It's Thursday, so that means, well, it's the day before Friday. So let's get to the links:

• Dave mentioned the PPIC poll this morning, which foretold doom for the special election props, but also in there was a question about marriage. The results were not particularly inspiring. Apparently, we are backsliding in support.  By a margin of 49-44, Californians now oppose marriage equality.
• One of the budget gimmicks the Legislature used to close the deficit (or well, slightly alleviate it is a better word I suppose) was the sale of surplus state property. John Myers has a look at the state auditor's report that signals we may not actually be able to get all that much money into the general fund from the property.
• Sen. Loni Hancock has introduced a bill to track ammunition magazines for assault rifiles. The technology is fairly new, so it wasn't included in the 1999 bill to ban assault rifles, but with the attention focused on loose ammunition due to the Oakland police shootings, now seems a good time to bring this up.  The bill needs to be passed quickly, and should draw broad support.
• Speaking of assault rifles, one of the leading opponents has been our very own Sen. Dianne Feinstein. Given the other things up for debate in Congress, it's not likely to get a lot of attention, but we certainly should be considering renewing the lapsed assault weapons ban.
• A $280 million check from the feds for water projects is creating a split between rural and urban economically depressed regions.  As it stands now, rural areas would be eligibile for grants, but urban areas would only be eligible for loans.  You can guess how that is going to play out. Legislation has already passed the Senate, but the Assembly wants to amend it to make urban areas eligible for the grants.  We should get an answer in the next week or two.
• How about a little Steve Poizner news for you? Check out his NotAnotherDimeCalifornia.Com. It's as wingnutty as you would expect with that name. It's a full-throated anti-tax scream, just to make sure the primary electorate really understands his street cred. And of course, a little nudge to the nativist base. Well, I'm glad that they are all running for the Republican Governor of California, because it doesn't take a rocket scientist to see that they are going to kill that job well and good with their primary performances to date.
• Appellate lawyer Tracy Emblem will challenge Brian Bilbray in CA-50.  My feeling is that CA-50 is a tease of a district where Democratic candidates always peter out at 45-46%, but Obama did beat McCain there, so theoretically a better candidate could yield results.  Emblem is focusing on, and this will floor you, health care, infrastructure and clean energy!  She also is calling for bankruptcy courts to be able to cram down loan modifications on the lenders.  Hopefully we’ll be able to bring you more from Tracy Emblem in the coming months.  The article announcing her candidacy is here and her website is here.
• Have I mentioned lately that Darrell Issa is a dick?  His latest move is to “regulate the first lady,” which has nothing to do with the public interest and everything to do with embarrassing the President.
• Maria Shriver was on Capitol Hill yesterday, pushing for increases in Alzheimer’s research.  The hearing was the result of a bipartisan study into the disease and the exorbitant cost of treating it currently.
• That Fran Pavley is back on greenhouse gas patrol working to reduce emissions should be a breath of fresh air, literally, for every Californian.  She’s currently digging into how the state will use the money likely to be gained by auctioning carbon credits under AB 32.