November 2012 Targets – Part Two: The Congress
In my last post, I made my early picks as to where the
action will be in November 2012. Now, let’s look at the new congressional
districts that may be in play in November 2012.
3rd
Congressional District: JOHN GARAMENDI (D). Garamendi resides in the
southern portion of this new district and only 22% of the voters reside in his
old district. The district stretches north to encompass large areas that are
currently represented by Reps. Wally Herger (R) and Mike Thompson (D). Jerry Brown
outpolled Meg Whitman 50% – 43%, while Carly Fiorina narrowly outpolled Barbara
Boxer 46% – 45%. This is not a safe Democratic district, so let’s see if
Republicans can recruit a top tier candidate to challenge him.
7th
Congressional District: DAN LUNGREN (R). Lungren will again face his 2010
opponent, Ami Bera. But Asm. Alyson Huber (D), who was not treated
well in the Assembly redistricting, has made noises of possibly entering this
race. Brown outpolled Whitman 50% – 45%, while Fiorina outpolled Boxer 49% –
43%. This will be a top TARGET.
Failed Card Check Measure Posed Threat to Small Farms & Field Workers
There has been a fair amount of post-mortem analysis of the
Governor’s decision to veto legislation that would have given the United Farm
Workers (UFW) the power to eliminate secret ballots for farmworkers voting on
whether to unionize.
State and national newspaper editorials and commentary have
rightly concluded that Governor Brown realized the measure would have blown up
the very labor reforms he constructed in 1975. Furthermore, it went too far in
allowing unions to intimidate and bully workers.
The central issue is basic democracy. Over the years, both Cesar Chavez and Gov.
Brown have underscored that there is nothing more sacred than the right to vote
privately and free from threats.
But these commentaries, while accurate, too often pitted the
California card check legislation as a David-and-Goliath battle between huge
agricultural interests and a union.
Football Deal for LA Could Hit Other CA Cities
The Memorandum of Understanding approved by the Los Angeles
City Council with the Anschutz Entertainment Group moves professional football a
step closer to Los Angeles after a 16-year absence. But it might mean
another California city could lose their NFL franchise.
The negotiated deal still has some yards to gain before it
scores the big touchdown of returning an NFL team to the City of the Angels. The
$1.2 billion deal for a stadium and remodeling of the convention center seems
to be sensitive to taxpayer concerns. The stadium and team would bring both
construction jobs as well as permanent jobs related to the stadium.
However, if the team that occupies Farmer’s Field comes from
another California city, jobs will be lost there.
After the MOU was approved by the City Council, sports talk
pundits started speculating which team might move to L.A., since it is assumed
by all that the NFL will not add a new franchise at this time. The stadium will
not be built without a team confirmed for the new stadium.
A National Jobs Emergency & The Transportation Solution
In the backdrop to the recent political fireworks on
the federal debt limit is a sobering reality: America is in the midst of a
national jobs emergency. California,
struggling with 12% percent unemployment, is a perfect example of what’s
happening nationally.
The August U.S. Labor Department
employment report showed anemic job growth.
In July, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce released what it called the
"brutal findings" in its "Small Business Outlook Survey" of more than 1,400
small business owners. Nearly 65 percent
said they have no plans to hire in the next year. "Economic uncertainty" was the primary
obstacle cited.
"Hard times" stories reverberate throughout the U.S.
construction industry, currently reeling with a 15.6 percent national unemployment
rate, 6.4 points higher than the national average. In California, construction industry
unemployment hovers between 20 and 25%. A
July national survey of transportation contractors by the American Road &
Transportation Builders Association found more than half of the respondents
operating below 75 percent capacity.
Some reported the highway and bridge construction market is the worst
they’ve experienced in their lifetimes.