In September, I wrote a critical article on the Los Angeles Times/USC Poll questioning the poll’s methodology. I found it to be too heavily weighted to Democratic voters.

The Times/USC Poll is out with its October version. Once again I have looked at the methodology. The new poll shows Jerry Brown leading Meg Whitman by 13 points, and Barbara Boxer leading Carly Fiorina by eight points. While these are somewhat greater margins for the Democratic candidates than other October polls, at least the October methodology seems to have improved over September.

Dave Jones is the Democratic candidate for Insurance Commissioner.

Dave Jones is running around California telling anyone who will listen that he is not taking campaign contributions from the insurance industry.

But whenever you hear a politician make a virtue out of who they are not taking campaign contributions from you should look at who they are taking contributions from.

The Governor’s Conference for Women – Maria Shriver’s last
Women’s Conference as First Lady of California is the largest and best ever
mounted.

Three full days – it used to be one – with 140 newsmakers
and opinion leaders and an estimated attendance of more than 30,000 women. As
in past years, tickets sold out within hours of going on sale.

Something rare happened last week. Business interests squared off against labor interests in City Hall, and business won.

I know you think it’s a joke and you’re waiting for a punch line. But it’s true. It really happened last Wednesday in downtown Los Angeles. The City Council’s transportation committee voted 5-0 in favor of a measure backed by taxicab companies. In so doing, the committee essentially snubbed the usual coalition of labor unions, environmentalists and Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, all of whom argued against the companies.

This election season gives understanding to observers of the electoral process why politicians seem to score so low with the public when tested in polls. Sure, many people give a thumbs down to politicians for their performance in office, but looking at the standards they set during election campaigns only strengthens the negative feeling toward politicians.

What is sleazy is that politicians use this anti-politician attitude to their advantage.

One of the curiosities of the gubernatorial campaign involves the public relations competence of both candidates. Jerry Brown and Meg Whitman are supposed to be smart people, so why do they keep turning p.r. brush fires into roaring infernos?

The two most recent examples are instructive. Jerry Brown, by not identifying the campaign aide who suggested portraying Whitman as a "whore" on an accidentally recorded voice mail message, turned what should have been a one-day story into a week-long drama.

You may not know it with all the activity in California leading up to Election Day, but a storm has been brewing across the pond.

Weeks of protests have led to overturned cars and fires burning on the outskirts of Paris. Nearly half of France’s gas stations are bone dry – stranding motorists and bringing commerce to a standstill. According to the Associated Press, protestors have blocked hundreds of ships at the crucial Mediterranean port of Marseille, cutting off access to the nation’s main oil terminal. And they have shut down train service and access to major highways – virtually holding the nation hostage. Even the fearless Lady Gaga has cancelled multiple shows there, fearing for her safety and the safe passage of trucks carrying her stage and lighting equipment. (Listen, you know it’s serious if Gaga is afraid.) Nevertheless, the incidents are a serious matter, and they are becoming increasingly violent by the day as they move into the neighborhoods of Paris. These radical protesters make the Tea Parties look like Mothers’ Day Out.

Cross posted www.calwatchdog.com.   

The media have been providing serious reporting about a "UC Berkeley" study https:> showing that public employees earn a total salary and benefit package that’s about the same as those in the private sector. This counter-intuitive study is being championed by government advocates as a rebuttal to the public upset over public pay and pension scandals in cities such as Bell and San Diego.

"California doesn’t recover until small business recovers," declared Kevin Klowden, Managing Economist and Director of the California Center at the Milken Institute. Klowden took part in a panel discussing California small business at the Milken Institute’s annual State of the State conference this week.

Klowden stated that California is a small business mecca. Over fifty-percent of California employees work for small businesses defined as businesses with 500 employees or less.