California
updated
9:26 p.m.
Just because you live in a cave in a forest doesn't mean you don't have big problems. This is strange and wonderful music that speaks of an all-but-insoluble one. by Ken I thought we could wrap up our series on musical storms this week, but as often happens, the musical materials refused to cooperate, and instead insisted on having things their way. I thought we could get away with a ...
Down With Tyranny - 9:01 p.m.
The footage is from the upcoming Smithsonian Channel documentary “MLK: The Assassination Tapes,” according to the Grio Website. The footage shows Dr. Martin Luther King arriving to the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tenn. the night before he was assassinated. You can also hear audio of audio recordings of local police in chaos and mayhem [...]...
RENWL (Restore Equality Now~West Adams/Los Angeles South) - 8:26 p.m.
When: 2/10/12 Time: 7:30 PM Where: Leo S. Bing Theater, 5905 Wilshire Blvd. LA, CA Who: Open to the Public (get tickets) Just Announced: Conversation with Billie Dee Williams and Suzanne de Passe Here’s a blurb about the screening from Filmindependent: For February, the hundredth year celebration of Paramount Pictures continues with two films featuring Richard [...]...
RENWL (Restore Equality Now~West Adams/Los Angeles South) - 7:00 p.m. - 6 clicks 
by Ken And the best thing is, when you find it, the Wall Street Journal will print your name and give you money! How sweet is that? The system works! I'm guessing this Rabbi Aryeh Spero is the kind of prince whose life work has been spreading anti-Semitism. No, not fighting anti-Semitism, spreading it. I mean, who wouldn't hate a miserable lying sack of doody like this? Your averag...
Down With Tyranny - 6:25 p.m. - 17 clicks
Oh, did we forget to mention he’s a Republican? You can’t make this stuff up! According to Philly.com, Chatham Mayor Bruce Harris, the openly gay New Jersey state Supreme Court nominee (Gov. Christie’s pick) made an agreement with Christie that he will recuse himself from Supreme Court cases involving gay marriage if confirmed to the Supreme Court. Have [...]...
RENWL (Restore Equality Now~West Adams/Los Angeles South) - 4:48 p.m.
California precinct index offers detailed political information. by Brian Leubitz Geeks around California rejoice! David Latterman, who know works at USF's McCarthy Center has been known around San Francisco for his progressive precinct index. well, today he released his 2011 version of the California version. As you can see from the image to the right, much of the data is as you would ex...
Calitics - 3:20 p.m. - 8 clicks
It drives me crazy when so-called "progressive" organizations endorse someone because of their membership in an "identity group" rather than because of their policies. No one is worse than EMILY's List. They routinely endorse corrupt, conservative women over progressive men (or even over progressive women). It's why EMILY's List has gone from being one of the most trusted names in politics t...
Down With Tyranny - 2:05 p.m. - 19 clicks
Join us at the Sat. Feb. 4 - Occupy San Diego County Summit Workshops at Centro Cultural de la Raza, Park Blvd, Balboa Park Saturday, Feb. 4, 2012 - (10:30a- 7:00 pm) Occupy SD County SUMMIT at Centro Cultural de la Raza. Teach-ins, Work-Shops ...
OB Rag - 12:21 p.m. - 12 clicks
By Emilie Astolat Talking about sex isn't as easy as it seems, even in a laid-back town like San Diego. I mean, I'm a grown, almost-married woman who engages in the act quite frequently, and yet I still feel awkward as I sit in front of this computer screen typing, despite the cloak of anonymity.That says something about the American culture, doesn't it? It's no secret that people have sex. Rig...
OB Rag - 12:21 p.m. - 7 clicks
At some point in most poker games, you've got to lay down your cards and see who wins. This week, we saw a few of the cards floating around the 2012 election cycle when it comes to campaign cash. But … Continue reading » ...
Capital Notes - 12:20 p.m.
Editor’s note: Rob Smith is a writer, lecturer and openly gay U.S. Army and Iraq War veteran. His work has appeared in USA Today, The Huffington Post, Metro Weekly and Salon.com among others. He is also a contributing author to “For Colored Boys …,” an anthology featuring the stories of gay men of color to be [...]...
RENWL (Restore Equality Now~West Adams/Los Angeles South) - 11:49 a.m. - 3 clicks
I somehow don't think Trump's on-again, off-again endorsement of Mitt Romney will make any difference to anyone (especially not in light of today's spectacular jobs growth numbers , a success for Obama in the face of relentless and vicious Republican obstructionism from teh first day of hs term)-- although there was a recent Pew survey showing that an endorsement from the clownish Donald wo...
Down With Tyranny - 11:28 a.m. - 35 clicks
By Zaineb Mohammed New America Media Women are recovering from the recession at a slower rate than men according to a new report by the California Budget Project (CBP) published in partnership with the Women’s Foundation of California. The report, titled, “ Falling Behind: The Impact of the Great Recession and the Budget Crisis on California’s Women and Their Families , " was rel...
California Progress Report - 10:09 a.m. - 7 clicks
Papa Doug’s UTSD Agenda Con’t.... He told us all the paper was gonna advocate for big shiny boxes so the Grand Plans for downtown at the expense of the City’s neighborhoods come as no surprise. But we must have missed the part about the paper becoming the local media platform for the Catholic Church. Or maybe we’re just being too sensitive about the paper’s lack of coverage (there is an article...
OB Rag - 8:46 a.m.
Answer Depends on Whom You Ask There is no simple and straightforward answer to the question of what happens to the pass-through agreement, now that redevelopment is on the brink of extinction in California. What appears clear, at least for right now, is that the county needs the money the city passes through to them through the redevelopment agency, and at least the current majority on the...
The People's Vanguard of Davis - 7:20 a.m. - 21 clicks
Move Puts Further Pressure on CalPERS to Do Likewise In a move with huge implications, the governing board of the California State Teachers' Retirement System (CalSTRS), the pension fund for teachers, lowered their investment return assumption from 7.75 percent to 7.5 percent. According to a release on Thursday, "The change is part of a four-year experience analysis that sets the parameter...
