AB 1234 Compliant

I am now AB 1234 Compliant (for the next 2 years). Rather than taking the online course, I opted to go in person in the hopes of meeting some of the other commissioners and city staff (all of whom are required to take it).

Yay Darren

I got a note from Darren the other day explaining that he was off to Washington with the newly elected congressman from his district (who he had lost to in the primary but then helped to support). The news is being picked up on some blogs and local sites:

Just in From John Hall's Press Secretary: "Darren Rigger is the PERFECT choice to accompany John Hall to Washington for Freshman Orientation week. Before he ran against John Hall, he did political fund raising work, he knows his way around Washington inside and out. Because of Darren's excellent help, and knowledge of Washington, DC our John Hall is finding his way easily to where he needs to be, learning the ropes of being a Congressman, and getting his office there up and running. So, though a surprising choice to some of us, it was a brilliant choice, and so our thanks go out to Darren Rigger for being such and integral part of showing John Hall around Washington for the 19th Congressional district."

Almost Famous: "The freshman get to bring along one person -- a sort of chief-of-staff-in-training, to help out and learn the ropes. John Hall has tapped Darren Rigger, who he faced in a Democratic primary before going on to defeat Sue Kelly, as his orientation aide."

Congrats and best of luck! What an exciting time (finally) to be back in Washington!

Waiting for returns

Things are looking pretty good nationally -- there's a nice chart on fmf charting 53 races in the House that were deemed close, must-watch races. How super amazing if we wake up confirming that Nancy Pelosi is our new speaker!

Still waiting to see how CT-04 went and how all our local races turn out (since polls just closed 1/2 hour ago) Here are some CA Results and my local races.

On a completely unrelated note - Mittens (cat #2) hasn't been feeling well and we took our first trip to the vet tonight to have her checked out. Turns out her heart rate is abnormally high so they kept her to do some test for hyperthyroid and other things. We should know tomorrow what the results are (so I'm waiting for more results than just the political ones). To also tie it back into the topic of the post, I had a great chat with the vet about the political results (which was nice, especially after discovering a number of R's in my group at work).

Election Day!

Go vote! And let's all hope for some good results this time around!

Darren's doing color commentary tonight on WFUV 90.7 FM Public Radio from Fordham University, and can be heard live on the Internet at www.wfuv.org (10-12 eastern / 7-9 pacific)

Slate mailers

3 more voter guides came in the mail today, and they looked a bit strange -- it was really hard to figure out who is behind them (what, no web site??) But I didn't look closely at the names, just piled them up to transcribe into a blog entry to share with you (since I do like to share).

So I picked up the first, just called "Your Ballot Guide", and googled it and found a whole bunch of information I didn't know about these mailers, known as "slate mailers."

Slate mailers leave even savvy voters scratching their heads (Capitol Weekly, 11/05)

Packaged to look like it is an official party platform, slate mail is, more often than not, produced by for-profit organizations that auction off their
collection of endorsements to the highest bidder.

The Stealth Campaign: Experimental Studies of Slate Mail in California (Presentation at the Annual Meeting of the American Political Science Association, Atlanta, GA., September 2-5, 1999)

If scholars have given too little attention to campaign mail, they have entirely overlooked the particular phenomenon known in California as "slate mail." Although political “slates" are known in other states, they usually consist simply of cards or similar materials containing a list of candidates nominated by a political party. Typically, they are produced and distributed by the party, on a relatively small scale. In California, although slate mailers occasionally originate from parties, they are usually published by private entrepreneurs, some of whom mail millions of pieces per election.

Slate mailers -- pay for play on CA Prop. 87

Instead of being sensible efforts to inform citizens, many slate mailers are actually extortion rackets -- pay us, or we'll endorse the other side. By producing an ostensibly "Democratic" ballot slate, but with reversed endorsements on a few races, these mailers trick voters into casting votes they wouldn't have done if fully informed.

For-profit 'voters guides' called misleading" (SignOnSanDiego, June 5, 2006)

“It's a really sleazy business and if you read the fine print, you'll figure out it's a sham,” Durfee said. “It's a for-profit business and has nothing to do with party politics. All it has to do with is making money.”

Dan Walters: Mailbox is today's war zone (SacBee, 10/11/06)

As a voter shuffles through stacks of slate mailers, the only clue to the motives behind their elaborately named sponsoring "organizations" is that recommendations for which money changed hands are marked by asterisks.

Ok, so taking a closer look at the three I received and looking for things that seem out of place...

The main thing that stands out is that all three of them ("Your Ballot Guide", "The Council of Concerned Women Voters" and "Voter Information Guide for Democrats") all have no for Prop 87 (yet all the other guides I've looked at have endorsed it

So anyway, take these mailers with a good grain of salt...

Prop Endorsements

The endorsements and voting guides are rolling in by email during these last few days before the election. I still need to read through the full guide, but here are some pointers from other groups:

Pro Choice Voting Guide

American Cancer Society: Yes on 86

Feminist Majority:
No on Proposition 85 Limits Abortion Access for Young Women
Yes on Proposition 86 Tax on Cigarettes
Yes on Proposition 87 Tax on California Oil Producers
Yes on Proposition 89 Clean Money & Fair Elections Act

CA Dems:
Yes on: 1A-E, 83, 84, 86, 87
No on: 85, 88, 90

SEIU:
Yes on: 86, 87, 89
No on: 85, 88, 90

And of course there is a great summary from Speak Out California:

SJ Mercury News
Prop. 1A: Transportation funding protection: Yes
Prop. 1B: Highways and transit: Yes
Prop. 1C: Housing and shelter: Yes
Prop. 1D: Schools and universities: Yes
Prop. 1E: Flood prevention: Yes
Prop. 83: Sex Offender Initiative: No
Prop. 84: Water and parks: Yes
Prop. 86: Tobacco tax: Yes
Prop. 88: Education Initiative: No
Prop. 89: Campaign-Finance Reform: No
Prop. 90: Eminent Domain Initiative: No
Morgan Hill Measure F: Yes
Santa Clara County Measure A: Growth-control initiative: Yes
11th Congressional District: Jerry McNerney

No On 85

Finally had a chance to phone bank tonight for the No on 85 campaign. There's lots of ways to get involved between now and Nov 7th if you're interested.

There were some great volunteers there making calls tonight -- some of the best phone bankers I've heard (and I've done a lot of phone banking for different campaigns). I was really impressed!

Looking over the Propositions

My sample ballot and voter information guide (191 pages) have arrived for the upcoming Nov 7th election, so its time to start looking into the many different propositions that will be on the ballot. Here's what will be on the ballot in my district with links to some resources about them:

Proposition 1A: Transportation Funding Protection
Should the California Constitution be amended to further protect the state sales tax revenues for transportation purposes from general-purpose use and require any funds borrowed to be repaid to the transportation fund?

Proposition 1B: Highway Safety, Traffic Reduction, Air Quality, and Port Security
Should the state sell $19.9 billion in general obligation bonds to fund state and local transportation improvement projects to relieve congestion, improve movement of goods, improve air quality, and enhance safety and security of the transportation system?

