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President Bush once remarked at a White House party that in the famously liberal enclave of San Francisco, his supporters were so rare that "you could probably fit them all in one room." He wasn't exaggerating, and he would do little to alter his standing. He never once set foot in San Francisco during his two terms, and he was hardly much chummier with California as a whole, the nation's most populous state and the world's eighth-largest economy. The 43rd president's legacy in the Golden State, according to the unsparing assessment of Democratic consultant Phil Trounstine, is "zilch." "He regarded...

California's intellectual pipeline to the White House is again open wide and flowing, as the Golden State will have key advocates bending President-elect Barack Obama's ear on its behalf. Naturally, the nation's most populous and electorally rich state (which is also rich with campaign contributors) would have a great deal of influence. But the Democratic stronghold mattered less to the Bush administration. As Chris Lehane, a former Clinton administration official and San Francisco political consultant, said: "Before, the door was slammed in our face. Now, the welcome mat is out. The access issue is a big deal." "You have an...

Forget Illinois: California is poised to be the top dog in Obama-era Washington. With roughly a half-dozen Cabinet and key administrative appointees and a powerhouse congressional delegation led by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi at the other end of Pennsylvania Avenue, California is shaping up to be the new Texas, the alpha state whose cultural and policymaking influence was inescapable through most of the last eight years. President-elect Barack Obama’s energy secretary-designate is Steven Chu, the director of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Hilda L. Solis, a Los Angeles-area Democratic congresswoman, was named last week as Obama’s choice for secretary of...

The backlash continues to roar in California as gay activists continue to silence opposition while waiting for the Calif. Supreme Court to weigh in on Prop 8. The Mormon Church and Chuck Norris are feeling the heat while Linda Harvey receives threats. A Houston lawyer "who brazenly identified himself," wrote, "You are very much being watched! All you jeebus-lovin-christers rights will slowly be taken away one by one the more you try to press your beliefs down our throats." An elderly woman is swarmed, her cross ripped out of her hand and stomped on while the news anchor, Kris Long,...

The attitude of white, liberal Hollywood toward African- American churches has long been one of almost participatory respect. ... It was only recently that the A-list discovered that this love is unrequited. Last month, Proposition 8 passed, making gay marriage illegal in California, and the demographic that lent insult to injury was the state’s African-American voters. They came to the polls in record numbers to support Barack Obama, and they brought with them a fiercely held and enduring antipathy toward homosexuality: 7 in 10 blacks voted in support of traditional marriage. ... “It’s their churches,” somebody whispered to one of...

San Francisco's Roman Catholic archbishop says he invited leaders of the Mormon Church to get involved in the campaign to pass a gay marriage ban in California this year at the request of his fellow bishops. Archbishop George Niederauer wrote in a column to be published in a diocesan newspaper Friday that he wanted to address the "many misunderstandings and hard feelings" resulting from Proposition 8's adoption. It's the first time the archbishop has commented on how churches organized to help push through the initiative, which overturned the California Supreme Court's decision to legalize same-sex nuptials. Mormon leaders had given...

Bishops of Los Angeles issue letter reassuring gays in the wake of Prop. 8 The bishops of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, led by Cardinal Roger M. Mahony, issued a letter to homosexual Catholics on Friday seeking to ensure them that the Church’s support for Proposition 8 was not meant to diminish their dignity or their membership in the Church. The true aim of the Church’s support, the bishops write, was to “preserve the ordered relationship between man and woman created by God.” The pastoral letter, which was printed in the archdiocesan paper The Tidings, is written to all homosexual...

Prop. 8 Thank You Petition An online petition has been posted here where individuals can express solidarity and thanks to the Mormon Church for strongly supporting California’s Proposition 8. The ballot initiative was approved by California voters Nov. 4, thereby amending the state constitution to define marriage as a one-man, one-woman institution. Since the initiative was passed this month, homosexual activists have conducted hostile demonstrations outside Mormon churches and some homosexual leaders have called for retribution against Mormons who supported Proposition 8. The thank-you petition states, “Anyone who participated in this process has come to admire the competence, diligence and...

