At least two people are smiling this morning in California: Jerry Brown and Barbara Boxer. PPIC's latest numbers
are in and both Democrats have single-digit leads over their rivals.
From the Chronicle's Carla Marinucci: "That marks a significant shift in the race after
months of being virtually tied. The last poll by the
organization, in September, showed Whitman leading
Brown 38 to 37 percent. The new poll of 2,002 adults was taken Oct. 10-17, a period that included the candidates' third debate.
The overall margin of error is plus or minus 3.1 percentage points."
"Mark Baldassare, president and CEO of the Public Policy
Institute of California, said the poll might reflect
some recent controversies, public events and strategic
changes in the gubernatorial campaign. "Brown began campaigning in earnest," he said, "and
there has certainly been a number of opportunities
(in debates) for the voters to hear from the two candidates, to
compare and contrast."
Other survey numbers came in, too, and for supporters
of Proposition 19 and Proposition 23, the news wasn't good -- the measures are losing significant support. The L.A.
Times' John Hoeffel and Margot Roosevelt have the story.
"Voters now oppose Proposition 19, the marijuana legalization measure, 49% to 44%, and the measure to halt a law that aims to cut greenhouse
gas emissions, 48% to 37%.
The poll indicated that opposition has surged since
September, when 52% of likely voters backed Proposition 19, which would allow Californians to grow and possess
pot, and they split evenly over Proposition 23."
California's Legislature, meanwhile, is bucking a national political
landscape that is trending Republican. Capitol Weekly's Anthony York tells the tale of Firewall
California.
"With highly gerrymandered districts, and an intense
voter-registration drive in highly targeted legislative seats,
Democrats seem poised to hold on to their wide majority
in both legislative houses."
"Polls show Assemblywoman Alyson Huber, D-El Dorado Hills, who won a narrow victory over Republican
Jack Sieglock in a banner Democratic year two years
ago, has opened a wide lead over Sieglock this time
around. And in a Sacramento-area seat long held by Republicans, Democrat Richard
Pan has raised more than $1.4 million in his race against Republican Andy Pugno,
one of the authors of Proposition 8, the 2008 measure that outlawed same-sex marriage. The race between Pugno and Pan has turned
into one of the most hotly contested races this year.
In the last week, Democrats have moved more than $400,000 into Pan's campaign, mostly through the state and
various county Democratic Party committees."
Politicians aren't the only ones on the campaign trail.
How about their kids?
From CW's Malcolm Maclachlan: "“Not something that every 8-year-old dreams of doing, but it came with the territory
in my house,” Brokaw said. Brokaw’s dad is Sacramento Advocates lobbyist Barry Brokaw,
who back then was chief of staff to Sen. Daniel Boatwright.
That summer, Boatwright was facing the toughest re-election fight of his career, and the younger Brokaws
were getting a crash course in politics. He said he
spent hours practicing his role - learning to read people’s faces so he knew the exact right time to reach out
and offer campaign literature."
"Brokaw added, “There was a weekly countdown for when the campaign
would be over and we could have our lives back. It
was good preparation for what I ultimately ended up
doing.”
Completing a CW trifecta, John Howard takes a look
at the money surging through the independent expenditure committees.
"In the governor’s race alone, some $27 million has been spent thus far in the general election
by politically powerful groups through so-called Independent Expenditure committees, or IEs.
"The still-unfolding figure reflects the dramatic acceleration
in IE money: In the governor’s race, the committees’ cash represents nearly a third of all the independent
funds - $88 million - spent on all legislative and statewide candidates
from the time voters approved a campaign finance reform
law in November 2000 through the 2006 election cycle."
On the policy front, Gov. Schwarzenegger has signed
legislation that helps local communities ease the impacts of tribal
casinos in their areas, reports Jim Miller of the Riverside Press Enterprise.
"Money from the so-called special distribution fund has been a recurring
budget concern in recent years. Inland tribes with
casinos paid into the fund for most of the past decade
but now the fund is fast running out of money."
"The state taps the fund to pay for gambling regulators,
payments to poor tribes and gambling addiction programs.
Schwarzenegger has resisted proposals for more local mitigation money."
And now, we look into our "MIchael Moore" file and find that in Flint, Michigan, even Gumby's
testicles aren't safe.
"It was a YouTube moment that John Scamlon probably
would prefer to forget: Scamlon, dressed in a Gumby costume and waving to
passersby on Miller Road, is attacked and kicked in
the groin by another man."
"But that YouTube video was the key to locating and
arresting the attacker, thanks to some out-of-the-box thinking and online research by a Flint Township
Police Department communications officer."
"Scamlon, 28, is an employee of Spirit Halloween, a township costume
store. His duties include dressing up in costumes and
waving to passersby on Miller Road to draw them into
the store."
Thank goodness it wasn't Mr. Bill...
