Initiatives will be big on November 2012 ballot
by Brian Leubitz
Remember the Mercury Insurance proposition measure that was “going to give you an auto insurance discount” last year? Well, apparently Mercury CEO George Joseph didn’t want to seem so heavy handed, and went out to do some non-Mercury Insurance fundraising. Except that he didn’t actually go very far, he got a Mercury insurance agent to contribute!
Mercury Insurance Chairman George Joseph is no longer the sole donor to a misleading state ballot initiative that would repeal Proposition 103’s prohibition against considering a driver’s coverage history when a motorist applies for insurance. An insurance agency whose only past political contribution was to the Mercury Insurance sponsored Prop 17, contributed fourteen thousand dollars to the new initiative. Mercury Insurance Chairman’s George Joseph has already donated over $8.1 million to the deceptive ballot measure aimed at hurting California consumers.
According to the California Secretary of State’s website Abernathy Insurance Agency, a Mercury Insurance agency, contributed $14,000 to the deceptively titled “2012 Auto Insurance Discount Act, Sponsored by the American Agents Alliance with Support from California Insurance Providers for Competitive Prices and Consumer Discounts.” This is only the second political contribution ever made by Abernathy Insurance Agency, according to the Secretary of State’s website. Abernathy’s website directs any customer looking for auto insurance to MercuryInsurance.com
Well, congratulations to Mr. Joseph. I’m sure everybody will see your committee and be duly impressed with the broad support for your quest to punish those who dare not to have a car for a few years.
The other major news on the initiative front is the submission of a couple measures going after public employee and teacher pensions. You know, all Wisconsin style. Rather than working with Gov. Brown, a coalition lead by former Asm. Roger Niello (who is looking for a new gig in the Senate) and former Schwarzenegger Director of Finance (now there’s a claim to fame!) Mike Genest submitted a couple of measures of their own and say that they have the resources to get one on the ballot.
California’s current and future state and local employees would pay more for their pensions under two ballot initiative proposals submitted to the state attorney general today with the intent of putting one of them to a statewide vote next year.
“Seventy percent of voters think it’s time,” said Dan Pellissier, president of California Pension Reform, referring to public opinion polls on public pensions.
His group, which includes a former chairman of the California Republican Party, Duf Sundheim, former GOP Assemblyman Roger Niello, Marcia Fritz, president of the Citrus Heights-based president of the California Foundation for Fiscal Responsibility, and Schwarzenegger finance director Mike Genest, is filing the measures for an official ballot title and summary today, less than a week after Democratic Gov. Jerry Brown rolled out a pension reform agenda last week.(SacBee StateWorker)
Note that depending on what happens with signature gathering surrounding SB202’s move to make future signature-based ballot measures general election only, November may also feature the paycheck deception measure that could effectively neuter labor’s political power.
Oh, and also, Obama for America is trying to get its volunteers to make calls to other states on GOTV weekend 2011 for many municipalities this weekend to remind them about how important the presidential election is. So, you know, nothing important here in California…
put an issue on the ballot regarding government employee pensions instead of working with jerry brown who owes his governorship to the unions since they bankrolled his campaign.
In California, the voice of the people is the voice of god. Let the people decide what the pensions should be like.
This is Why I don’t sign initiatives any more
They’re typically pushed by corporations
And, their gatherers are typically, misleading in describing what they’re pushing
Next time you see a table with an initiative being pushed WALK AWAY unless you’re SURE about the initiative
Don’t expect the gatherers to tell you the truth about the initiative
Oh ! MC Hammer !
….From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
…Profession Small business owner,Pest control (exterminator)
Thomas Dale “Tom” DeLay is a disgraced, former member of the United States House of Representatives, representing Texas’s 22nd congressional district…
… House Majority Leader from 2003 to 2005, when he resigned because of criminal money laundering charges in connection with a campaign finance investigation. He was convicted of money laundering in January 2011 and sentenced to three years in prison but is free on bail while appealing his conviction….
He (and I suspect, you) was sentenced to a Lifetime of STUPIDITY
He’s currently serving that sentence
Nice role model you’ve got there
HA ! HA !!
The national average is 143 state employees per 10,000 people.
California ranks 48th in the nation in state employees relative to population and 44th in the nation in state and local employees.
The average CalPERS benefit is $19,128 per year – barely above the national average of $18,000 per year for public employees. Given the high cost of living here, it’s barely adequate.
CalPERS invests nearly $20 billion in California’s economy. That money is sorely coveted by the pirates on Wall Street… and that is the reason why RepubliCorp (and their stooges) keep spreading lies about the “burden” of public retirement costs on California.