Proposition 1C: Housing and Emergency Shelter Trust Fund Act of 2006
Should the state sell $2.9 billion in general obligation bonds to fund housing for lower-income residents and development in urban areas near public transportation?

Proposition 1D: Kindergarten-University Public Education Facilities
Should the state sell $10.4 billion in general obligation bonds to fund repair and upgrade of public schools, including kindergarten through grade 12, community colleges, and state universities?

Proposition 1E: Disaster Preparedness and Flood Prevention
Should the state sell $4.1 billion in general obligation bonds to finance disaster preparedness and flood prevention projects at the state and local levels?

Proposition 83: Sex Offenders. Sexually Violent Predators. Punishment, Residence Restrictions and Monitoring.
Should California amend existing laws relating to violent and habitual sex offenders and child molesters to increase penalties and monitoring?

Proposition 84: Water Quality, Safety and Supply. Flood Control. Natural Resource Protection. Park Improvements.
Should the state issue $5.4 billion in bonds for a wide variety of projects related to water safety, rivers, beaches, levees, watersheds, and parks and forests?

Proposition 85: Waiting Period and Parental Notification Before Termination of Minor's Pregnancy.
Should the California Constitution be amended to require notification of the parent or legal guardian of an unemancipated pregnant minor at least 48 hours before performing an abortion?

Proposition 86: Tax on Cigarettes
Should the state impose an additional tax of $2.60 per cigarette pack to fund new and expanded health services, health insurance for children, and expand tobacco use prevention programs?

Proposition 87: Alternative Energy. Research, Production, Incentives. Tax on California Oil Producers
Should California establish a $4 billion Clean Alternative Energy Program to reduce California's oil and gasoline consumption by 25 percent through incentives for alternative energy, education, and training?

Proposition 88: Education Funding. Real Property Parcel Tax
Should the California Constitution be amended to levy an annual $50 real property tax on most parcels with the funds allocated to five K-12 education programs?

Proposition 89: Political Campaigns. Public Financing. Corporate Tax Increase. Campaign Contribution and Expenditure Limits
Should eligible candidates for state elective offices receive public campaign funding that is supported by new taxes on corporations and financial institutions, and should contribution limits be imposed on those candidates that do not receive public campaign funding?

Proposition 90: Government Acquisition, Regulation of Private Property
Should the California Constitution be amended to require government to pay property owners for substantial economic losses resulting from some new laws and rules, and limit government authority to take ownership of private property?

Local Measures

Measure A: Land Use Initiative -- County of Santa Clara (Majority Approval Required)
Shall the County General Plan be amended to reenact and modify certain existing provisions and add provisions for hillsides, open space, ranchlands, and rural areas in unincorporated areas of the County, including limiting minimum parcel size on ranchlands and hilltops to 160 acres, with exceptions, limiting building size, and prohibiting the Board of Supervisors from making changes to the General Plan inconsistent with these amendments?

Measure F: Amend General Plan -- City of Morgan Hill (Majority Approval Required)
Shall an ordinance be adopted to amend the Morgan Hill General Plan and Municipal Code Residential Development Control System to allow 100 additional residential allotments for projects of up to 25 units within the Downtown Core; and allowing earlier starts and completions for projects located within the Downtown RDCS Boundary allotted in March 2006; provided that all projects are consistent with the Downtown Plan and meet minimum RDCS scores?

Guides
League of Women Voters Easy Voter Guide (Propositions)
Smart Voter.org

Endorsements
Speak Out California (lists endorsements from Speak Out, Cal Nurses, CLCV, CA Now, Sierra Club, CA Dems, and Cal Labor Fed)
Democratic Party Endorsements
California League of Conservation Voters endorsements

Primary Results

Looks like the results are in for yesterday's primaries, and my friend Darren's race is over. Hopefully he had a grand time running and learned alot... for next time!

CQPolitics - Democrats Say Hall Is ‘the One’ to Take on Kelly in N.Y. 19: Hall garnered 49 percent of the vote over Aydelott, who finished second among voters with 27 percent. The remaining 25 percent of the vote was split among political consultant Darren Rigger and high school principal Ben Shuldiner.

Poughkeepsie Journal - Hall defeats 3 Democratic challengers in District 19: On Tuesday, primary voters got to choose from four Democrats each hoping to ride a current wave of anti-GOP sentiment to a victory over Kelly in this November's general election.

South County Dems

Got a chance to meet some of the local democratic candidates at the South County Democrats annual BBQ this afternoon. Here we are with District Attorney candidate Karyn Sinunu

Our congressional candidate Jerry McNerney, Salinas Mayor Anna Caballero who is running for State Assembly in District 28 (we're in 27)

The BBQ was at a local park with a fantastic barn:

Counter Rally

We joined the hundreds of people in SF this morning as part of the counter-rally to the march going on there.

News coverage:
SF Gate: Dueling Middle East war protests in San Francisco

And sadly, just as we were returning from SF, we received a phone call with tragic news from Israel, the first person Shachar directly knew killed in this current round of fighting. Our thoughts go out to their family and to all the people we know serving there now, including a few just called up from the reserves last week.

More about DOPA

As an effort to educate myself a bit more about DOPA, here is some information and some links:

The issue is the Deleting Online Predators Act (DOPA), which would—among other things—require schools and public libraries to bar children from accessing social networking sites like MySpace. Despite widespread concerns about the Act, the US House of Representatives passed it by a 410-15 vote on Thursday.

Some people's thoughts on this:

• Danah Boyd's original post (" This legislation broadly defines social network sites as anything that includes a Profile plus an ability to communicate with strangers. It covers social networking sites, chatrooms, bulletin boards. Obviously, the target is MySpace but most of our industry would be affected. Blogger, Flickr, Odeo, LiveJournal, Xanga, Neopets, MySpace, Facebook, AIM, Yahoo! Groups, MSN Spaces, YouTube, eBaumsworld, Slashdot. It would affect Wikipedia if there wasn't a special clause for non-commercial sites. Because many news sites (NYTimes, CNN, the Post) allow people to login and create profiles and comment, it might affect them too."
  
• text of amendment (pdf): "To amend the Communications Act of 1934 to require recipients of universal service support for schools and libraries to protect minors from commercial social networking websites and chat rooms."
  
• Library Journal: DOPA Passes House by Wide Margin; ALA Dismayed
  
• weblogg-ed and their DOPA Letter Wiki
  
• Ars Technica posts, Dopey DOPA bill passes House and Deleting predators from MySpace
  
• Cool Cat Teacher: What's Wrong with DOPA
  
• Tech Crunch: US House: Schools must block MySpace, many other sites
  
• Good Morning Silicon Valley: All in favor of hysteria, panic and misinformation, say "aye"
  

Some people taking action:

• ALA - Take Action (send an email or fax right now to your senators)
  
• http://www.mobilize.org/SOS "Because we believe young people, who have grown up with the internet, should be consulted on solutions for internet problems. We want a seat at the table, and feel like we deserve one, especially when it concerns the technology we know so well. Congress, please listen to our suggestions and invite us to the table before your legislation silences the voices of our generation."
  

