As the secretary of state rolls out the ballot pamphlet for public display today,
Proposition 77 will be included in the mock-up. An appeals court stayed the ruling of the trial court, allowing the public to review the pamphlet's language while the legal fate of the redistricting measure is decided.
"'We hope this is the first step toward restoring the rights of the 951,000 people who signed petitions to put Proposition 77 on the ballot,' said
Dan Kolkey, an attorney for the proponents."
Regardless of the fate of the redistricting measure, Governor Schwarzenegger stated yesterday that he has
no intention of canceling the November 8 special election. "'I will continue moving forward exactly as I have been,' Schwarzenegger said at an event in the Capitol that encouraged children to eat healthy foods. 'We need reform.'"
Monday's appearance with
Martha Escutia and twenty school children at the Capitol to talk about fruits and vegetables in schools
launched the governor's kinder, gentler tour. The Bee describes the effort as "the political version of one of those makeovers popular on afternoon TV talk shows - where the guest is transformed from unsightly to attractive."
"'Perception is the entertainment of politics but substance is what counts,'
Mike Murphy, his chief political strategist, said Monday."
"'Every governor has a wilderness period, and a lot of them manage to get out and do well,' said
Jack Pitney, a government professor at Claremont McKenna College near Los Angeles. 'There were times when
Pete Wilson looked like a goner and came back strong in 1994.'"
"This period by no means spells doom for Schwarzenegger, but he and his team have to do some serious reviews and determine what went wrong and work very hard to set it right in the future."
Tony Quinn is happy to
provide hints for the governor's makeover in an op-ed in today's Bee. "
The governor should fire his political team. Thanks to their incompetence, he is being mercilessly
dragged through the political muck like a gladiator tossed from his chariot. The money he raised to place this flawed redistricting initiative on the ballot and the time he spent promoting it are wasted. That is political malfeasance enough for them to go.
As difficult as it may be to cancel the election, he can still recover, but not without radical political surgery. Still,
if he does not take the steps to reverse the fiascos of 2005, his fate and that of his party in the 2006 election will be even worse."
Meanwhile, a ballot measure was
approved for circulation yesterday to "strip same-sex couples of most domestic partner rights while also banning gay marriage." However, the proponents of the
measure "
Randy Thomasson of the Campaign for Children and Families, former Assemblyman
Larry Bowler and Sacramento activist
Ed Hernandez — said Monday they plan to challenge Attorney General
Bill Lockyer's proposed summary in court, calling it prejudicial and erroneous."
"'True to his liberal bias, but untrue to his constitutional duty, Bill Lockyer has dumped on us an
inaccurate and prejudicial paragraph that is anything but impartial and fair as the law requires,' Thomasson said."
"Meanwhile, a group that includes the widow of the late Sen.
William J. "Pete" Knight, has submitted a competing amendment that a lawyer for ProtectMarriage.com campaign said would
go even further by preventing the state government from recognizing same-sex unions in any way. Knight was the sponsor of Proposition 22, the 2000 ballot initiative that prevented the state from recognizing same-sex unions performed elsewhere."
While some in the governor's camp may be hoping to bring pension reform back next year, CalPERS's announcement yesterday that its
12.7 percent gain restored the fund above its previous all-time high won't add any fuel to the fire.
"Last week, the California State Teachers' Retirement System announced that it earned 11.1 percent for the fiscal year ended June 30. The nation's third largest fund also reported all-time high assets, $128.9 billion."
And in more
Finger in the Chili News, a California inmate is suing a Florida food packager "after
biting into a human fingertip in one of its packaged vegetarian meals, his lawyer said on Friday."
The company has apologized for the March incident, Reuters reports, but the inmate apparently was not satisfied.
Live from Los Angeles: Opera has the Four Tenors, and California has its
Four Former Governors. The Golden State's Fab Four take their act to LA's Zocolo Lecture Series at the Dorothy Chandler Music Center, to contemplate the question
Is California Governable?"Gov. Davis continues his mini publicity tour the following night on Adelphia's
Week in Review program where he "talks about energy consumption and
offers some advice to Governor Schwarzenegger." And before you ask yourself, "Isn't that
like asking the French about bathing?" consider
this unscientific poll. Of course, online polls aren't worth the paper they're written on, but it does make for a good conversation piece.
If you'd like your chance to vote in the recall all over again, you can cast your vote online
here.
