Free Republic

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Wednesday plans to discuss his goals for political reform that may include a push to change California's primary election laws. The governor and those close to him who helped spearhead the recent change in the state's redistricting laws are expected to voice suport for open primaries, which would allow voters to cast primary ballots for any candidate, regardless of partisan affiliation. A ballot initiative could be before voters by 2010, perhaps even earlier, to change the state's primary laws. Schwarzenegger has already signaled his support of an open primary. That issue - and others - are...

CALIFORNIA IS FACING a $27.8 billion budget shortfall over the next two years and the prospect of shutting down a number of key public works projects, including the fourth bore of the Caldecott Tunnel, later this month. Perhaps now our lawmakers in Sacramento will begin to face reality and adopt a budget. Unfortunately, neither the Legislature nor governor have been keen on dealing with the real world when it comes to piecing together a balanced budget. Over the past few years, state budgets have been "balanced" with borrowing, raiding voter-designated funds, delaying payments, creative bookkeeping and a lot of wishful...

Assembly Speaker Karen Bass is rounding out her leadership team. The latest additions: Paul Krekorian and John Pérez. The Public Policy Institute of California has released a survey of voters looking into why Californians voted for or against Propositions 1A (high speed rail), 4 (abortion notification), 8 (gay marriage) and 11 (redistricting). Find the full poll results on Capitol Alert's PPIC page. Most of the results are unsurprising. Evangelical Christians supported Proposition 8 at an 81 percent clip, while voters without a college degree (62 percent) were more likely to vote "yes" than college graduates (43 percent). One notable number...

One looks like a Tyrannosaurus Rex. One is called the "Ribbon of Shame." Some have arms. Some have fingers. Many seem to defy logic. They're California's state Assembly and Senate - but not Congressional - districts, and they will change after the next Census. That's not new, of course. Districts change every 10 years. But because of Proposition 11, which passed narrowly last week, the new legislative districts that will take effect for the 2012 elections will be drawn by an independent commission, rather than by state lawmakers. That could have big implications for the state's balance of power in...

Reporting from Sacramento and Pasadena -- Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger today expressed hope that the California Supreme Court would overturn Proposition 8, the ballot initiative that outlawed same-sex marriage. He also predicted that the 18,000 gay and lesbian couples who have already married would not be affected by the initiative. "It's unfortunate, obviously, but it's not the end," Schwarzenegger said in an interview on CNN this morning. "I think that we will again maybe undo that, if the court is willing to do that, and then move forward from there and again lead in that area."

The People's Republic of California - which voted for Barack Obama over John McCain by a margin of 24 points - did something else that should send an even louder message: the "green," "global warming," "alternative energy" initiatives got utterly annihilated. Proposition 7 - which would have required utilities to generate 40 percent of their power from renewable energy by 2020 and 50 percent by 2025 - went down 65% to 35%. And Proposition 10 - which would have created $5 billion in general obligation bonds to help consumers and others purchase certain high fuel economy or alternative fuel vehicles,...

If county voters are feeling pinched by stagnant wages and a plummeting economy, it didn't show at the polls Tuesday. Sales-tax increases and school bond measures appeared headed for victory in communities across the county, with some winning by wide margins. In addition to choosing a president and deciding a host of divisive statewide issues, voters in the San Diego region were asked to consider 13 separate tax measures to finance all kinds of public services. The high-profile Proposition A, which would have taxed most property owners $52 a year for enhanced fire protection, was falling short of the two-thirds...

Early poll results Tuesday night showed California voters leaning toward overturning same-sex marriage in the state in a decision that could impact how the issue plays out elsewhere in the nation. Approval of Proposition 8 would be a stunning upset in a $70-million campaign that just weeks ago looked to be running in favor of preserving gay marriage rights. By 9 p.m. in California, 54.5 % of voters favored passing Prop 8, as the measure is known, and 45.5% were against it, with 20.9% of precincts voting, according to the Secretary of State. However, both sides cautioned that the vote...