More than 3,000 people, including longtime Mormon critic James Dobson of Focus on the Family, have signed an online petition thanking the LDS Church for its efforts on behalf of California's traditional marriage initiative known as Proposition 8. "Anyone who participated in this process has come to admire the competence, diligence and moral courage that so many members of your faith community displayed as part of this coalition effort -- as Catholics, Evangelicals, Mormons and people of other faith communities all came together to fight this great battle for marriage," says the petition, which is addressed to LDS President Thomas...

Ever since a slim majority outlawed gay marriage in California, opponents have waged national protests and petitions, urging the judicial system to reconsider the results of the Nov. 4 referendum. (Proposition 8 overturned an earlier decision by the California Supreme Court that legalized same-sex marriage.) While the court weighs whether or not to get back into the fray, the civil unrest ignited by the ban shows no sign of abating. A national protest against Prop. 8 organized by JoinTheImpact.com is scheduled for today. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which opponents say donated more than $20 million to...

Parishioners of St. Joseph's Catholic Church in Modesto have been told they should consider going to confession if they voted for Barack Obama, because of the president-elect's position condoning abortion. "If you are one of the 54 percent of Catholics who voted for a pro-abortion candidate, you were clear on his position and you knew the grav- ity of the question, I urge you to go to confession before receiving communion. Don't risk losing your state of grace by receiving sacrilegiously," the Rev. Joseph Illo, pastor of St. Joseph's, wrote in a letter dated Nov. 21. The letter was sent...

Late last night, Hannah-Beth Jackson conceded to Tony Strickland in the hotly contested race for California’s 19th State Senate District. That ends more than three weeks of waiting for the remaining votes to roll in. Some are still to be counted, but Strickland leads by about 900 votes, and Jackson is conceding a victory is now mathematically impossible. This marks the conclusion of the state’s most expensive legislative race in history — costing more than $10 million — and also one of the closest ever. In the November 26 email to the media and her supporters, Jackson’s campaign team explained,...

Great Victory ... Thank You! Butte County took a little longer to come in than we had expected, but it was worth the wait. The count is now complete with the possible exception of a handful of votes in El Dorado County and the election result stands at: McClintock 185,615 and Brown at 183,840. The lead of 1,775 votes is a margin of victory that puts us well outside the possibility of a recount changing the outcome. To put it in perspective, it is more than twice the margin by which I lost the race for State Controller in 2002....

Butte County took a little longer to come in than we had expected, but it was worth the wait. The count is now complete with the possible exception of a handful of votes in El Dorado County and the election result stands at: McClintock 185,615 and Brown at 183,840. The lead of 1,775 votes is a margin of victory that puts us well outside the possibility of a recount changing the outcome. To put it in perspective, it is more than twice the margin by which I lost the race for State Controller in 2002. The numbers came in a...

Mormons have a reason to be nervous. I didn't fully appreciate it two years ago, when the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints first came under an intense political spotlight. In 2006, Mormon officials had begun making the media rounds, prepping for former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney's expected try for the Republican presidential nomination. This protective measure stood out. No evangelical contingents were giving theological primers in anticipation of Mike Huckabee's run. Few officials were warning Catholics to not do as Rudy Giuliani does on abortion before his run. Why did the Mormons need to do advance work? We...

Last week in a Denver suburb, someone lit a Book of Mormon on fire and dropped it on the doorstep of a Mormon temple, presumably as a statement about the church’s support of Proposition 8 in California, an initiative that amended the state constitution to define marriage as the union of one man and one woman. In a move that may make gay-rights supporters’ heads spin, the incident is being investigated as a hate crime. The outbreak of attacks on the Mormon church since the passage of Proposition 8 has been chilling: envelopes full of suspicious white powder were sent...

Should there be boycotts, blacklists, firings or de facto shunning of those who supported Proposition 8? That's the issue consuming many in liberal Hollywood who fought to defeat the initiative banning same-sex marriage and are now reeling with recrimination and dismay. Meanwhile, activists continue to comb donor lists and employ the Internet to expose those who donated money to support the ban. Already out is Scott Eckern, director of the nonprofit California Musical Theatre in Sacramento, who resigned after a flurry of complaints from prominent theater artists, including "Hairspray" composer Marc Shaiman, when word of his contribution to the Yes...

