Free Republic

Singer Barbra Streisand has sent an email in support of California Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom’s Proposition 63, requesting $5 donations “to defeat the National Rifle Association” (NRA). Streisand pointed to the 1993 Long Island Railroad shooting to explain her support for more gun control. According to the Sacramento Bee, Streisand’s email said, “Like you, California is my home, and I can’t just wait around hoping tragedy doesn’t strike our state again. If there’s something we can do that will stop innocent Californians from being shot and killed, I will do everything I can to see it done.”

-Proposition 1B: The biggest chunk, $19.9 billion, is for transportation projects that will cost $38.9 billion to repay. Most of the money, $11.3 billion, would be spent to improve highways and local roads... YES Proposition 1C allots $2.85 billion for housing and shelter...But this is a sector of our economy in which public and private funds compete. NO Proposition 1D would upgrade and build more schools at every level...NO Proposition 1E is a $4.1 billion bond to improve disaster preparedness and flood prevention...YES We cant afford everything we need right now. But voting no on every measure is not in...

With troubles at BP's Alaskan operation and oil prices gushing above $77 a barrel - and prices at the pump likely to follow in the next few days - now may be the worst time for a ballot initiative likely to increase consumers' fuel costs. Prop. 87 would impose a new tax on California oil production of $200 million to $380 million a year - the exact amount isn't clear - until a total of $4 billion is reached to fund research into alternative fuels. Prop. 87's Web site insists that it “makes it illegal for oil companies to raise...

By taking a stand on sex offenders, alternative energy, Schwarzenegger, challenger get message out, highlight differences. If Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has his druthers, Californians will vote in November to crack down on sex offenders, reject several taxes and authorize a raft of new borrowing for public works. If Treasurer Phil Angelides gets his way, voters will force oil companies to fund research into alternative energy, create a new system to publicly finance political campaigns and reject a new limit on abortion. The treasurer has endorsed initiatives that would raise tobacco taxes to fund health care, institute an oil extraction tax...

Thirteen propositions that have qualified for the Nov. 7 ballot ask voters to authorize billions of dollars in bond issues and new taxes, creating political land mines for the candidates for governor, especially Democrat Phil Angelides. The cumulative weight of the measures could make it more difficult for Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to sell his ambitious package of public-works bonds. In the June primary election, voters decisively rejected a seemingly routine library bond issue whose price tag was a tiny fraction of what the Republican governor is promoting. The proposed tax increases on the November ballot complicate life for Angelides, the...

Some of the nation's leading conservative thinkers and strategists are seeking, through Schwarzenegger's initiatives, to alter the balance of power between the right and left wings of California politics. Their hope is to turn California red in '08 and pioneer a new gospel that can spread across the country. The grandest Republican architect is Grover Norquist, president of Americans for Tax Reform... Norquist is behind Proposition 75. It's a Trojan horse whose larger purpose is to tilt the balance of power in politics by limiting union support for Democrats without cutting corporate sources of Republican funding. Texas Rep. Tom DeLay...

Voters will decide in June whether they want to tax California's richest residents to send the state's 4-year-olds to preschool. Secretary of State Bruce McPherson has certified the "Preschool for All'' initiative, declaring that its backers, led by actor-director Rob Reiner, had collected more than the 598,105 valid signatures needed to place the measure on the June 6 ballot. The voluntary program would offer a full year of preschool to all California 4-year-olds, provided mostly by local school districts. The initiative would boost the top tax rate by 1.7 percent on individuals earning more than $400,000 annually or married couples...

SACRAMENTO -- The state's powerful education lobby has met privately with top aides to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and sought to make two points clear: it came out on top in the Nov. 8 special election and it wants the administration to make good on a $5.5 billion bill to schools next year. The Wednesday meeting, which lasted an hour, could prove a significant step in repairing the damaged relationship between the governor and educators. It also could hasten a resolution on education funding, a perennial sticking point in budget negotiations because it accounts for the greatest chunk of the state's...

Legislative leaders and Schwarzenegger truly need to compromise or state is on the road to bankruptcy. Immediately following the Nov. 8 special election, several editorials and opinion columns said Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger was the big loser because all four propositions he supported were soundly defeated. Wrong! The big losers were all the people of California. Why, given all the political mistakes Schwarzenegger allegedly made, including calling for the special election in the first place? Well, we elected a non-politician to be governor, didn't we? Weren't we fed up with career politicians who made most decisions to retain their offices rather...

Just days after leading England safely through World War II, Winston Churchill suffered a devastating defeat at the hands of British voters. As he watched the dismal results roll in, Clementine sat beside him, patted his knee and said, “Well, if you ask me, Winston, it’s a blessing in disguise.” Churchill growled, “Well at the moment, madam, it is very well disguised, indeed.” Tonight I’d like to point out a few blessings in this election ­ however well disguised they might seem at the moment. The first is that we didn’t lose any ground in this election. Propositions 73 through...