Reporting from Sacramento -- California's ballot is often crowded with measures known as citizen initiatives. But many of the citizens whose causes will come before voters Tuesday are not everyday Californians. International financier George Soros wants to change drug laws. Computer technology titan Henry T. Nicholas III -- who has been indicted on federal fraud and drug charges -- is pushing two measures seeking tougher penalties for criminals and expanded rights for victims. Oilman turned alternative-fuels investor T. Boone Pickens is pushing subsidies for cars that run on substances other than oil. And Peter Sperling, one of the founders of...

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger teams up with former business partner (in Planet Hollywood) and actor Sylvester Stallone for a fundraiser tonight in La Jolla. The money goes toward passing Proposition 11, the redistricting measure on the Nov. 4 ballot. --snip-- Chairs of the events (those who give $25,000) get two seats at the head table, 10 dinner tickets and two photos each for two people with Schwarzenegger and Stallone.

This is one of the few times I've ever done a vanity post since being a member of Free Republic. Will you help us pass proposition 8 in Calif so that legal marriage will only be between a man and a women in Calif? We need your donations. The opposition has the support of the media, the teachers unions, millionaire celebrities, many major corporations, etc. We have an uphill battle. During this last week, we on the side of YES for proposition 8 need to raise more money to buy air time for our commercials or they will get buried...

Schwarzenegger, Shriver Oppose Marriage Amendment Sunday, October 26, 2008 11:36 AM California's first lady says she is voting against a ballot initiative that would prohibit same-sex couples from getting married in California. Maria Shriver said in an interview with KNBC-TV in Los Angeles that she is voting no on Proposition 8. Shriver said, "I believe in people's right to choose a partner that they love, and that's a decision that I have come to, and I have felt that way for a long time." Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger also opposes Prop. 8.

Why Republicans should vote no on Prop 8 Republicans often say that courts should apply the law, not create it. It was really quite a stretch for the California Supreme Court to say that the Constitution of California already contains a right for same-sex marriage, when the Constitution doesn't say a word about it. The truth is: It's a new issue. To those who say the Court got it wrong, I say: I agree. It's for us to decide. Now, let's make the right decision. And that right decision, in my view, is to allow same-sex marriage in California.Republicans believe...

A tsunami of new money has poured into the campaign to defeat Proposition 8, as Hollywood celebrities, deep-pocketed donors and thousands of people from across the country wrote checks to block the proposed ban on same-sex marriage in California. "If they keep raising money at this rate and our supporters don't respond, (Prop. 8 opponents) will blow past us in money raised," said Chip White, a spokesman for the Prop. 8 campaign. "They will beat us in paid advertising and beat us on election day." Between Oct. 1 and Oct. 18, the closing date for the latest state financial report,...

T A X P A Y E R U P D A T E . . . from the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association (www.HJTA.org) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- HJTA's 2008 Ballot Recommendations Propositions 1, 3 and 10 on this November's ballot, if approved, will add another $32 billion -- including interest -- to our alreadysubstantial debt burden. Vote no on Propositions 1, 3 and 10. With state and local governments massively in debt, HJTA also urges voters to reject all local bonds. HJTA recommends approval of Proposition 11. This will make legislative elections more competitive and politicians more responsive to average voters.

A majority of California voters oppose Proposition 8, a ballot initiative that would ban same-sex marriage in the state, but a new statewide poll shows that the gap has narrowed in the past month. While Prop. 8 is losing with 44 percent in favor to 52 percent opposed among likely voters in the survey by the Public Policy Institute of California, opponents of the measure had a cushion of 14 percentage points, 41 to 55 percent, in a poll by the same group last month. SNIP But the battle over Prop. 8, which supporters and opponents have described as the...

Contact: Patrick Korten, 203-752-4474; Andrew Walther 818-522-2005; both with Knights of Columbus NEW HAVEN, Conn., October 22 /Christian Newswire/ -- A newly released survey of California voters shows support for Proposition 4 - a proposed law that requires a waiting period and parental notification before a girl under 18 is allowed to have an abortion. The initiative holds a 19 percentage point lead among likely voters, 52% to 33%. The survey was conducted for the Knights of Columbus by the Marist College Institute for Public Opinion between September 28 and October 5, 2008. The survey shows that Proposition 4 has...

