California
updated
5:08 p.m.
Contains only posts that are ID'd as local content. An explanation. Want to help improve our local content filter? Add keywords here.
Here's an interesting article on the banks that are trying to kick us out of our home . And an interesting video... Nineteen months after the catastrophic failure of one of Sacramento's top lenders, Pasadena-based IndyMac Bank, a flurry of local lawsuits alleges that the bank's successor – OneWest Bank – is systematically working to push home loan borrowers into foreclosure. The allegati...
Last Left Before Hooterville - 4:29 p.m. - 2 clicks 
And with that comment, the leader of the state Senate seemed to make it pretty clear today what's going to be at the center of budget fighting this year: funding for public schools. Senate President pro Tem Darrell Steinberg told Capitol reporters this afternoon that Democrats won't go along with Governor Schwarzenegger's approaches to funding schools [...]...
Capital Notes - 4:28 p.m.
Both GOP candidates Steve Poizner and Meg Whitman want to suspend or delay California's global warming law, AB 32, with Whitman calling for a year-long moratorium on the law and Poizner taking the additional step of endorsing an initiative (recently revealed to be funded by Texas oil companies) that suspends the law until the unemployment rate in California is 5.5 percent. Both ignored the evidenc...
California League of Conservation Voters - 4:28 p.m.
Connie & Lois at the Women's Campaign Forum last week -by Mary Jean Collins Bart Stupak Democrat (MI-1) clearly wants to be remembered as the Democrat who destroyed health care reform proposed by a Democratic President and Congress. Together with Republican Joseph Pitts (PA-16) he offered the amendment to the Affordable Health Care Act that used the health reform effort to extend t...
Down With Tyranny - 3:08 p.m.
Yesterday Marcy Winograd's campaign put out a press release extolling the virtues of Alan Grayson's Medicare-at-cost approach to healthcare reform. It's a great campaign issue for her district, particularly since the conservative Blue Dog running against her, Jane Harman, refuses to co-sponsor Grayson's elegantly simple and straightforward legislation. Very frequently now when I'm talki...
Down With Tyranny - 1:29 p.m. - 7 clicks
I'll have to admit, I'm a bit shocked by this: Boston MA - The four members of California's legislative leadership who in 2009 led a bi-partisan effort in a bid to close the state's devastating budget deficit have been named this year's recipients of the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award?. Dave Cogdill, California State Senator and former Senate Republican Leader; Mike Villines, Californ...
Calitics - 1:28 p.m.
This morning the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research is out with a study that shows 1 in 4 Californians now lacks health insurance: Nearly 2 million Californians lost their health insurance during 2008 and 2009 - years characterized by a deep recession and mass layoffs - bringing the total number of uninsured in the state to more than 8 million, according to new estimates from the UCLA Cent...
Calitics - 12:01 p.m.
They said it couldn't be done. They said we were nuts. They said the time wasn't right. But it can be done - we're doing it; we're not nuts; and the time is now. The perfect storm, the trifecta of technology, politics, and demographics is upon us here in California, and we're seizing the day. In this diary I'll explain this magic moment and how the Restore Equality 2010...
DailyKos (California) - 11:02 a.m.
One commenter asks me yesterday about N Pelosi, and I wish start today's diary answering this important question. This series want give an overview to state level for every state finding the three best democrats looking to the three higher level elected offices (2 senate seats and the governor's office). For that some national figures like the President, the Vice-President, the Speaker of the Hou...
DailyKos (California) - 11:02 a.m.
The courts resolved a slew of disputes about the initiatives over the last few days. As we mentioned recently, Prop 14, the "open primary" measure that would result in a lot more Dem-on-Dem fights, was the subject of much legal wrangling . In the end, Prop 14 will largely stay the same: Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and other supporters said they beat back an effort by union officials and l...
Calitics - 10:22 a.m.
Mayor Gavin Newsom has entered the race for Lieutenant Governor, a job he ridiculed while running for Governor - and his supporters include San Francisco progressives who figure it's an opportunity to get rid of him. Nonetheless, an endorsement list that includes House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the California Teachers Association and Sacramento's legislative leaders (along with an opponent with ...
Calitics - 9:30 a.m. - 3 clicks
Here's a little exercise: Go to Google News Type "California Teacher Layoffs" in the search box Hit "Return" And... React. ...
