"A proposed initiative that drew national attention for its potential to affect next year's presidential election
will not appear on the June ballot, organizers said Thursday," reports Dan Morain in the Times.
"Republican backers of the measure, which could have tilted the presidential contest toward the GOP nominee by changing how California awards electoral votes, conceded that they were unable to raise sufficient funds.
"Sacramento consultant
Dave Gilliard, the campaign manager, said that even if a financial angel were to shower the campaign with $1 million, there was not enough time to qualify the measure for June.
"'
I was surprised that more people that finance these types of efforts didn't step forward,' Gilliard said. 'We had strong supporters and good supporters but didn't come anywhere close to making the budget.'"
"For the first time,
donors to the obscure nonprofit that funds Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's overseas trade travels were revealed Thursday," writes the Bee's Shane Goldmacher.
"Schwarzenegger attended a San Francisco fundraiser on Nov. 7 for the group, triggering a state disclosure law governing politicians soliciting money for charitable groups. Only donors at that event were identified.
"Campaign and charity watchdogs have criticized Schwarzenegger's use of the nonprofit, the California State Protocol Foundation, saying it allowed for what amounts to anonymous and tax-deductible political giving.
"The newly revealed list of donors includes well-known names, such as winemaker
Robert Mondavi, inducted into the California Hall of Fame by the governor on Wednesday, along with lesser-known philanthropists and business people."
That Hall of Fame stuff's a total coincidence...
The Chron's John Wildermuth
provides the landscape of the referendum on the tribal compacts.
"Two tribes, along with race-track operators and a hotel workers union, want voters to reject ballot measures that would confirm the Legislature's approval this year of agreements allowing four other tribes to install 17,000 more slot machines - six times the number at the MGM Grand casino in Las Vegas.
"The United Auburn Indian Community of Auburn Rancheria of Rocklin (Placer County) and the Pala Band of Mission Indians of Pala (San Diego County) are supporting efforts to nullify the slot-machine agreements, while the campaign is being bankrolled by companies that operate betting shops at Hollywood Park and Bay Meadows in San Mateo, and UNITE HERE, a hotel workers' union.
"The campaign to uphold the deals is sponsored by the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians of Palm Springs, the Morongo Band of Mission Indians of Banning (Riverside County), the Pechanga Band of Luiseno Indians of Temecula (Riverside County) and the Sycuan Band of the Kumeyaay Nation of El Cajon (San Diego County)."
"State officials Thursday
issued formal misconduct charges against the pilot involved in the Nov. 7 San Francisco Bay oil spill that sent 58,000 gallons of fuel into the water and fouled 40 miles of shoreline from Oakland to Bolinas," reports Connie Skipitares in the Merc News.
"The accusation charges that Capt.
John Cota was negligent that foggy morning when he advised the captain of the cargo ship Cosco Busan to proceed under the Bay Bridge, resulting in the 900-foot vessel sideswiping a bridge tower."
"After hearing testimony Thursday about events that led up to last month's massive fish kill on Prospect Island, Assemblywoman
Lois Wolk said she
is convinced of the need for a single oversight body looking after the Delta," writes the Bee's Ngoc Nguyen.
"'Everybody is pointing fingers,' said Wolk, the Davis Democrat who chairs the Assembly Committee on Water, Parks and Wildlife. 'No one is taking responsibility for what went wrong.'
"Wolk, who convened the public hearing Thursday, said she would like to work in the next legislative session to establish a Delta oversight and stewardship body.
"Before Thanksgiving, Bureau of Reclamation contractors repaired a breached levee, leaving a body of standing water on the island. They then began pumping water off the island, killing tens of thousands of stranded fish.
"A local fisherman reported the dead fish, and eventually the pumping was halted."
"Vallejo's mayor
is finished after less than 48 hours on the job," reports Christopher Heredia in the Chron.
"Two days after
Gary Cloutier was sworn in as the city's chief, a recount of ballots cast in the Nov. 6 mayoral election showed that he lost by a mere three votes.
"The city's new mayor is former Solano County Supervisor
Osby Davis, according to results posted Thursday by the county elections department.
"Both candidates were tied on election day, but elections officials declared Cloutier, 45, the winner after tallying all absentee ballots.
"Davis, 62, asked for a recount, and the results showed that he finished with 5,718 votes to Cloutier's 5,715."
From the
Department of Corrections: Yesterday, we incorrectly said that Carl Karcher, the founder of the chain of Carl's Jr. restaurants, was no longer living.
Anf from our
Happy Hanukkah Files, the AP reports, "A grocery store in Manhattan made a food faux pas, advertising hams as "Delicious for Chanukah."
Definitely not kosher.
"A woman who saw the mistake over the weekend at the Balducci's store on 14th Street took pictures of the signs and posted them on her blog.Jennifer Barton, director of marketing, told The Associated Press on Thursday that the signs were changed as soon as the error was noted."
But Balduci's does still have a wonderful deal on Hanukkah lobsters...
