Proposition 11…Now More Than Ever
The first salvo has been fired in the looming battle over who controls redistricting in California. Is it CCPOA, their special interest allies and their chief water carrier Senate Pro Tem Don Perata and his loyal subjects in the Legislature or the people of California led by Governor Schwarzenegger?
A just released web ad by the Yes on Proposition 11 folks lays it out pretty clearly.
Is this the same Don Perata who told LA Times columnist George Skelton in 2005, “If voters would reject the governor’s ballot proposition, Perata told me, “Our commitment… is to fashion a bipartisan solution in a thoughtful way and put it on the ballot next year.” Ditto, said Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez (D-Los Angeles).”
Is this the same Don Perata who gathered Democratic leaders together a few months ago and in his invitation to the meeting said the purpose was, “to discuss campaign strategy and organization for the attempt to beat back the effort to take the decennial redistricting out of the hands of the Legislature and give it to a non-political citizens committee.”
8 Against Prop 8
In March 2000, Californians overwhelmingly voted in favor of
Proposition 22—the California Defense of Marriage Act—which in its
simplest terms, defined marriage as exclusively between a man and a
woman.
In May of this year, the California Supreme Court, by a 4-3
vote, overturned the initiative, ruling that same-sex marriage was
guaranteed by the state Constitution as a “fundamental right.” Chief
Justice Ronald George wrote in his majority opinion, “Our state now
recognizes that an individual’s capacity to establish a loving and
long-term committed relationship with another person and responsibly
care for and raise children does not depend upon the individual’s
sexual orientation.”
Bail Out California And a Couple of Other Ideas
If the Federal Government is going to kick in $700-billion to bail out the nation’s financial industry, do you think it could come up with another measly $15 billion to bail out the state of California and balance our books? That’s only an additional 2% on the latest bailout bill.
And, like the Fed takeover of AIG, the Feds can simply take a share of the business…er….state. Fifteen billion is a little less than 15% of the general fund. Under the deal, the feds will own 15% of the state’s assets and add that to their portfolio along with the 80% they own of AIG. Let’s give them the freeways…during rush hour…and see what they can do with them.