2008 Assembly Races – Final Update
In earlier posts for Fox and Hounds, I asked the question, "Can Assembly Democrats gain the six seats needed to reach a two-thirds supermajority?"
I then went on to list the six GOP-held assembly districts I and my fellow editors of the California Target Book believed would be the ones most likely targeted by the Democrats to achieve that goal: AD10 (D-Alyson Huber vs. R-Jack Sieglock); AD15 (D-Joan Buchanan vs. R-Abram Wilson); AD26 (D-John Eisenhut vs. R-Bill Berryhill); AD36 (D-Ferial Masry vs. R-Audra Strickland); AD78 (D-Marty Block vs. R-John McCann); AD80 (D-Manuel Perez vs. R-Gary Jeandron.
We also stated that the Democrats would also need to hold on to AD30 that was represented by termed out Democratic Asm. Nicole Parra (D-Fran Florez vs. R-Danny Gilmore).
Our predictions turned out to be quite prophetic, because the Democratic leadership did attempt to achieve that supermajority and they in fact focused on the six GOP-held districts mentioned above.
Holiday Retail Sales Will Compound State Budget Problems
Retail sales numbers announced this week didn’t bring tidings of comfort and joy this holiday shopping season. According to TNS Retail Forward, 2008 holiday retail sales are down 2.5% this year compared to the same data a year ago. The number is particularly bleak when you remove discount retailer Wal-Mart, the only major retailer to post an increase over last year. Some of the biggest names in retail are showing dramatic declines.
Abercrombie & Fitch down 28%. Nordstrom’s down nearly 12%. Even, Costco dropped 5%. A bad holiday shopping season will have a delayed but pronounced impact on California’s sales tax revenue, which in turn has an impact on the state’s budget deficit. Sales taxes generate nearly a third of our state’s revenues.
5 ways to repeal Prop. 8
It’s time to stop protesting a lost election. Four weeks of fury against the passage of Prop 8, the California initiative to ban same-sex marriage, have produced plenty of anger, but no visible progress for the protestors’ cause. If anything, the victorious opponents of permitting gay couples to marry, having heard insults hurled at themselves and their churches, are more self-righteous than ever before.
For those who believe in marriage equality, a new strategy is necessary. And while it is tempting to trust the courts to overturn Prop 8, the courts ultimately can’t provide the victory that gay marriage needs. Any court decision establishing same-sex marriage will have little political legitimacy, given the recent verdict of the people.
What the cause of marriage equality needs in California is an unmistakable political victory, a vote of the people that rebuts Prop 8. Such a vote would show that gay marriage can be a political winner, and build the momentum needed to repeal federal law that bars recognition of same-sex marriage.
How to get there? Here are five steps to victory for supporters of same-sex marriage.
A Reformer Gets His Chance
Government reform is the theme practically everyone who runs for office uses. But, when someone who spends his work-a-day life striving for government reform gets elected that person is someone to watch. Carl DeMaio our eyes are on you.
DeMaio is a new member of the San Diego City Council. He made the art of government reform his business. DeMaio founded the non-partisan Performance Institute as a think tank dedicated to reforming government through the principles of performance, transparency, competition and accountability. One of the first to warn San Diego officials of a pending city financial disaster, DeMaio created the San Diego Citizen’s Budget Project to examine the city’s financial outlook and improve the city’s service delivery.
Now DeMaio has a chance to practice what he preaches as a member of the City Council. Being one of eight council members and having to deal with the city bureaucracy as well as the executive branch doesn’t insure success. But, DeMaio apparently is intent on making changes by leading by example.