The People's Vanguard of Davis - 6:21 a.m. - 13 clicks
It is early but if Deputy DA Clinton Parish thought that Judge Dan Maguire was vulnerable, he may be sorely mistaken. The judge has surged out to a tremendous monetary advantage - holding a nearly 5 to 1 advantage in contributions, an advantage that narrows only slightly on a percentage basis by the fact that both men have dumped their own money into the race as well. For the first six months...
The People's Vanguard of Davis - 6:21 a.m.
Angry Response From Public Employees to the Governor's Plan On Thursday, Governor Jerry Brown unveiled the statutory and constitutional language to implement the 12-point pension reform plan he presented last October. "These major reforms for state and local pension systems will improve their long-term sustainability while providing employees a fair retirement," the governor wrote. "These...
The People's Vanguard of Davis - 6:21 a.m.
For today's Celebrity Friday for the first Friday in Black History Month our subject is Freeman Hrabowski, III , the President of the University of Maryland Baltimore County. Hrabowski, 61, is one of the great role models for African Americans in the Academy. Here is just an excerpt of his official biography : Freeman A. Hrabowski, III, has served as President of UMBC (The ...
The Mad Professah Lectures - 6:21 a.m. - 2 clicks
New York Times magazine cover, January 29, 2012 If we're going to go to war with Iran, something we seem to be edging toward, I think that as a citizen, I've got a right to an answer. Why it is worth spilling anyone's blood over Iran acquiring a nuclear weapon? After all there are nine states currently armed with nukes -- the U.S., the U.K., France, Russia, China, India, Pakistan, North ...
Happening-Here - 6:21 a.m.
Young woman flanked by 2 wealthy Republicans with political ambitions In 2006 Blue America was supporting school teacher and Florida union and Democratic activist Dave Lutrin in the 16th CD against Republican incumbent Mark Foley. The district takes in St Lucie, Palm Beach, Martin, Charlotte, Highlands and some smaller counties. When Lutrin started running, no one thought he had a chance to...
Down With Tyranny - 6:20 a.m. - 47 clicks
By Dave Johnson Not long ago, in A Win For Labor - FAA Bill Drops Anti-Union Language , I wrote that, "negotiators have dropped the anti-union language for votes to start a union. Republicans were insisting that no-shows be counted as "No" votes. Delta's check must have been mailed late." Well, not so fast. While dropping a blatant anti-labor requirement that any non-voters be counted ...
California Progress Report - 3:04 a.m.
By Refugio Mata Good Jobs LA “Why is FedEx not paying its fair share?” That’s what more than 400 activists asked on January 25 as part of a larger national movement to hold big corporations accountable to get our economy back on track. People from struggling communities, labor groups, immigrant rights groups, Occupy LA, and others led by Good Jobs LA marched down Sunset Boulevard in Hollywo...
California Progress Report - 3:04 a.m.
By Bill Walker AlterNet A few years ago, Cheryl Manning assigned a research project on climate change to her high school environmental science class in Evergreen, Colo. She presented the basic facts and data from peer-reviewed studies, then asked the students to look into the issue themselves and report back on what they learned. Halfway through the unit, three students came to class up in...
California Progress Report - 3:04 a.m.
The choices facing voters in the 2012 election season stand to shape the character of the nation for generations to come. Conventional wisdom holds that when running for political office, candidates run against their specific opponent. They run against their opponent’s record, and present the case to the voting public why they are better suited for the job than their opponent. Opposition resear...
OB Rag - 1:44 a.m.
Is there a government regulation that prevents a congressman from paying for his wife's plastic surgery out of his campaign funds? Patricia McKeon, a 70 year old strict Mormon grandma and wife of House Armed Services Committee chairman, Buck McKeon, is running for the California Assembly because, she told a local newspaper , the "government was too intrusive in people’s lives." That's a ve...
Down With Tyranny - Thu 10:20 p.m. - 53 clicks
The Other Half really wanted to see Hugo and I was amenable, so we saw it in 3-D at the Arclight Cinemas in Pasadena . All I knew about the movie going in was that it was directed by Martin Scorsese. Last week Hugo became the most Oscar-nominated film of 2011 with 11 nominations (Picture, Director, Adapted Screenplay, Cinematography, Art Direct...
The Mad Professah Lectures - Thu 9:49 p.m. - 9 clicks
The latest " Moment of Clarity " from the great Lee Camp. For news of a special show Lee's doing in NYC on February 18, scroll down. by Ken Thinking back, I'm not sure I can overstate the importance of the emergence of Jon Stewart and The Daily Show during the darkest depths of the Chimp-the-Prez Bush regime. It seemed as if it mattered mostly because it was one of the few mainstream...
Down With Tyranny - Thu 6:01 p.m. - 52 clicks
February 2, 2012, Los Angeles — “We are disappointed in the 9th Circuit’s decision to not release the videotapes from the historic Prop 8 hearing. In our minds, it never made sense that transcripts from the hearing could be easily accessed by anyone but not the videotapes. That just proves that our cowardly opponents knew they did a poor job defending their bigotry and homophobia in ...
The Courage Campaign - Thu 5:47 p.m. - 10 clicks
January 25, 2012, Los Angeles — “California Attorney General Kamala Harris is courage. Even in the face of President Obama’s speech last night that made it sound as if the banks would pay for their wrong doing, AG Harris once again stood up to the most powerful interests in the world — Bank of America, Wells Fargo, JPM organ Chase — and said no. Until the banks and...
The Courage Campaign - Thu 5:47 p.m. - 10 clicks
Unusual wear has been found on hundreds of tubes that carry radioactive water at Southern California‘s San Onofre Unit 2 nuclear plant, in more than 800, the thinning was at least 10 percent. According to company officials, the new steam generators were manufactured by Japan-based Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. The company did not respond to an email sent Wednesday. A spokesman for Edison, the...
DailyKos (California) - Thu 5:08 p.m. - 10 clicks
Two million people have no water. Crops are wiped out in the northern half of the country. The worst drought in Mexico's history is likely to worsen until summer rains come devastating the northern half of Mexico, damaging Mexico's economy. Indigenous communities in rural northern Mexico have no water, no food and no crops. Communities have had no rain in 15 months. The Mexican government is m...
