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Governor Schwarzenegger, Senate Pro Tem Don Perata and Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez during happier times at the signing of the California Budget.

The ASSociated Press and the San Francisco Chronicle have Talks over special election stalled, some consider cancellation an option.

With negotiations between Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Democratic leaders at a halt, both sides are poised to go to political war in a Nov. 8 special election, even as the number of ballot measures dwindle and new calls are made by some to cancel the balloting all together.

“We are so deep into it now, I don’t see how you can get the toothpaste back into the tube,” said Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez, D-Los Angeles. “We are so far down the path, I think we should have the special election and put the whole issue to rest.”

Is this reverse psychology?

The Governor has already won the special election.

Nunez and the Democrats know this.

They are trying to PUNK Arnold into canceling the Election - THE ONLY WAY HE CAN LOSE!

But Democratic leaders said they have no interest in further talks and want to move forward to the election.

“We’ve concluded negotiations as far as I’m concerned,” said Senate President Pro Tem Don Perata, D-Oakland. “These are far too complicated issues to expect resolution in the next three weeks. The governor was interested in trying to work day and night, like we’ve done on the budget, but these issues are too complex and really require the legislative process to be involved.”

Republican political consultant Dan Schnur said Democrats may be giving up a rare opportunity to extract concessions from the governor.

“If Democrats walk away from negotiations at this point, they may be giving Schwarzenegger back the rhetorical high ground,” he said. “Now he can go to the voters and say he wants to make changes but the Democrats don’t want to cooperate.”

Schwarzenegger will not cancel the election. And he will not negotiate any further.

The Democrat legislative leaders have their political war and will re-elect Arnold Schwarzenegger in the process.

Technorati Tags: Schwarzenegger, Don Perata, Fabian Nunez, California, California Special Election

Cross-posted to the Bear Flag League Special Election Page

Dan Weintraub of the Sacramento Bee and California Insider Blog has The nitty-gritty on 77.

Several readers have asked that I link to the actual text of the two Proposition 77s, the one submitted to the Attorney General for title and summary and the one circulated to the voters.

Here is the copy submitted to the attorney general, on his web site.

And here is the copy circulated to voters, from the Fair Districts Now website.

So, there have you have The Good and The Bad.

Now, comes The Ugly part:

Here are some of the differences in two versions of the redistricting initiative. :

VERSION SUBMITTED TO ATTORNEY GENERAL
“…until the next adjustment of boundary lines is required pursuant to this article.”
“…the Judicial Council shall select by lot…”
“…shall be equally represented among the selected retired judges…”
“A retired judge appointed…”
“…shall each nominate, no later than six days before the deadline…”
“No later than four days before the deadline…”
“…If said list of remaining nominees does not include a retired judge from each of the two largest political parties, the drawing for the Special Master from the absent political party or parties shall be made from the original pool of twenty-four retired judges selected by the Judicial Council…”

VERSION USED TO GATHER SIGNATURES
“…until the next adjustment of boundary lines is required pursuant to subdivisions (a) or (i).”
“…the Judicial Council shall nominate by lot…”
“…shall be equally represented among the nominated retired judges…”
“A retired judge selected…”
“…shall each nominate, no later than five days before the deadline…”
“No later than three days before the deadline…”
“If the drawing is unable to produce at least one Special Master from each of the two largest political parties, the drawing for the Special Master from the political party not represented from the list of remaining nominees shall be made from the original pool of twenty-four retired judges nominated by the Judicial Council…”

Patterico asked Ted Costa for this information last Sunday at the Bear Flag League Summer Conference and Flap thinks Costa stonewalled Patrick.

I’ll let the appellate judges make the ruling on the case but it looks UGLY to Flap.

Flap handicaps a better chance at a redraft and circulation of a new initiative if redistricting is to occur in California before the next census.