DailyKos (California) - 9:30 a.m. - 2 clicks
LEGAL EXPERT, BIOLOGIST FIND SIGNIFICANT FLAWS IN PROPOSED CALIFORNIA BEAR HUNT EXPANSION SACRAMENTO (March 16, 2010) – A leading environmental attorney and wildlife biologist retained by wildlife protection organizations filed comments with the California Fish and Game Commission citing serious concerns with state proposals to expand bear hunting. In their comments to the commission...
DailyKos (California) - 6:56 a.m.
By Steve Maviglio Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to present Exhibits A and B as evidence of why California’s initiative system is broken. Exhibit A : The Part-time Legislature Initiative. This initiative, drafted by Sacramento Republican attorney Tom Hiltachk, was the brainchild of a Sacramento political consultant. The consultants created an Astroturf political group, “Citizens for ...
California Progress Report - 6:45 a.m.
By Robert Cruickshank Walking around at the California Republican Party convention in Santa Clara on Friday night, I could see signs that the GOP has renewed confidence going into 2010. But I also saw signs that this confidence is misplaced and frankly delusional. Although 2010 might be more favorable to California Republicans than most elections since 1994, the extreme right-wing nature of ...
California Progress Report - 6:45 a.m. - 3 clicks
When Tom DeLay was forced to resign from the House after being indicted for "ethical improprieties," Denny Hastert decided to appoint fellow closet case David Dreier as Republican Majority Leader. The howls of rage from Capitol Hill were so loud that George Bush was woken from his late afternoon nap. Roy Blunt, a particularly nasty homophobe, had some choice words about poor Dreier's well-kn...
Down With Tyranny - 6:42 a.m. - 11 clicks
In 1996, the City of Pleasanton adopted Measure GG, which set a strict housing cap. Under Measure GG, no more than 29,000 units could be built within the city. Although it took awhile, fourteen years later, Pleasanton’s housing cap has finally been ruled to be illegal. Judge Frank Roesch, of Alameda County Superior Court, issued [...] ...
Transbay Blog - 3:02 a.m. - 2 clicks
I hate the health care bill. I hate that they are going to order us to buy insurance form the greedy monopolistic corporate snakes. But it gets people care they need, and we can immediately start working to fix it, get Medicare buy-in and ultimately single-payer. If it doesn't pass, then there... ...
Seeing the Forest - 1:44 a.m. - 3 clicks
Links: Judge rules that Pleasanton needs to build more housing within current city limits instead of adding jobs and forcing other cities to house them. Such policies contribute to urban sprawl, and while it shouldn't take a judge to end them, this is a good ruling. Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoes tax relief for homeowners in order to protect corporate tax cheats . In case anyone w...
Calitics - Mon 8:26 p.m. - 2 clicks
New York State's 13th Senate District, in northern Queens "This guy is a violent asshole, and it would be great to send him on his way once and for all." -- a colleague of ours, about former NYS Sen. Hiram Monserrate by Ken Usually when I burden you with breaking news regarding the toxic-waste dump that is our New York State Legislature, it's because I sense that non-New Yorkers ...
Down With Tyranny - Mon 6:00 p.m. - 34 clicks
Steve Poizner and Meg Whitman are scheduled to debate in about an hour and a half. The debate is sponsored by California New Majority, so you are likely to see some full-on wingnuttery on display. Watch it on CBS2 , Ustream is down. http://cbs2.com/ The folks at the California Accountability Project have even produced a Viewer's guide (PDF) to all of the likely (mis)statements a...
Calitics - Mon 6:00 p.m. - 3 clicks
With the news that the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association is supporting Meg Whitman for Governor and now joining two Texas oil companies in supporting an initiative to repeal AB 32, the question once again is being raised if the Association's endorsement is for sale? Dan Morain, editorial writer at the Sacramento Bee, seemed to imply that in a recent story http://www.insidebayarea.com/trivall...
California Majority Report - Mon 5:21 p.m.
COSTA MESA– Meg Whitman. Steve Poizner. 60 minutes of debate in the race for the GOP gubernatorial nomination. More fun than you can possibly imagine on a Monday night. Wait, strike that last one. And yet, tonight's debate features a first, and perhaps most important, chance for the candidates to set the [...]...