Park Township, MI — The elections are over, the people have spoken (or perhaps more accurately, the people have grumbled) and we no longer have to endure endless political ads. On a whim, I drove by our local Democratic headquarters yesterday, and to my surprise, I noticed that it was quiet. All the windows were still intact, the cars parked there still had inflated tires, signs hadn’t been defaced, and there was not a single protester marching in front of their door. Weird. I drove down Eighth Street and was amazed to find that there were no pickets in front...

Here's one example from before the election via the Daily Kos: But when the church and its members invest millions of dollars in an attempt to write discrimination into my state's constitution and divorce my friend Brian against his will, there will be hell to pay.So what am I asking you to do? Some distributed research.There is a list of a bunch of Mormon donors to the Yes on Proposition 8 campaign (in case that one goes down, here's a mirror with slightly worse formatting. Here's what I'm asking for:This list contains information about those who are big donors to...

SAN FRANCISCO -- Catholics played a pivotal role in the success of Proposition 8, from pulpits down to the pews. Bishops lobbied for its passage, priests preached about it, and laypeople overwhelmingly voted for it. The Bay Area has a large and vibrant gay Catholic community, and they have many allies among straight Catholics. So it has led some to question how the region's dioceses, which include myriad diverse groups, could be opposed to what many view as secular rights. "It makes me very, very, very disenchanted with the Archdiocese (of San Francisco) as an institution," said Kevin Sullivan, 50,...

State Sen. Tom McClintock on Friday surged to nearly a 1,800-vote lead in the tight congressional battle against Democrat Charlie Brown, perhaps sealing victory in the foothill 4th District. "We're not claiming victory, but we just think it's mathematically impossible for (Brown) to win," said Bill George, spokesman for McClintock. George said the thousands of Placer County votes tallied Friday stretched McClintock's lead from barely 300 votes to 1,793, with only about 4,500 more votes to count in the nine-county district. Brown spokesman Todd Stenhouse said Brown would not concede, noting that thousands more votes remain to be counted, most...

The public spoke out clearly against restrictive concealed- carry rules. Was the sheriff listening? It's a sad day when a county sheriff shows as much disdain for individual liberties as Sheriff Sandra Hutchens has shown in her pursuit of ham-fisted policies regarding concealed-carry permits for firearms. On Tuesday, the board of supervisors voted unanimously to call on the sheriff to loosen up her policies and allow wider latitude in granting permits to residents who say they need the permits. Although Sheriff Hutchens was appointed by the board six months ago, she is under no obligation to follow the new instructions....

The campaign of Republican congresisonal candidate Tom McClintock said the vote tally released late Friday from Placer County "mathematically ensures McClintock victory" in the 4th District. "Placer County today completed the process of counting absentee and provisional votes, and Tom McClintock gained 1,464 votes," the campaign announced. "The final Placer County tally gives McClintock a lead of 1,793 votes over (Democrat) Charlie Brown. With the vote tally completed in Placer and Nevada Counties, there is no mathematical way Charlie Brown can overtake McClintock’s lead in the Fourth Congressional District election. “The votes are almost all in and the result is...

In a letter addressed to "Dear Community," a high-powered coalition of gay-rights leaders is calling for an end to the scapegoating of African Americans for the passage of a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage in California. Nine painful, anger-filled and vitriolic days passed before this request for calm appeared, and although the letter is sensible and encouraging, words alone will not undo the damage. Since an election-day exit poll found that 70% of black voters supported Proposition 8, tensions between gays and blacks have exploded on the airwaves, in newspaper columns and on the Internet. The letter, however, notes that...

Less than two weeks out from losing yet another presidential race, Alan Keyes has started a fresh campaign against President-Elect Barack Obama – in the courtroom. Alan Keyes and other members of the American Independent Party have filed suit in California Superior Court in Sacramento to stop the state from giving its electoral votes to Obama until the former Illinois Senator can produce a birth certificate showing that he is indeed a natural-born citizen of the United States, according to party. Keyes, who is from Maryland, ran against Obama as a Republican for the U.S. Senate seat in Illinois in...

