Gov. Schwarzenegger suggests that immigrants avoid Spanish language media if they want to learn English and, presumably, assimilate into U.S. society.  Didn’t stop him from running tons of ads on Spanish television during last year’s reelection campaign of course.  edit: Apologies to Roger Salazar, who beat me to this point, and in much better form.

A new emergency room opened today inside San Quentin prison, a result of a federal receiver controlling medical services inside California prisons.

As California fights to keep its tough gas emissions standards safe from federal meddling, state air regulators voted today to request an 11-year extension to bring San Joaquin’s air up to federal standards.  California is a rich tapestry of contradictions.

The Beastie Boys have an instrumental album hitting stores later this month.  The last time they had an album with lyrics, they weren’t much for George Bush: Beastie Boys – Right Right Now Now

“I’m getting kind of tired of the situation
The US attacking other nations
And narration, on every station
False election’s got me losing my patience”

Here are today’s wild and wonderful Orange County stories that you just have to see to believe:

– Confessions of a Westside Improver. Claudio Gallegos gets down to the bottom of neo-Nazi Martin Millard and his looming influence over Costa Mesa politics at Orange Juice.

– Anaheim’s Disney Dilemma… Now in Court! The Plaintiff: Disney, who insists that housing in the resort district would not fit in with the hotels and tourist venues planned for the area. The Defendant: The City of Anaheim, who insists that the city has the right to determine what fits in the resort district… And now, residential developer SunCal wants to help pay Anaheim’s legal fees. Stay tuned as the Disney Dilemma erupts in court!

– No Longer Lost in Translation. The City of Santa Ana is finally giving its 45% of primarily Spanish-speaking residents a chance to better participate in city council meetings by offering simultaneous translation of its City Council meetings in Spanish. Es muy bien, porque mas personas en Santa Ana pueden participar en los negocios de su ciudad. : )

And finally…

– Curt. It’s been said that a picture is worth a thousand words… So I guess it shouldn’t surprise me that Mike Lawson’s one picture at The Liberal OC says more about the wild and crazy special election fallout than all of my updates combined. Way to go, Mike, you artistic genius. ; )

Debra Bowen, candidate for California Secretary of State, is in a tight battle for the Democratic nomination on Tuesday.

During her tenure in the State Senate, Debra Bowen has been working tirelessly for reliable voting systems and improving the public’s access to the government.  She was overwhelmingly endorsed by the California Democratic Party and by groups and newspapers up and down the Golden State.

You can help Debra Bowen by donating to a grassroots-sponsored radio campaign!  Latinos for America has produced pro-bono Spanish-language radio ads for the Los Angeles market that will run in Spanish talk and religious radio on Monday and Tuesday of next week.  We need your help to get them on the air.

Valley Grassroots for Democracy has teamed up with Latinos for America to collect contributions for the ads. Please go to https:/secure.actblue.com… and make a contribution and end the contribution with $.06 so we know that the contribution is for the radio ads.  For example, give $25.06 or $50.06 or however much you can give.

Please pass this along!  The election is neck and neck and your contributions will make this happen!

Remember to add $.06 for victory in ’06!

Learn more at:
http://www.debrabowen.com
http://www.latinosforamerica.com
http://www.valleygrassrootsfordemocracy.com