The Easy Voters Guide to the State Props
Here’s a chance to vote like the pros do. During the 2011-12 session, the Legislature passed 996 bills. Does anyone truly believe legislators actually read them all? Nah. In many cases, what legislators do is see what the bill does, who wrote it and who’s supporting it and vote from that. Now you can do […]
Does Obama Have Coattails in California
Among the uncertainties of this election is the extent to which the expected Obama win in California will affect the competitive races; that is, will there be Obama coattails in the high turnout for a presidential election year. Fortunately, it is possible to make some projections on the Obama and Romney margins in the most […]
11 Awesome Props: Proposition 40
Editor’s Note: Frequent Fox and Hounds contributor, Joe Mathews, will give his unique perspective on all eleven November ballot measures over the course of the next month. He will take them in the order they appear on the ballot. The stakes are so high on Prop 40. The referendum is so important, in fact, that […]
California’s K-12 Spending Challenge: Just the Facts, Ma’am
California’s K-12 per student spending fell 16% in real terms from the pre-recession peak in FY 2007-08 to FY 2011-12—a drop which rippled down into cutbacks affecting classroom staffing and student services. This trend toward significantly lower K-12 per student spending will not continue into this fiscal year even if voters reject Proposition 30’s and […]
FR’s Recommendations on Ballot Measures
The following are FlashReport.org’s recommendations on the eleven measures that will appear on the November ballot measures. These positions were arrived at through discussion by the members of our editorial board. PROPOSITION 30: NO This proposition is a $50 billion sales and income tax increase on all Californians. This will further weaken an already fragile […]
In Debates Romney Passes Education Test that Obama Fails
In the presidential debates and in recent interviews, it’s clear that Mitt Romney realizes something that President Obama can’t seem to fathom: the federal government is not the nation’s school board. In the recent third presidential debate, President Obama alluded to his support for national Common Core education standards that will replace individual state standards. […]
Congressman Waxman’s Challenge
California’s new election ground rules have turned Congressman Henry Waxman’s campaign for a 20th term in the House into an interesting bit of political theater that may be a coming attraction for future races. The top two Primary system and new district lines have forced Rep. Waxman to wage a vigorous re-election campaign against a […]