Local Arts Advocacy

Just got back from my first commission meeting with a long list of things to research, prepare for, and jump right into. One of the items we put on our workplan (we spent all day Saturday planning our projects and goals for the year ahead) was to be active advocates for libraries, arts, and culture and particularly to particulate in Library Legislative Day (April 18, 2007), letter writing campaigns and other activities to be active on issues at the state level that affect MH. The California Library Association does a great job keeping people informed about library-related activities going on, but we wanted to pull together some arts advocacy sources as well.

Here are a few that I'll have to check out

California Arts Council
California Arts Advocates
California Assembly of Local Arts Agencies
California Alliance for Arts Education Advocacy
Sacramento Arts Advocates
Arts on the Line
California Alliance of Nonprofits
National Assembly of State Arts Agencies

and of course nationally there is Americans for the Arts (with our family connection to that one...)

If you know of other good ones, please let me know!

Mapchangers

Two of the congressional races I'm following closely (CA-11 and CT-04) are featured as finalists on the Map Changers site. The winning campaign gets a fundraiser with Governor Mark Warner, chair of the Forward Together PAC.

Election Update

I had about my usual sucess rate in picking the winners in yesterday's election. Oh well. Its so sad that both the library measure and local school parcel tax failed -- on the plus side we made the town safe for yet another supermarket (I'm still not sure what that went to the voters). Now we'll have to see how the candidates fare in the general election in November. It'd certainly be nice to have a new congressperson from this disctrict!! Here are some of the results (via smart voter):

28.9% Countywide Voter Turnout (215,760/747,644)
28% Statewide Voter Turnout (4,388,827/15,668,439)

Governor; Democratic Party
* Phil Angelides
980,065 votes 47.9%
* Steve Westly
888,948 votes 43.4%

Lieutenant Governor; Democratic Party
* John Garamendi
869,577 votes 43.4%
* Jackie Speier
772,794 votes 38.6%

Secretary of State; Democratic
* Debra Bowen
1,080,671 votes 60.9%
* Deborah V. Ortiz
694,788 votes 39.1%

Attorney General; Democratic
* Jerry Brown
1,258,909 votes 62.9%

United States Representative; District 11;
* Jerry McNerney
19,408 votes 52.6%

Proposition 81 California Reading and Literacy Improvement and Public Library Construction and Renovation Bond Act of 2006
Fail: 1,865,583 / 47.0% Yes votes ...... 2,104,230 / 53.0% No votes

Proposition 82 Preschool Education.
Tax on Incomes Over $400,000 for Individuals; $800,000 for Couples
Fail: 1,577,048 / 39.1% Yes votes ...... 2,453,578 / 60.9% No votes

Measure A Sales Tax -- County of Santa Clara (Majority Approval Required)
Fail: 89,075 / 42.38% Yes votes ...... 121,120 / 57.62% No votes

Measure B Parks -- County of Santa Clara (Majority Approval Required)
Pass: 143,537 / 70.32% Yes votes ...... 60,587 / 29.68% No votes

Measure E Parcel Tax -- Morgan Hill Unified School District (2/3 Approval Required)
Fail: 4,442 / 55.33% Yes votes ...... 3,586 / 44.67% No votes

Measure H Ordinance Revision -- City of Morgan Hill (Majority Approval Required)
Pass: 4,036 / 81.80% Yes votes ...... 898 / 18.20% No votes

Voted

I did manage to vote (albeit provisionally since they didn't manage to make the address/name change successfully) Here's hoping the library measure passes!!

Election Day!

Its election day here in California. I usually try to vote first thing in the morning but think I'll save the fun until after work today instead (since I'm a bit concerned that my change of address didn't go through so I may need to try both polling places to find my name) But I have my voting guide all annotated with who I'm planning to vote for and my favorite "VOTE" pin, and am ready to go!

Some thoughts on marriage

I have traditionally had a pretty unromantic view of marriage. Having watched many marriages dissolve, I had come to the conclusion that marriage was either unnecessary (the independent feminist in me determined to prove that I didn't need to be married to be a full person, etc) or really all about health care, visitation rights, and legal status (which seemed somewhat unfair that you couldn't then get those without being married). I had grown up around quite a few (and often very messy) divorces, which certainly colored my views.

Despite that, I've always felt strongly that the right of marriage should be extended to same-sex couples (though honestly I felt about it much as I thought about gays in the military -- anyone who wants in should get in, but I didn't entirely understand why anyone would want to join up...)

But now, having taken the plunge and been married for all of 2 1/2 months, I'm beginning to finally understand why people are fighting for the right to get married and am more adamant in my opposition to the bigoted and baffling proposals to "protect" the institution of marriage.

As they say, marriage is a fundamental institution of civilization. Any loving couple who is willing to make this commitment and take on the responsibility of getting married should have the right and honor of doing so (or choose not to if they'd rather and still be protected legally on all those important things).

So what to do?
Learn more, send postcards or emails, sign petitions, check out the list of co-sponsors to the bill, spread the word, get out there and VOTE (for some of us, tomorrow!) Other ideas?

Gore on SNL

I completely missed this, but had to share just in case any of you missed it too:

Video: If Gore Had Been Elected: Al Gore Presidential Address on Saturday Night Live

Voter Reg Deadline

Reminder: This Monday is the deadline for registering to vote in the June 6th Primary (here in CA). Your county elections office must receive new voter registrations no later than May 22nd.

PAC for a Change - Support Diane

Today Barbara Boxer is inviting us to decide which Democratic House candidates her PAC for a Change should support next. The Democratic incumbent and the Democratic challenger receiving the most online votes will each be featured in a fundraising email to the PAC for a Change community -- which could be worth tens of thousands of dollars to their campaigns.

So please vote for your favorite Democratic House candidates now:

http://www.barbaraboxer.com/vote

I'm supporting my home-town candidate Diane Farrell (CT-4) and hope you will too!

Another Darren Clip

MidHudsonNews.com: Rigger announces campaign for House

Update: here are a few more:

Poughkeepsie Journal:Democrat seeks to oppose Kelly

DC Political Report: It's Rigged

Political fund raiser Darren Rigger (D-NY) has launched his campaign to unseat U.S. Representative Sue W. Kelly (R-NY). Rigger said, "I was born and raised in this district, and I have spent a lot of time talking to people about the 2006 election. What has become clear is that the people of the 19th District are ready for a change in Washington, D.C. They want someone to bring energy and enthusiasm to the job."

Darren in the Gadflyer

Got an alert today that Darren's mentioned in The Gadflyer, a progressive Internet magazine.

House Race Spotlight

Darren Rigger is running for Congress in the 19th District of New York, in the lower Hudson Valley. Should he be elected, he'll be far and away the coolest dude in the House of Representatives.

hehe. couldn't agree more ;)

Voted

I was the first person to vote at my polling place this morning (there was one guy before me but he realized after a while that he was in the wrong place, so I became the first person). So now I have my big "I voted touchscreen" sticker to wear!

Easy way to remember

I like the slogan from Speak Out CA: Nix the First Six.

Another Voter Guide

Our local TV station has put up another voter guide, Voice of the Voter. The cool thing is that it is a blog, so at the bottom of any of the proposition pages you can add comments. (via The Bay Area is Talking)

and a nice summary page from the Sec. of State page

Diane on Emily's List

Diane Farrell's in today's Emily's List email announcing some of the new candidates they're backing.