FULLERTON - Five people were arrested early today on suspicion of participating in a sign-stealing spree the suspects said originated in a downtown bar, Sgt. Mike MacDonald said. A police officer patrolling the area near Chapman and Pomona avenues at 1:30 a.m. saw a passenger jump from a car and place a campaign sign on the corner. When the officer approached the driver, she noticed three "No on Prop 8" signs in the vehicle. She also located 10 torn-up "Yes on 8" signs on the front floorboard with three McCain-Palin signs.

The recent countywide trend of disappearing campaign signs has turned some ordinary citizens into crime scene detectives. In Encinitas, one News 8 views is using his own surveillance system to catch thieves in the act. Video

In response to a controversial contribution by a California teachers union, some parents are organizing an effort to keep their kids home for the day and cost public schools money. The California Teachers Association says their members are fighting to keep gay marriage legal because they stand for equality. With cash contributions to anti-Proposition 8 efforts falling short of the opposition, the union injected $1 million into campaign coffers to continue the ad blitz. Supporters of Proposition 8 now have a proposition of their own: They're behind an online effort to keep kids home from school Tuesday. The organizers say...

Next to the presidential election, California Proposition 8 is the most important vote in America. It will determine the definition of marriage for the largest state in America, and it will determine whether judges or society will decide on social-moral issues. In 2000, 61 percent of the voters in California, one the most liberal states in America, voted to retain the only definition of marriage civilization has ever had -- the union of a man and woman (the number of spouses allowed has changed over time but never the sexes of the spouses). But in May 2008, four out of...

Prop. 1A High Speed Rail Bond.  NOThis is the most outrageously expensive boondoggle in California’s long history of outrageously expensive boondoggles.  The ultimate cost of this project could end up exceeding $90 billion – or $10,000 per family – all for a train that goes from Los Angeles to San Francisco in two hours longer than it takes to fly.  It’s brought to you by the same folks who botched Boston’s “Big Dig.”  (I’m one of the official opponents of this measure.)Prop. 2 Farm Animals.  NOSorry, but farm animals are food, not friends.  Plan on somewhat happier cows and...

In an appearance in San Diego today promoting Proposition 11, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger called passage of Proposition 11 "the most important thing." But Schwarzenegger also hinted at what good-government reform he might tackle next: open primaries. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled such a system in Washington state constitutional earlier this year. Political scientists generally believe open primaries lead to more moderate, centrist candidates. So here's what Schwarzenegger had to say today: "We will change the way the district lines are drawn and we will change the performance in Sacramento and will create more performance. And, of course, the next thing...

Jarvis Taxpayers Association Endorses Proposition 11 The Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association has announced the endorsement of Proposition 11 to stop the conflict of interest of lawmakers drawing their own districts and choosing the voters they want to help ensure their reelection. "The current system fixes elections so that fewer than five percent of state representatives face a challenge to their reelection," said HJTA president Jon Coupal. "This has resulted in a climate where lawmakers do not have to be accountable to voters for effectively addressing problems like on-going budget deficits and out-of-control spending." Proposition 11 will take the power to...

When Californians go to the polls in November, they’ll finally vote on a project they’ve heard about since 1995: high-speed rail. Proposition 1A asks state voters to approve $10 billion in bond sales to start construction the largest public works project in state history: an 800-mile rail system that would run from San Francisco to Los Angeles with stops in Bakersfield, Fresno and other Central Valley cities. Local support comes form groups and individuals who see the need for better a transportation system and the regional economic benefits it will bring. But with a hefty price tag — about $33...

Even in the best of times, the three major bond proposals on the November ballot would merit a thumbs down. Propositions 1A, 3, and 10 would put taxpayers another $16 billion in debt to fund some dubious projects. Proposition 1A spends $10 billion as a down payment on a massive bullet train project. Promoters, which includes the company responsible for Boston's infamous "Big Dig" disaster, claim the project can be completed for about $50 billion. However, a just released study by transportations experts, which includes a former president of the High Speed Rail Association and a former member of the...

