Today, we get a new round of poll numbers, and at least one election around here is going to be close!
The Chron's John Wildermuth reports, "The struggle over Proposition 8, which would ban same-sex marriage in California, has tightened dramatically in the past month, with opponents holding a slim 49 to 44 percent edge among likely voters, according to a new Field Poll.
""The 'Yes' campaign has raised some doubts and moved people over to their side," said Mark DiCamillo, the poll's director. "A relatively large segment of voters are in conflict over this measure."
And for you baseball fans out there, former Giant and current Dodger Jeff Kent gave one final f-u to San Francisco yesterday, ponying up $15,000 for the Yes on 8 campaign. As if going over to the Dodgers wasn't sacrelig enough in San Francisco...
The LAT's Jessica Garrison says "confusion reigns" in the fight over Prop. 8., "Speaking out recently against Proposition 8, the proposed constitutional amendment that would
ban gay marriage, former San Francisco Mayor Willie
Brown made an appeal for the importance of protecting
the rights of same-sex couples. And then he urged his audience to vote
yes on the proposition.
Brown misspoke. He intended to advocate a no vote.
But he isn't alone in confusing which side is which. As election
day nears, both supporters and opponents of Proposition
8 worry that voters will be confused by a choice that
can seem counterintuitive: Voting no on the initiative means voting yes on gay
marriage, while voting yes means gay marriage would
be disallowed."
Quick. Someone call Teresa LaPore...
There's more poll talk, and speculation and idle chatter about the state's competitive legislative races over at KQED's Capitol Notes Podcast.
Michael Gardner reports, "California water officials warned yesterday that the state's water supplies continue to shrink, using the bleak forecast to call for more aggressive conservation and advocate for new storage.
"Unless Mother Nature is extremely kind, we are going to experience serious water supply challenges," said Maureen Stapleton, general manager of the San Diego County Water Authority. The authority counts on the State Water Project for roughly a third of its supply.
"Rationing, however, is months away, if at all, Stapleton said. The water authority will wait until its main provider, the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, finalizes its delivery plans before determining whether rationing is warranted - unless the early winter is "ultra dry," she said.
"Meanwhile, the authority will push voluntary conservation even harder. For example, residents are being asked to adjust automatic sprinklers when clocks are turned back early Sunday to save on outdoor watering."
Somewhere, Dick Cheney is mocking them...
Here are ElectionTrack's top donations for Thurday, Oct. 30...
Protectmarriage.com - Yes On 8, A Project Of California Renewal: $841,539
No On 8, Equality For All: $419,054
California Republican Party / Victory 2006: $401,700
Jackson 2008, Friends Of Hannah Beth: $259,190
Citizens For Accountability - No On Prop 11: $251,000
No On 8 - Equality California: $235,348
Californians For High Speed Trains-yes On Proposition 1a-a Coalition Of Taxpayer, Business, Environmental And
Labor Groups And People From Across California Tired
Of Being Stuck In Traffic: $182,500
Strickland For Senate: $174,800
Yes On 11 - Hold Politicians Accountable, A Coalition Of Consumer,
Senior, Public Interest, Taxpayer, Community And Business
Groups And Leaders: $170,000
Eisenhut For Assembly 2008: $91,286
In budget land, Steve the Journalist is ready to spread the blame around.
"State officials are expected to formally announce today that the gap between spending and revenues in the budget for the current fiscal year has reached at least $10 billion, and may reach $25 billion by the end of the next fiscal year.
The announcement comes six weeks after Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and legislators patched together the budget with accounting tricks and one-time revenue boosts, and pronounced it balanced.
The governor announced Thursday he was establishing a 12-member state commission to overhaul the tax system.
"We are paying the price right now of this outdated revenue system," he said at a news conference in Los Angeles.
In Sacramento, meanwhile, administration officials were spreading the budgetary bad news Thursday to representatives of health and human services groups."
So, regardless of your political affiliation, and regardless of what happens on Election Day, we here at the Roundup can promise you at least a few more months of really, really bad news. Just in time for the holidays!
Is Mary Nichols getting her resume ready for an Obama Administration? Across the pond, they're speculating that the state ARB chief may be tapped to head the Environmental Protection Agency if Obama wins. The Guardian reports, "As one of the key leaders working to implement California's groundbreaking and ambitious 2006 climate law, Mary Nichols has eye-catching qualifications for this job. She's been chair of the California Air Resources Board since July 2007, reprising a role she held from 1978 to 1983 under Gov. Jerry Brown. In the early 1970s, she worked as an environmental lawyer, spending time at the Natural Resources Defense Council, then later going on to serve as secretary for California's Resources Agency and a senior official in the Clinton EPA. Her extraordinarily deep resume would be hard to match if government experience factors heavily in Obama's decision."
And finally, we celebrate both the return of 30 Rock to the air, along with Halloween with a clip of one of last season's finest musical gems -- a little Werewolf Bar Mitzvah for the unitiated. Enjoy.