Posts Tagged ‘California’
CA AG Candidate Opposes Legalizing Marijuana
Last Updated on Wednesday, 29 September 2010 02:26 Written by rslcpol Wednesday, 17 March 2010 03:17
From the Sacramento Bee:
Running to become California’s top law enforcement officer, San Francisco District Attorney Kamala Harris said Tuesday she supports regulating medicinal marijuana dispensaries but not allowing cannabis sale for recreational use.
Harris, meeting with The Bee’s Capitol Bureau, said she does not support efforts by San Francisco Assemblyman Tom Ammiano, D-San Francisco, to permit marijuana to be sold and taxed much like liquor.
One of six Democratic candidates for attorney general, Harris said recreational sales would just create new headaches for a beleaguered system that needs to better regulate medical marijuana dispensaries and to assist nonviolent drug offenders.
Tags: California | Posted under Attorney General News | No Comments
CA: Backers of Pot Initiative Target Tax Benefits
Last Updated on Wednesday, 29 September 2010 02:26 Written by rslcpol Wednesday, 17 March 2010 01:48
From Capitol Weekly:
Facing an uphill battle, proponents of a ballot measure to legalize marijuana are mapping out a campaign stressing the millions of dollars in tax revenue that pot could provide.
The initiative, sponsored by Oakland marijuana magnate Richard Lee, would legitimize the sale of marijuana and allow pot shops to open their doors in cities that permit it. Local authorities could also decide how to tax and regulate marijuana sales, although it’s unclear if federal officials would tolerate such a bold and unprecedented move.
Many of the state’s most important politicians want nothing to do with the measure, which would allow anyone over the age of 21 to grow or possess a drug considered by the federal government to be highly addictive and of no medical value.
Despite lawmakers’ reluctance, political consultants working on the initiative claim a marijuana tax could contribute more than $1 billion toward reducing California’s $20 billion budget deficit. Opponents call that a pipe dream.
Tags: California | Posted under State Legislature News | No Comments
CA: GOP Goes into Convention on the Offense
Last Updated on Wednesday, 29 September 2010 02:33 Written by rslcpol Friday, 12 March 2010 02:27
From SFGate.com:
“A year ago, Barack Obama’s approval ratings were up and (Democrats) had a commanding lead in congressional ballot strength” and in the number of voters who identified with their party, he said. But “what a difference a few government-owned automobile companies, a multibillion-dollar federal stimulus plan and a takeover” of health care “can do for the political environment,” he said.
With Republican statehouse victories in Virginia and New Jersey, and in the Massachusetts Senate race this year, “here in California, we’re taking the next step,” Nehring said.
Less than three months before the June primary, the GOP’s gathering this weekend serves as an important election-year marker because it provides a key platform for candidates to connect with party activists – and their success can go a long way toward building enthusiasm and donor bases heading into the elections.
Tags: California | Posted under State Legislature News | No Comments
CA: Democrat Drops out of Lt. Governor Race
Last Updated on Wednesday, 29 September 2010 02:33 Written by rslcpol Friday, 12 March 2010 02:13
From fresnobee.com:
Valley Democrat Dean Florez said he will drop out of the lieutenant governor’s race today and endorse San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom, who is expected to declare his candidacy.
“I’ve studied the numbers, looked at the possibilities and considered all the relevant polling information which indicates that [Newsom] commands a formidable lead that would be hard to surmount,” Florez says in a letter he plans to send to supporters today.
Newsom, who abandoned a bid for governor late last year, will battle Los Angeles City Council Member Janice Hahn, the sister of former L.A. Mayor James Hahn, for the Democratic nomination. Both candidates have higher name identification and come from more populated areas than Florez, a state senator from Shafter.
Tags: California | Posted under Lieutenant Governor News | No Comments
San Francisco Mayor Newsom to enter Lt. Governor Race
Last Updated on Wednesday, 29 September 2010 02:36 Written by rslcpol Friday, 12 March 2010 11:41
From LA Times:
Reporting from Sacramento – San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom will announce Friday that he is running for California lieutenant governor, according to people who were contacted by him.
Newsom, a Democrat, has been lining up support and collecting donations for the statewide run. Sources say he will unveil a list of endorsements that includes many of the state’s top Democratic leaders. The sources requested anonymity to allow Newsom to make the announcement.
On Wednesday, Newsom took out papers to run for the office from the San Francisco County elections department and paid a $2,600 fee. Asked if Newsom would announce his candidacy Friday, spokesman Jason Kinney said, “You’ll just have to wait until tomorrow.”