The defeat next month of the state proposition that seeks to prohibit same sex marriages could mean hundreds of new jobs and millions of dollars in personal, business and government revenue from same-sex weddings over the next three years in Sonoma County, according to a study released today. The report was prepared by Sonoma State University’s Center for Regional Economic Analysis and was paid for by a grant from the Horizons Foundation, a philanthropic social justice organization serving lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender communities in the Bay Area. Details of the report were highlighted by Robert Eyler, Chair of Sonoma...

California Proposition 8 Too Close To Call: In a vote today, 10/06/08, on California's Proposition 8 Ballot Initiative, which would change California's constitution to eliminate the right of same-sex couples to marry, approximately half the state supports the measure, half the state opposes the measure, according to this latest SurveyUSA poll conducted for KABC-TV Los Angeles, KPIX-TV San Francisco, KGTV-TV San Diego, and KFSN-TV Fresno. The exact findings are: 'Yes' (to change the law) 47%, 'No' (to leave the law alone) 42%. But: polling on ballot measures in general is an inexact science, and polling on homosexuality in general is...

SAN FRANCISCO—The campaign supporting a November ballot initiative that would ban same-sex marriage in California has raised more than $25 million. Frank Schubert, co-manager of ProtectMarriage.com, said nearly $23 million of the total has come in since the measure qualified for the Nov. 4 ballot in June. Groups working for and against initiatives faced a midnight Monday deadline to report their campaign finance activity through the end of September. As of Sept. 30, ProtectMarriage had $12.8 million cash on hand, despite having spent more than $10 million on securing air time for its television ads. Proposition 8 would amend the...

As reform measures go, Proposition 11 -- the redistricting reform measure -- is hardly a transformational law likely to supercharge activists (of any political stripe) eager to make Sacramento more effective and more accountable to the public. Proposition 11 is too complicated and too tame. Alas, it is the only measure on the November ballot that can improve the political climate in California. See how low the mighty have fallen. If Proposition 11 does not pass, it will signal yet another victory for entrenched state lawmakers, as it will bolster the system in place since the last redistricting in 2001,...

In what is becoming the most religiously charged proposition on the Nov. 4 ballot, Christian ministers yesterday highlighted what may be the central question for them – whether God only wants marriage to be between a man and a woman or if it is right to expand the definition to include same-gender couples. ... Morelli supports Proposition 8, the ballot measure that would overturn the state Supreme Court's decision in May to allow gays and lesbians to marry in California. “We are to obey God's will,” Morelli said. The Rev. Gloria Espeseth of Gethsemane Lutheran Church in San Diego disagreed,...

The California Catholic Conference of Bishops supports Proposition 4, the constitutional amendment initiative entitled, Waiting Period and Parental Notification before Termination of Minor's Pregnancy, which will appear on the November 2008 ballot. The proposition would require notification of a parent, guardian, or in the case of alleged parental abuse, other adult family member of a minor 48 hours before she obtains an abortion, unless a judge determines that such notification places the minor in danger. Proposition 4 contains public policy that is both sensible and realistic and which will benefit not only our families but our society as a whole....

SACRAMENTO — If you want a less-polarized Legislature — if you want lawmakers who can actually compromise to get things done, such as agreeing on a budget — redistricting reform is not the answer. That's the finding of a report released Tuesday night by the Public Policy Institute of California, throwing into doubt the campaign message of Proposition 11, which would take the power to draw political boundaries away from lawmakers and hand it to a 14-member commission. Proponents have argued that the measure, which is on the Nov. 4 ballot, would rid Sacramento of the partisan bickering by setting...

Sacramento -- Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who promised not to sign any bills until lawmakers reach a budget deal, reversed his position today and signed a bill for a statewide bullet train system that he strongly supports. The governor also wants to make exceptions for three other proposals that he has been promoting: budget reform; changing the state lottery to allow California to borrow against future ticket sales; and a bond proposal for water infrastructure. The high-speed rail legislation will replace a $10 billion bond measure on the November ballot with a revised version of the proposal that makes the bullet...