DailyKos (California) - Thu 2:48 p.m. - 4 clicks
Come and experience some of San Diego's history: The Lemon Grove Inciden t - San Diego's own desegregation case from 1930. Filmmaker Paul Espinosa's award-winning film about the historical case, one of the earliest school desegregation experiences in U.S. history.The film will be shown on Feb. 3rd, at the Centro Cultural De La Raza, at 2125 Park Blvd in Balboa Park - at 7pm. There will be a di...
OB Rag - Thu 2:07 p.m. - 12 clicks
Earlier this morning we talked about Romney's revealing "slip of the tongue" in terms of not caring for poor people . (A tangent: people should never confuse the Christian Jesus, the one who talked a lot about caring for poor people , with the Mormon Jesus, who they claim was resurrected as the Aztec and Mayan feathered serpent deity Quetzalcoatl and who, like Romney, didn't concern hims...
Down With Tyranny - Thu 2:07 p.m. - 60 clicks
By Eric W. Dolan / The Raw Story / February 1, 2012 Five Republican lawmakers from Washington state have introduced legislation that condemns the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) of 2012 for controversial measures regarding the detainment of terrorism suspects, according to the Tenth Amendment Center.The $662 billion defense spending bill contained a controversial section that required...
OB Rag - Thu 1:45 p.m.
How the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation put their corporation-friendly image before women’s actual health concerns. By Amanda Marcotte / AlterNet / Feb. 1, 2012 It’s probably the fastest-spreading story in Internet history about the relationship between two non-profits. Late Tuesday afternoon, Planned Parenthood and Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure announced that Komen would be withd...
OB Rag - Thu 12:47 p.m. - 10 clicks
By Brittany Joy Cooper / Taste of Country / Jan. 29, 2012 Occupy this AlbumAs previously reported, Willie Nelson is rallying behind the Occupy Wall Street protests. While many country artists have kept mum about their thoughts on the movement, Nelson posted a video in October of him and his wife reciting a poem they wrote in favor of Occupy.Now, he’s joining forces with other famous musician...
OB Rag - Thu 12:47 p.m.
Why This Is Important Susan G. Komen for the Cure has announced that it will withdraw from partnerships with Planned Parenthood affiliates in response to pressure from anti-abortion activists.This means Planned Parenthood will no longer receive grants that are vital to its operation, thereby jeopardizing its ability to provide services like birth control, testing for sexually transmitted diseases...
OB Rag - Thu 12:47 p.m. - 2 clicks
The Daily Transcipt is reporting that a 4-unit apartment on Del Monte Avenue in south Ocean Beach has sold for $857,500 - cash.The apartment complex located at 5010-5014 Del Monte Ave is actually a group of smaller cottages - most joined together, one block from Sunset Cliffs and the ocean. They consist of a two-bedroom, one-bath unit, and three one-bedroom units. It is a one-story, three buil...
OB Rag - Thu 11:49 a.m. - 13 clicks
Breaking News ! The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has reversed trial judge James Ware and issued a ruling which says that the videotapes of the Proposition 8 trial (a.k.a. Perry v. Schwarzenegger ) should NOT be released . A ruling on the merits of the appeal of the openly gay federal judge Vaughn Walker 's ruling in the Perry v. Brown which struck down California's vot...
The Mad Professah Lectures - Thu 11:00 a.m. - 11 clicks
By Lisa Schiff California voters will have the opportunity and responsibility this November to take some of the state’s financial matters into their own hands. The Republican no-tax-do-or-die-pledge strangle-hold over the state legislature that makes it literally impossible to raise revenues is being sidestepped by a handful of tax measures presented to the public on the ballot. If ever ther...
California Progress Report - Thu 10:09 a.m. - 11 clicks
Dr. Steve Porter has been a good friend of Blue America's since we got started in 2005. At that time he ran for Congress in northwestern Pennsylvania as a Democrat. I was somewhat naïve back then and couldn't understand why the DCCC wouldn't help such an independent-minded stalwart progressive. Now I understand that the DCCC isn't looking for stalwart progressives and absolutely hates indep...
Down With Tyranny - Thu 10:09 a.m. - 62 clicks
Not long ago, in A Win For Labor - FAA Bill Drops Anti-Union Language , I wrote that, "negotiators have dropped the anti-union language for votes to start a union. Republicans were insisting that no-shows be counted as "No" votes. Delta's check must have been mailed late." Well, not so fast. While dropping a blatant anti-labor requirement that any non-voters be counted as 'no' voters, it t...
Seeing the Forest - Thu 8:27 a.m. - 3 clicks
Last week the Davis school board acknowledged that it was dealing with another 3.5 million dollar deficit which will likely result in further cuts to programs, possibly a shorter school year, despite the fact that Measure C is on the ballot. This is not a huge surprise, given that Measure C only renews what the taxpayers are currently paying. It does not produce any new revenues, despite claim...
The People's Vanguard of Davis - Thu 6:50 a.m. - 2 clicks
It's redistricting season at every level of government. To conform to the legal principle of "one person, one vote," all legislative districts have to be rebalanced so that changes in population density since the last census are taken into account. On the one hand, it's only elementary fairness that all of us should elect representatives who are responsible to roughly the same number of constituen...
Happening-Here - Thu 6:49 a.m. - 11 clicks
The Washington State Senate, as expected , passed marriage equality bill SB 6239 last night by a vote of 28-21 . The vote was bi-partisan. The umbrella group Washington United for Marriage issued a statement : OLYMPIA – Washington United for Marriage, a broad statewide coalition of organizations, congregations, unions and business associations that will work to obtain civil marr...
The Mad Professah Lectures - Thu 6:09 a.m. - 3 clicks
Mitt Romney is the candidate of, by and for the rich. That simple. His statement yesterday that he's not really concerned about the very poor shouldn't come as a surprise, except in terms of how inept he is as a politician. Even a clod like Bush didn't blunder into saying stuff that dumb. And who are "the very poor" in Willard's mind? People who make less than $100,000 a year? Who knows... r...
Down With Tyranny - Thu 6:09 a.m. - 80 clicks
By Pat Person California Pharmacists Association It is both ironic and tragic that while every politician, from president to city council, is focused on job creation and our economy, the state and federal governments have made a joint decision that will cost California jobs right now, when we can least afford to lose them. Because of the decision made by the governor and the state Legislat...
