"The most consistent and smartest thinking and writing about progressive politics isn't happening in Sacramento, but being churned out day after day on sites and by organizations like Calitics, Orange County Progressive, and the California Budget Project." - CalBuzz
Oh, noezzz! What could possibly be disturbing the peace in Lake Forest?
"We will initiate prosecution against the operators and landlords of these dispensaries operating in violation of federal law and violation of the city's zoning code," said City Attorney Scott Smith, making the announcement following the City Council's closed session. "They are not permitted in any area of the city."
The complaints are the first step in the city's ultimate goal of permanently shutting down these shops. The city's municipal code prohibits uses not explicitly allowed in commercial areas and prohibits businesses that violate state and federal law.
"It is unfortunate that some property owners and the operators of these dispensaries have taken advantage of Lake Forest's business-friendly policies and unlawfully established these facilities in our community," said Mayor Mark Tettemer. "Ultimately, our job is to protect our residents and the family-oriented character of our town through enforcement of the city's municipal code consistently and equitably."
So what are these shops doing that is causing such an uproar with the city council?
Guess who said this about the GOP's "great hope" to defeat get clobbered by Barbara Boxer next year.
"Never in California's history has a self-funded dilettante ever won any top office, Governor or Senate," the candidate said [Thursday] morning at a breakfast sponsored by TAS and Americans for Tax Reform, when asked about a potential primary challenge from Fiorina.
[?] pointedly told attendees that Fiorina was fired from Hewlett Packard and from the McCain campaign for making several gaffes. He criticized her for supporting the financial bailout and said her views on most policy issues were unknown.
He also took issue with Sen. John Cornyn, chair of the National Republican Senatorial Committee for "already making up his mind" to support Fiorina, even though she hasn't declared her candidacy.
It looks like the wingnut wackos will be out with a vengeance this month! Here's a preview of what to expect.
So as soon as Loretta Sanchez announces her community town hall for this month, local progressives need to show up en masse to counter the wingnuts. Their sole purpose this month is to disrupt what are supposed to be community meetings where we interact with our elected officials. But instead of letting the community communicate with our representatives, all they want to do is (mis)use these town halls to parrot "sick care" industry talking points and follow whatever marching orders Boss Limbaugh gives them.
Let me know if you find out about any CA-47 town halls coming up this month. And for that matter, we should also give them a little taste of their own medicine. I definitely don't think we need to be disruptive and obnoxious at John Campbell's, Ed Royce's, Dana Rohrabacher's, Gary Miller's, or Ken Calvert's town hall (if any of them bother to do one in the district), but local progressives in each of these districts should remind these "Party of No" Republicans just who they're supposed to be working for. But anyway, we will post about local Congressional town halls and make sure you know so that we the (real) people of Orange County are there to let our voices be heard.
Well, at least we have some good news to report today. H/T to Mad Professah for this:
One of Boxer's key strategies for fending off interested challengers has been to raise money early in the cycle. As of March 31, the Boxer campaign had $4.6 million on hand, to a paltry $350,000 raised by DeVore at press time.
Fiorina, if she runs, could potentially match Boxer financially from her own deep pockets. As for the governor, Schwarzenegger once had the star power to match Boxer's draw, but apparently he lacks the will following several years of bruising budget fights in Sacramento.
The polls are also leaning heavily in Boxer's favor. The Field Poll in early March found Boxer leading Schwarzenegger 54 to 30 percent, up from an October 2007 survey from the same polling firm that had Boxer trailing, 43 to 44 percent.
Against Fiorina, the numbers are even better for the incumbent. Boxer lead [sic] Fiorina 55 percent to 25 percent in the March Field Poll.
Heh. So I guess Chuckie DeVore (R-Crazy Attention Seeker) isn't putting up much of a fight? I guess those Freepers & RedStaters just don't have the power (and the cash!) that they used to.
And Carly Fiorina? If she really wants to run, then she needs to put her money where her mouth is before she looks even more like a joke than she already is.
Oh yes, and if there's anyone who deserves this level of support, it's Barbara Boxer. She may not always be perfect, but she's most consistently progressive and she's never, ever forgotten where she came from and who put her where she's at now. Let's all help her keep up the great work so that California can continue to have a real people's advocate in the US Senate.
It looks like a budget deal may finally be made. Yes, yes, I know I've been saying that for a while. But now, it really looks like Arnold is caving on eliminating CalWORKS as Democrats cave on stopping cuts-only madness. While it could have been even worse, this will nonetheless take the cake as a horrendous "deal" that will cause massive pain in many people's lives.
