Author: Joel Fox

The campaign to bring congress under the independent redistricting commission (Yes on Prop 20), and at the same time defeat the effort to do away with the redistricting commission all together (No on Prop 27), has taken a look at the efforts of Congressman Howard Berman to get legislators to fund Prop 27 and has suggested the money raised to pass 27 will eventually end up being used to defeat Prop 20.

Here’s the deal: Berman is encouraging legislators to donate to a campaign to pass Proposition 27, which will get rid of the independent redistricting commission the people set up by passing Proposition 11 a couple of years ago. The commission takes over the power once jealously guarded by legislators to draw legislative districts. Legislators would prefer to create their own safe legislative districts than see independent commissioners drawing the lines.

However, Proposition 11 did not apply to redistricting congressional districts. Proposition 20 was put on the ballot so that congressional redistricting would become part of the new commission’s portfolio.

Voters are waiting …  waiting for something to break open this governor’s race. The Field Poll shows the governor’s race is dead even. Since the two gubernatorial candidates have been within the margin of error throughout the summer, today’s Field Poll doesn’t show much change.

The Brown campaign might say that since they are up on the air now they are turning things around, but in reality, the race has been flat and I suspect it will stay that way until the next turning point being the first debate on Tuesday at UC Davis.

The even poll puts more pressure on the candidates to perform well during the debate and the closeness of the race may bring more attention and interest from the voters than the voters seemed to have shown in this race so far.

The Yes on Prop 25 campaign’s new TV commercial emphasizes the measure does not raise taxes and punishes legislators if the budget is late.

The No on 25 side (of which I am a part) points out the legislators can avoid the punishment of no pay for failure to produce an on-time budget if the majority simply passes a sham budget, whether the governor signs it or not.

But, it is the tax issue that should receive the focus of voters. While there is a dispute whether taxes can be raised directly through the mechanism of Prop 25, there is no question revenue can be raised to cover the spending in a majority vote budget through increases in majority vote fees, which in many cases are disguised taxes.

Timing is everything the old saying goes and that wisdom may apply directly to Proposition 22 on the November ballot. The goal of the ballot measure’s supporters is to set up a wall between local government funds and a voracious state government. The campaign for passing Prop 22, lead by the League of California Cities, describes the problem as state raids and borrowing of local funds jeopardizes public safety, transit and other vital local services.

But, headlines dealing with local governments over the last few months have been about excessive pay for local officials, free tickets to big-time events, and growing pension and health obligations that put a squeeze on funding local services.

Voters might ask if a shortfall in local budgets is due to the state reaching into local government treasuries or if the problem is self-inflicted by city officials voting for over-generous pay and pension plans.

How’s that stimulus package working out for Los Angeles? Not too well when you look at the audit report issued by LA City Controller Wendy Gruel yesterday.

The city controller’s report revealed that $111 million dollars in federal stimulus money sent to Public Works and Transportation departments has resulted in a total of 55 jobs created or retained. Well, not 55 exactly, since the audit tests work hours, that’s 54.46 jobs created or retained.

And, while it is good for the individual workers that their jobs were retained, that means many fewer than 55 jobs were created for the $111 million. With two million Californians out of work, many in the most populous city in the state, we need to create jobs. What is going on here?

Today is the 223rd anniversary of the signing of the United States Constitution.

Many headlines have been generated recently about proposals to change the Constitution. A lot of heat has been generated over the idea of changing the 14th amendment to alter birthright citizenship and even the futile notion to take voting power away from the people by changing the 17th amendment’s right to directly elect U.S. Senators.

What caught my eye was a proposal reported in yesterday’s Wall Street Journal’s opinion page that would create a "Repeal Amendment" in the constitution in which two-thirds of the states could vote to overturn an act of congress.

By tossing in another $15-million to her gubernatorial campaign, Meg Whitman made headlines all over the country spending the most money by an individual candidate on one election. She topped New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg by $10-million and counting. Whitman is up to $119-million; Bloomberg spent nearly $109-million in his 2009 re-election race.

Jerry Brown’s campaign, not to mention the media, continue to make an issue of Whitman’s money. There is no question these are eye-popping amounts.

The hard dollar total is a record of one kind, but with political math there is always more than one way to count a dollar. Whitman spent more than Michael Bloomberg in total dollars, that’s a fact. But, she’s got a ways to go to cover what Bloomberg spent per registered voter. There are about 4 million registered voters in New York City. Bloomberg spent over $27.00 per voter when he laid out his $109 million. With Whitman’s $119 million she has spent about $8.50 per voter give or take, only a third of what Bloomberg spent per voter.

The budget is 77 days late. No one seems to care except those state vendors who are borrowing to stay afloat, state workers, those who keep tabs on records (we’re nearing one) or have a bet in the Sacramento Bee budget prediction game.

While waiting for the budget, other news is being made on California’s political front that deserve some comment.

Jerry Brown’s new ads continue his campaign strategy of calling Meg Whitman a liar. And, Whitman’s campaign attorney called the California Teachers Association a liar because of an anti-Whitman ad and told television stations to take it down. Where’s George Washington when you need him? Come to think of it, the legendary story that declared that George Washington could not tell a lie … was a lie.

Bill Clinton finds himself in the middle of a California gubernatorial election again and I was there the last time it occurred.

In the 2002 Republican gubernatorial primary, I was an advisor to former Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan. Riordan squared off with eventual Republican nominee, businessman Bill Simon, and former California Secretary of State, Bill Jones.

A day or so following Riordan’s defeat, I was in the car with the former mayor when his secretary patched through a call from the former president.