California Progress Report - Thu 2:04 a.m. - 13 clicks
By Mike Odeh Children Now In one of his first acts in office three years ago this week, President Obama signed the Children’s Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act (CHIPRA) of 2009. Because of CHIPRA, millions of low-income children were able to keep their affordable coverage and an additional 1.2 million children nationwide were newly able to enroll in health coverage through the...
California Progress Report - Thu 2:04 a.m.
In the world of state budget writing, the past is often prologue. And that's why news of a tech company's dazzling initial public offering is nothing new in Sacramento, and why there's both hope... and caution. And the bottom line: … Continue reading » ...
Capital Notes - Thu 1:44 a.m. - 12 clicks
Krugman gave a talk in Paris today and yesterday he posted the slides he's using as visual aids on his blog, like the one above. He also did a provocative NY Times column about the austerity debacle . It's not good news for the societies being dragged into a worldwide austerity regime by the selfish, greed-obsessed economic and political elites. Last week the National Institute of Econo...
Down With Tyranny - Wed 10:27 p.m. - 59 clicks
After a full day of avoiding the "L word," authorities have confirmed that, yes, a leak of radiation...a "tiny" leak...occurred at the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station. The plant, located on the California coast north of San Diego, has been taken offline as a "precaution." Reportedly, the emergency involves damage to " many " generator steam tubes at the plant's Unit 3, a pressuri...
DailyKos (California) - Wed 10:27 p.m. - 13 clicks
It has been almost three months since my car accident and I am still recovering. Today I had my first mammogram ever (right of passage) to find the lump in my right breast is due to the tremendous amount of trauma caused by the seatbelt that left some angry bruising on my breast. The large hematomas are easy to feel and scared the you-know-what out of me. So Kaiser ordered a di...
DailyKos (California) - Wed 9:28 p.m. - 13 clicks
The mission of the Susan G. Komen for the Cure took an unexpected twist with the hiring of an anti-choice zealot as its policy VP. Now, in furtherance of that demented creature's agenda, the foundation has gone into the business of spreading breast cancer. “Susan Komen would not give in to bullies or to fear. Too bad the foundation bearing her name did.” -- a tweet by author Judy Blume...
Down With Tyranny - Wed 6:43 p.m. - 67 clicks
The question of whether the videotapes of the court testimony during the Perry v Schwarzenegger case will be released tomorrow by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Hat/tip to Metro Wekly ...
The Mad Professah Lectures - Wed 2:43 p.m. - 14 clicks
I hope you're following the Buck McKeon saga. The ending will be explosive. Monday's episode will catch you up and put what we're going to look at today in perspective. So what does ole Buck fear? His life is one big tangle of fears, but today he has three big ones, two from federal prosecutors and one from voters in CA-25 (Simi Valley, Santa Clarita, Antelope Valley). He's scared witless t...
Down With Tyranny - Wed 2:26 p.m. - 59 clicks
Republicans once again nearly broke by Brian Leubitz With the news that Republican registration is falling again , perhaps it is of very little surprise that they also have very little money, especially when compared to the Democrats. But, that is the case. One of the standouts in terms of limited dollars: the California Republican Party. The state GOP bet big on getting the referendu...
Calitics - Wed 11:44 a.m. - 10 clicks
By Patrick Porgans Planetary Solutions Selenium laden toxic-time bomb triggered by 50-years of Phosphate mining in Northwest U.S. Experts claim two-headed trout and dead livestock portend hundreds of years of surface and groundwater contamination. The toxic mines are within the 350,000 square kilometers of the Western Phosphate Field; located in five-northern tier states, Colorado, Idaho,...
California Progress Report - Wed 10:27 a.m.
Even before I got to know Matt Cartwright I heard rumblings of dirty tricks coming out of sleazy defeated Blue Dog Chris Carney, who has been working to help his fellow reactionary Democrat Tim Holden hold onto a seat he has little to do with. Holden is listed as "an incumbent," but the majority of the people-- and the vast majority of the Democrats-- in the new 17th CD were never represente...
Down With Tyranny - Wed 10:09 a.m. - 83 clicks
Even amid the granite canyons of San Francisco's financial district, alongside the pseudo-Doric capitals, there it is ... an almost wistful claim that here, too, are the 99 percent. ...
Happening-Here - Wed 7:41 a.m. - 14 clicks
To minimize harm to birds, future wind farms may consist of a "forest" of stalks. Discovery News. H/t Time Goes By. In the Anthropocene , even renewable technologies may have unsettling climate effects. That's what happens when we use our human technological capacity to alter the planet's balance -- something we are doing and will continue to do whether we want to or not, barring a m...
Happening-Here - Wed 7:03 a.m. - 2 clicks
The Washington Post published a poll on Tuesday which demonstrates the inexorable growth in the support for marriage equality in the state of marriage, indicating that it has reached majority support for the first time. 50% of respondents support marriage equality compared to 44% which oppose it . The new poll found a sharp divide among Maryland Democrats based on rac...
The Mad Professah Lectures - Wed 6:25 a.m. - 3 clicks
Want the scoop on hot races around the country? Get the digest emailed to you each weekday morning. Sign up here . Leading Off : • FL-17, FL-18, FL-22, FL-Sen : It seems like the fix must be in, because even though Florida still doesn't have a final congressional map—there are, in fact, two competing versions circulating—some members of Congress are already announcing their re-electi...
DailyKos (California) - Wed 6:25 a.m. - 2 clicks
Conservatives have been constantly, and successfully, chipping away at women's right to choose at every opportunity. They haven't been able to overturn Roe v Wade yet, but they make it more difficult for women to manage their own reproductive health on a regular basis. Obviously, the GOP is mostly to blame, but conservative Democrats, and spineless ones, often acquiesce. This week started wi...
Down With Tyranny - Wed 6:05 a.m. - 56 clicks
By Donald Cohen Cry Wolf Project Sometimes a simple statement can provide a window onto a worldview; in this case, the arrogance of privilege. The City of El Segundo, home to a huge Chevron refinery, is considering raising the oil giant’s taxes to help meet the demands of a growing town. Refineries around the state pay far higher taxes to their local governments than Chevron does. The pro...