Capital Notes - Mon 5:05 p.m. - 3 clicks
Last we heard from NOM, they were busy getting into trouble for interfering with Maine's election system and not wanting to disclose donors. Well, they've also been writing about the federal Prop 8 trial, but they have no official capacity in that. But, they are now back in California! Huzzah! And as you can see from the ad to the right, they're still up to their old fear-based ...
Calitics - Mon 2:45 p.m. - 3 clicks
UPDATE: CTA reports the number of pink slips is now 23,225. Original post begins here: In 2009, 16,000 teachers and other public school employees lost their jobs. The devastating effect on the quality of education in this state is just beginning to be felt. Now we learn that insane policy of mass firings of teachers and school employees is going to be renewed, as 20,000 more have received pi...
Calitics - Mon 2:16 p.m. - 2 clicks
The so-called National Organization for Marriage claims to have gone up on the air in California with an ad designed to take down Republican Senatorial frontrunner Tom Campbell. The ad alleges that Campbell and Boxer both support increased income taxes, increased gas taxes and gay marriage. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aEpbNqqnIro&feature=playe ...
California Majority Report - Mon 2:03 p.m. - 2 clicks
The California Accountability Project, has released a debate-watchers guide for the Whitman/Poizner smackdown tonight. Click http://bit.ly/CAPDebateWatch. ...
California Majority Report - Mon 2:03 p.m. - 2 clicks
Does Democratic whip Jim Clyburn know something about anti-Choice fanatic Bart Stupak that no one else does? Yesterday on Meet the Press Clyburn predicted that Stupak would vote for the final bill. "There will be no federal funds for abortion," Clyburn reiterated, the Democratic position from the earliest negotiations. "And I think that most people that look at this have now come to ...
Down With Tyranny - Mon 10:09 a.m. - 32 clicks
After the previous selection, this is the list of candidates what are in this series today for select the first democrat from California. I think they are so interesting politicians in the list and the people will can select between much of the bests and the more popular politicians in the state. This was the goal of the previous selection. Habitually I feel the people from California so disap...
DailyKos (California) - Mon 9:02 a.m. - 6 clicks
By Peter Schrag The Schwarzenegger Administration hit the Trifecta this month, three loud raspberries from the feds for its shabby funding of California schools and the inadequate resources it provides, particularly for the education of poor and minority children. As usual, the real losers are the kids. The first embarrassment, by now old news, was the state’s failure to make even the fir...
California Progress Report - Mon 5:49 a.m. - 4 clicks
Robert Cruickshank Carly Fiorina thinks California should file bankruptcy (Earth to Carly: the state can't). And many right-wingers have argued that California has to reduce its level of spending, adopting austerity budgets to avoid the kind of financial problems faced by Greece. Along with other Mediterranean countries, Greece has been pushed to adopt austerity budgets that threaten a Europ...
California Progress Report - Mon 5:49 a.m. - 2 clicks
By Jonathan Kim So it's been over a week since Texas oil refiners (and two of California's worst polluters) Valero and Tesoro ponied up close to $2 million to launch a petition drive to get an initiative on the November ballot to kill AB 32, California's nation-leading legislation to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to 1990 levels and encourage job creation in the booming green/clean energy a...
California Progress Report - Mon 5:49 a.m. - 3 clicks
It’s been declared dead before, only to be resurrected — and Democracy for America (DFA) hopes to pull that rabbit out of a hat one more time. The progressive advocacy organization is rallying supporters to push House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to include a provision for a healthcare public option in the final bill lawmakers approve and [...]...
The Democratic Daily - Sun 8:21 p.m. - 2 clicks
This isn't a diary, just an FYI to Kossacks who care about real progressives winning. Marcy Winograd, a real Democrat is running against Blue Dog Jane Harman for Calfornia's 36th Congressional District. The district is very blue, with a Cook PVI score of D+12. Yelp and Facebook both mentioned the event today. Coming tomorrow, I'll look at this race more in depth. ...
DailyKos (California) - Sun 5:46 p.m. - 3 clicks
Walking around at the California Republican Party convention in Santa Clara on Friday night, I could see signs that the GOP has renewed confidence going into 2010. But I also saw signs that this confidence is misplaced and frankly delusional. Although 2010 might be more favorable to California Republicans than most elections since 1994, the extreme right-wing nature of the party, their desire to u...