Diane Farrell, the top official in Westport, Conn., nearly beat Rep. Christopher Shays, who outspent her by nearly 50 percent in 2004. Shays calls himself a moderate, but he's moved rightward over the years and is now out of step with his increasingly Democratic district. Democrats and Republicans alike praise Farrell for balancing city budgets and leading her community on transportation, economic opportunity, and smart growth. Click here to help send Diane Farrell to the U.S. House in 2006.

Vote for Darren!

Yay! My friend Darren is running for congress in NY! Here's part of his announcement email:

As you know I have spent the past fifteen years working in government and politics and passionately trying to promote Democratic change in America. At this critical juncture in the state of our nation, I cannot help but feel compelled to do more. 

I am proud to announce that I have decided to run for the United States Congress. 

I am seeking to represent the hardworking people of Congressional District 19 in New York State which includes parts of Westchester, Putnam, Dutchess, Orange and Rockland counties. My family, friends and community deserve a representative who will fight to ensure security both at home and abroad and who will work to protect social security, provide greater access to healthcare and promote equal access to quality education. Please visit my campaign website at: www.riggerforcongress.com to learn more about this exciting campaign, my stance on the issues and to lend your support.

And of course soon he'll have a blog... ;)

Arnold's Neighborhood

More political fun, if you haven't already seen it:

Schwarzenegger Street, with very very strong apologies to our beloved Sesame Street characters.

Update: Here's another fun flash one with the original singer of the Monster Mash, Climate Mash. People are really doing such creative things in this medium!

Another Voting Guide

Looking for more guidance on some of the local elections? Here's another voting guide for Santa Clara County from Voting Pro Choice (includes council and school board races for Cupertino, Los Altos, Sunnyvale, etc.)

Getting Ready for Nov 8

Here are the ballot intiatives we'll be voting on here in California very soon (if you don't know where you're supposed to vote or what will appear on your ballot, try putting your address and zip into the Easy Voter Guide.) [I'm still working on this posting as I read more about the different propositions -- comments on ones you care strongly about are welcome]

Proposition 73. Waiting Period and Parental Notification Before Termination of Minor's Pregnancy -- State of California (Initiative Constitutional Amendment)
Should the California Constitution be amended to require notification of the parent or legal guardian of an unemancipated, pregnant minor at least 48 hours before performing an abortion on the minor?
Campaign for Teen Safety
NARAL Fact Sheets

Proposition 74. Public School Teachers. Waiting Period for Permanent Status. Dismissal -- State of California (Initiative Statute)
Should the probationary period for public school teachers be increased from two to five years, and should the process by which school boards can dismiss a permanent certificated employee be modified?
referred to by some as the Governor's "Punish New Teachers" Act
No on 74

Proposition 75. Public Employee Union Dues. Restrictions on Political Contributions. Employee Consent Requirement -- State of California (Initiative Statute)
Should public employee unions be required to obtain annual written consent from each member in order to use a portion of that member's dues for political activity?
referred to by my union as "Stop the Right's Hidden Agenda"
No on 75

Proposition 76. State Spending and School Funding Limits -- State of California (Initiative Constitutional Amendment)
Should Californians make major Constitutional changes to create an additional state spending limit, grant the governor substantial new power to unilaterally reduce state spending, and revise key provisions relating to Proposition 98, school and community college funding, and transportation funding authorized by Proposition 42?
Cuts Schools by $4 Billion - Better CA

Proposition 77. Redistricting. Initiative Constitutional Amendment -- State of California (Initiative Constitutional Amendment)
Should the California Constitution be amended to change the process of redistricting California's State Senate, State Assembly, Congressional and Board of Equalization districts, transferring the implementation of redistricting from the Legislature to a panel of three retired judges, selected by legislative leaders?
Weakens Our Voting Rights, Opposed by the League of Women Voters
No on 77

Proposition 78. Discounts on Prescription Drugs -- State of California (Initiative Statute)
Should the state adopt a new state drug discount program to reduce the costs of prescription drugs for Californians at or below 300 percent of the federal poverty level?
referred to by some as the "Drug Industry’s Sham Initiative"
No on 78

Proposition 79. Prescription Drug Discounts. State-Negotiated Rebates -- State of California (Initiative Statute)
Should the state of California create a new prescription drug discount program for residents at or below 400 percent of the federal poverty level, and change state law to make it illegal to engage in profiteering from the sale of prescription drugs?
Affordable Prescription Drugs
Yes on 79

Proposition 80. Electric Service Providers. Regulation -- State of California (Initiative Statute)
Should the state expand its regulation of the electric industry?
Reliable, Affordable, Green Energy
The Utility Reform Network
N on Prop 80
Will have to look for some comments from environmental groups on this one I think...

Good sources of information:
Smart Voter
CA Secretary of State
Health Vote (nonpartisan information about the three November 2005 California ballot propositions dealing with health care: parental notification for the termination of a minor's pregnancy; pharmacy assistance program; and cheaper prescription drugs)
Institute of Governmental Studies at Berkeley
California Voter Foundation

Here's a good summary of how a bunch of different groups recommend voting (from Speak Out California -- basically most people say VOTE NO ON: 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78 and VOTE YES ON: 79, 80

Arts Education Action

Take a second and write to your reps:

First, the U.S. House of Representatives has approved a bill to eliminate FY 2006 funding for federal Arts in Education programs at the U.S. Departmernt of Education. The Senate, however, is poised to approve a slight increase. You can help ensure that the Senate position prevails by taking two minutes to write your Member of Congress urging support for arts education funding. At stake is approximately $35 million in annual grants that support model programs in arts education.

Click here to take action

Second, in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, the Republican Study Committee (RSC) has called for *eliminating all funding* for the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. The RSC is a policy body that advises conservative Republican members of the U.S. House of Representatives. Needless to say, cutting this funding would not even make a dent in the need for hurricane relief, and at the same time it would deprive the affected areas of much-needed help in rebuilding their vital cultural sectors. The Americans for the Arts E-Advocacy Center has “talking points” on this threat that you can include in the message you send to Congress.

And since I'm on my soapbox, have I mentioned how upset I am that the congressman representing where we just moved to is totally not who I would have voted for? The ACLU gives him a lifetime score of 3% and both NARAL and LCV give him a big fat 0%.

And when I went to check LCV for his score, he's the top news story -- "Over the objections of fellow House members, Rep. Richard Pombo moves his pro-developer revision of the Endangered Species Act to a vote. A vote is expected this week." Ugh.

No on 73: Campaign for Teen Safety

I know it feels early to be worrying about the November elections, but here's one to keep an eye on for the fall, a parental notification measure.

Vote No on Prop 73

some comments from PPMM:

Proposition 73, an initiative that would require parents of minors to be notified 48 hours before an abortion, will be decided in the November 8th Special Election. If the proposition passes, the safety and health of our teenage daughters [and friends] will be put in serious danger.

While all parents rightly want to be involved in their teenage daughters' lives, good family communication cannot be imposed by government. If a teenager gets pregnant our first concern must be for her safety. Parental notification laws force teenagers to choose between talking with parents or having illegal, unsafe
abortions.

