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*  Remember how many progressives were worried about the Bay Area Council’s redistricting reform measures, saying that it would limit progressives? Well, perhaps that was for good reason. Check out their June 2010 proposition endorsements. They’ve endorsed the PG&E measure (Prop 16) and the St. Maldo Open Primary (Prop 14), while opposing the fair (clean) elections measure written by Loni Hancock and signed by Gov. Schwarzenegger.  Let’s go ahead and scratch them from the progressive holiday card list.

*  A really depressing, but very important, story on food waste from CalWatch. A lot of edible food is being thrown away at grocery stores and restaurants that could be used to feed the hungry.

*  It appears that the National Organization against Marriage equality (NOM) ads against Tom Campbell are having an effect on the polling numbers. From a progressive standpoint, that’s probably not the end of the world, as he looks like the strongest candidate. From an LGBT perspective, that’s depressing.

*  The City of San Carlos looks at outsourcing their police and fire protection.

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*  Chuck DeVore really can’t take a joke.  Apparently, he didn’t like the idea that he was at the Voyeur Club at the heart of the recent RNC dustup.

*  The California Accountability Project has some information on Meg Whitman’s record with Latinos. And, as an added bonus, don’t forget that Pete Wilson, Prop 187 Champion, is her campaign chair.

*  Speaking of Whitman, she’s now spent over $40 Million, and CalBuzz has some suggestions for other uses for that kind of dough.

*  Oh, and Whitman appeared on Hannity, sans Poizner. She went all cliche, and alluded to the Tea Party/Glenn Beck slogan. Which is good, because apparently she’s all about repeal of the health care bill now.  Yay for her!

*  Sarah Palin is coming to CSU Stanislaus with her “populism for pay” schtick. The question is, how much is she being paid? And couldn’t that money have better gone to serving students instead of ideology.  

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*  If you are in SF this weekend, consider stopping by the Why Tuesday SF? kickoff event. They are launching a campaign to get elections on Saturdays so that everybody can vote. They’re trying to get a huge crew of volunteers together to gather the signatures necessary as quickly as possible. More details here.

*  Don’t throw away that Furlough Friday screenplay just yet, judges have put a stay on the order. That means that the furloughs will remain in place pending appeal.

*  David Onek, of Berkeley’s Center for Criminal Justice, has an interesting podcast series going. He interviews people who are involved in public safety. It’s wonky, but has that ever stopped us before?

*  Karl Rove made a book tour swing through California. While his goal was to sell some books, he ended up writing emails for various campaigns, particularly Senator Boxer, who Rove called an “obnoxious left-wing ideologue who doesn¹t deliver for California.”.

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*  CSU Stanislaus continues to withhold information about Sarah Palin’s speaking fee for a fundraiser. They’re exploiting a loophole in state law, which Senator Leland Yee is seeking to close.

*  Meg Whitman wants her policy book to be available at the public library (which she presumably wants to close through further budget cuts). But librarians are balking, since it’s not their job to promote Whitman’s campaign. And they can’t be forced to do so, because of laws forbidding public workers to use public resources to campaign. Whitman has millions of dollars to spend – maybe she should just mail one to every house? I could use a new doorjam.

*  California’s housing market is on the rebound but I’m not confident it’s going to last long if the state continues to slash and burn jobs and public services.

*  RIP, Jaime Escalante.

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*  Chuck DeVore broke with a consultant that was exposed as the guy who expensed an almost-strip club in West Hollywood to the RNC.

*  Jerry Brown was cleared by the FPPC of Meg Whitman specious attacks concerning his requests for support.

*  Some budgets cost more jobs than others. IHSS cuts hit particularly hard.

*  Awww, snap. Oh no, SFO didn’t just lay the smack down on LAX.

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*  The CalPERS probe on possible kickbacks for investment decisions might now be the subject of a federal investigation.

*  Gavin Newsom, who was recently endorsed by Speaker Perez, also picked up the endorsements of a slew of other Assembly members for his LG campaign. Here they are: Hayashi, Hill, Huffman, Ruskin and Swanson.

*  Yippee! Giveaways to the builders.

*  Oh, good, the federal courts reinstated the Prop 9 provision making parole much more difficult. That will help the prison crisis.

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*  The CA State Association of Counties said NO to Prop 16, the PG&E Hidden Agendas Scheme. The law would require a 2/3 vote of the people to allow a community to start a community choice aggregation (CCA) programs.  They’re planning on spending $35 million to pass the measure.

*  Mike Murphy, who has been paid nearly half a million dollars by Meg Whitman since he joined the campaign in November, says $46 million isn’t really that much. Riiiight.

*  The Republicans are standing tall for Medicare Advantage, and they’re going to let everybody know that Barbara Boxer doesn’t. Thing is, Medicare Advantage is basically a program to shovel large amounts of cash into the pockets of insurance companies. It’s a private add-on program that survey after report after study has shown is a boondoggle and waste of money. And often, also something of a racket.

*  The Yes on 14 Campaign, the St. Abel Open primary measure, is in the red by about $90K.

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*  Sen. Pat Wiggins (D-Santa Rosa) is taking a partial leave from the Legislature.

*  A report from the Air Resources Board shows that AB 32 won’t hurt the economy, and could create some new jobs.  Asm. Republican Leader Martin Garrick is outraged about something. Apparently, he doesn’t like when economists mess with these “numbers.”

*  John Myers takes the recent Field Poll numbers and tries to come up with a budget plan. However, it would be worthwhile to roll in some of the PPIC polls that show voters support measures to increase taxes for education and other causes.

*  Clint Reilly takes a stroll through the raging river of campaign cash.

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*  Bill O’Reilly is a moderate. Oh, right, that’s where we’re headed.

*  Mayor Villaraigosa is arguing that if the Council overturns power rate increases by the DWP the City of Los Angeles will be in desperate fiscal straits.

*  Level the Playing Field raised almost a quarter of a million dollars, and will probably get a bunch more to air the Meg-a-Tar ads on TV.

*  CSU is pushing high schools and its own students in the hopes of reducing the need for remediation when they arrive on campus.

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*  Jerry Brown now has $14 million in the bank. This is a really good total, historically it would put him right in the thick of things.  This is a very different year, though. He’ll need to keep on the fundraising trail.

*  CalSTRS, like its big brother, CalPERS, is facing a future shortfall. The investment bubble hit the pension fund hard. Solutions appear to be on the back burner until after the election.

*  The effects of health care reform will be both swift and delayed. But look for some rather big changes in the short-term.

*  Tucked away in the Reconciliation bill last night was a nice little boost for community colleges.

* The State Water Resources Control Board had some hearings today to decide how much water needs to flow through the Delta system to honor the “public trust.”