A "NO" VOTE IS CALLED FOR ON ACA 8 The League of Cities and the pro-eminent domain redevelopment industry have been lobbying very hard for the passage of Democrat Assemblyman Hector De LaTorre’s proposed constitutional amendment (ACA 8) that would put a faux (fake) eminent domain reform measure on the ballot. Their bill would NOT COME CLOSE to offering ALL private property owners the protections that they deserve against governments coming in and TAKING their property for economic gain (we’re not talking about a ‘taking’ to widen a highway, but the idea that some city planner sees a different use for the land with more economic benefit to the city, and just taking it…). ACA 8 will NEVER be amended to pass muster — because there are two diametrically opposed interests here. Property rights advocates want and demand legislation to END the proactive of governments being able to forcibly take someone’s private… Read More

This update just in from FR friend Anthony York over at Capitol Weekly on the challenges (first reported on this website) that the Nunez Career Politician Term Extension Act is having with qualifying for the February ballot…

Just got off the phone with Conny McCormack at the LA County elections office. Here’s the latest:

First, a quick reminder on the numbers.As I wrote in my earlier story, the proponents need 763,790 to avoid the full count. So far, from the counties that have reported, they have a projected 486,508 — a validity rate of about 71.5 percent.

LA has about 264,000 of the signatures. According to McCormack, they are close to completeing their sample count. In fact, they may be reporting to the SOS as early as tomorrow. Though they are not finished, she said signatures are coming back at about a 63 percent validity rate.

That would mean… Read More

On a party line vote, all 5 committee Republicans voting no. Amends to address protection of church property, amongst many other issues, falls far short for Rep support.… Read More

Another update from Anthony York at CapWeekly… Things aren’t looking good for those hoping to qualify the term limits end-run promptly…

According to the Secretary of state’s office, Sacramento and Kings have reported! In all, 50 counties have reported their random sample numbers for a total of 518,233. So again, if we add that number to the projected 166,320 from Los Angeles (assuming the 63 percent estimate given by Conny McCormack), that gives us 684,553, with eight counties remaining. The remaining counties have about 102,000 votes out standing, 83,000 of which are in San Bernardino County. Soto avoid the count, they need 79,443 –or 78 percent from the remaining eight counties.

It’s all about San Berdoo. If San Bernardino comes in at less than 78 percent, we could be looking at a full count…… Read More

A third update on the saga of the poor ol’ Term Limits Weakening Initiative… Looks like the odds are getting pretty long that a manual count can be avoided… ’tis such a shame… (not) Just in from CapWeekly’s Anthony York, update #3:

I was talking to a state legislator yesterday, and he threw out to me a very disturbing thought. We’ve all read about the recent passage by Democrats of this bill to place a ‘straw poll’ vote on the February ballot on whether Californian’s support the war in Iraq. Well, it doesn’t take much thought to understand that this measure authored by Democrat Senate President Don Perata is a cynical plot to drive up liberal turnout for the election on which the Perata/Nunez Career Politician Term Limits Weakening Initiative will appear. Perata (and Nunez) are completely fixated on trying to blow a hole in the state’s term limits so that they can cling to their prestigious offices. This legislator to whom I spoke was expressing concern that perhaps the Governor would allow this Iraq-vote measure to be ‘in play’ in negotiations taking place over redistricting proposals. That he might actually be open to signing this terrible and politically-motivated bill. To this we say that our nation’s foreign policy, and the lives of American soldiers should not be chits in political maneuvers surrounding legislative… Read More

The lead consultants for the Speaker’s Term Limits Weakening Initiative, which apparently won’t make the February ballot, have to write a memo to their client. We decided to draft one for them…

URGENT MEMORANDUM To: Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez From: Gale Kaufman and Matthew Dowd RE: Failure to Save Your Career Dear Fabian, We are in the midst of a top-to-bottom review of our collective failure to place our carefully orchestrated end-run on term… Read More

Assembly Joint Resolution (AJR) 29 Congress urges Congress topass and the Presidentto signH.R. 1592–the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act (LLEHCPA).

The bill creates a new federal crime based on if it was committed is based on"the actual or perceived religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or disability of any person.”

In other words if some one is attacked at a restaurant because he was gay that can become a federal crime, but if he gets attacked for taking the piece of peach cobbler. That is not a federal crime it also allows the federal government to interfere in states to see if they are punishing "hate" crimes sufficiently. This bill is opposed by pro-family groups.

Ironically the Los Angeles Times Magazine did an article several years ago that pointed out that Blacks and Hispanics were more likely to be charged with hate crimes in … Read More