Proposition 73 also puts our most vulnerable teens -- those who live in troubled homes -- in harm's way. If our daughters can't come to us, for whatever reason, we must make sure they get safe medical attention from qualified doctors and nurses.

Front Page

I'm in the photo of the rally on the front page of the Merc! The online version is here (ok, you can't see my face, but that's definitely me)

You can also see the top of my head (I'm holding the "We won't go back" sign) here on the channel 5 news (in the second picture, I'm on the far right)

Rally Tonight

Planned Parenthood Mar Monte will join organizations across the South Bay
for a rally and visibility event this evening. Bring a sign and make your
voices heard!

What: Save the Supreme Court Rally and Visibility
When: 5:00 PM, Friday, July 1
Where: San Jose Federal Building 280 S. First Street (corner of First and
San Carlos) San Jose, CA

Update: The rally was great -- good turnout and lots of people honking their horns in support as they drove by. Note to self: next time I go to one of these a) wear better shoes (since we decided to march too) b) wear one of my stash of pro-choice t-shirts that I carefully saved around here somewhere for these situations c) bring a list of more creative chants since we quickly ran out of interesting ones and it really is a lot more effective when everyone is yelling and d) do not march with a copy of the AACR2 (which is far too heavy to lug all the way around downtown, but I went to the rally right after meeting with my cataloging group to prep for this weekend's take home exam) Most of the local news stations were there covering it, so you may see us later tonight. I had a quick chat with one of the gals from PP about what the next steps are, and they sound like they're organized and ready to fight which was a little reassuring given how bleak everything looks from here.

Time to get involved

In an action alert today from Karen Pearl, Interim President, Planned Parenthood Federation of America: "It's here - the most critical moment for our reproductive rights that I've seen in my lifetime. With Justice Sandra Day O'Connor's resignation from the Supreme Court today, the time to spring into action has come. The justice appointed to take her place could potentially determine the reproductive choices we are allowed to make for an entire generation. And we need you to make a difference in this fight, starting now."

NARAL: "Justice Sandra Day O'Connor retirement gives President Bush and the radical right the chance they've been waiting for to overturn Roe v. Wade. They're pulling out all the stops to push through President Bush’s anti-choice judicial nominees to the Supreme Court. We cannot let it happen." Bush v. Choice: "Over the next 10 days, NARAL Pro-Choice America is launching the campaign we have been preparing for months. With your support, our campaign can block the confirmation or appointment of an anti-choice justice who would end a woman's right to choose."

ACLU: "The ACLU has great concern that the Bush administration will replace Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, who announced her retirement on Friday, with a nominee whose judicial philosophy is fundamentally opposed to the progress made in protecting individual rights."

NOW: "With the resignation of Associate Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, George W. Bush will have the opportunity to replace a justice who has often made the difference in the preservation of essential rights. With a fragile 5-to-4 split in the Court on issues like abortion and affirmative action, we must fight for the appointment of a justice who will uphold and protect our hard-won Constitutional rights. Urge your Senator to oppose any Supreme Court nominee who would overturn Roe v. Wade and limit the economic and reproductive rights of girls and women in the U.S."

MoveOn: "Its rumored that Bush will nominate a replacement as quickly as this Tuesday. In the next few days Bush, the Senate and the media will all be will be listening very carefully--gauging the public reaction to this vacancy and deciding how far they can go."

Ms.: Hanging By A Thread: What’s At Stake If We Lose The Supreme Court

BlogHer: The first woman to serve on America's highest court has just rocked the political world.

Write to your senators, speak up, volunteer, get involved.

News Coverage

Here's some of the news coverage so far:

Voters continue county library tax but refuse to pay more
By Sandra Gonzales
Mercury News

Voters on Tuesday approved one tax proposal to continue funding libraries but turned down another that would have required them to pay more in Santa Clara County's largest mail-only election.

Seventy-two percent of voters supported Measure A, which continues an annual tax of $33.66 on a single-family home for 10 years, generating $5.4 million a year. But Measure B garnered only 64 percent of the vote. That proposal asked voters for an additional $12 a year that would have brought in an extra $1.9 million a year for the Santa Clara COunty library district.

Both proposals needed a two-thirds majority to pass.

And a note about people waiting until the last minutes: "Rosas said more than 400 ballots were dropped off Tuesday with about 3,000 coming in the mail Tuesday. All ballots were tallied by 9:20 p.m. election night."

Bay City News Wire: ONE SANTA CLARA COUNTY LIBRARY MEASURE APPEARS TO PASS

The majority of voters have cast their ballots and it appears that a measure regarding the Santa Clara County library system appears to be passing and another measure appears not to be passing, according to unofficial results on the county Web site.

Election Night, cont.

I raced from Milpitas (where they were watching the returns come in from a nice gathering in the community room) over to Campbell where our steering committee group had assembled. Here are a few photos of the group. It was an amazing group to work with over the past few weeks (and hopefully I will continue to work with many of them at the library)

I loved the centerpiece Jason made:

Terri, Liz and Karen

Katherine always has the best t-shirts (this one says: "In the defense of freedom and literacy libraries are the most powerful weapons we have. Use them!")

And the latest, unofficial semi-final results are:
A passes with 72.04%
B fails with 64.23%

Good and Bad

Well, the early results are in... and it looks like A passed and B didn't. And it only lost by less than 1800 votes. Its certainly better than it could have been -- if A had lost there would be layoffs, significant reduction in hours, etc. But this means that we will still be closed on Mondays, will not be filling the positions that have been left open from the last round of cuts, and will not be restoring any of the other services that were cut. But we certainly appreciate all the people who did vote yes!

update: here are the 8:30 numbers:

Last Updated: May 3, 2005 8:30 PM
Registration & Turnout
201,103 Voters
Vote Count Percent
Mail Ballot Turnout 72,075 35.84%
DRE Early Vote Turnout 0 0.00%
Total 72,075 35.84%

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Measure A
13/15 86.67%
Vote Count Percent
YES 51,113 72.03%
NO 19,847 27.97%
Total 70,960 100.00%

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Measure B
13/15 86.67%
Vote Count Percent
YES 44,953 64.21%
NO 25,058 35.79%
Total 70,011 100.00%

Election Day

Its election day -- we'll find out preliminary results by about 9pm tonight.

There was one last piece in the Marc: Library ballot count set tonight
THERE'S STILL TIME TO WALK IN, VOTE
By Truong Phuoc Khánh

As of Monday, election spokeswoman Elma Rosas said, the registrar had received 68,917 ballots out of a total of 201,103 registered voters, or 34 percent of those eligible to vote in the special election.

The registrar's office will be open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. for the election today. The office is at 1555 Berger Drive, Building 2, in San Jose. For more information, call (408) 299-8683.

Good instructions in the Merc

posted on saturday in the SJ Merc:

SANTA CLARA COUNTY

Library election ballots must be in by Tuesday

Voters in Tuesday's Santa Clara County Library District Joint Powers Authority Special Election must get their mail-in ballots in by 8 p.m. on election day so they can be tallied.