Sacramento, CA (AP) -- Backing off his pledge to sign no bills before lawmakers adopt a state budget, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Tuesday approved legislation designed to strengthen wording of the high-speed rail bond measure on the Nov. 4 ballot.

TV commercials touting a new clean energy strategy and an environmental ballot measure in California both have one thing in common: if they succeed, they'll make investors – from "big oil" to the U.S. Capitol – a lot of money. The ads champion Texas oil billionaire T. Boone Pickens' "Pickens Plan" to move our nation from foreign oil dependence to domestically produced wind power and natural gas fuel for automobiles. The plan is touted as a cleaner, more eco-friendly alternative to our current reliance on coal power and gasoline. The ballot initiative is California's Proposition 10, known as the California...

Pacific Gas and Electric Company has made a shareholder contribution of $250,000 to the Vote No on 8 – Equality for All campaign, and the utility will be approaching other businesses to join the fight to defeat the ballot measure. At an event at PG&E's headquarters Tuesday, July 29, Geoff Kors, executive director of Equality California, said that businesses have stood with the LGBT community in efforts to win equality, and "that's going to get us victory." "Businesses understand why this is important ... and they understand it's the right thing to do," he said, noting the value of equality...

Sacramento, CA (LifeNews.com) -- Abortion advocates in California are going after a state ballot proposition that would allow parental notification on abortions. They are saying the measure's ballot summary should be changed because the teen the law is named after was married at the time of the abortion that killed her.Named for a 15-year-old girl who died just four days after a legal abortion left her with a torn cervix and fatal infection, Sarah's Law, if approved, will protect the health and safety of young girls.The California Secretary of State qualified Sarah's Law for the November ballot after backers submitted...

The wildfires that have burned more than 1 million acres are the most visible symptom of another long, hot, dry summer in California. Less visible, though no less devastating, are the effects that the prolonged drought has on the state's water supply and environment. Although no one disagrees on the urgent need to fight the fires, there has long been sharp disagreement about how to address California's chronic water shortage. The time has come to break the stalemate. So, in the spirit of bipartisan cooperation, earlier this month we offered a compromise water bond package for the Legislature's consideration. We...

Supporters of Proposition 8, the proposed state constitutional amendment that would ban gay marriage, said they would file suit today to block a change made by California Atty. Gen. Jerry Brown to the language of the measure's ballot title and summary. Petitions circulated to qualify the initiative for the ballot said the measure would amend the state Constitution "to provide that only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California." In a move made public last week and applauded by same-sex marriage proponents, the attorney general's office changed the language to say that Proposition 8...

They're putting questions on state ballots designed to turn out GOP voters. Social and religious conservatives are placing an increasingly large wager on a strategy they believe may overcome their constituents' lack of enthusiasm for Sen. John McCain, giving him a competitive edge over Sen. Barack Obama even in states as deeply blue as California. Essentially, the strategy is a reprise of one Karl Rove used to push George W. Bush to victory in 2004, when he helped place measures banning same-sex marriage on the ballot in 11 key states. The Republican incumbent carried them all as religious conservatives --...

OAKLAND, Calif. -- A judge said Friday that it was legal for Oakland city and elected officials to mislead voters about a 2004 ballot measure that promised to hire police officers, saying that his hands are tied by an appellate court ruling. Alameda County Superior Court Judge Frank Roesch said the key factor in deciding whether the city of Oakland should be allowed to continue collecting taxes authorized by Measure Y is the language of the ballot measure itself, not what was said in chapter headings or in election materials distributed to voters. Marleen Sacks, an attorney who lives in...