There's been a lot of outrage from the No on Proposition 8 camp since California voters approved a ban on gay marriage. But until now, there has been less soul searching about what went wrong. But Terry Leftgoff, founder of the Gay and Lesbian Business Assn. of Santa Barbara, has a thoughtful piece on WeHo News looking at how the opposition to Proposition 8 fell short. It did, he says, on several levels: A mixed message, failing to respond to attacks from Yes on 8 forces, little black and Latino outreach. A snippet: The No on 8 campaign began by...

d) Equal Rights Advocates and California Women's Law Center - These (fellow) wimmins libbers argue that, if the process that brought us Prop 8 is legitimized, women stand a distinct chance of being harmed by whatever rights some unholy alliance of self-loathing chicks and unattractive men want take away from women as a group. They point out that the 1879 California State Constitution prohibited Chinese people from voting. e) Asian Pacific American Legal Center, et al. - This petition was filed by a group of organizations dedicated to the protection of the rights of minorities - including the NAACP. As...

An article in The New York Times reports that Attorney General Jerry Brown has asked the state’s Supreme Court to rule on the legality of a voter-approved constitutional amendment defining marriage as the union of a man and a woman. “The central argument in the recently filed lawsuits is that Proposition 8 is a significant enough revision to the State Constitution to require approval by the legislature,” the article stated. It also noted that the passage of Proposition 8 “has prompted protests across the country.” Here’s what the paper that makes all the news fit its agenda forgot to mention:...

The official proponents of Proposition 8 and ProtectMarriage.com – Yes on 8, the campaign committee responsible for its enactment by voters today said it is “profoundly gratified” that the California Supreme Court granted all their requests by agreeing to accept original jurisdiction of three cases challenging the measure’s validity, granted their request to intervene in the cases as Real Parties in Interest, denied the request of others to delay implementation of Proposition 8, and refused to allow outside groups to directly participate in the litigation. “This is a great day for the rule of law and the voters of California,”...

he California Supreme Court agreed today to review legal challenges to Prop. 8, the voter initiative that restored a ban on same-sex marriage, but refused to permit gay weddings to resume pending a ruling. Meeting in closed session, the state high court asked litigants on both sides for more written arguments and scheduled a hearing for next March. The court also signaled its intention to decide the fate of existing same-sex marriages, asking litigants to argue that question. Today's decision to review the lawsuits against Proposition 8 did not reveal how the court was leaning. The court could have dismissed...

Today is the day the California Supreme Court has asked state Attorney General Jerry Brown to have a reply filed to lawsuits that challenge Proposition 8. Prop 8 is the voter-approved ban on same-sex marriages. Brown's filing will not address the ballot measure's validity. It will instead focus on the question of whether the justices should accept the suits for review at all. It will also make a case whether the justices should suspend Prop. 8 while they consider the issue. If the justices suspend the proposition, that means same-sex marriages could resume. Legal experts say the fact that the...

"Gay rights supporters marched, chanted and danced in cities coast to coast Saturday to protest the vote that banned gay marriage in California. One of the largest rallies was held in Los Angeles. (Nov. 15)"

If you've been elected to something somewhere in California, you're probably writing a wish list for President-elect Barack Obama. With the inauguration about nine weeks away, Long Beach Mayor Bob Foster is seeking $111 million to replace 28 miles of storm drains. State Sen. Darrell Steinberg (D-Sacramento) is talking up $321 million for sewage-treatment plants and clean-water facilities. Los Angeles City Councilman Bill Rosendahl wants a light-rail line to Los Angeles International Airport. And money for homeless veterans. And did he mention universal healthcare? "The sooner he focuses on healthcare, the better," said Rosendahl, who represents coastal neighborhoods such as...

Less than 600 votes separated Republican Tom McClintock and Democrat Charlie Brown in the ongoing provisional and vote-by-mail ballot count in the 4th Congressional District. McClintock led with 168,947 votes as of 4:22 p.m. Friday, to 168,378 for Brown. That gave McClintock a percentage of 50.1 percent to 49.9 percent for Brown. Thousands of ballots remained to be counted, though it was unclear which parts of the district they would come from.

