Californian of the Year: The Voters
When the Boston Red Sox ended their long World Series drought in 2004, Sports Illustrated recognized the long suffering Red Sox Nation – the entire fan base – as its sports person of the year. In that spirit of selecting a large group as deserving, I would like to consider the Voters of California as Californian of the Year.
In the November elections, the voters set down markers that are making seasoned cryptographers scratch their heads. Not only did the Voters stop the Republican national wave across the country, they established the Democrats as nearly unchallenged leaders in this state.
The voters, of course, were not in lockstep with the Democratic Party. They opposed a number of ballot measures that the party supported, especially the redistricting measures.
More glaringly, the voters continued to handcuff the instincts of the newly elected leaders by shooting down tax increases and making it harder to raise fees.
Is there method to the voters’ madness, political scientists ask?
California Office Pool 2011
The late, great New York Times columnist William Safire made a habit of writing a year-end column he called Office Pool. In it, Safire offered, multiple-choice style, a series of possible news events that could take place in the year ahead. At the column’s end, he let you know which ones he thought actually would occur.
Safire’s focus was Washington, though he delved into culture and sports too. Here we do California Office Pool, for the second year. My picks are at the end. (Last year, I picked the Ron George resignation but got very little else right). Be sure to make your predictions, and clip n’ save (or bookmark and save) so we can see how we did at the end of 2010.
1. At the end of 2011, Gov. Jerry Brown’s chief of staff will be:
A. Anne Gust Brown, unofficially with no one holding the title
B. Anne Gust Brown, officially
C. Jim Humes
D. Gray Davis
E. Susan Kennedy
F. Gavin Newsom
G. Tom Quinn
Am I Living in a Judicial Hellhole?
No this is not a new song by Lady Gaga. This is a another honor, or should I say dishonor, bestowed upon the Golden State. The American Tort Reform Association releases an annual Judicial Hellholes report. This year California ranks second on its list of Judicial Hellholes. This year’s report focuses on six areas in the nation that are known for uneven justice.
This year, the top honor goes to Philadelphia, Pennslyvania. The City of Brotherly love is also in a love affair with trial lawyers I guess. Litigation tourism is being viewed by some as a form of economic stimulous. Punitive damages over $1 million in Philadelphia have reportedly tripled.
In second place is California, particularly Los Angeles and Humboldt counties. In Los Angeles, a $208.8 million verdict for a single asbestos claimant, the largest such award in California history, is a prime example. Humboldt county hosted a $677 million class action verdict against a nursing home provider for occasionally falling below staffing levels required by state regulators, even though no injury was claimed by the plaintiffs. These in addition to extortionate disability access claims against small businesses and expansive liability have placed California as a judicial hellole.