I Investigate My Own Voting Record and Apologize for It
I’ve never run for office before, never worked in politics, never worked in government. And if you know me, you know I have real trouble making up my mind. So when it was pointed out to me recently that my status as an inexperienced outsider made me a natural choice to run for governor of California, I began plans to form an exploratory committee, though I’ve been careful to keep up the fiction that I’m completely devoted to my duties as a think tank fellow, whatever the hell they are.
I have a clear recollection of reading somewhere, though I can’t remember exactly where, that it’s important to have voted. And that it’s especially important to have voted if you run for office, since voting – along with personal wealth, campaign contributions and opposition research — are what decide elections in this country. And I just know that the press is going to investigate every little random little inconsequential thing, such as whether I voted, instead of investigating my management experience, which involves coaching a series of highly successful Little League teams in Pasadena.
Governor Has Worries on Initiative Reform
Since Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger owes his job to paid signature gatherers, it’s no surprise that he vetoed a bill that would have made their lives a lot tougher – or at least more expensive.
That’s not the reason he gave, of course. A bill that would have banned the current pay-per-signature system was rejected because, according to the governor’s veto message, “prohibitions on per signature payments would make it more difficult for grassroots organizations to secure the necessary signatures and qualify measures for the ballot.”
Cue stirring music and video of California flag rippling over the Capitol.
Schwarzenegger’s veto of SB 34 by Democratic Sen. Ellen Corbett of San Leandro was serious stuff, however, since it blocked an attempt to make a major change in the way California deals with its ballot measures.
Seeing Through Pot-Shop Haze
Ever get a number in your head that, like an old song, you just can’t get out?
The number that’s been stuck in my head is 1,600. That’s the number of medical marijuana dispensaries that could be operating just within the city limits of Los Angeles.
I say “could be” because no one knows. It’s just a guesstimate. I got it from the article published in the Aug. 31 issue of the Los Angeles Business Journal headlined “Growing Like a. …” It said the city put a moratorium on marijuana dispensaries two years ago after 187 were authorized. But after that time, almost 800 additional shops opened, using – some might say “exploiting” – a loophole that essentially allowed them to fill out a form and open a shop.
But that’s not the end. Additional pot shops opened without even bothering to fill out the form. How many? The Pico Neighborhood Council wondered that, too. It conducted a survey and found 17 dispensaries that opened after the moratorium and 11 of those had not filled out the form.