Technorati Tags: Schwarzenegger, Bill Lockyer, Proposition 77, California, California Special Election, Ted Costa, People’s Advocate

Cross-posted to The Bear Flag League Special Election Page

The Los Angeles Times has this piece this morning, Wife of Nominee Holds Strong Antiabortion Views.

While Supreme Court nominee John G. Roberts Jr.’s views on abortion triggered intense debate on Capitol Hill on Wednesday, there is no mistaking where his wife stands: Jane Sullivan Roberts, a lawyer, is ardently against abortion.

A Roman Catholic like her husband, Jane Roberts has been deeply involved in the antiabortion movement. She provides her name, money and professional advice to a small Washington organization — Feminists for Life of America — that offers counseling and educational programs. The group has filed legal briefs before the high court challenging the constitutionality of abortion.

Flap peviously posted this piece, SCOTUS Watch: Judge Roberts’ Wife Ran Pro-life Group.

A spouse’s views normally are not considered relevant in weighing someone’s job suitability. But abortion is likely to figure prominently in the Senate debate over John Roberts’ nomination. And with his position on the issue unclear, abortion rights supporters expressed concern Wednesday that his wife’s views might suggest he also embraced efforts to overturn Roe vs. Wade.

“It’s unclear how all this will affect her husband,” said Jennifer Palmieri, a spokeswoman with the Center for American Progress, a liberal public policy group. “It’s possible that he would have a different view than her. It’s just that in the absence of information about this guy, people are looking at her and trying to read the tea leaves.”

Oh PLEASE.

The LEFT, including the Los Angeles Times wants to vilify Judge Roberts with guilt from association with his wife? Over abortion?

Jane Sullivan Roberts is her own person.

As far as I know SHE was not appointed to the Supreme Court of the United States.

Leave her alone……..

Technorati Tags: John Roberts, Jane Sullivan Roberts, Feminists for Life, abortion, pro-life

People’s Advocate Chief Executive Ted Costa at the Bear Flag League Summer Conference last weekend.

Yesterday afternoon Superior Court Judge Gail Ohanesian ordered Secretary of State Bruce McPherson to not include Proposition 77 on the November Special Election Ballot.

Flap reported it here with links to the actual order of the court.

Now, the name calling and the excuses begin.

“It removes the underpinning of his most important reform proposal, and I use ‘reform’ in the broadest sense possible,” said Lance Olson, an attorney for the No on Proposition 77 committee, which intervened in the case. “So now we’re going to have a special election over whether teachers are entitled to a hearing after two years or five years. What a waste of taxpayer money.”

He called Schwarzenegger’s political team “the gang that can’t shoot straight.”

But, how Mr. Olson’s union bosses would love to get rid of the Paycheck Protection Proposition 75 and the Teacher Tenure Proposition 76. The unions will have to spend millions to wage a perhaps futile media campaign to defeat these two measures. These are resources which could have been reserved for the 2006 election cycle in an attempt to win back the Governor’s Mansion from the Republican Schwarzenegger.

Ted Costa has his laments, but Flap knows he will BE BACK in June 2006 with a redistricting initiative, if his appeal fails.

People’s Advocate Chief Executive Ted Costa, whose office manager inadvertently sent the wrong version of the initiative to a printer, said he assumes all responsibility.

“It’s not a nice mistake,” he said. “We figure it was a legitimate mistake, an honest mistake, and we figure those differences are very small…. No voter was here saying they were misled by it.

“Reforms go on. We’ve been trying for 20 years to get good, fair districts so the people have a chance to take their government back.

“Next year or the year after, we will be working toward that goal regardless of what it takes, and tomorrow we’ll be working on an appeal.”

Flap asks:

Will the new redistricting measure (should Costa’s appeal fail) for 2006 have a companion measure to change the term limits law?

Will the Democrat Legislative leaders circulate a competing redistricting measure as a poison pill?

Stay tuned.

Technorati Tags: Schwarzenegger, Bill Lockyer, Proposition 77, California, California Special Election, Ted Costa, People’s Advocate

Cross-posted to The Bear Flag League Special Election Page