Arnold looks to be getting his desired enrollment cap on Healthy Families, California's S-CHIP program. While other states are actually expanding health care coverage for children of working families, kids will be turned away from the doctors' offices and health clinics here. Oh, and it gets worse. Home health care services for disabled people will be gutted. State parks may be closed. More state workers will be fired.
And you know what makes this even worse? We'll be paying for these cuts long into the future. Remember that it costs more to care for sick people in the emergency room than at the health clinic. It costs more to turn away tourists and day-trippers from state parks than to keep the parks open. It costs more to throw troubled kids in jail than to prevent future crime with good education and after-school programs.
So all in all, "Arnold's Folly" will deeply hurt all of us. And really, this isn't just his folly. Karen Bass and Darrell Steinberg must also share the blame for not doing more to present a progressive alternative. The corporate establishment also shares the blame for refusing to pay their fair share of taxes while still expecting giveaway after giveaway after giveaway. And ultimately, we the people also share the blame for living in la-la land for far too long in expecting all the amenities in the world and refusing to think about paying for any of them.
Thanks to the many silly gimmicks, false accounting, and empty rhetoric in "The Age of Arnold", "The California Dream" now looks to be nothing more than an illusion. Will we ever see it again?
New Orleans may sink into the sea by 2100. Much of Florida may also be underwater by then. Drought will likely become the norm out West, meaning California could no longer provide the food we depend upon. Las Vegas may become downright inhabitable.
No, I'm not fabricating any of this. These will be the consequences of inaction if we continue to delay implementing the solutions we need to solve the coming climate crisis. But for some reason, may of our supposedly wise lawmakers in Capitol Hill are either willfully ignorant of the facts or downright lying about our future.
(The deadline to RSVP is 12:00 PM TODAY! Get your ticket now, before it's too late. - promoted by atdleft)
Looking for some real fireworks this Fourth of July weekend? If so, then head to South County on July 5! Starting at 10:30 AM, none other than John Dean, the constitutional law expert who witnessed Watergate unfold firsthand, will be speaking at a very special Laguna Woods Democratic Club luncheon. Oh yes, and he'll be answering your questions as well!
Jonathan Adler from Laguna Woods Democratic Club sent me a note recently and asked me to share with you what to expect:
It's essentially a "Town Hall" with wide-open Q&A (after his talk) on all the hot current issues he's been opining on in recent years (in his books, op-eds, talks, blog, TV, radio, etc.) that make him, I think, one of our leading voices for restoring Constitutional government.
John Dean will sign any of his books since 2005 (all on sale at the event) - "Worse Than Watergate: The Secret Presidency of George W. Bush," "Conservatives Without Conscience," "Broken Government: How Republican Rule Destroyed the Legislative, Executive, and Judicial Branches" - and, just released June 17 - "Blind Ambition: The End of the Story," updated edition, with a book-size Afterword with startling news-making findings based on newly available de-coded tapes and his own further research on Watergate.
Yes, his talk before the "Town Hall" Q&A will focus on his latest Watergate findings; and yes, some will view those abuses of power as "just history" - although the New York Times said: "Before you know it, you are turning the pages of Mr. Dean's book as if you are reading about Watergate for the first time."
But really fascinating, important, and, I think, even news-making, will be the "Town Hall" Q&A. I expect he'll be asked, and full responses by John, about today's hottest issues on which he's been very outspoken recently, such as:
• the Woo/Bybee/Bradbury "torture memos"
• war crimes prosecution
• secret "rendition"
• "enhanced interrogation" orders
• preventive detention
• Executive power claims by Bush:
• blocking oversight by Congress
• and by FISA
• "signing statements"
• Restoring the Balance of Powers
This'll be his third trip to Laguna Woods in 32 months. He's drawn huge sophisticated audiences here and even asked to be invited back. John has no future talk set in Orange Co. Another strong turnout, July 5, will help assure his return again, and our future chances to visit with him. So, please join us.
DIRECTIONS: 5/405 South, exit #91 El Toro Rd. At exit light, straight on Valencia 0.2 mi. to El Toro. Right. (5 North, same exit, left under fwy; at 0.5 mi cross Valencia.) 2.1 mi on El Toro (cross Moulton, uphill, downhill) to "Calle Corte / Gate 9". Right. Show pass. 0.2 mi to deadend, Sosiega. Right. 0.2 mi to 1st stop sign, Monte Hermoso. Left. 0.3 mi uphill to Punta Alta. Right. Immediate right into big free parking lot. CH 5 entrance obvious; walk straight 150 ft to biggest rm.
Please remember to RSVP at ActBlue by tomorrow at 12:00 PM, as seating is limited. Once you RSVP, you'll receive a printable ticket to take to the Laguna Woods VIllage gate for admission. The luncheon will be at Clubhouse 5 at 24262 Punta Alta (off El Toro).