That is probably the best news from an otherwise difficult election for conservatives and Republicans. In very large part, we Evangelicals must thank our Mormon cousins for that fact. They, along with our Catholic brethren, were better organized than us and that provided a base from which we could ALL work together to get this job done. What more, as we have chronicled here, Mormons took the brunt of the abuse, derision, and even threats of physical harm that came with this effort. And like us, they have given thanks to the Almighty that is ultimately in control, even if...

Playing the race card on gay marriage By Jeff Jacoby http://www.JewishWorldReview.com | It has been widely noted that black voters put California's Proposition 8 over the top last week, with nearly 7 out of 10 voting in favor of the constitutional amendment defining marriage as the union of one man and one woman. As the magnitude of black opposition to same-sex marriage became clear on Election Day, blogger Andrew Sullivan, a prominent gay-marriage champion, reacted bitterly: "Every ethnic group supported marriage equality," he wrote, "except African-Americans, who voted overwhelmingly against extending to gay people the civil rights once denied them."...

A prominent theatrical director in California, a Mormon, has resigned under pressure because of his support for Prop 8. Excerpt: Marc Shaiman, the Tony Award-winning composer ("Hairspray"), called Mr. Eckern last week and said that he would not let his work be performed in the theater. "I was uncomfortable with money made off my work being used to put discrimination in the Constitution," Mr. Shaiman said. He added, however, that the entire episode left him "deeply troubled" because of the potential for backlash against gays who protested Mr. Eckern's donation. "It will not help our cause because we will be...

WASHINGTON, (AP) -- With their Northern California House race still too close to call, Republican Tom McClintock and Democrat Charlie Brown will be heading to the nation's capital next week for orientation for new lawmakers. Both were invited by House leaders, as were contestants of both parties in another uncalled race in Ohio — along with some 50 new House members who won election outright. "We believe Tom will be elected to represent the 4th Congressional District, and it is important for him to attend orientation in order to best serve the people," said McClintock's spokesman, Bill George. Said Brown's...

Six months ago, after the California Supreme Court struck down the state’s ban on same-sex marriage, Chief Justice Ronald George (who voted with the majority) explained to a reporter how he had come to his decision. He said he asked himself, “When is it that a court should act? When is it that a court is shirking its responsibility by not acting, and when is a court overreaching? That’s a real conundrum.” On November 4, George’s “conundrum” was solved by the six million (and counting) Californians who voted “Yes” on Proposition 8, the California marriage amendment. Despite being outspent, traditional...

For all the talk of San Francisco values, a Chronicle analysis of how the city voted on the state's same-sex marriage ban shows a city geographically divided on the issue - and voting trends that turn San Francisco's typical political spectrum on its head.One in 4 San Franciscans voted in favor of Proposition 8, far fewer than the 52 percent who voted to ban same-sex marriage statewide. But a closer look shows race, age and education influenced voters more than anything else - even among those living in one of the world's most gay-friendly cities.Voters in 54 of San Francisco's...

Strickland Shoots Ahead In 19th District Race Written by Jon Dell Thursday, 13 November 2008 State Senate contests still undecided, but numbers starting to favor Tony Strickland. In one of the closest contests in recent election history, new results indicate that Tony Strickland has now moved ahead of Hannah-Beth Jackson in the race for the 19th District State Senate seat. Included in the District are portions of Santa Clarita, Santa Barbara and Ventura. At the close of election night, only 108 votes separated Hannah-Beth Jackson from Tony Strickland. Now, 9 days later, Strickland holds a 1,560 vote lead. The change...

White voters in California voted slightly against Proposition 8, while blacks voted overwhelmingly for Proposition 8. 70% of blacks in California voted for Proposition 8 (which banned homosexual marriage), while 30% voted against Proposition 8. Latinos voted slightly in favor of Proposition 8, as well. Were it not for black and latino voters in California, Poposition 8 would not have passed. Now we see radical homosexual activists marching in some streets in California saying things like "Proposition 8 is hate," that those who voted for Proposition 8 are bigots, homophobes, discriminators, and so on. Poll after poll has shown that...