California Progress Report - Wed 1:50 a.m. - 10 clicks
By Alan Kandel Due to my past work in the field of railway signaling, I have a deep appreciation for most anything railway signaling related. Signaling is – and has long been – a crucial part of the railway-operating environment. It is with safety in mind that the governance of train movement through railway signaling capability even came about. In fact, the railroad is where the term “Safe...
California Progress Report - Wed 12:27 a.m.
For much of its early history California had been regarded as solidly Republican state. This two part diary will look at how California slowly transformed from Republican bastion that brought us Nixon and Reagan to the Democratic stronghold we know it today. This diary will start at the New Deal Era to age of Reagan in the governorship Republicans held the governorship for nearly a 40 year sp...
DailyKos (California) - Wed 12:01 a.m. - 10 clicks
Here is the breakdown of the City Council 2012 races, which reported by 9:44 pm on Tuesday, Jan 31, 2012: District 1 Ray Ellis Total Contributions Received: $151,105.00 Total Expenditures Made: $47,948.59 Burn Rate 31.73% NOTES: This is without any loans by a perso...
San Diego Politico - Tue 11:06 p.m. - 14 clicks
Before the final votes were counted tonight, Santorum was already running (at least online) a new ad for Nevada (above). Yep, here we go again. You know, I ran across this cool interactive-ish graphic and I couldn't resist running it instead of a full-blown post on the Florida election returns. I hope no one minds. I do want to sum that Florida thing up with something that came out in one of ...
Down With Tyranny - Tue 9:05 p.m. - 66 clicks
GOP is in danger of falling below 30% by Brian Leubitz Party Feb 1999 January 2008 January 2012 Democratic 46.72% 42.71% 43.63% Republican 35.27% 33.45% 30.36% NPP 12.89% 19.38% 21.24% For the last decade, the big winner in party registration has been no party at all. Decline...
Calitics - Tue 7:44 p.m. - 2 clicks
You don't get many political multi-tasking days like this one: heated debate over legislation down to its final day to survive, a new alarm over the state's finances, and public disclosure of all the campaign cash raised by candidates and … Continue reading » ...
Capital Notes - Tue 7:02 p.m. - 2 clicks
Here's our Bob with, uh, some other guy, back in the day. “I think both parties are miserable. I don’t know what they stand for anymore.” -- former MD Rep. Bob Bauman, in an interview with the Washington Blade's Lou Chibarro Jr. by Ken Howie has written a number of times, most prominently in an August 2007 post titled " Larry Craig And Other Republican Closet Cases Should ...
Down With Tyranny - Tue 6:08 p.m. - 57 clicks
Controller John Chiang sounds the alarm bells by Brian Leubitz While tax season is gearing up, the state government is now running low on cash reserves. Controller John Chiang announced today that without payment delays and other tactics, the state will run out of cash in March: California will run out of cash by early March if the state does not take swift action to find $3.3 billion throu...
Calitics - Tue 3:29 p.m. - 14 clicks
Sometime last year a Republican survey arrived in my mailbox. (I swear I don't know how I got on their list!) Rather than trash it I dutifully filled it in with my opinions. I gave them low ratings & advised them to keep on with Sarah Palin as she was helping their platform so much! They responded by mailing me a 2012 Ronald Reagan calendar. Again, I was tempted to trash it, but decid...
DailyKos (California) - Tue 3:08 p.m.
by Jennifer Epps In Canada, the only way to see a doctor is to call one up and make an appointment. Or walk in to their office. In Britain, the only way you'll get surgery is if you actually need it. And yet State Senator Mark Leno and 44 co-sponsors want to bring this kind of healthcare system to everyone in California! Imagine. In fact, the California legislature twice approved such a system...
Calitics - Tue 2:40 p.m. - 13 clicks
Bad Sheldon's on the right. There couldn't be an uglier face for Big Money taking over our country and destroying our democracy than organized-crime gambling billionaire Sheldon Adelson. We've been following the Adelson story at DWT for years, and his blatant move to acquire the White House is finally getting out to the public a little. Rachel Maddow has done yeoman's work on the subj...
Down With Tyranny - Tue 2:09 p.m. - 63 clicks
By Joan Lichterman UPTE-CWA 9119 UC attorneys and spinmeisters are working overtime to defend the regents, UCLA, and a UCLA chemistry professor in Superior Court against felony charges for willfully violating workplace health and safety standards resulting in the death of a 23-year-old lab assistant. The arraignment is scheduled for Thursday, February 2, and safety advocates fear that a ple...
California Progress Report - Tue 11:22 a.m. - 14 clicks
Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach & Agriculture Secretary Dale Rodman When Roland first fell off the turnip truck that brought him from Maine to Los Angeles, we used to argue a lot about "illegal" immigrants. He had never been exposed to reality, and his view, like so many Americans', was that the Democrats want illegal immigrants while the Republicans want to protect America from t...
Down With Tyranny - Tue 11:22 a.m. - 67 clicks
Careful readers of this blog may realize that I currently live in California and Virginia (Los Angeles and Arlington County, respectively). Anyway, so these days I am paying more careful attention to what goes on in the Virginia legislature, especially as it affects "teh gays." This little news nugget at Joe.My.God struck my eye. A Virginia legislative committee rej...
The Mad Professah Lectures - Tue 8:44 a.m. - 15 clicks
If the drama of the first two years of the Obama presidency is any indication, it's obvious that single-payer healthcare won't be coming at a national level any time soon. Fortunately, however, individual states can carry the torch where the national system is too corrupt to do so. While single-payer has passed in Vermont , the real reforms will come when big states with negotiating leverage en...
DailyKos (California) - Tue 8:05 a.m. - 16 clicks
What if the United States had treated the challenge posed by terrorism that aimed to kill its citizens indiscriminately as a criminal problem rather than an occasion for fear-mongering, chest thumping, war-making, and expansion of executive power? FBI agent Ali H. Soufan, along with Daniel Freedman, has published a professional counter-terrorism specialist's account of how bureaucrats, jealou...
Happening-Here - Tue 7:23 a.m.
The City of Los Angeles and its Mayor, Antonio Villaraigosa, have been leading the national push for Project Labor Agreements (PLA’s) to help create jobs for local workers. This trend continued last Thursday as the City and the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) announced that PLAs have been entered into to ensure that 40% of the work hours performed on most MTA proje...