Calitics - Sun 5:46 p.m. - 4 clicks
People started showing up early. I was standing outside Lestat's - the famous Adams Avenue coffeehouse in Normal Heights twenty minutes before the noon meeting was to start. A half dozen older folks had joined me in front. I joked, to laughter: "Is this going to be a gray-haired movement?" One woman replied "And I spent all this money trying to hide my gray." Even though I had been joking, I did...
OB Rag - Sun 4:30 p.m. - 4 clicks
Abel Maldonado is running for LG, whether or not he gets confirmed by the Legislature. Just going on resources, Maldonado should have a big leg up. Sen. Sam Anestad, the only serious threat to Maldonado in the primary, had less than $100K at the end of last year. At this point, the race is his to lose. So, in his speaking slot, Maldonado is trying to recast the framing of Latino...
Calitics - Sun 12:45 p.m. - 2 clicks
LaHood and Schock, havin' a party Since there isn't a single Republican in the House or Senate who isn't too scared to death of Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh and that pack of far right media hyenas and their raucous, self-righteous followers to make the argument for meaningful healthcare reform, Obama's Republican Secretary of Transportation did it yesterday in the Chicago Tribune . LaHood...
Down With Tyranny - Sun 6:00 a.m. - 27 clicks
SANTA CLARA — Leave it to Tom McClintock, long the favorite son of the California Republican Party, to say what only others hinted about all weekend. eck, what they'd hinted about all year. Arnold Schwarzenegger, we're breaking up with you. Granted, the freshman congressman and former longtime state legislator threw his punch via video from Washington, [...]...
Capital Notes - Sun 3:07 a.m. - 4 clicks
We had a wonderful turnout - 75 people signed in and signed the civility pledge! It was wonderful to see the packed house, it was standing room only. Lots of people stood and attested to why they had come, many saying they were frustrated the way the media was portraying the average citizen and that they felt we needed a voice, a sane and civil voice, to be heard on the issues that matter to us a...
OB Rag - Sat 6:06 p.m. - 5 clicks
At the California Republican Party convention in Santa Clara today, failed CEO Carly Fiorina launched another of her campaign's ridiculous and, in this case, even offensive web video ads. This one portrays Barbara Boxer as a blimp (because she's "full of hot air" - get it?!) terrorizing California from above. The ad reaches new lows in both the pathetic and the bizarre. It is also dee...
Calitics - Sat 4:45 p.m. - 5 clicks
You know you’re a Sacramentan when … 100 miscellaneous things that define us and our region By Kimberly Brown, Ted Cox, Cosmo Garvin, Jenn Kistler, Rachel Leibrock, Nick Miller, Kel Munger, R.V. Scheide, Shoka and Melinda Welsh Living in Sacramento is an art. Those who call this city home know what it takes to be a Sacramentan; they’ve survived the initiation rights and discovere...
Sacramento For Democracy - Sat 4:03 p.m. - 3 clicks
By Assemblymen Mike Feuer and Felipe Fuentes SACRAMENTO – In this Democratic weekly address, Assemblymember Mike Feuer (D-Los Angeles), Chair of the Assembly Select Committee on Improving State Government, and Assemblymember Felipe Fuentes (D-Sylmar) discuss the Legislature’s introduction of reforms crafted with bipartisan good government groups including California Forward. Click onto the...
California Progress Report - Sat 3:30 p.m. - 14 clicks
No gay stereotypes here I've been speculating that my friend Eric Massa has been having a nervous breakdown because he spent his life so tightly closeted that he had never had to really confront the possibility that he was... bisexual or something. When he was outed, his entire world came crashing down around him, including his inner world-- all in the bright, unforgiving klieg lights of ...
Down With Tyranny - Sat 2:06 p.m. - 22 clicks
Just as Meg Whitman's "solution" to the unemployment crisis in California is to eliminate tens of thousands of jobs , her plans for the state budget crisis appear to center on making that deficit bigger. At yesterday's California Republican Party convention in Santa Clara, eMeg finally talked to the press. But what was more relevant than the fact that she talked to them was what she said. As KQ...