In 1945, Winston Churchill was swept from office in a devastating election defeat just days after leading England safely through World War II. As he watched in morose silence as the results rolled in, Clementine sat beside him, patted his knee and said, “If you ask me, Winston, it’s a blessing in disguise.” Churchill growled, “At the moment, madam, it is very well disguised, indeed.” I’m not going to pretend that Tuesday’s election was anything other than what it was: an unmitigated and stunning defeat of some of the most basic principles of good government ever put to a vote:...

Everyone agrees that Democrats did well and Republicans were chastened in last week's elections. But beyond that there were clear winners and losers. But who were the winners? Let's focus on three clear ones: Virginia's Gov. Mark Warner, Arizona's Sen. John McCain and California's government employee unions. --- If Mr. Warner is basking in newfound attention in his party, Mr. McCain is getting new respect from Republicans as President Bush's approval numbers continue to weaken. He (McCain) says the public is fed up with "fight gang" politics and wants bipartisan solutions, such as the agreement that 14 senators, including Mr....

Two years ago, as bodybuilder-turned-actor Arnold Schwarzenegger began his governorship and promised "action, action, action" on the state's pressing issues. The Legislature, meanwhile, had demonstrated that it was the immovable object. It had shunned engagement with the issues, made huge mistakes when it deigned to do anything, wasted its time and our money on trivial favors to special interests, and in general abdicated its responsibilities. Schwarzenegger's first contacts with the Legislature were inconclusive. He moved lawmakers slightly, while they slowed his momentum markedly. He then turned around and put himself on a direct collision course with a series of ballot...

CA Propositions 75, 76, 77 Defeated; Propositions 73, 74 Could Go Either Way: On the Eve of a Special Election, California voters defeat Propositions 75, 76 and 77, but divide on Propositions 73 and 74, according to a final SurveyUSA tracking poll. Support for Propositions 73, 74, 75, and 77 continues to erode. (Proposition 76 is addressed separately in the next box.) Proposition 73, on parental notification for abortions on minors, led by 11 points 1 week ago, and leads today by 4 points. It may hang-on and win, but if so, by the narrowest of margins. Extending the trend...

Californians are acting like such total idiots lately it makes me seriously think about moving. Why did people vote for Arnold if they didn't want him to make the changes he said he would make? Arnold Schwarzenegger is already wealthy and famous, what does he need from being governor? The attacks from the unions? The accusations that he's mean spirited and hates teachers? The daily nonsense of the complete morons in the legislature? He must have believed he could really make some changes and help the state. I think it's possible that tomorrow a lot of people won't bother voting...

HJTA's Ballot Recommendations For the November 8 Special Election HJTA recommends a YES vote on the following measures that appear on the November 8 special election ballot: Prop. 74 -- Extends length of evaluation for period before public school teaches are given permanent status. Prop. 75 -- Provides paycheck protection for public union workers by requiring employee consent before their dues can be used for political contributions. Prop. 76 -- The Live Within Our Means Act would slow down increases in state spending. Prop. 77 -- Reapportionment; would bar politicians from drawing lines that guarantee their re-election. HJTA recommends a...

On a day of fiery, last-minute campaigning, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Monday jetted toward a climactic Election Day showdown with Democrats and California's powerful unions that could blot his re-election hopes or provide fresh evidence of his populist clout. "I'm never going to give up because I have the people power," Schwarzenegger told cheering supporters at a Roseville retirement community in suburban Sacramento, one of seven stops on a statewide fly-around. Democrats and labor unions have spent more than $100 million to defeat the governor, outspending Schwarzenegger by about 2-1. Their campaign -- casting the governor as an enemy of...

Exuding optimism to a skeptical electorate, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger jetted across California on Monday in a final attempt to promote his "year of reform" agenda, telling enthusiastic crowds that he had "the people power" on the eve of his special election. "We have great momentum," he said during a stop at a Del Webb retirement community in suburban Sacramento. "I'm never going to give up because I have the people power." Schwarzenegger's whirlwind day of campaigning followed a weekend in which he was dogged on a Southern California bus tour by opponents that included director Warren Beatty and tried to...

Hundreds opposed to Schwarzenegger's four ballot propositions fanned out on the streets of San Francisco today in an effort to increase voter turnout on Tuesday. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi rallied some 900 volunteers at a union hall on Market St. before urging people in downtown San Francisco to vote on Propositions 74, 75, 76, and 77. Recent polls indicate that a low voter turnout would likely help Schwarzenegger's propositions succeed, so Democrats have funneled campaign activities in the final days before next Tuesday's election into voter drives.

SAN DIEGO -- Warren Beatty and his wife Annette Bening on Saturday attempted to crash a campaign appearance by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger who sought to drum up last-minute support for a group of statewide ballot measures. The Hollywood couple were stopped by one of Schwarzenegger's campaign officials at the entrance of an airport hangar where several hundred of the governor's supporters had gathered. Beatty was told by Schwarzenegger aide, Darrel Ng, that the "Bulworth" star was not on the guest list and didn't have the appropriate wristband to get inside. "You have to have a wristband to listen the governor?"...