DailyKos (California) - Tue 6:22 a.m. - 7 clicks
Although the DCCC either tries to sabotage them or ignores them, there are progressive candidates, sometimes a very different thing from "Democratic Party candidates," running for Congress across the country. The DCCC/DC Establishment routinely recruits corrupt conservatives-- mirrors of themselves-- to run against progressives in primaries. This cycle the DCCC has done this in trying to s...
Down With Tyranny - Tue 6:05 a.m. - 100 clicks
By Sam Pizzigati President Obama has proposed a specific new minimum tax rate for millionaires. Should America's rich feel angry or relieved? We check the IRS tax data archives for an answer. The most famous secretary in America works “just as hard” as her billionaire boss — according to her boss , investor Warren Buffett — but pays federal taxes at twice the rate her boss does. Debbie ...
California Progress Report - Tue 1:07 a.m. - 2 clicks
By Paul Hogarth For a partisan Democrat whose only concern is the re-election of President Obama, the choice is clear: Newt Gingrich would make a far weaker Republican opponent than Mitt Romney. But for progressives with an eye on the long haul, it’s less obvious who would be the more desirable GOP nominee in 2012. After winning the White House on a platform of “hope” and “change,” Barack O...
California Progress Report - Tue 1:07 a.m. - 2 clicks
By Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment (ACCE), California Reinvestment Coalition (CRC), PICO California Last week, Attorney General Kamala Harris once again refused to accept the terms of a $25 billion multistate settlement with the nation’s largest banks over their foreclosure practices. As a diverse coalition of community and faith-based groups, unions, students and progre...
California Progress Report - Tue 1:07 a.m. - 13 clicks
Suppose you're basically pretty conservative, especially on economic and fiscal matters, but early in life picked the blue team instead of the red team. And you're looking for a career in politics. What to do? Well you could switch parties and become a Republican, but as Parker Griffith (D>R-AL) discovered, that sometimes works out badly ; he lost the GOP primary in 2010 and will lose it a...
Down With Tyranny - Mon 9:03 p.m. - 58 clicks
Probably there isn't even any missing money, just missing records . "The audit says it believes records management is to blame, and 'has been an ongoing problem for DoD in Iraq. By all accounts, DoD established good internal processes and controls to account for and report on' the funds it was given after the Coalition Provisional Authority dissolved." by Ken You know what's so great abo...
Down With Tyranny - Mon 6:09 p.m. - 48 clicks
So much disunity and fractiousness inside the GOP these days! I think people are turned off by it. But in an interview with the National Journal , anti-tax/anti-government fanatic-- and self-loathing, demented closet queen-- Grover Norquist had just the thing to unite all factions of the Republican Party: impeaching President Obama if he doesn't extend the Bush tax cuts for millionaires, ...
Down With Tyranny - Mon 3:26 p.m. - 57 clicks
Asm. Calderon bill, AB 1208, would change the way courts are funded and work statewide by Brian Leubitz UPDATE : AB 1208 passed out of the Assembly yesterday and now moves on to the Senate. Last year, I documented what was a mini cry of outrage about the pending disaster in court funding . The courts have taken quite the slashing in pretty much every round of budget cuts. Yet, beyond ...
Calitics - Mon 12:24 p.m. - 4 clicks
No, this photo is not a clever use of Photoshop. Geese and other birds really do sometimes fly upside down in order to brake when landing. Here's a slow motion video of such a flight: During flight, geese can twist their necks to flip their bodies upside down, while keeping their heads upright. Now amateur videographers Hans de Koning and Lodewijk van Eekhout have capture...
Happening-Here - Mon 11:40 a.m. - 3 clicks
" You can drink from the firehouse of statist dictatorship , and use it to declare that the burdens of democracy are too great to be tolerated." ...
Seeing the Forest - Mon 11:07 a.m. - 12 clicks
Tomorrow is it. That's the deadline for the California State Senate to vote on SB 810, Single Payer health care for California. They have nineteen votes; they need two more. They took a vote a week ago and four Democratic State Senators abstained. (See Shockwave's diary from this weekend for more explanation and a very amusing phone call from Jasmin). Here is the contact information those fo...
DailyKos (California) - Mon 10:29 a.m. - 11 clicks
By Jose Luis Sierra & Zaineb Mohammed New America Media Last week, at a press briefing co-hosted by New America Media (NAM) and Common Cause, civil rights lawyers and advocates representing California’s largest ethnic communities spoke of the need to work together to ensure that 2012 elections are open and accessible, in light of a rash of state laws that they say are being deliberately...
California Progress Report - Mon 10:09 a.m. - 16 clicks
Boehner consorting with the McKeon criminals Even a casual reader of DWT is aware that California Rep. Howard "Buck" McKeon (R) has been writing himself a record of corruption noteworthy even by Inside the Beltway standards. A Mormon, McKeon doesn't drink alcohol or even coffee... he takes bribes. "Oh but everyone in Washington takes bribes," you might say, shrugging it off. And you'd b...
Down With Tyranny - Mon 10:09 a.m. - 62 clicks
God is great! Bill Moyers is back on PBS. The above clip features an interview with Byron Dorgan, the North Dakota populist who warned most strenuously about the sleazy corporatists-- of both parties-- repealing Glass-Steagall. That repeal is, undoubtedly, the most corrupt moment in American public life... at least since the 1920s. This was the one percent's bloodless coup against America. On ...
Down With Tyranny - Mon 6:07 a.m. - 104 clicks
When I was at my parents’ house in northern California over Christmastime, I was up early enough one morning to see a good-sized coyote trot by the window, just ten yards from the house. After checking to see that our elderly, deaf, and more-than-a-little shaky dog was snoozing inside, we watched its progress through the trees in silence until something caught its attention and it bounded aw...
California Mwananchi - Mon 2:49 a.m. - 12 clicks
If you were marooned on a... ahem ... DESERT island and could only grow one genus of cactus... okay humor me here ... don't you think it would probably be... Mammillaria Mammillaria is a large genus with about 140–180 species, depending on who's listing them. So if you're stuck on that hypothetical desert island, you won't be limiting your options very much. Pilbeam (1999)...
The Mad Professah Lectures - Sun 11:08 p.m.
