzenegger has used to raise tens of millions of dollars to support his agenda at the ballot box. "This loophole is bad public policy. It undermines public trust," said Assemblywoman Lois Wolk, D-Davis, sponsor of the bill. Wolk's bill deals with contributions made to committees such as Schwarzenegger's California Recovery Team, which don't face...

/begin my translationChina, "A Pressure Cooker Which Can Blow Up Anytime"Seven Oppressions in China: an Analysis by Asia Weekly Ji Hae-bum hbjee@chosun.com  04/26/05  Chinese society  is like a 'pressure cooker' with its safety lid tightly closed. recent anti-Japanese protest served as a way to relieving pressure from 7 oppressions by (Chinese) authorities.  The latest (May 1st) issue of 'The Asia Weekly' in Hong Kong assessed, "For last 15 years, under the slogan, ' Stability is above everything else,' China repressed the freedom of public assembly, which was guaranteed in their constitution, thus closing the channel for expressing discontent and frustration. (Recent) Anti-Japanese protest  is...

UNITED NATIONS (AP) - The U.N. General Assembly is set to approve a global treaty aimed at preventing nuclear terrorism by making it a crime to possess or threaten the use of radioactive material, the U.N. legal chief said Tuesday. The 191-member world body is scheduled to vote Wednesday on a draft resolution calling on all countries to sign and ratify the "International Convention for the Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism." Nicolas Michel, the undersecretary-general for legal affairs, said there is no opposition to its adoption. "It has to be seen as a breakthrough after more than seven years...

Acrimonious scenes dominated the meeting of Iraq's national assembly today as politicians failed to agree on a candidate for speaker. The new governing body convened briefly, for only the second time since national elections in January, and admitted defeat in nominating a Sunni candidate for the role. The session's start was delayed by nearly three hours as talks to fill the position continued. Once it began, politicians immediately began arguing over whether to delay their decision, and the leader of the session decided to banish reporters and cameras and take negotiations behind closed doors. "We demand to know the details...

AB-232 was heard in the Nevada assembly judiciary committee today. I attended the hearing, paid lobbyist John L. Wagner was the only one there who I recognized. AB-232 does two things. 1. As used in this section, “upon a person” means actually on a person or in a container carried by a person". It would codify the current A.G Opinion allowing firearms carry in a vehicle. This "upon the person" language may be important, as it would prevent a future A.G. easily taking vehicle carry away from us by merely changing the opinion. The point was brought up that the...

Assembly Bill 232 A pro-gun right's bill in Nevada! Assembly Bill 232, a bill supported by the NRA and many other pro-RKBA Nevadan's. Introduced by Assembly Speaker Richard Perkins, is slated to be heard on Monday, March 28th at 9:30 a.m. before the Assembly Judiciary Committee in Carson City. AB 232 seeks to clarify Nevada's definition of concealed carry by defining "upon the person" to mean actually on the person or in a container carried by the person. AB 232 will also amend state law to allow for compliance with the federal Law Enforcement Officers Safety Act of 2004, which...

SACRAMENTO (AP) - One day after Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger announced plans to push his pension overhaul campaign to the ballot later this year, an Assembly hearing into the proposed changes quickly showed more hostility among lawmakers than support. The Democrat-dominated Committee on the Public Sector heard testimony from a Republican lawmaker and key Schwarzenegger official on privatizing the state's pension systems, but openly feuded with them, revealing the growing partisan divide over the issue. "Are we wasting our time here when the governor has already flipped us the bird publicly?" asked Assemblyman Paul Koretz, D-West Hollywood, during testimony by state...

SACRAMENTO (AP) - It's time for Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to knock off the jokes from his old movies, get off the campaign stump, and start negotiating with lawmakers over what seems to be an inevitable special election this fall on issues as sweeping as redistricting and public pension reform, the Assembly's top Democrat said Tuesday. "The time for name-calling and bad jokes is over," said Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez, D-Los Angeles, referring to the actor-turned-governor who last year labeled lawmakers "girlie-men" when they failed to do his bidding. Schwarzenegger's spokeswoman Margita Thompson responded that, "The speaker is an emblem for...

SACRAMENTO – As if to acknowledge that Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger may be losing the public relations battle, Assembly Republicans held a news conference yesterday to declare that the governor is proposing increased funding for schools, not a cut. The California Teachers Association has been running radio ads in all major state markets for three weeks that criticize Schwarzenegger for proposing a state budget that will cut billions of dollars from underfunded public schools. A Public Policy Institute of California poll released two weeks ago showed that 34 percent of Californians approve of how Schwarzenegger is handling schools, while 51 percent...

Here is something that should not surprise you. In a two-year study of more than 100,000 high school student and educators, a majority of students believed that flag burning was illegal, and that the government could censor the internet. Another shocker was that most high school students think that the first amendment goes too far in protecting our rights to free speech, press and religion. Our public school system has absolutely failed this country. The foundation of our way of life is spelled out in the constitution, and nothing should be more sacred to our citizens than the first ammendment....

BAGHDAD, Iraq - Iraqis embraced democracy in large numbers Sunday, standing in long lines to vote in defiance of mortar attacks, suicide bombers and boycott calls. Pushed in wheelchairs or carts if they couldn't walk, the elderly, the young and women in veils cast ballots in Iraq (news - web sites)'s first free election in a half-century. Iraqi election officials said it might take 10 days to determine the vote's winner and said they had no firm estimate of turnout among the 14 million eligible voters. The ticket endorsed by the Shiite Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani was the pre-voting favorite....

The Iraqi elections must at first light be deemed wildly successful. Despite the threat of violence and promises of 'rivers of blood' the terrorist managed to have only a very limited impact on both turn-out and overall security. Eight homicide bombers managed to detonate explosives at polling sites and a few rockets were launched along with mortars. All in all, estimates hover at around 37 dead across the country. Granted, any loss of life is regrettable and unfortunate. Yet with roughly 5,500 polling stations across Iraq, and violent incidents at only two dozen, the intended terrorist impact was definitely subdued....

SACRAMENTO - The state Assembly has agreed to pay $49,000 to a former aide to Rebecca Cohn who accused the Democratic legislator from Campbell of creating an uncomfortable, sexually charged work environment. In all, the Assembly will have paid Cohn's former press secretary, Erika Weaver-Taylor, $119,000 in taxpayer funds to stay home from work for 10 months. The settlement, made public Friday, ends a yearlong investigation by a key legislative committee. But it does not end the public dispute. The legal resolution allowed Cohn and Weaver-Taylor to speak out for the first time in months about the allegations. Cohn called...

ALBANY, Jan. 6 - A revolutionary change is coming to the State Assembly, as odd as it might sound to those uninitiated in Albany's ways: the Assembly is adopting new rules requiring lawmakers to actually be present in the Capitol when they want to vote on bills. The change alters one of the more curious, and criticized, aspects of the byzantine system of lawmaking in the capital, where legislators use a kind of cruise-control approach to voting: once lawmakers sign in for the day, they are counted as voting yes on all bills unless they signal otherwise. The Republican-led State...