Voters are encouraged to complete and return their ballots as soon as possible to ensure they arrive at the Registrar of Voters' Office by the deadline. Postmarks are not accepted.

The district includes Campbell, Cupertino, Gilroy, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Milpitas, Monte Sereno, Morgan Hill, Saratoga and unincorporated areas.

Completed ballots should be sealed inside the green postage prepaid return envelopes that have been provided. Voters must remember to sign the return envelope themselves, or their ballots cannot be tallied. The registrar has to verify the validity of the ballot by matching the voter's signature on the envelope to that on the voter's registration form.

Voters may return their completed ballots either by mail or in person at the Registrar of Voters' Office, 1555 Berger Drive, Building 2, San Jose, during normal business hours from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Monday. They may also drop off their ballots between 7 a.m. and 8 p.m. on Tuesday, election day.

For more information, voters may contact the registrar's office toll free at (866) 430-8683; English at (408) 299-8683; Spanish at (408) 282-3077; Vietnamese at (408) 282-3097; Chinese at (408) 282-3086; Tagalog at (408) 535-3916; TTY at (408) 288-9820 and e-mail at registrar@rov.sccgov.org.

NBC11 Piece

Thank you to Emy, who alerted me in time to catch a piece about the campaign on our local NBC affiliate. I wish they had stressed that the ballots have to be IN by Tuesday (they can't just be postmarked by Tuesday and even in our last phone calls last night we were still getting people who didn't realize that or -- eek -- still thought they could go to the polls instead of voting by mail), but overall it was a fair piece and had very nice photos of story time at Cupertino. They interviewed some of the libertarian opposition and a supportive City Council Member and our County Librarian (who mentioned that they had identified 70 positions they'll have to cut if it fails -- ouch!)

(I'm not sure what was up with the big closeup of the Passover story book, but maybe they shot the footage earlier in the week -- it looks like a cute book though: Seder with the animals by Howard I. Bogot and Mary K. Bogot, llustrated by Norman Gorbaty... and that copy does seem to currently be checked out according to the catalog)

(And yes, I really am looking forward to the day when I can grab good images off the tv or tivo and blog them)

Where the results will be

Tonight's the last night of phone banking for the campaign -- ballots pretty much have to be mailed in by tomorrow to be sure they'll get there by Tuesday's deadline (if you haven't mailed yours in, please do so today! or you can drop it off to them at 1555 Berger Dr, San Jose, CA)

Just posting this here so I can find it on Tuesday (since I got a google alert for it this morning):
The County of Santa Clara - Registrar of Voters
... Santa Clara County Library District Joint Powers Authority. Click here
to see the results for the May 3, 2005 Special Mail Ballot Election ...

Tina P in NY Times

In 1995 or so, I spent the summer in Seattle working on Tina Podlodowski's campaign for city council. Mom pointed out that she's on the front page of the NY Times today:

Microsoft Comes Under Fire for Reversal on Gay Rights Bill
By Sarah Kershaw
Published: April 22, 2005

Apparently, "The Microsoft Corporation, at the forefront of corporate gay rights for decades, is coming under fire from gay rights groups, politicians and its own employees for withdrawing its support for a state bill that would have barred discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation."

"I think people should feel betrayed," said Tina Podlodowski, a former Microsoft senior manager and former Seattle city councilwoman who now runs an advocacy group for AIDS patients. "To me, Microsoft has been one of the big supporters of gay and lesbian civil rights issues, and they did it when it wasn't an issue of political expediency, when it was the right thing to do."

Cheers Tina, from one of the "Pod People"!

B's PDF Article

Check out Brian's very well-written piece on Personal Democracy Forum today: Please Standby... The DNC Is Still Experiencing Technical Difficulties. Nice job B!

Take Action: Fund California's Arts and Culture

Americans for the Arts sent out an action alert today regarding AB655, "All for 1%-1% for All," which would provide funds, estimated at $30 million the first year, for grants from the California Arts Council (CAC) to arts organizations and arts education programs throughout the state.

On Tuesday, April 19, The Committee on Arts, Entertainment, Sports, Tourism and Internet Media will hold a hearing on AB 655. The bill will establish a continuous funding stream for the CAC from a 1 percent admission surcharge on entertainment venues and presenters, both for-profit and non-profit.

Take Action

The Place to Be

Two of my favorite people in the world are both moving to DC to work for EMILY's List, one of my favorite organizations (and not just because of the name... though I always did want to work there so I could answer the phone and say "EMILY's List, this is Emily") Congrats to Carrie and Bob -- and I am super jealous of each of them and both of them and wish them both the very best of luck!

Gathering Momentum

A great night of phone banking tonight -- especially because Joel applied a little peer pressure and bet Ellen an hour of phone time so they both had to show up. :)

C'mon, you know you want to come and help out too!

Arts Advocacy Day

Today is Arts Advocacy Day brought to you by the folks at Americans for the Arts. Take action here:

And here's Mom on Westport Now with Chris Shays.

More chances to come phone bank

We've moved Thursday's MeetUp to be a chance to come and phone bank, so if you were planning to come to that (or just want to be a good friend and help phone bank), I'll be phoning from the SJ location Wednesday night and back at the Campbell spot on Thursday. So let me know if anyone wants to come along or meet up there and I can give you all the info. Its really easy and fun to do. Julia came along last Monday and rocked at it (of course). They're phoning 6-8:30pm Monday-Thursday (and we're thinking of adding more days since we have a LOT more folks to contact).

Phone banking

Phone banking tonight (in downtown SJ) if anyone wants to come along.

Kickoff Reminder

A reminder that tonight's our official campaign kickoff. Come, eat, learn more about the campaign, bring your address books and write some letters, sign up to help out!

Tuesday, March 8th 6-9 p.m

The Campbell Campaign is holding it's official kickoff and volunteer orientation at
Stone Griffin Art Gallery in Downtown Campbell
416 E Campbell Ave.
Campbell, CA 95008

Everyone is invited! (I unfortunately have to work tonight, but I hope some of you will stop by and support them!)

Phone Banking Tonight

I'll be phone banking for the library campaign tonight -- let me know if you want to come along.

Surveyed Again

I was surveyed again tonight (that's what I get for years of questionning those tv poll results because no one I ever knew ever was asked). This time it was on issues relating to Measure A from 2000 which levied a half-cent transit sales tax and allowed Santa Clara County voters the opportunity to vote on transportation improvements in the county. (Info from the VTA Site) Of course with the economic downturn, the sales tax hasn't brought in the needed funding to build all the projects people were promised, so they're talking about either raising the tax a little bit more or making some tough decisions about which of the projects to fund or cut. So I was asked all sorts of questions about how I would prioritize the projects, if I would support the increase, whose opinions I would be influenced by if they came out in support of the measure, etc. Its a bit hard to believe that someone really bases political decisions on the results of these polls, but at least I'm being asked, so I shouldn't complain.

It would be pretty cool to extend Bart into San Jose.

Phone banking rocks

There's nothing like a good campaign with great people for a great cause to get me pumped up. I am definitely on a first-night-of-phone-banking high (the pizza and cookies probably didn't hurt the sugar level part of the rush) and you should definitely all come and phone with me next Monday because it was SO much fun (and a very supportive list to be calling).

