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Arnold Schwarzenegger Watch: Chief of Staff Susan Kennedy Paid by Cadiz Real Estate
Los Angeles Times: Gov.’s Top Aide Was Paid by Developer
Susan Kennedy is pushing to fix the state’s water system. In 2005, she consulted for a firm with an aquifer project.And didn’t we RECALL Gray Davis to get rid of these conflicts – pay to play politics?
Governor Schwarzenegger needs to “clean house” quickly or put a fork in him for November.
Technorati Tags: ArnoldSchwarzenegger, SusanKennedy, KeithBrackpool, CadizRealEstate,
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Michael Angelo Morales Watch: Federal Judge May Delay Execution
A San Jose federal judge on Thursday suggested he may be willing to postpone California’s next scheduled execution later this month so he can hold a full-blown evidentiary hearing to consider a constitutional challenge to the state’s lethal-injection procedure.
U.S. District Judge Jeremy Fogel did not rule on convicted killer Michael Morales’ bid to delay his Feb. 21 execution date, but said he would issue a decision by Tuesday on whether his legal challenge to lethal injection deserves more thorough consideration. Morales’ lawyers argue the state’s lethal-injection method amounts to cruel and unusual punishment.
Noting that similar challenges have been filed on the eve of other recent executions, Fogel indicated the time may be ripe to address the central issues.
“It seems to me that people’s confidence in the integrity of this process may be assisted by some sort of evidentiary proceeding,” Fogel said. ``There is a window of opportunity here.”
If Fogel holds a hearing to consider expert testimony and other evidence related to the constitutionality of lethal injection, it could be no more than a temporary reprieve for Morales. The judge said he believed he could hold such a hearing within 60 to 90 days, so if Morales loses, he could face another execution date later this year.
Window of opportunity for what? Morales was originally convicted of murder which was committed in 1981 – over 25 years ago.
This delay is BS.
Assistant Attorney General Dane Gillette, who opposes any delay, said the state would appeal a stay.
Morales was sentenced to die for the 1981 rape and murder of a 17-year-old Lodi girl. He is one of many death row inmates around the nation who argue that the progression of drugs used in executions masks pain and suffering that would violate the ban on cruel and unusual punishment.
Most legal experts doubt the U.S. Supreme Court will eventually ban the use of lethal injection, but it could be a year or more before the issue is resolved in the lower courts.
Morales’ lawyers hope to use medical and eyewitness evidence from other California executions to prove problems in the process, one of the reasons the judge is considering the need for testimony and more detailed information. State prosecutors and death penalty supporters say there is no evidence inmates suffer in lethal injection executions.
Meanwhile, Morales’ lawyers on Thursday asked Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to hold a hearing to consider his request for clemency. Morales has backing from the judge who sentenced him to die, as well as six jurors at his 1983 trial. San Joaquin County prosecutors oppose clemency, saying Morales’ crime was particularly brutal.
More dealy is unwarranted and is simply a tactic to forestall the inevitable – the “BIG JAB” for Morales.
Flap will have more on the six Ventura County jurors in a subsequent post – it seems letters submitted by Morales’ attorneys last week to Gov. Schwarzenegger misstate the feelings of six Ventura County jurors who convicted Morales.
Justice for Terri Lynn Winchell…..
Previous:
Michael Angelo Morales Watch: Ventura County Judge Asks California Governor Schwarzenegger for Clemency
Michael Angelo Morales Watch: Kenneth Starr to Assist Death Row Clemency Bid
Technorati Tags: MichaelAngeloMorales,, ArnoldSchwarzenegger,, California,, KennethStarr,, TerriLynnWinchell,, LethalInjection
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Cindy Sheehan Watch: Won’t Run Against Senator Feinstein
Antiwar activist Cindy Sheehan said at a news conference Thursday Feb. 9, 2006, in San Francisco’s Civic Center that she would not run against Dianne Feinstein in the Democratic U.S. Senate primary.San Francisco Chronicle: Sheehan won’t run against Feinstein
Anti-war activist Cindy Sheehan, who has criticized President Bush and other elected officials for their war support since her son was killed in Iraq, said today that she won’t run for office against U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein.
“I felt that putting pressure on her from the outside would be more effective than working from the inside,” said Sheehan, 48, of Berkeley during a morning press conference.
What a cop out…….
Flap is soooo going to miss her candidacy.
And DiFi……probably NOT……..
Michelle Malkin has CINDY SHEEHAN: NOT RUNNING
Previous:
Cindy Sheehan Watch: Flap Wants Cindy to Run
Cindy Sheehan Watch: New Protest in CrawfordCindy Sheehan Watch: Considering a Challenge to California Senator Feinstein
Technorati Tags: DianneFeinstein,, CindySheehan,, California,, CaliforniaElection2006
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Arnold Schwarzenegger Watch: New Politically Diverse Campaign Team Set for Governor’s Reelection
Susan Kennedy is Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s chief of staff.Los Angeles Times: Opposites Attract on Team Arnold
Though politically diverse, the governor’s new aides share one aim: their boss’ reelection.Susan Kennedy is a former abortion rights activist and protege of Sen. Dianne Feinstein.
Steve Schmidt is a political strategist who helped put Judge Samuel A. Alito Jr. on the Supreme Court over the protest of Democrats, including Feinstein, who feared he would outlaw abortion.
