One week after Speaker
Fabian Nuñez returned $140,000 in campaign contributions, the Yes on 77 committee is
returning $1.75 million in donations made from Gov. Schwarzenegger and the California Recovery Team that may have violated state campaign finance laws.
"I'm not sure what the legal answer is, but I think we'll take a page out of their playbook and refund the money," said
Tom Hiltachk, who is the attorney for both the California Recovery Team and Redistrict California. "I'm not going to test the limits of that law."
Democrats say they are prepared to go ahead with a formal FPPC complaint, and watching to ensure the committee does indeed give the governor's money back.
Meanwhile, the California Teachers Association won the first round in a battle against the Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation yesterday, as San Jose federal judge
James Ware refused to grant a restraining order blocking funds used from a recent dues hike to battle measures on the November special election ballot.
"'This is fantastic,' CTA chief counsel
Beverly Tucker said. 'We knew we were complying with the law anyway, but it's wonderful to have a court agree with you.'"
Right to Work "'Foundation Vice President
Stefan Gleason said Wednesday that 'we are disappointed" the judge 'didn't act swiftly.'""There is potential for irreparable harm here," Gleason said."
George Skelton
takes a look at a
new poll from the Survey and Policy Research Institute at San Jose State, which is directed by
Phil Trounstine, a former reporter and Gray Davis staffer.
"Schwarzenegger's job approval keeps falling.
It's now down to 36% approval, 53% disapproval. In June it was 41%-50%; in March 49%-38%."
"Of the voters who disapprove of his job performance, 54% say they're "disappointed" in how Schwarzenegger turned out. The other 44% never wanted him as governor in the first place. Of all these disapprovers, 24% say they're rooting for him to succeed.
But 83% of the whole lot say they'll vote for somebody else next year."
Fortunately for the governor, voters haven't met that "somebody else."
"Counting all voters — Schwarzenegger fans and foes — 36% intend to vote for him, including 69% of Republicans, but only 13% of Democrats. Regardless, voters rooting for him outnumber those who aren't, 49% to 40%."
"
Terry Christensen, a San Jose State political science professor and author of a textbook on California government, says: "If you ask people, they'll tell you, 'Sure, I want our governor to succeed. But at what level? Do I want him to succeed at his agenda? No. Do I want him to solve our fiscal crisis? Yes.'"
"'Overall, people will say they want the governor to succeed. But I don't think he can benefit from that in the next five weeks [before Nov. 8]. There's too little time.'"
"'Californians are not mad at
Arnold Schwarzenegger,' chief spokesman
Rob Stutzman recently told The Times. 'They are rooting for him. They want him to succeed. And all that goodwill that buoyed us at absurdly high approval ratings a year ago still exists as a reservoir of goodwill.'"
That goodwill has simply been restated into Gray Davis-like approval ratings.
Meanwhile, the governor got some new members in his cheering section yesterday, when Common Cause and TheRestOfUs.org formally endorsed Prop. 77. Common Cause has long supported the idea of redistricting reform, and was an early champion of the governor's initiative. Now, the guv gets a boost from the same man,
Ned Wigglesworth, who was last seen beating the governor up on The Daily Show.
The governor should get another boost this weekend, when the League of Cities is
expected to endorse Proposition 76.
Meanwhile, Daniel Weintraub writes that the
governor's team continues to espouse optimism about the campaign. "The governor's strategists, however, insist that everything is going according to plan. The public polls, they say, are wrong, and he is going to shock everybody by sweeping to victory in November."
"That claim - 'the polls are wrong' - is fairly common among losing candidates and ballot measure campaigns.
Usually, the polls turn out to be right. But every once in a while the surveys are indeed wrong. Is there any reason to think this is one of those times?"
Weintraub writes that campaign consultant
Rick Claussen's explanation is that the PPIC and Field polls use the official ballot title and summary, rather than the simpler message the governor is promoting. "Though he wouldn't share the results, he said he is confident that all of the governor's measures will pass. 'Several of these will pass by significant margins," he declared.'"
Capitol Weekly is out with its quarterly
legislative staff salary report. Nuñez chief of staff
Dan Eaton has replaced Senate secretary
Greg Schmidt as the state's highest-paid staffer.
"The Legislature's highest-paid salaried employee is
Daniel Eaton, chief of staff to Assembly Speaker
Fabian Nuñez, who earns $170,004 a year. Eaton's pay is now higher than that of
Greg Schmidt, the top aide in the Senate, who earns $167,904 annually. The pay levels reflect a reversal from last year, when Eaton earned about $149,000 a year and Schmidt was at $159,000."
The LA Times' Jean Pasco
previews the campaign leading to the December 6 runoff election for
Christopher Cox's congressional seat. "When state Sen.
John Campbell makes his final push in December to win a prized congressional district in coastal Orange County, the biggest fight may come not from his Democratic opponent but from a retired accountant who gained notoriety by watching for illegal immigrants at the Mexican border."
"Voter discontent over illegal immigration propelled Minuteman Project founder
Jim Gilchrist, a first-time candidate and member of the American Independent Party, into a strong third-place finish in Tuesday's special election to succeed Rep. Christopher Cox (R-Newport Beach) in the 48th District."
"'This is the
first time I've seen a third-party candidate with such a strong showing,' marveled political consultant
Scott Hart of Newport Beach, who wasn't affiliated with any of the 17 candidates on the ballot."
Capitol Weekly's Malcolm Maclachlan reports on a
controversial development in the Bay Area that has
received a boost from the administration's Energy Commission chairman Joe Desmond. The proposed development, which is on the local balllot in Livermore this fall, is being proposed by a donor to the governor's campaign, Pardee Homes.
"Desmond, who was appointed CEC chairman in May, is the state's ranking energy regulator. His presence angered at least one local environmentalist. "
Desmond has stuck his nose into this local issue," said Bob Baltzer, chairman of the Friends of Livermore Committee, which opposes the initiative. "
It darn sure doesn't seem right to me."
Finally, from our
Entertainment Desk: We're pleased to report that
paparazzi are not to blame in
Lindsay Lohan's accident over the weekend. "A preliminary investigation showed that the paparazzi were not a factor in Tuesday's collision, said Lt.
Keith Swensson. 'Photographers were not involved, not at all,' he said. The official cause has not been determined."
"In an interview Wednesday with television show "Access Hollywood," the driver,
Raymundo Ortega, 40, said Lohan did not approach him to check on his condition after the crash. He said he hoped the actress would have a change of heart and call him about his condition."
And, he'd like it even better if she brought her fellow "Mean Girls" to
nurse him back to health through the holiday season.