Phone Banking Starts Tonight

We're kicking off our phone banking tonight for the library campaign -- if you're interested in helping, please let me know! It's going to be fun (really!)

Tabling

After this morning's campaign meeting, Ellen and I spent a few hours in the sunshine talking to people outside the library about the campaign and trying to encourage people to sign up to help with the phone banking (hint, hint!). There was a Friends' book sale today so there were loads of folks -- and of course since they were all library users they were pretty supportive.

Mailing

Merged, printed, signed (by the whole committee this morning actually), folded, stuffed, sealed, and sent a batch of almost a hundred fundraising/volunteer recruitment letters this afternoon -- and I haven't even done the set to friends and family yet. Of course after that I needed a nap so I haven't gotten any of the other things on my list done yet today, but I was quite proud of the pile of letters (even though they're long-shot, cold-leads gleaned from FEC filing lists).

Anniversary of Roe v Wade

January 22, 2005 marks the 32nd anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court decision Roe v. Wade that protects the constitutional right of women to choose to have a safe and legal abortion.

Anti-choice extremists plan to march in San Francisco against reproductive freedom today. The San Francisco Pro-Choice Coalition will hold the March to Defend Women's Rights on January 22, 2005 which will start at the Powell Street Bart Station to stand up for reproductive freedom and demonstrate that the Bay Area is pro-choice.

More info at SaveRoe.com, Planned Parenthood Mar Monte, NARAL, etc.

Tempting T-Shirt

Via an ad on SeanBonner.com which I found from a link from a link from Joi)

This one is tempting as well (via wonkette)

A new map

Mom sent this map along (Joey sent it to her, but I don't know the original source)

And via Joi a few days ago, Harper's Magazine's Electing to Leave, A reader’s guide to expatriating on November 3

And via Daisers, Sorry Everybody -- How Can We Make It Up To You?

The Map

Electoral-vote.com, home of all that good polling data all along, has this new map by county of how the vote turned out.

He writes, "From looking at the map, you wouldn't know that almost half the population voted for Kerry. It shows very clearly how Kerry's base is in highly-populated urban areas and Bush's base is more in suburban and rural areas."

Eegads that's just so scary and depressing to look at.

So true, so sad

(I had heard the quote on NPR this afternoon, but thanks Bob for sending the image along!)

Shock

I can't even think of anything to write. This is really really bad.

Working and waiting

I don't know why I agreed to work tonight, but given how hard its been to sit at home this afternoon and get stuff done without continuously checking the time, calculating how much time is left until the polls close, feeling nervous, feeling hopeful... its probably just as well that I'll be out and about and with other people when the news does start to come in. So I'll be in Milpitas from 5-9 if anyone needs me -- or post any good links, tips, stats, results, etc. here so I can check from there.

It also just occurred to me that this is my last election in the "under 30" demographic. Just in time for the election that Generation E - "the empowered generation" - is a major force in. Joe Trippi writes, "Today another generation of Americans— perhaps the first in decades— goes to the polls believing they can change the world. Regardless of the candidate of their choice, and regardless of that candidate’s victory or loss, they are changing our nation’s politics—for the better."

I'm looking forward to Brian's report on how so many people are checking the blogs today that many of them have been unaccessible...

Let the nail biting begin!

Election day at last! Vote early and often!

Year of Passion

Not that I've gotten through much of the paper yet today, but this article in the Week in Review caught my eye: The Year of Passion by Todd S. Purdum. Deep within it is a quote by my favorite theorist, Robert Putnam, on th effect of the Internet on the campaign season.

If the Internet has been the source of vicious blogs and half-baked rumors, it has also often been a worthy watchdog on the mainstream media, a direct route to the candidates' records and official Web sites and a means of instantly checking their half-truths and evasions through nonpartisan outlets like FactCheck.org at the University of Pennsylvania's Annenberg Center.

Online networking groups like Meetup.com used new technology to breathe life into the oldest American tradition: the town hall meeting. They allowed Howard Dean's supporters - and others - "to create 'alloys,' networks that are mixtures of silicon and real flesh," said Robert Putnam, a professor of public policy at Harvard. "People are making the connection over the Internet, but what they really want is not just the cyberfriend but a real connection."

Zoe and Diane

Mom sent along this photo of Zoe Lofgren doing a press conference for Diane Farrell on homeland security -- then she even went to Fairfield to hand out candy at the Halloween parade!

I'm no longer in Rep. Lofgren's district (I'm now in Mike Honda's), but I served with her on the Tech Board and have met her at various functions like the Dean fundraiser at her house last year. Its great that she's out helping Diane's campaign!

And speaking of voting (of course), here's another great voter guide, this one is a list from Voting Pro Choice of all the Santa Clara County races. In particular, please remember that in the state senate race:
Margaret (Peg) Pinard  Dem       SD15       PRO (Endorsed)
Abel Maldonado  Rep       SD15       Anti 
   

More ballot advice

Brian seems to be working with this group, the Ballot Initiative Strategy Center. Here are their picks for the California ballot initiatives

(I made the little and buttons for them {grin})

Paper or Plastic

via Apaphenia (who also is so cool that she and her friends just had a party to help each other decode all the propositions and things on the ballot -- what a great idea!) comes this animation on the question of voting electronically or asking for a paper ballot: Paper or Plastic. Its really effective and sponsored by groups like EFF who I respect.

The main point is that we do in fact have a choice and can request to vote in a way that can be verified, audited, and recounted. So now I'm torn, because it is certainly easier and satisfying to use the touch screens, but now I feel like choosing a paper ballot is a vote for a better system of voting as well. I have some friends from The Tech who are poll workers and just went through an extensive training, so maybe I'll check with them as well. Any thoughts anyone?

Good Voter Guide

Got a great, handy one-page "Voter Information Guide for Democrats" in the mail today which walks through all the local races and initiatives. The evaluations and recommendations are from "The Democratic Party, American Government Professors, Firefighters, Environmental Leaders, Nurses and Health Care Workers, Classroom Teachers, Law Enforcement Officers, and Senior Citizen Organizations." I only wish they had a web site so you could check who it really is from and what they stand for. Searching only brings up a few disgrunted recipients of the flyer.

Here's who they endorse:

Federal Offices
President of the United States
John F. Kerry
United States Senator
Barbara Boxer
U.S. Representative
Mike Honda

State Offices
State Senator
Peg Pinard
State Assembly
Ira Ruskin
Superior Court Judge
Griffin Bonini (Enrique Colin has endorsements from Zoe Lofgren and others though)

Santa Clara County
Measure "A" - No ("Jeopardizes the ability to hire qualified doctors and nurses at hospitals. Physicians, nurses, prosecutors are opposed.")
Measure "B" - No ("Unnecessary election costs over $1 million. Unfair to safety employees. Nurses, prosecutors, correctional officers oppose Measure "B")
Measure "C" - Yes ("Provides fair bargaining for public safety employees. Protects emergency services. Firefighters, nurses and police officers all say "Yes on Measure C".)