Calitics - Sat 10:21 a.m. - 4 clicks
Former Speaker of the California Assembly Karen Bass received endorsements from Congresswoman Maxine Waters and Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa in her recently announced attempt to represent the 33rd Congressional District of California, which Diane Watson represented for over a decade. The endorsement by Rep. Waters is noteworthy , because it signals a unanimous blessing of...
The Mad Professah Lectures - Sat 7:24 a.m. - 7 clicks
SANTA CLARA — So what did we learn on this first day of the 2010 winter California Republican Party convention? In a nutshell, that messaging is king… and that part of that message is candidates love reporters. And press conferences. And questions. Lots of them. ure, that last part of the daily lesson [...]...
Capital Notes - Sat 1:05 a.m. - 4 clicks
Tax-free municipal bonds are selling like crazy because they pay a very high yield. The thing is, they have a high yield because so many states and municipalities are on the edge of going broke, like California. If they go broke the bond holders are supposed to lose their money. But California's... ...
Seeing the Forest - Fri 11:09 p.m. - 7 clicks
RE: &nb AIN’T NO SUNSHINE WHEN SHE’S DISTRICT ATTORNEY This week the San Francisco Bay Guardian ran a piece “Some teeth for the sunshine law” urging the city’s elected leaders to start enforcing the law passed by the city’s residents to require prompt and open d...
California Majority Report - Fri 7:21 p.m. - 5 clicks
The Los Angeles Times has a thought-provoking article today about whether or not candidate for governor and former eBay executive Meg Whitman's investments in firms that profited from the country's credit crisis, in venture capital and hedge funds, and in oil, gas, healthcare and "other concerns seeking to influence state policy" represent a powerful conflict of interest. ...
California League of Conservation Voters - Fri 5:46 p.m. - 9 clicks
We have to admire California conservatives. Their tenacity and endless array of game plans and responses to the unthinkable possibility of fairness for one and all can be head spinning. It isn’t enough that they voted out a minority group’s civil rights–they want to police and run the whole kit and kaboodle. We’re guessing due to [...]...
RENWL (Restore Equality Now~West Adams/Los Angeles South) - Fri 5:01 p.m. - 5 clicks
For its next governor, California does not need a blowhard relic from another era or a showboating corporate executive trying to wow us with her cash flow. Right now California needs a nerd who will actually do the hard work. Is Steve Poizner the nerd for the job? Maybe....
Johnny California - Fri 2:05 p.m. - 6 clicks
San Diego's Coffee Party Movement officially forms up this Saturday, March 13th, as its first "kick-off" meeting is being held at a local coffeehouse - of all places. This initial gathering - organized for the City of San Diego - will be at LeStat's coffee house on Adams Avenue at noon. There's also chapters forming in North County and Ramona. And there's hundreds of such meetings occurring acro...
OB Rag - Fri 1:42 p.m. - 8 clicks
Carly Fiorina thinks California should file bankruptcy (Earth to Carly: the state can't). And many right-wingers have argued that California has to reduce its level of spending, adopting austerity budgets to avoid the kind of financial problems faced by Greece. Along with other Mediterranean countries, Greece has been pushed to adopt austerity budgets that threaten a European-wide severe recessi...
Calitics - Fri 12:36 p.m. - 4 clicks
David Wells is arguably one of the most famous (living) Ocean Beach residents and locals. Class of 1982 at Point Loma High, Wells became a major league baseball pitcher, amassing amazing awards such as a record of 239-157 during his twenty year league career that included a perfect game (1998) and two stints with the San Diego Padres. Recently, he has received numerous accolades, having the high...
OB Rag - Fri 12:21 p.m. - 4 clicks
Microtentacles' on tumor cells appear to play role in how breast cancer spreads (w/ Video) March 12, 2010 --> VIDEO: The video shows two breast tumor cells attaching to each other. The r...
Sacramento For Democracy - Fri 12:21 p.m. - 5 clicks
Hi, happy Friday, etc. First off, let me introduce myself and give you a little of my background. My name is Pixie and I was born in Sacramento, CA back in 19 mumble-mumble and I am a product of the California public school system. I have never lived anywhere but CA and I'm currently a resident of the beautiful East Bay. For all the fellow lifetime or long term Californians,...