Again, please RSVP ASAP and we hope to see you there!
Oh, my! The national Republicans are worrying. Ken Calvert is among the first 10 "Patriots" in NRCC's program to fundraise for vulnerable incumbents.
So what exactly does this mean? They are expecting Calvert to raise about $100,000 just today. Wow. They must really be afraid.
So how can we respond? Bill Hedrick doesn't have the big corporate dollars that Calvert and the NRCC rely upon, but he does have us.
Please give Bill Hedrick whatever you can. He nearly defeated Calvert last year with little money and a few dedicated grassroots supporters. Think of what can happen if we all step up to the plate.
Hey, the Republicans are already running scared to their big corporate "ATM". Let's show them that our people power is more powerful.
"Here is a billionaire who took a pay raise when we cut a half a billion (dollars) from kids, in the form of education. That should be a felony. To take from vulnerable people and put it in his bank account -- so he can go buy a governor's seat? No thanks."
"If that's his leadership style, California should be afraid."
You won't believe this, but this was REPUBLICAN Sen. Abel Maldonado (R-Santa Maria) lambasting REPUBLICAN Gubernatorial Candidate Steve Poizner (R-Wingnutia) for bashing him for supporting the February budget in order to get Prop 1F on the May ballot. Oh. My. Gawd!
Oh, and isn't this juicy!
[Meg] Whitman, who also opposes Prop. 1A, sidestepped the meeting [among GOP candidates on the state budget] altogether -- retreating to easy soundbite tossing in TV and radio interviews. Judging by the former executive's non-answers to date on the sticky questions, it's no wonder she went running.
Poizner's operatives aimed for levity, festooning the meeting room with little yellow rubber duckies aimed at pushing the lampooning the MegaDuck 2010 web site. But their candidate should have probably gone running, too.
My goodness, those Republicans love eating their own! Now I won't quote too much more from The SF Chronicle's Carla Marinucci, who seems to have a strange crush on Tom Campbell, the former GOP Congresscritter from San Jose who's also running for Governor. All I'll say is that all these GOP candidates are missing the point. They're still out in "Tea Party La-la-land" when California voters are looking for real, rational solutions to our big, fat, ugly problems.
Doesn't this look interesting? I wonder if any local closet case pols will be featured. Anyway, it will be coming to Orange County on May 22. Perhaps we should all do an "outing" to see this movie?
Stop the presses... (even though we haven't received the press release yet). Time Magazine is reporting - burying rather - the news that Joe the Plumber, also known as Samuel Wurzelbacher, is quitting the GOP. That's big news considering Joe became the new GOP mascot during the McCain campaign and has since advised the party during conferences and in Capitol Hill briefings.
Yes, that's right. The GOP's once "new mascot" is officially out of the GOP. Why, you ask? He thinks they "spend too much", though he can't say what he wants cut. Ain't the Republican life grand!
So who can the GOP use as their "new new mascot"? Teabaggers?
(This is the start of my multi-part series on emerging Western Congressional races in 2010. Also posted at C4O Democrats.)
If we're to believe the local newsreports, Democrats may actually lose a Congressional seat in Southern California. Central Orange County Assembly Member/Local GOP Power Broker Van Tran has announced he will challenge seven-term Democratic incumbent Loretta Sanchez next year. Already, Republicans are cheering victory and preparing to dance on Loretta's political grave... But are they celebrating too early?
OK, he's doing it. Bill Hedrick will definitely be running for Congress again in 2010. And why not? He seemingly came out of nowhere last year to nearly upset long-time incumbent Ken Calvert... Though he was really working the district hard and winning over voters by offering real solutions to their economic concerns.
So are you ready for a real barnburner of a race next year? I'm hopeful the Hedrick Campaign is. Hopefully the DCCC is as well. I certainly know the GOP will try this time not to fall asleep at the wheel again.
As we've talked about before, I have my doubts about the special election coming up next month. I just don't think the initiatives will solve our budget problems if passed. Well, it turns out that I'm not alone. CREDO Action is urging its members to just say no on May 19 as well.
Their message to CREDO members is in full after the flip...
Today the California Democratic Party (CDP) released a memo from CDP Campaign Advisor Bob Mulholland on the "Obama Republican" Congressional Districts and just how winnable they may be in 2010. These seats are currently held by far-right Republicans, but President Obama carried all these districts last November. Here in OC, we have two "Obama Republican" districts: the 44th (Ken Calvert, where Obama won by 0.9%) and 48th (John Campbell, where Obama won by 0.7%) in South County.
So why are Calvert & Campbell voting so often against the President's agenda when their constituents support President Obama? Perhaps they'll need to come up with some answers soon, before voters get to have their say next year.
