• Assemblyman (soon to be Senator) Mark Leno takes on a Liberty Council wingnut on marriage equality. And I think you'll agree with me that the Assemblyman is the winner here.
• Asm. Dave Jones announced that he'll seek the post of insurance commissioner, the one statewide office that the Republicans currently hold. Good, we need somebody who's focused on that position, and not posturing for the Republican primary. Jones is a smart guy, and would do a good job. It will be interesting to see if there are others angling for the gig.
• George Skelton sees a mandate in a 4 tenths point victory for Prop 11. You know, I just can't beat my head against this wall any more. The so-called reformers have no, I repeat ZERO, evidence that this will make any additional districts competitive. If this wins, perhaps one or two more districts become competitive, but the underlying demographics do not bear this out. Skelton claims he wants "geographically logical and competitive districts". Well guess what, I want my tree to give me lumber and apples. (Read the Giving Tree). You have one, or you have the other.
In California, we have self-sorted along political lines. Add that to the fact that California is trending toward greater control for the majority party, and you don't have the recipe for a lot of newly competive seats, save the regions where the GOP seats are already trending Dem.
And crowned with his big success of helping Prop 11 to victory, he's already pumping up the big Washington state style "Top 2" election, as if that will somehow be terrific. Great more opportunities for moneyed interests to dominate.
Listen, George, you want real reform? It's called Clean Money. That's the REAL reform that we need.
• Do Republicans even bother with lipservice to representative democracy anymore? Or are we totally over that in favor of putting everything to the ballot. Or perhaps better defined, they are just simply obsessed with the government employees unions. Why must the OC voters now approve government employee contracts? Because the Republicans are all about a new PR stunt to go after dedicated civil servants. Sad.
• I don't know what to make of this, but a senior aide to Barbara Boxer is facing child pornography charges. Jeff Rosato has been fired.
UPDATE by Robert:Major fire breaks out in Santa Barbara - threatening Westmont College and cutting power to most of downtown. These unseasonably warm November temperatures do have their cost.