DailyKos (California) - Fri 12:02 p.m. - 5 clicks
Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to present Exhibits A and B as evidence of why California’s initiative system is broken. Exhibit A: The Part-time Legislature Initiative. This initiative, drafted by Sacramento Republican attorney Tom Hiltachk, was the brainchild of a Sacramento political consultant. The consultants created an Astroturf political group, “Citizens for California R...
California Majority Report - Fri 10:05 a.m. - 2 clicks
So it's been over a week since Texas oil refiners (and two of California's worst polluters) Valero and Tesoro ponied up close to $2 million to launch a petition drive to get an initiative on the November ballot to kill AB 32, California's nation-leading legislation to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to 1990 levels and encourage job creation in the booming green/clean energy and tech industries. Na...
Calitics - Fri 9:55 a.m. - 6 clicks
With the entry of San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom, Sen. Dean Florez has become something of a long shot. And so, today, he announced that he's stepping out of the race. I wanted to share with you, first hand, some news regarding my campaign for California's Lieutenant Governor. First, let me express my deepest gratitude for your support, words of encouragement and friendship throughout this ve...
Calitics - Fri 9:55 a.m. - 7 clicks
By Dan Bacher The ripping away of public trust access to our waterways and ocean waters by extreme property rights folks and the Bush and Schwarzenegger administrations is something that many sportsmen don't seem to understand. I get sick and tired of some ill-informed sportsmen who point to "animal rights groups," "environmentalists," and "liberals" as the reason why we are seeing more and ...
California Progress Report - Fri 8:10 a.m. - 8 clicks
By Willie Pelote AFSCME Participants in a 260-mile trek from Bakersfield to Sacramento attended a rally at Colonel Allensworth State Historic Park as part of the “ March for California’s Future ” to highlight how budget cuts have forced the closure of state parks throughout California. Marchers reached Colonel Allensworth State Historic Park after walking almost 13 miles from Delano, Ca...
California Progress Report - Fri 8:10 a.m. - 6 clicks
By Dick Pool It’s not exaggerating to say that salmon are my life. As an engineer, I hold numerous patents for salmon tackle. My company, Pro-Troll Products in Concord, specializes in equipment designed especially for salmon angling. I’ve spent the last 30 years fishing for salmon, teaching other people how to fish for salmon, thinking about salmon and volunteering my time and money to organ...
California Progress Report - Fri 8:10 a.m. - 6 clicks
By Natasha Minsker ACLU of Northern California Robertson County, Texas, November, 2000. A 24 year-old single mother of four, Regina Kelly , is caught up in a drug sweep triggered by the uncorroborated word of a single police informant. Even though Kelly has no prior drug record and no drugs were found on her or in her home, District Attorney John Paschall offers her one terrible choice: ple...
California Progress Report - Fri 8:10 a.m. - 6 clicks
By Dan Aiello California Progress Report Republican Senator Roy Ashburn, the conservative state legislator from Bakersfield who garnered scrutiny last week following his arrest for suspicion of DUI after leaving one of Sacramento's downtown gay bars, acknowledged during a radio interview Monday he is gay, but remained unapologetic about his solidly ant-gay voting record. In response to the...
California Progress Report - Fri 8:10 a.m. - 5 clicks
The San Francisco Planning Department has prepared an environmental document (mitigated negative declaration) for 555 Fulton (link to off-site 2.3 MB PDF). 555 Fulton is a five-story mixed-use residential and commercial project to be constructed on Fulton between Octavia and Laguna, in Hayes Valley. In terms of zones, the project site is in the Hayes-Gough [...] ...
Transbay Blog - Fri 12:28 a.m. - 6 clicks
by Ken News today, as reported on the NYT website by Sewell Chan: The chairman of the Senate Banking Committee, hoping to break a months-long logjam on the biggest overhaul of financial regulations since the Depression, will unveil his own proposal on Monday, without yet having a single Republican endorsement. You want to think that this could be a a breakthrough for Democratic congress...
Down With Tyranny - Thu 6:00 p.m. - 28 clicks
A shout to Cleo Manago for posting on his Facebook profile a brilliant essay written by the Salon’s Kate Harding defending Mo’ Nique’s controversial acceptance speech last night about “not playing the game.” In addition to breaking it down, Ms. Harding makes some inciteful references to Hattie McDaniels (as did Mo’ Nique in her acceptance [...]...