Newsom has formed a fundraising committee, and the first checks were reported Thursday. He received $6,500 each from Mark and Susie Buell, owners of the Esprit clothing company and longtime backers. He also reported $4,950 from Peter Ragone, his former press secretary.
Tags: California | Posted under Lieutenant Governor News | No Comments
CA Dems Faced w/Quandary on Redistricting
Last Updated on Wednesday, 29 September 2010 02:38 Written by rslcpol Thursday, 11 March 2010 09:01
Cross posted at www.redistrictingmajorityproject.com
From John Wildermuth at Fox and Hounds Daily:
When it comes to redistricting, $2.7 million may trump $280,000.
The $2.7 million is what Charles Munger, a Palo Alto Republican, has anted up to qualify a “Son of Prop. 11” redistricting measure for the November ballot.
The initiative is simple enough. It allows the Citizens Redistricting Commission created by the 2008 initiative to also draw the lines for California’s congressional districts after this year’s census.
The $280,000, on the other hand, is what Democratic politicians and their allies have put aside for a November initiative that would kill Prop. 11 entirely, putting redistricting back in the hands of the Democrat-run Legislature.
Most of that money comes from California Democrats who are either in Congress or who want to be in Congress – that would be Karen Bass, who has given $50,000 to the initiative. But under Prop. 11, only legislative districts will be redrawn by the committee. Munger’s measure, though, would take redistricting out of the comforting hands of the Legislature and give it to a multi-partisan commission that won’t care nearly so much about putting more California Democrats in Congress.
You can see the initiative here.
Tags: California | Posted under Blog | No Comments
CA: Group Backs Republican for Attorney General
Last Updated on Wednesday, 29 September 2010 02:42 Written by rslcpol Monday, 8 March 2010 01:38
From LegalNewsLine.com:
California attorney general candidate John Eastman on Sunday got conservatives’ seal of approval, winning the endorsement of the California Republican Assembly.
The conservative grassroots organization is backing Eastman in the Republican primary to succeed Democrat Jerry Brown as the Golden State’s next chief legal officer.
“The CRA has long been the benchmark by which Republican Primary candidates are measured,” Eastman said in a statement. “That’s why I’m so proud to have picked up their endorsement today.”
Tags: California | Posted under Attorney General News | No Comments
CA: Attorney General Makes it Official – Running for Governor
Last Updated on Wednesday, 29 September 2010 02:46 Written by rslcpol Wednesday, 3 March 2010 02:23
From sfexaminer.com:
Democrat Jerry Brown officially entered the California governor’s race Tuesday, giving the party an iconic candidate in a contest expected to be the most costly in state history.
The state attorney general, who served two terms as governor in the era before term limits, officially declared his candidacy on his Web site. The announcement has been expected for months, while Brown was quietly raising millions of dollars.
Brown, who will turn 72 next month, is the only serious Democratic contender. His ability to raise money and gain endorsements frightened away other Democrats, including San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom.
After the June primary, Brown will face of o
Tags: California | Posted under Attorney General News | No Comments
CA: Democrat AG Brown Expected to Enter Governor Race
Last Updated on Wednesday, 29 September 2010 02:50 Written by rslcpol Tuesday, 2 March 2010 01:43
From PressDemocrat.com:
After months of waiting for a candidate of their own, California Democrats were anticipating an announcement Tuesday from state Attorney General Jerry Brown, who is expected to enter the race for governor.
Brown’s campaign issued a news release saying he planned to make a “major campaign announcement” Tuesday morning on his Web site, http://www.jerrybrown.org.
The former two-term governor has held to his own timeline and approach to politics as Republicans who are seeking their party’s nomination have been campaigning for nearly a year.
Tags: California | Posted under Attorney General News | No Comments
CA: Lt. Governor Confirmation Battle to Spanish Language TV
Last Updated on Wednesday, 29 September 2010 02:58 Written by rslcpol Wednesday, 24 February 2010 02:41
From The Sacramento Bee:
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and his lieutenant governor nominee Abel Maldonado continued their confirmation fight with legislators this past weekend — in the parallel universe of international Spanish-language TV news.
Assembly Speaker-elect John A. Pérez, too, was pressed on Maldonado this weekend on Univision television’s local Los Angeles channel.
Schwarzenegger went national, talking up embattled nominee Maldonado during an interview with the two that aired Sunday on Al Punto, a Univision broadcast with huge reach in the United States and abroad.
Tags: California | Posted under Lieutenant Governor News | No Comments