Democrats are playing defense in some key U.S. Senate races that should otherwise be considered safe.

Historically, Senate incumbents already tend to be a bit less safe than House incumbents simply because one cannot gerrymander a state. House lines are often drawn and redrawn to protect incumbents, while states don’t change borders without something major…like a war. Even in that revolutionary year of 1994, 92% of House members seeking re-election won, while 90% of Senators won.

A review of the position some incumbent Democrat Senators find themselves in shows a level of vulnerability that is out of the ordinary, and certainly a far cry from the last two election cycles which saw heavy Democrat gains.

We’ve already discussed on these pages how Sen. Barbara Boxer is barely clinging to 50% re-election support in a state that went heavily for Obama and she’s represented for 17 years in the Senate alone, plus the House. But a look at some other states shows she is not the only Democrat incumbent with concerns.

Each year, the film and television industry generates more than $40 billion in economic revenue in Southern California. We applaud the L.A. City Council for taking action on a series of film production incentives last week. However, they have yet to take action on the region’s largest, most impactful film retention project — NBC Universal’s Evolution Plan.

NBC Universal’s Evolution Plan will establish Los Angeles as the company’s global headquarters for film and television production. This is an economic development opportunity that other cities and states would welcome with wide-open arms. The project will create 31,000 immediate construction jobs and 12,000 new permanent jobs. It is also estimated to deliver $26 million in tax revenues each year. In this economy, these numbers alone should be enough to warrant the prompt attention of our elected officials.

Here’s a quick read from a report on the Field Poll results dealing with budget reform released today: The status quo seems safe for now.

Yes, a majority of respondents to the poll said they supported fundamental changes to the state constitution by way of a constitutional convention. But, any political consultant worth his or her salt will tell you that a 51% affirmative result is not a ringing endorsement. Once details of the changes are made public that 51% undoubtedly will slip under majority rather quickly.

In fact, some of the most talked about budget related changes the poll respondents batted down. Not surprisingly, reducing the two-thirds vote to a simple majority to raise taxes was crushed, 27% Yes, 69% No. Even the much ballyhooed idea to pass the state budget by a simple majority vote instead of a two-thirds vote couldn’t gain a majority in this poll: 43% Yes, 52% No.

“Vote for me, I’ve been on advisory boards,” doesn’t have the ring of a winning campaign slogan, but Republican Carly Fiorina is ready to use it.

Irvine Assemblyman Chuck DeVore, the lone official candidate for next June’s GOP Senate nomination, apparently annoyed Fiorina, an almost-but-not-quite-yet-official candidate, when he suggested to a San Diego Republican group Monday night that the former Hewlett-Packard CEO wasn’t ready for the political big time.

After beating up on Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger for a bit, DeVore warned that the same people who supported the Hollywood superstar for governor are now saying “we should take a chance on another individual with no public policy experience.”

The charge had the Fiorina camp frothing.

This article was originally published at PublicCEO.

In an alleged effort to stir controversy and gain publicity, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, PETA, has asked to place sexed up advertisements on city patrol cars.

PETA has claimed they will pay the financially struggling city to run “pro-vegan” advertisements on all police vehicles.

PETA’s illustration of a Vallejo patrol car

City of Vallejo Police Chief Robert Nichelini said, “It seems to us this is a scheme by PETA to obtain free publicity under the guise of a news story.”

A blog posted on PETA’s Web site states, “If Vallejo police chief Robert Nichelini allows PETA to serve our message to his community, no doubt many residents will make changes to better protect animals, the environment and their own health.”

No one has better real-time information on California job markets than the administrators of the fifty local Workforce Investment Boards (WIBs), and the administrators of the local One-Stop Centers. Thus when I was in Pasadena last week, I took the opportunity to meet with Michael Dolphin and Ellen Greer, the regional Employment Development Department (EDD) administrators, along with Phillip Dunn, the thoughtful executive director of the Foothill Workforce Investment Board, and quiz them on the current job situation.

Michael and Ellen both have been with EDD over thirty years. This longevity is not uncommon (Al Dave, Michael’s predecessor, known as “Mr. EDD” in Los Angeles, was with the Department for nearly 40 years), and means that they were at EDD during the previous major California recessions of the early 1980s and the early 1990s. They made the following points about what EDD is seeing today at the One-Stop centers in Pasadena and throughout the region.

I’ve never run for office before, never worked in politics, never worked in government. And if you know me, you know I have real trouble making up my mind. So when it was pointed out to me recently that my status as an inexperienced outsider made me a natural choice to run for governor of California, I began plans to form an exploratory committee, though I’ve been careful to keep up the fiction that I’m completely devoted to my duties as a think tank fellow, whatever the hell they are.

I have a clear recollection of reading somewhere, though I can’t remember exactly where, that it’s important to have voted. And that it’s especially important to have voted if you run for office, since voting – along with personal wealth, campaign contributions and opposition research — are what decide elections in this country. And I just know that the press is going to investigate every little random little inconsequential thing, such as whether I voted, instead of investigating my management experience, which involves coaching a series of highly successful Little League teams in Pasadena.

Since Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger owes his job to paid signature gatherers, it’s no surprise that he vetoed a bill that would have made their lives a lot tougher – or at least more expensive.

That’s not the reason he gave, of course. A bill that would have banned the current pay-per-signature system was rejected because, according to the governor’s veto message, “prohibitions on per signature payments would make it more difficult for grassroots organizations to secure the necessary signatures and qualify measures for the ballot.”

Cue stirring music and video of California flag rippling over the Capitol.

Schwarzenegger’s veto of SB 34 by Democratic Sen. Ellen Corbett of San Leandro was serious stuff, however, since it blocked an attempt to make a major change in the way California deals with its ballot measures.

Ever get a number in your head that, like an old song, you just can’t get out?

The number that’s been stuck in my head is 1,600. That’s the number of medical marijuana dispensaries that could be operating just within the city limits of Los Angeles.

I say “could be” because no one knows. It’s just a guesstimate. I got it from the article published in the Aug. 31 issue of the Los Angeles Business Journal headlined “Growing Like a. …” It said the city put a moratorium on marijuana dispensaries two years ago after 187 were authorized. But after that time, almost 800 additional shops opened, using – some might say “exploiting” – a loophole that essentially allowed them to fill out a form and open a shop.

But that’s not the end. Additional pot shops opened without even bothering to fill out the form. How many? The Pico Neighborhood Council wondered that, too. It conducted a survey and found 17 dispensaries that opened after the moratorium and 11 of those had not filled out the form.