RENWL (Restore Equality Now~West Adams/Los Angeles South) - Thu 2:42 p.m. - 6 clicks
Can we say how proud we are to know Lisa Powell? We met her at the very first Camp Courage for Courage Campaign in West Hollywood last January. It feels like a thousand years ago—seems like we’ve been through so much trudging this crazy equality road together. She is one of our mentors, a co-conspirator, [...]...
RENWL (Restore Equality Now~West Adams/Los Angeles South) - Thu 2:42 p.m. - 4 clicks
Yep. The loser admitted on live radio that he’s gay. California Republican Senator Roy Ashburn—who has consistently voted against gay rights and was arrested last week after leaving drunk from a gay bar with another man came out today on a Bakersfield radio station talk show. “I am gay. Those are the words that have been [...]...
RENWL (Restore Equality Now~West Adams/Los Angeles South) - Thu 2:42 p.m. - 4 clicks
In This Issue Join Our Call to Action Democratic Dinner - Save the Date, May 7, 2010 Final Countdown to Health Care Reform Humor BreakQuick LinksCalendar of EventsSee all the upcoming events or suggest your own at our online Calendar.Watch Democratic......
Santa Clara Democrats - Thu 2:25 p.m. - 4 clicks
Research 2000 for Daily Kos. 3/8-10. Likely voters. MoE 4% ( 8/2-12/09 results) Let's start with the governor's race: Republican primary Meg Whitman (R) 52 (24) Steve Poizner (R) 19 (9) (Tom Campbell, then in the governor's race, got 19 percent in August 2009 poll) General election Meg Whitman (R) 41 (36) Jerry Brown (D) 45 (42) St...
DailyKos (California) - Thu 11:20 a.m. - 6 clicks
When the former CEO of eBay decided to play "Bait The Press" Tuesday in Oakland I confess I wasn't exactly surprised. CEOs have been stealing this page from the old Reagan playbook since he perfected it in the 80s. That someone running as a Republican would use it seemed almost de riguer. What upset me is that the press corps (with a couple of exceptions) still lets itself be used. Pictures th...
DailyKos (California) - Thu 10:02 a.m. - 2 clicks
By Ray Hiemstra Orange County Coastkeeper Last week in Ontario, the California Fish and Game Commission held its first southern California meeting of the year on the Marine Life Protection Act (MLPA). The room was packed with south coast residents eager to weigh in on ocean protection plans, and the Commission heard over four hours of public testimony from more than seventy-five people...
California Progress Report - Thu 8:10 a.m. - 8 clicks
By Marty Omoto California Disability Community Action Network In what is likely to be a forerunner in what is to come in the battle to close the projected nearly $20 billion budget deficit, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed on Monday ABx8 2 [the “x8” stands for the 8th special or extraordinary session of the Legislature it has held since the start of the 2009-2010 Legislative session]&nb...
California Progress Report - Thu 8:10 a.m. - 5 clicks
Finally buckled down and read Jeffrey Eugenides ' Pulitzer Prize-winning Middlesex awhile back as part of gay male book club. It was quite interesting to read this fictionalization of a child of Greek immigrant parents who experiences firsthand knowledge that sex is not always a binary selection between male and female. I had heard many things about Middlesex because it had won the Pul...
The Mad Professah Lectures - Thu 1:06 a.m. - 6 clicks
While Republicans slug it out, Democratic candidate Justin Blake is consolidating Democratic support in his bid for an upset win in the 37th District State Senate seat. Blake, of Rancho Mirage, has received the endorsement of both the California Democratic Party and Riverside County Democratic Party Central Committee in the race for the 37th District senate seat. “In selectin...
California Majority Report - Wed 9:23 p.m. - 6 clicks
Stung By "Race To The Top", Will California Repeal So-Called Reforms? by: Robert Cruickshank Mon Mar 08, 2010 at 13:00:00 PM PST It was an idea so audacious that even the Bush Administration didn't dare try it. Arne Duncan, President Obama's radical Education Secretary, pushed for and received $4.35 billion in stimulus funds for K-12 education. But Duncan didn't plan to just hand the mone...
