Eight months out from the primary, Attorney General Kamala Harris received her first high profile newpaper endorsement in the race to succeed retiring Democratic Senator Barbara Boxer. That news would surely sting her rival, Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez (D-Garden Grove) no matter what; that the endorsement was from La Opinión, one of the most influential Spanish-language papers, has really gotta hurt. Phil Willon, Los Angeles Times:
“The newspaper described both as worthy candidates but said Harris had more potential as a national leader.
“The editorial also praised Harris for defending ‘sanctuary cities,’ which in some cases limit local law enforcement's cooperation with U.S. immigration officials, and for supporting healthcare, education and public safety measures for immigrants in the country illegally.
“It also noted her support for gun control and environmental protection.
“’I'm honored to receive the endorsement of La Opinión,’ Harris said in a prepared statement. ‘This campaign is about lifting up the voices of every community in California and winning results for real people.’
“Many analysts believe Sanchez needs strong support among Latino voters to survive the June primary. The top two finishers in that election, regardless of party affiliation, will face off in November to succeed retiring Democratic Sen. Barbara Boxer.”
California’s new Motor Voter law is set to take effect on January 1, 2016 – just in time for elections. Democrats say it will boost turnout, Republicans think it may increase voter fraud…. But no one knows for sure exactly what impact it will have. Chuck McFadden, Capitol Weekly:
“Leaving aside the idealism involved in bringing millions more into California’s civic life, most political observers believe Motor Voter was supported by Democrats because they calculate it is likely to bring more votes to Democrats, and Republicans oppose it for the same reason.
“’The motivation among Democrats is to deepen the pool (of Democratic voters) otherwise Republicans wouldn’t be so upset,’ says longtime California political expert Sherry Bebitch Jeffe of the Sol Price School of Public Policy at the University of Southern California.
“’The new registrants will tend to be Democratic, but there may well be an increase in the percentage of independents — Decline to State,’ she added.
“But how many of the newly enrolled will actually cast a ballot for anyone remains an open question. In November of 2014, California had an abysmal turnout of 42.2 percent of registered voters.”
Twenty-one of 32 Fire District tax efforts have failed at the ballot box since 2012. Local officials say that the state fire prevention fee, passed in 2011, is to blame for the lack of support for the measures. Jim Miller, Sacramento Bee:
“In the four years since lawmakers approved it, a state fire prevention fee on properties in about a third of the state’s rural areas had yielded more than $300 million through June for prevention-related activities.
“The money has gone to administration and statewide prevention, such as defensible space inspections and vegetation clearing, amid concern by some local officials that non-profit fire safe councils haven’t received more money
“At the same time, officials contend, the fee has had an unintended consequence: undermining local agencies’ ability to raise their own money for fire protection and prevention efforts, even as the state’s long drought has increased the fire risk.
Speaking of the state’s long drought, the New York Times chronicles a change in public perception as homeowners – and even golf courses – steer away from the classic American lawn. Jennifer Medina has the story:
“’I think people will look back at this time period and say this was the moment when we started a trend,’ said Jeffrey Kightlinger, the general manager of the Metropolitan Water District, predicting that interest in lawn replacement will continue even if the rebates do not. After all, water is more expensive now, and there are fines for using too much.
“Mr. Kightlinger thought that the additional $350 million allocated to the rebate program in the region for this year would last through December. Instead, it was claimed in months. At one point, the district was paying out $15 million in rebates each week.
“’I don’t think anyone, anywhere, has spent this kind of money on consumer rebates, and we certainly won’t be able to sustain it going forward,’ Mr. Kightlinger said. ‘It’s like anything else: You start here, and then eventually it becomes something you don’t have to pay for.’”
A ballot measure to end the death penalty is competing for signatures with another measure to expedite the death penalty process. Each side hopes to have their measure on the 2016 ballot. Jim Miller, Sacramento Bee:
“A proposed ballot measure to abolish the death penalty in California has attracted some big-dollar help from Silicon Valley.
“Anti-capital punishment activist Mike Farrell, a former star of the TV show “MASH,” filed “The Justice that Works Act” last month. Supporters await clearance from the attorney general’s office to begin collecting the 365,880 valid voter signatures to qualify for the November 2016 ballot….
“Last week, death-penalty supporters filed the ‘Death Penalty Reform and Savings Act of 2016.’ The measure’s proponent is Kermit Alexander, whose mother, sister and two young nephews were murdered in 1984, and whose killer is on death row.”
it doesn’t get much more surreal than this: Chewbacca, the hairy wookie made famous in Star Wars, was arrested in Ukraine for failing to produce ID while on his way to vote. And that’s not the weirdest part – he was driving candidate Darth Vader to the polling place. (With photos).
“A statement posted on the official Instagram account of the Ukrainian police read: ‘Nothing unusual here, just Chewbacca detained for being without documents while driving Darth Vader to the elections in Odessa. The Sith Lord has already claimed this was illegal as Chewbacca is his pet and general servant and thus does not require documents.’
“Police had earlier dragged “Chewbacca” from a polling station and put him in a van after accusing him of disrupting proceedings. The person in the costume said he had been there to support Darth Vader, who was attempting to vote.
“Darth Vaders have been frequent candidates at Ukrainian elections, with a reported 16 of them taking part in last year’s parliamentary vote. The Vaders, many of whom have changed their names legally, usually campaign in full costume. A statue of Vladimir Lenin was given a makeover and unveiled in a new guise as Darth Vader last week, in response to a Ukrainian law banning symbols of the Communist past.”
