The #Hellastorm pounded California yesterday, causing flooding, mudslides, downed trees, and wreaking general havoc throughout the state. One thing it didn’t do: stop 20 San Francisco protesters from taking to the streets to continue bringing attention to the deaths of Eric Garner and Michael Brown.
The final numbers are out: turnout for November’s election was ABYSMAL. Just 42.2% of California’s 17.8 million registered voters cast ballots. John Myers has the story for KQED.
“It’s sobering to consider how many things have changed since the last time so few votes were cast in the race for governor of California: The state’s population was 40 percent smaller. Donna Summer had the No. 1 song on the charts. Jerry Brown handily won re-election as governor.
Actually, that last one is pretty much the same as it was 36 years ago, which brings us back to the reality of what happened on Nov. 4….
“State elections data show last month’s gubernatorial election saw fewer votes cast than in the previous eight quadrennial contests. Only 1978’s race between Brown and Republican Evelle Younger saw fewer total votes cast (6,922,378) than did 2014.”
Another takeaway: that low turnout means the bar has dropped for qualifying initiatives. If 2016 sees a wave of ballot props, blame November’s nonvoters.
Josh Richman buried a little nugget at the end of his Mercury News story about the impending Demo-on-Dem battle between Joan Buchanan and Susan Bonilla for Mark DeSaulnier’s seat in SD-7: Steve Glazer might toss his hat in the ring, too.
“Glazer said this week he's ‘still considering the race….’
"’[A] number of community leaders have encouraged me to consider running for this seat and I am giving it some thought.’”
The Americans for Prosperity Foundation, a conservative nonprofit organization backed by the Koch brothers, filed a federal lawsuit in Los Angeles earlier this week against California Attorney General Kamala Harris, alleging that Harris’ request for the group’s donor list violates their First Amendment rights. Melanie Mason has the story for the Los Angeles Times.
“Earlier this year, Harris's office warned the foundation that its registration was incomplete for 2011 and 2012 because the group did not include a ‘Schedule B,’ a list of names and addresses of every individual who gave more than $5,000 to the group during a given tax year. Such lists are also submitted to the IRS, but are kept confidential and not available to the public….
“David Beltran, a spokesman for Harris, said the requests simply follow California law.
"’Schedule B is part of the Form 990 and, under California law, must be filed by charitable entities,’ he said.”
Despite the slow economy and rising cost of higher education, both UC and the California State University system saw record numbers of applications this year. Question is, how many of those students can the schools accept? Alexei Koseff has the story at the Sacramento Bee.
“UC reported that 193,873 students applied to at least one of its nine undergraduate campuses during the application cycle that ended on Nov. 30, a 5.8 percent increase over last fall and the 11th consecutive year of record high numbers. At the 23-campus CSU system, the number of applicants was up 2.3 percent this fall, to 290,473, the sixth consecutive record high for the university.”
Bee columnist Dan Walters bemoans the fate of the federal drought relief bill that cruised through the House, led by Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, only to hit a stone wall in the Democratic-led Senate.
“Afterward, not surprisingly, harsh words were exchanged between the two factions. McCarthy, et al., pointed out that much of the measure mirrored a plan that Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein had floated, while Democrats said it was a secretive water grab that would damage the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.”
One question not answered: what happens to the bill when Republicans take control of the chamber in January?
It’s Friday, meaning that this is the day we name the person who was Singin’ Those Golden State Blues this week (a shameless rip, we admit, of the Washington Post’s Worst Week in Washington.)
And who is it this week? That’s easy: that sad person who keeps meaning to donate to Capitol Weekly’s annual fund drive, but just keeps putting it off.
In 2012, Capitol Weekly nearly died. The publisher walked into a regular weekly meeting and said, ‘folks, it’s over. ’
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