White voters in California voted slightly against Proposition 8, while blacks voted overwhelmingly for Proposition 8. 70% of blacks in California voted for Proposition 8 (which banned homosexual marriage), while 30% voted against Proposition 8. Latinos voted slightly in favor of Proposition 8, as well. Were it not for black and latino voters in California, Poposition 8 would not have passed. Now we see radical homosexual activists marching in some streets in California saying things like "Proposition 8 is hate," that those who voted for Proposition 8 are bigots, homophobes, discriminators, and so on. Poll after poll has shown that...

WARREN: Well, that's the — the answer to getting us out of this economic crisis, no doubt about it, is wealth creation, Sean. We — we tend to go to one of the two extremes. The pendulum goes back and forth. You know, America tends to have an economic crisis about every 20 years. In the 1930s, we decided that markets didn't work and we needed big government. And then in the '70s we decided that government didn't work. We needed free markets. And now we see this trend going back the other way. But the truth is there are...

Cindy Sheehan, a leader of the US anti-war movement (such as it is), ran for the congressional seat held by Democrat and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (8th district, San Francisco). Sheehan, running as an independent, came in second to Pelosi, easily beating the Republican challenger. As a result, Pelosi’s support plummeted by almost 20 percentage points from 2006. Nonetheless, one might assume that this will not have much an affect on Pelosi’s estimate of her, or the party’s, electoral security looking ahead to 2010. Here are the results: Nancy Pelosi (Dem) 162,276 71.9% Cindy Sheehan (Ind) 36,894 16.4% Dana Walsh...

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted this afternoon to join a lawsuit filed by the City of Los Angeles, San Francisco and Santa Clara County challenging the constitutionality of Proposition 8, the anti-gay marriage initiative voters passed by a narrow margin this month. The vote was carried by the board’s three Democrats: Supervisors Gloria Molina and Zev Yaroslavsky, who proposed the board join the lawsuit, and Supervisor Yvonne B. Burke, who voted in support. Of the two Republicans, Supervisor Michael Antonovich was out of town, and Supervisor Don Knabe left the meeting just as speakers began. More than...

Authorities are trying to determine who marked swastikas and a Star of David on two churches in San Jose this week, a police spokesman said. The vandalism is being treated as a hate crime, San Jose police Officer Jermaine Thomas said. Staff at Trinity Presbyterian Church and Indonesian Christian Church, both located at 3151 Union Ave., reported the vandalism early Monday morning. Thomas said the markings were found on the signs for both of the churches. The vandalism was committed late Sunday or early Monday and investigators are still working to figure out who might have been involved in the...

SAN FRANCISCO - California's gay-rights movement has been beset by infighting and finger-pointing since the defeat of gay marriage at the ballot box, with some activists questioning the campaign's mild tactics, including the decision not to show same-sex couples in ads. The movement's leaders "were very timid. They were too soft," said Robin Tyler, a lesbian comic who created a series of celebrity public service announcements with the slogan "Stop the Hate, No on 8" that were rejected because they were deemed too negative. "We were lightweights on our side." Proposition 8, a measure to stop gay marriage in California,...

Our lead has increased from 889 votes on Saturday to 1,092 votes Monday evening out of 318,384 counted, boosting our margin from 0.28 percent to 0.34 percent. We are receiving 50.17 percent of the votes counted and need 48.95 percent of the remaining 52,000 uncounted ballots. Better still, in every county our proportion of the vote is greater than election night, increasing our percentage margin by nearly 2.5 fold.

San Francisco, CA (AP) -- More than one-third of California's lawmakers added their voices Monday to the chorus calling on the state's highest court to overturn the prohibition on same-sex marriage approved by voters last week. Forty-four members of the California Legislature filed a friend-of-the-court brief in support one of the three lawsuits seeking to invalidate Proposition 8. The case, brought on behalf of gay couples who have not yet married, argues the ban should be tossed out because voters did not have the authority to make such a dramatic change in state law. The brief argues that the gay...