Propositions that are on the November 4, 2008 General Election Ballot* Bond MeasureProposition 1 SB 1856 (Chapter 697, 2002). Costa. Safe, Reliable High-Speed Passenger Train Bond Act for the 21st Century.** **Note: The Safe, Reliable High-Speed Passenger Train Bond Act for the 21st Century was originally scheduled to appear on the November 2, 2004, General Election ballot. Subsequently, Senate Bill 1169, Chapter 71, Statutes of 2004, provided that it appear on the November 7, 2006, General Election ballot. However, most recently, Assembly Bill 713, Chapter 44, Statutes of 2006, provides for the submission of this Act on the November...

In a press release issued last week, the National Center for Lesbian Rights, Lambda Legal, the American Civil Liberties Union and Equality California claimed that a November ballot initiative that would define marriage as a union between a man and a woman is unconstitutional. The four groups filed a petition with the state Supreme Court on June 20, asking it to remove the initiative from the ballot because, “the rules for revising the California Constitution were not properly followed.” [[Volokh062808.jpg]]The argument of the four groups against the initiative turns on the distinction in constitutional law between an amendment and a...

Two major ballot initiatives, each emphasizing the need for clean power and renewable energy amid the public's rising concerns over greenhouse gases, will confront California voters in November. On their face, they appear to be straightforward environmental proposals. But all is not what it seems. One initiative is being bankrolled by the nation's largest purveyor of vehicular natural gas. And though it's being sold as an environmentally friendly initiative, the measure's sponsor--as well as other energy purveyors--presumably could make millions of dollars if it is approved by voters.

On November's ballot in CA we will have two very important propositions. The Marriage Amendment and Sarah's Law which is a parental notification law. Please, please, please view this 60 second video and pass it on to everyone you know. Please go to www.FriendsOfSarah.com for more information. Also see National Organization for Marriage California

CALIFORNIA'S voters, unlike their counterparts in Massachusetts, will have the last word on what marriage means in their state. When the highest court in Massachusetts conjured up a constitutional right to same-sex marriage, 170,000 Bay State voters petitioned for an amendment to the state constitution that would restore the age-old definition. Their effort died on the vine when the Legislature derailed the measure before it could reach the ballot. But citizen initiatives aren't so easily thwarted in California, where last week the state supreme court, in a 4-3 ruling, likewise overturned the timeless understanding of marriage as a union of...

Changes since the last update: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1310. (07-0081) Nonviolent Offenders. Sentencing, Parole and Rehabilitation. Statute. Qualified for the November 4, 2008 General Election 1326. (07-0094, Amdt. #1S) Criminal Penalties and Laws. Public Safety Funding. Statute. Qualified for the November 4, 2008 General Election 1304. (07-0066, Amdt. #1S) Renewable Energy. Statute. Qualified for the November 4, 2008 General Election 1298. (07-0068) Limit on Marriage. Constitutional Amendment. Qualified for the November 4, 2008 General Election Propositions that are on the November 4, 2008 General Election Ballot Bond MeasureSB 1856 (Chapter 697, 2002). Costa. Safe, Reliable High-Speed Passenger Train Bond Act for the...

Sleight-of-hand relies heavily on misdirection and distraction. The Proposition 99 campaign tries the same trick on voters, attempting to get Californians to look only where it wants, while ignoring the most important issues in eminent domain reform. Proposition 99 was crafted because Proposition 98 had qualified for the ballot with a good chance of winning, backed by many documented abuses of emotionally appealing “little guys” steamrollered by the politically powerful—i.e., to defend the beneficiaries of eminent domain abuse against real reform. 99 does nothing to restrict eminent domain to justifiable public uses. It “protects” only owner-occupied primary residences, while undermining...

In the battle over two state propositions on Tuesday's ballot that would restrict government seizure of private property, nearly a majority of California voters support the more limited Proposition 99 while giving thumbs down to Proposition 98, which would abolish rent control, according to a Field Poll released today. A survey of 660 likely voters conducted May 17-26 found 48 percent favoring Prop. 99, with 30 percent opposed and 22 percent undecided, according to the poll results. Those supporting Prop. 98 stood at 33 percent, with 43 percent opposed and 24 percent undecided. Field Poll Director Mark DiCamillo said he'd...