As the bill deadline came and went this weekend, a series of papers did their official wraps on the legislative session. The LA Times said the governor's signings and vetos "sent a clear message," while the Chronicle called them "savvy," intended to boost his "sagging popularity."
The Times' Jordan Rau says the govenror's actions on this year's bills reflected his "
weariness with unions and the Legislature." "Often agreeing with the California Chamber of Commerce, one of the main architects of his agenda in the Nov. 8 election, the Republican governor vetoed many of labor's top priorities.
Meanwhile, Carla Marinucci and John Wildermuth say the guv's signings and vetos were
made "with an eye toward the Nov. 8 special election," noting that he "signed bills on Friday that put tough restrictions on two industries that have helped make him a multimillionaire:
video games and dietary supplements.
The Merc's Paul Rogers focuses on
this year's environmental legislation, while Dan Walters says
the whole thing "was a bust."And in case you're keeping score at home, Schwarzenegger signed 729 of the 961 bills that arrived on his desk this year.
Dellums is in: Former Rep.
Ron Dellums declared his candidacy for mayor of Oakland this weekend, after supporters circulated a petition to get him into the race.
"'If Ron Dellums running for mayor gives you hope, then let's get on with it,' he said, fighting back tears and unleashing a wave of deafening cheers from the several hundred people packed into the theater at Laney College to hear his decision."
Dellums' decision also sets up a showdown with the city's most prominent Latino elected official,
Ignacio de la Fuente.
"'I'm really excited,' De La Fuente said. 'We're going to have a vigorous and thoughtful debate that will truly benefit the people of Oakland.'"
Yes, and I'm really excited about this cyst I have on my thigh.
George Skelton takes a look at
the Democrats' special election message, and says it could "backfire."
"Democrats have this problem: They've been badmouthing Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's special election for months, denigrating it as a waste of taxpayers' money and a governor's time. Now, somehow, they've
got to convince their voters to dignify the election by participating."
"One of the cynical reasons why Schwarzenegger and his gurus targeted this November for balloting was the cold calculation that special elections draw relatively small turnouts. Small turnouts historically benefit Republicans because the no-shows tend to be Democrats and independents."
As for what happens four weeks from now,
it's the turnout, stupid. "
"We'll probably have as many Republicans voting as Democrats [on Nov. 8]," says Field Poll Director
Mark DiCamillo.
Consultant
Phil Giarrizzo, who is running the Democrats' "field" operation — precinct-walking, phone-banking — says: "None of us will know what the turnout's going to look like until we see how people engage in the last 10 to 15 days. That's when turnout really is determined…"
On a side note, absentee ballots his the mailboxes today. So technically, the voting begins this week.
Nov. 8 is also the day San Francisco elects a new accessor. We know, we know, try to contain yourselves. The Chronicle
previews the race here.
Hank Shaw looks at an initiative that is getting about as much statewide attention as that accessor's race --
Proposition 80.
"There's a reason Proposition 80 is the last thing voters will see on the Nov. 8 ballot -- it's so confusing even the nonpartisan legislative analyst has no idea what it would do to either the supply or cost of California's electric power.
Proposition 80 seeks to reregulate the state's electricity market, restrict consumers' ability to choose which power provider they want and increase the amount of renewable energy California uses. The intention is to stabilize the market and to avoid the sort of price gouging Enron caused during the energy crisis."
Meanwhile, the U-T's Bill Ainsworth takes a look at
the parental consent initiative, Prop. 73. "The measure requires a physician to notify a parent or guardian 48 hours before performing an abortion on a girl under 18 years old. It exempts girls who obtain a judicial waiver or face a medical emergency. "
Finally, the New York Times picks up on a fledgling movement to
recall Arnold Schwarzenegger.
"Until recently, Dr.
Kenneth Matsumura's most notable achievement was inventing an artificial liver that makes use of live rabbit cells suspended in solution. He says he also has a patent on a wristwatch that sounds an alarm before the wearer has a heart attack.
But on Friday, Dr. Matsumura showed up at Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's office in Sacramento and delivered a formal notice of a recall against the governor."
Ken may want to stick to that false liver. Democratic Party Chairman
Art Torres says there's no money available to get the guv out of office early. ""We don't have the resources to pursue it," Mr. Torres said of the recall. "All of our money is being exhausted in trying to defeat the initiatives on Nov. 8."