The Redistricting Commission Won’t Stop Calling
Let me begin by reassuring my wife and family: I am not
having an affair with Elaine Howle.
But I can hardly blame my wife if
she’s suspicious. Howle, the state auditor, and her office have been emailing
me daily for weeks. Over the last week, the obsessive phone calls have started,
wondering where I am and if I’m thinking about what she’s asked me to do.
Howle is in charge of the process
of selecting the new redistricting commission, created by Prop 11, to draw
state legislative district lines next year. And next Monday, April 19, is the
second-round application deadline for anyone who wants to be on the
redistricting commission. I know this because the calls and emails reminding me
of the deadline – and my failure to meet it – never stop.
At first, these missives were
helpful-they referred me to workshops and organizations that would help me
complete the application. But in recent days, the tone has grown more urgent,
more pleading – part doctor’s office wondering why you won’t call for the test
results, part over-caffeinated professor who thinks you’re going to turn the
paper in late again.
Reading the ‘Tea’ Leaves
Yesterday marked the 1-year Anniversary of the Tea Parties heard ‘round the world.
As the Event Director at two of the largest Tea Parties in the United States televised on FOX News, I am often asked, “What is the future of the Tea Party movement?”
My fellow Californians, I can tell you this: The state of the Tea Party is strong, and it is here to stay.
During “Tax Day” yesterday, one only needed to walk over to the steps of the Capitol to witness thousands of people fed up with their government. In California, of all places – the most Liberal state in the union. Thousands strong, this crowd didn’t exist two years ago. They certainly didn’t exist in 2005 when Governor Schwarzenegger was trying to change the system. Just imagine if they had.
In fact, if you’ve never actually attended a Tea Party in person and have only seen them on MSNBC, you might be of the opinion that they’re all a hostile, angry bunch. Think again.
L.A. Story Needed a Happy Ending
The fight to keep LegalZoom.com in Los Angeles was a compelling story. After all, it’s refreshing and fairly rare to see City Hall work with business groups in a business-friendly way.
Los Angeles can seem numbingly inured to the routine in which businesses often leave the city because of high costs, while City Hall seems not to care. But about 18 months ago, when LegalZoom started making noises about moving, it was as if the community stood together and said, “No, not this one. Not this time.”
The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, City Council President Eric Garcetti and the Mayor’s Office, among others, worked together for months to come up with a way to keep LegalZoom tethered to Los Angeles.
The group’s task was a clear one: They only had to figure a solution or a compromise to a high tax rate that LegalZoom and some similar Internet businesses suddenly had to pay.