James Guardino is a very famous fitness model, primarily known for his work with the Undergear Catalog . He has appeared as Eye Candy on December 28, 2009 and October 31, 2011 . He is the canonical "cute white boy," although he is "half-German and half-Italian." He joins the small but growingnumber of models who have been featured as Eye Candy thri...
The Mad Professah Lectures - Sun 9:46 p.m.
As I predicted yesterday , Novak Djokovic defeated Rafael Nadal in the longest grand slam final of all-time 5-7 6-4 6-2 6-7(5) 7-5 in 5 hours and 53 minutes in Melbourne, Australia to win his 3rd Australian Open title, and 5th major title overall. The words that come to mind to describe the level of the play in this match are "stunning,"...
The Mad Professah Lectures - Sun 9:27 p.m.
Am I the only one freaked out by this? a Last night on Real Time , Bill Maher and the panel (Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA), Kennedy and Martin Bashir) were talking about the Obama/Jan Brewer dustup, and the broader topic of illegal immigration. After predictably defending Brewer's behavior, Rohrabacher claimed that "the position of the Democratic party and the president is very clear on illega...
DailyKos (California) - Sun 4:49 p.m. - 10 clicks
While the Supreme Court's 2010 Citizens United decision unleashed unlimited, billionaire-funded SuperPACs nationwide, in California they've been around since 2002, growing by leaps and bounds every election year. We can't outspend them, but we CAN expose who REALLY pays for political ads, right in the ads themselves, with the CA DISCLOSE Act, AB 1148, which comes to a vote in the CA Assemb...
DailyKos (California) - Sun 12:21 p.m. - 8 clicks
Interesting news about how badly heterosexual supremacists like the National Organization for Marriage (NOM) are losing the cultural war on marriage equality with the next generation. A new survey of incoming freshman students at the nation's college from the prestigious Higher Education Research Institute at UCLA shows overwhelming (and increasing) support for marriage equali...
The Mad Professah Lectures - Sun 12:08 p.m. - 12 clicks
Novak Djokovic has just outlasted Rafael Nadal in a 5 hour, 53 minute men's championship match in Australia coming back from 2-4 down in the 5th set to win 5-7 6-4 6-2 6-7(5) 7-5. It's his 5th major title and 3rd consecutive major title (all 3 won against Nadal). He now has beaten Nadal in 7 consecutive finals and is behind Nadal 16-14 in their career head-to-head. More l...
The Mad Professah Lectures - Sun 7:08 a.m. - 2 clicks
It's gotten harder and harder for even its advocates to explain a purpose or rationale for the continuing U.S. war in Afghanistan. As with the festering sore of our gulag-that-can't-be-closed at Guantanamo, it seems one reason U.S. troops are still mired over there is that we have a lot of prisoners we can't figure out what to do with. Under George W. Bush, the prison at Bagram was a centra...
Happening-Here - Sun 6:01 a.m. - 2 clicks
My Saturday has generally gone well, and I got to see some beautiful sights (as will you below the orange filigree), but there were also a couple of moments of frustration and/or obnoxiousness that have spurred some political reflections. ...
DailyKos (California) - Sat 9:25 p.m. - 13 clicks
The fact that my partner is from California means that under normal circumstances, I get to visit that lovely state at least once a year, usually at a time when winter in the east is at its worst. A few days before New Year's Day this winter, my partner, his mother and I took a trip to San Juan Capistrano. There we had an unexpected encounter with, well, I suppose you might call ...
DailyKos (California) - Sat 7:04 p.m. - 11 clicks
Rafael Nadal ESP (2) vs Novak Djokovic SRB (1) Here is my prediction for the 2012 Australian Open Men's Singles Championship Match . My ( incorrect ) prediction for the Women's Singles Championship Match is also available. This year I previously correctly predicted 1 of 2 men's semifinals and predicted 4 of 4 ...
The Mad Professah Lectures - Sat 1:09 p.m. - 2 clicks
I did any analysis of the jungle primary before, now I'm analyzing the general election and some of the previous history of the seat. Adding a link to the map http://www.mpimaps.com/... Ventura County was long a reliable strong hold for Republicans, giving double digit majorities to Reagan and Bush I. A mix of farming territory and suburban communities, those factors were once enough to ke...
DailyKos (California) - Sat 12:07 p.m. - 14 clicks
Victoria Azarenka of Belarus defeated Maria Sharapova of Russia in stunning fashion 6-3 6-0 to win her first major singles title, the Australian Open. This was surprising to me , because 3-time major champion Sharapova had played excellent tennis in the two previous rounds, but her game abandoned her completely. It was a very strange match; s...
The Mad Professah Lectures - Sat 10:42 a.m. - 2 clicks
Associate Editor Pia Lopez of the Sacramento BEE wrote an interesting essay, “Can we find common ground on schools?” on the ideas of Diane Ravitch in the Bee this morning- except for one paragraph where Lopez is substantially wrong. She says, “ In the 1980’s she (Ravitch) helped write a history curriculum framework for California that still today is considered among the ...
DailyKos (California) - Sat 9:06 a.m. - 14 clicks
I'm off to Los Angeles today for my work, organizing to put an initiative to end death sentences in California on the November 2012 ballot. These pictures show some of the people I have the privilege to work with. Many are from the Dr. Martin Luther King day holiday when volunteers attended over 30 events statewide and collected thousands of signatures to qualify our measure. Califo...
Happening-Here - Sat 6:09 a.m. - 13 clicks
California is on the verge of making history. On Tuesday 12/31 California Sate Bill 810 - the California Universal Healthcare Act will come up for reconsideration. The first time up for a vote it received 19 yeas and 15 nays with 6 state Senators not voting. It needs 21 votes to pass and be sent to Governor Brown. Four of those senators are Democrats. You can help impact that process by cont...
DailyKos (California) - Fri 11:01 p.m. - 11 clicks
In California, redistricting is done by an independent commission. Republican activists, who were not happy with the maps drawn for the state Senate, circulated a referendum petition to force a vote on the maps; that vote would happen in November, 2012. It is not clear if the referendum will qualify; the number of signatures is close enough to the required number that random sampling won't deter...