Proposition 62 - No (Personally I'm unsure of this one -- I really don't like the imagery they're invoking on their web site and can see how an open primary could have some benefits. The SJ Merc's endorsement was helpful as well and so I'll definitely be looking at this one more closely over the week.)
Proposition 71 - Yes ("Support research that can save lives and fight disease")
Proposition 64 - No ("Don't limit enforcement of public health, environmental and consumer fraud laws")
Proposition 72 - Yes ("Big business and out-of-state corporations are trying to stop health insurance coverage for working people. Vote yes for affordable health insurance." A Yes makes it so that "Certain employers would be required to provide health coverage for their employees and in some cases dependents through either (1) paying a fee to a new state program primarily to purchase private health insurance coverage or (2) arranging directly with health insurance providers for health care coverage. The state would also establish a new program to assist lower-income employees to pay their share of health care premiums.")
Proposition 66 - Yes ("Life sentences for repeat, violent offenders - the original intent of the Three Strikes Law")

Yes on S

I've been meaning for weeks to walk through each of the local initiatives and races here and post information. I had also planned to sort through all the political mail I've received (since I'm being bombarded with it) but haven't had time to sift through the pile yet.

But here's one that is definitely worth mentioning. I'm not in the district but I know a couple of you are:

San Jose Library And Reading Protection Measure

Voting YES on Measure S will prevent significant cutbacks in library services, it will help replace outdated books and materials, update deteriorating equipment, protect library hours and improve other library services.

Measure S simply replaces San Jose's current library assessment (1994 Measure E) that expires at the end of 2004. Measure S is a dedicated source of funding so to prevent drastic cutbacks to San Jose's 17 neighborhood branch libraries.

San Jose's libraries consistenly rank as one of the top performing city services -- Vote YES ON S for our excellent libraries!

Info from SmartVoter

Pro-Choice Voter Guide

A reminder and great resource from NARAL Pro-Choice California:

Electing pro-choice candidates is the single most important thing you can do to protect your right to choose. So before you go into the voting booth on November 2, find out where candidates stand on reproductive rights issues with the NARAL Pro-Choice California Reproductive Rights Voter Guide.

Anti-choice legislators have done all they can to undermine reproductive freedom in California. In the past few years, they've tried to promote abstinence-only programs, restrict access to emergency contraception and infringe on young women's right to obtain confidential medical services. The pro-choice majority in the California legislature has been able to fend off these attacks on our freedoms - but unless we dedicate ourselves to electing pro-choice candidates, they may not be able to in the future.

Click here to find out which candidates in your district are pro-choice. On November 2, protect your rights by voting pro-choice!

In my district, Peg Pinard (State Senate, 15) and Ira Ruskin (State House, 21) both score as Pro-Choice. Pinard has been endorsed by NARAL Pro-Choice California, her opponent has refused to respond to the questionnaire.

Don't know what district you are in? SmartVoter.org is still my favorite general California election info site. Just put in your address and zip code and it will create a personalized page with your polling place and all of the races you'll have a chance to vote on. Plus it has links and information for all of the people and propositions.

Visualize Winning

Lisa passed along this happy GOTV reminder

High Stakes

How cool is it that Buffy creator Josh Whedon is doing a call to Kerry house parties for the group High Stakes 2004: Whedon Fans for John Kerry and John Edwards. (via CFA) Darn it, if I didn't already have two commitments for this Sunday I'd go to one of the house parties (the closest to me is in Saratoga) or invite you all over and have my own. Oh well.

Plus an interesting piece from Abu Aardvark comparing the 7th season of Buffy to Bush's foreign policy.

Register Today!

A reminder from Get Out Her Vote that today's the last day to register to vote in many states (including here in California)

Today is your last day to register to vote in your state! It's easy to download registration forms online, which need to be taken to your local registration office or Deparment of Motor Vehicles today (or some states only require a postmark of today. Check with your Board of Elections.) This could be the most important election of our lifetimes.

Every vote makes a difference. Don't sit this one out!

And if you had any doubts, check out today's NY Times Op Ed about Imagining America if George Bush Chose the Supreme Court

The Youth Vote

We've all seen the Kids for Kerry folks, but apparently all my friends' kids are getting into the act as well. When I was talking to Paul the other day, he told me how every time Seth sees a 'W' written anywhere, he immediately says "No W!" and starts talking about Kerry. And Mike and Jen just sent along Arden's first political ad (takes a while to download but boy is he adorable).

Too funny!

Ok, two funny things that cheered me up tonight:

I just love Howard Dean. Listen to this ad. (Via Change for America)

and a nice view of the VP debate via Feministing.

The ultimate canvassing toy

Via Smart Mobs, how cool is this? Imagine going door-to-door canvassing for your favorite candidate and your cellphone tracking where the donors are? Kind of scary...

Repetition

Via the DNC's blog, this video is an interesting piecing together of GOP convention footage.

I'm also glad to see that people picked up on the whole "internets" thing :)

VERF Ad

Saw this new ad, The Party from The Voter Education & Registration Fund tonight on TV during Trading Spaces Family. Their site explains that:

VERF is currently airing "The Party" in the Central Valley, Los Angeles, the Bay Area and San Diego.  The ad is designed to increase voter participation among Democrats who vote occasionally.  Contributions made to VERF between now and the election will help us continue to air "The Party" across the state.  Just because California is not a "swing state" doesn't mean there aren't important races for local and statewide office where an increase in progressive voter participation could make the winning difference.

Brian in MediaPost

In Media Post's Media Daily News, Study Shows Online Political Ads Can Drive Likely Voters to Get Involved by Kate Kaye, Tuesday, October 05, 2004

The site visitation numbers should be a clarion call to campaigns, said Brian Reich, director of Boston Operations at public affairs communications firm Mindshare Interactive Campaigns LLC. He believes they indicate a need for more online advertising, marketing, and outreach by campaigns.

"Campaigns are doing this huge disservice by limiting their online presence to just this passive force," he contended. "They're trying to force their way into television [through TV ads]; why aren't they trying to force their way onto [voters'] computer screens?"

and

In order to gain insight into opposing views or help understand which messages strike a chord, Mindshare's Reich recommended that, "smart campaigns...read all the comments, even the negative ones -- very few campaigns do that."

and

Mindshare's Reich sees this as a plus for Web advertising. "You can't click on a newspaper, or take action immediately after you hear a radio ad. Worse, you can't measure how many people have responded through those mediums," argued Reich. "Campaigns and political organizations have tremendous flexibility online that just doesn't exist with the other mediums."

Political TV

Sitting here in my snazzy "Iowans for Kerry" t-shirt that Carrie gave me watching a night of political tv. The VP debates are about to start (Brian was going to be Cleveland covering them but I just learned from his blog that he's home with a cold, poor guy), there were a ton of political ads in the minutes leading up to the debate (Ira Ruskin, Peg Pinard and Steve Poisner -- sadly only Poisner's mentioned his URL!), and then Tanner on Tanner is on Sundance tonight!

Register to Vote!

Of course all of you handful of loyal readers are registered to vote, but if you know anyone who you suspect may not be registered, time's running out!

For many states, TODAY is the deadline to register to vote in this year's election:
OCTOBER 4: Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Indiana, Kentucky, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia,
OCTOBER 5: Illinois, New