Sacramento For Democracy - Wed 6:24 p.m. - 8 clicks
In a major blow to the two Texas oil companies funding a suspension of AB 32 initiative, one of the co-authors of measure now says he will vote against it. Ted Costa of the People's Advocate, told the Sacramento Bee, that the campaign had been "'stolen' by big-money interests." ...
California Majority Report - Wed 3:27 p.m. - 12 clicks
Two giants of the effort to ensure that polluting industries can continue to sicken the people of California and wreck the climate are squabbling over corporate money. Both Ted Costa of the interestingly named People's Advocate and Assemblymember Dan Logue (CLCV lifetime score 5%) were early backers of the initiative that, according to the California Attorney General, "Suspends Air Pollution ...
California League of Conservation Voters - Wed 3:27 p.m. - 6 clicks
The claim? That a “tea party” candidate in Nevada is a ‘ringer’ for Harry Reid, to split Republican opposition. But here’s the festering stinker in the tale by CNN [emphasis added]: March 10, 2010 A Tea Party Fake ?Posted: March 10th, 2010 12:25 PM ET From CNN National Political Correspondent Jessica Yellin … A spokesman for Tea Party Express, a [...]...
The Democratic Daily - Wed 1:49 p.m. - 9 clicks
Steve Pougnet, who is challenging Mary Bono Mack in CA-45 is one of thirteen candidates that the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has identified as likely to flip a seat from the red to the blue column. While the DCCC typically identifies other such candidates, as the cycle progresses, the first named Red to Blue candidates are considered the strongest. Per Roll Call, quo...
California Majority Report - Wed 11:27 a.m. - 7 clicks
Shawn Steel, a former California Republican Party chairman and currently a RNC National Committeeman, trashed Tom Campbell and his alleged associations with Sami al-Arian in a post published on the conservative Flash Report. After Campbell's ill fated support for the atrocious Prop 1-A, last year, mercifully defeated by over 60% of the voters, helping initiate [...]...
Matt Ortega - Wed 9:47 a.m. - 8 clicks
Hilarious but insightful coverage from the San Francisco Bay Area's CBS affiliate, KPIX, and political editor, Hank Plante, and Meg Whitman's continued attempts to dodge questions from the media. In a report from the San Jose Mercury News, Whitman's meeting with Union Pacific (a big-time corporate donor to her campaign) sounded like it was a field [...]...
Matt Ortega - Wed 7:45 a.m. - 8 clicks
http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-ed-ashburn10-2010mar1 Los Angeles Times has an incisive editorial on the curious case of GOP State Senator Roy Ashburn , the anti-gay legislator who was caught driving under the influence leaving a Sacramento gay bar with another man and his weak explanation for his consistently anti-gay record in his long legislative career that "[...
The Mad Professah Lectures - Wed 7:08 a.m. - 7 clicks
The rightwing nutters, Beck and Limpbaugh, really were hoping this fuckwit would break a corruption story..god, they got hard just thinking about it I bet.... But Massa gave them nothing. Below is Lawrence O'Donnell on Countdown, showing Becky's pathetic attempt today. I love it! Adio's Massa...you fucking douche nozzle. ...
My Right to be Left - Tue 7:46 p.m. - 11 clicks
[I'm going to break my rule and give a ton of links. Sorry if it's too much info at once] This video clip is from the BBC documentary The Century of the Self , and it explains how the media allows itself to be manipulated and used to further the ends of those in power. They did it 50 years ago. They did it to sell the war in Iraq . And they're doing it today. The lobbyists are people t...
Sacramento For Democracy - Tue 6:46 p.m. - 9 clicks
Over the last couple of weeks there has been an intense escalation of the debate over global warming policy and California's environmental leadership. As many have likely already heard and read elsewhere the Big Oil companies are targeting California's landmark global warming legislation, also known as AB 32. This is the story of a group of citizens who are standing up to Big Oil and ...
DailyKos (California) - Tue 4:21 p.m. - 7 clicks
Jane Harman is the current office holder for the 36th Congressional District in California. She is no friend to progressives and people that care about protecting our privacy rights. And she has a primary challenger in June by the name of Marcy Winograd. ...
DailyKos (California) - Mar 9 - 7 clicks