DailyKos (California) - Jan 27 - 11 clicks
As I mentioned earlier, the Supreme Court decided a few things on redistricting today. Obviously this is a major blow to the Republicans. Let the whining commence: Republican State Sen. Mimi Walters of Laguna Niguel, a leader of the referendum drive, blasted the ruling as "shortsighted and disrespectful" of California voters who signed petitions and are awaiting the opportunity to vote on the co...
Calitics - Jan 27 - 11 clicks
If the state Senate districts drawn by California's new citizens redistricting panel are going to be erased and redrawn this decade, it will only happen if a referendum qualifies for the November ballot and voters agree. That's because the final … Continue reading » ...
Capital Notes - Jan 27 - 12 clicks
A quick, and probably wildly inaccurate, summary of the decision. by Brian Leubitz I read the decision very quickly (you can find it over the flip), so I likely missed many of the finer points. Nonetheless, I figured I wanted to get this up quickly, so, my apologies for any errors. At any rate, today the Court decided a few issues: 1) They have authority to intervene and provide a...
Calitics - Jan 27 - 2 clicks
By a narrow margin, the voters of California elected Kamala Harris to be their Attorney General in 2010. Yesterday, she demonstrated that she has earned those votes . A proposed $25 billion settlement with America's five largest mortgage servicers over the banks' fradulent foreclosure practices is still not good enough , a spokesman for California Attorney General Kamala Harris said Wednesda...
DailyKos (California) - Jan 27 - 14 clicks
Maria Sharapova RUS (4) vs. Victoria Azarenka BLR (3). Here is my prediction for the 2012 Australian Open women's final . I previously correctly predicted 4 of 4 women's quarterfinals and 2 of 2 women's semifinals this year. On the men's side I correctly predicted 4 of 4 men's quarterfinals and 1 of 2 men's semifinals this year. How Did They Get Here...
The Mad Professah Lectures - Jan 27 - 5 clicks
The longest serving openly LGBT member of Congress, U.S. Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA), who previously announced he would retire from Congress at the end of this term , has also announced he will be getting married to his longtime partner Jim Ready. Marriage has been legal in Massachusetts since 2004, what took you so long,Barney? Congratulations! ...
The Mad Professah Lectures - Jan 27 - 2 clicks
Somehow I don't think this would have been parked happily on a foggy Mission District street in the early years of the last decade. But apparently some of us have regained our sense of humor post 9/11. At the Bomb Truck website, I found this: Organic Vegan Handmade Pops. We are like the Willy Wonkas of gourmet pops. Inspired by mom and pop shops,hole in the walls, neighborhood ice cream ...
Happening-Here - Jan 27 - 2 clicks
This month we had a dual celebration. The first celebration was that this was the One Year Anniversary of Eating Liberally Pasadena . We have really enjoyed our first year of Eating Liberally Pasadena and we look forward to many more years of dining and discussing politics with everyone who wants to join us. The second celebration was that Derek and Kimberley were married on January 15, 2...
DailyKos (California) - Jan 27 - 10 clicks
Court must decide how they want to intervene with impending referendum possible in June by Brian Leubitz UPDATE : Here is the decision in PDF . Basically the Court opted for the suggestion that I believe was made by Justice Liu to use the Commission's maps on an interim basis if the referendum does succeed in getting on the ballot. At the hearing, Justice Liu noted that it was at the v...
Calitics - Jan 27 - 2 clicks
Servitude : "a condition in which one lacks liberty especially to determine one's course of action or way of life" Democracy : "a government in which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised by them directly or indirectly through a system of representation usually involving periodically held free elections" Plutocracy : government by the wealthy Labor union : an orga...
Seeing the Forest - Jan 27 - 3 clicks
Apparently tonight the participants in the latest Republican clown show debate bumbled and stumbled around over which presidential hopeful would be more eager to deport undocumented grandmothers. No kidding. It's not surprising that the essential futility of these guys comes out in Florida over immigration issues. The Republican party has had a good long run since Richard Nixon at being the bas...
Happening-Here - Jan 27
As expected , Equality Maine announced today that they have decided to place a measure on the November 2012 ballot which would enact marriage equality . This is a big deal, because in 2009 after an expensive Proposition 8-inspired campaign in which both sides spent over $9 million combined , Maine voters rejected a marriage equality measure enacted by the state legislature by voting dow...
The Mad Professah Lectures - Jan 27
Maybe all those years spent on the rough seas of California politics help explain why, so far, Governor Jerry Brown has charted a pretty successful course for his November tax initiative. But there's a lot more sailing to be done … Continue reading » ...
Capital Notes - Jan 27 - 9 clicks
There is something we all can do to fight Citizens United . Earlier this month, the City Councils of Los Angeles , NYC , Oakland , and Portland all passed resolutions opposing the SCOTUS decision that gave the free speech rights guaranteed by the US Constitution to corporations. Each of us has a county and/or municipal government (well, unfortunately excepting parts of Michigan ) with...
DailyKos (California) - Jan 26 - 11 clicks
Nancy Pelosi gave an incredible interview to The Advocate magazine where she discusses several issues. However, the quote the struck my eye ( and Joe Jervis as well ) was this: "Oh, but what about them ? He [Barney Frank] chooses a party that supports his values. They've chosen a party that supports their income — a party that denigrates them and tre...
The Mad Professah Lectures - Jan 26 - 11 clicks
Despite my predictions to the contrary and disappointing his legion of fans worldwide, Roger Federer was again unable to defeat his main nemesis, Rafael Nadal , this time in the 2012 Australian Open semifinals in their 27th career meeting. With his 6-7(5) 6-2 7-6(5) 6-4 victory, the 10-time major champion improved to a crushing 18-9 career head-to-hea...
The Mad Professah Lectures - Jan 26
Advocates for major government reform have long lamented that if only they could find the financial backing for a political campaign, the voters would ratify changes to help end California's dysfunction. Now, it looks as though the white knight has … Continue reading » ...
Capital Notes - Jan 26 - 11 clicks
Indiana is about to pass what is called a "right-to-work" law. These laws prohibit union contracts from requiring workers to be in the union and paying dues to the union, while forcing the unions to provide full benefits to the non-unions members for free. The idea is to weaken and defund the union's (99%) ability to push back against the big corporations (1%). CSM: With Indiana 'right to ...
Seeing the Forest - Jan 26 - 2 clicks