But Democrat Kennedy, the governor’s new chief of staff, and Republican Schmidt, his freshly arrived campaign manager, say they are airtight on one thing: Whatever their philosophical differences, Schmidt said, “We’re focused on what we both have in common, which is reelecting” Schwarzenegger.
And this is what the conservatives of the California Republican Party must decide: Do they want Arnold reelected or NOT?
Will a reelected Arnold Schwarzenegger be better for California than either Phil Angelides or Steve Westly?
The top tier of Schwarzenegger advisors also includes Matthew Dowd, who helped engineer George W. Bush’s two presidential wins, and Democrat Daniel Zingale, a longtime gay rights advocate and the chief of staff to First Lady Maria Shriver.
While Schwarzenegger, a Republican, reached out to hire Kennedy, it is Shriver, a Democrat, who helped lure Schmidt, Dowd and Adam Mendelsohn, the governor’s new communications chief, to Sacramento. Mendelsohn is another Republican with close ties to the Bush White House.
And Maria Shriver, the First Lady of California’s involvement:
Ever since Schwarzenegger’s drubbing in the November special election — which Shriver opposed — she has been heavily involved in his reelection effort, according to inside accounts. She has canvassed friends in the media and national political circles in search of political talent, and sat in on some conference calls among his new strategists.
“She is in charge of the rescue committee,” said one Schwarzenegger advisor, referring to the governor’s sagging political fortunes. “Maria has a number of I-told-you-so chits from last year that she is cashing in.”
Shriver’s direction has been to drive the Governor toward the independent California voter. Schwarzenegger has never been a conservative but neither has he embraced the very liberal left wing agenda of the California Democrat controlled legislature.
Dan Walters has in today’s Sacramento Bee a logistical and demographic rationale for Shriver’s actions.
California’s 15.8 million registered voters now divide themselves into 6.7 million Democrats (42.68 percent), 5.9 million Republicans (34.68 percent), 2.9 million independents (18.8 percent) and a smattering of minor party adherents.
Governor Schwarzenegger already captures the majority of Republican voters. They have NO place to go but stay home and allow a liberal Angelides win. The votes Arnold MUST win are the independent voters – all 2.9 million of them.
Independents may be frozen out of legislative and congressional elections, but they dominate statewide contests. The narrowing of the registration gap between the two major parties means that both have similarly sized bases of loyal voters, giving the independents, now nearly 20 percent of likely voters, the final word. They have leaned Democratic on social issues such as abortion and gun control over the last decade. But Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s win in 2003, as well as the rejection of his ballot measures in 2005, demonstrate that independents are not to be taken for granted by either party. His decline in popularity is largely explained by the defection of independents. As he tries to rebuild his centrist image, he’s trying to regain traction among moderate independents – which also explains why the Republican right has become somewhat antagonistic.
Will a politically diverse professional reelection team be the recipe for success for Governor Schwarzenegger’s reelection?
Stay tuned………
Matthew Dowd
Technorati Tags: California, ArnoldSchwarzenegger, SusanKennedy, MatthewDowd, SteveSchmidt, DanielZingale
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Arnold Schwarzenegger Watch: Fundraiser with the Governor Nets Orange County Sheriff Carona $700,000
California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, right, jokes with, from left, California Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez, Rep. Brad Sherman, D-Sherman Oaks, and Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa during a news conference Friday, Jan. 13, 2006, in Los Angeles. Schwarzenegger signed a bill to speed up expansion of notoriously clogged Interstate 405. Three months after a disastrous special election left him politically shaken, the Republican governor has started his re-election year with a retooled message about building highways and schools, a new chief of staff (a former Democratic activist) and a more businesslike image stripped of Hollywood frippery and stunts.OC Register: Governor boosts Carona’s support
Schwarzenegger’s speech helps the sheriff bring in $700,000 at a fundraiser.Sheriff Mike Carona’s re-election bid came roaring out of the gates Thursday with the help of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, bringing in about $700,000 at a St. Regis fundraiser – a single-event high for a local candidate here.
Schwarzenegger, the guest speaker, fondly recounted his 4-year-old friendship with Carona and compared his generous praise to the Valentine’s Day sentiments he’ll be delivering to his wife, Maria Shriver.
“No matter what my schedule was, I wouldn’t have missed this event,” he told about 460 people in the resort ballroom. “I would go through anything for Mike Carona. … There’s no other person who should be sheriff for the next four years. He’s the man.”
The governor credited Carona for making Orange County one of the safest places in the country.
The friendship between Carona and Schwarzenegger began when the sheriff joined the 2002 Proposition 49 after-school campaign backed by the actor. Carona subsequently served on Schwarzenegger’s gubernatorial transition team.
The $1,500-a-plate event gives the incumbent about four times as much money in the bank as his three challengers combined.
The dinner provided a respite to the political turmoil being faced by both men, something Carona acknowledged after receiving a standing ovation.
“You don’t know how good that feels after the past year,” he told the crowd.
Carona’s last re-election campaign failed to attract a single opponent. But a rash of bad publicity in Carona’s past term – including sexual harassment accusations, the indictment of his former top assistant, and an ongoing FBI investigation of the department – has brought both challengers and protesters out of the woodwork. About two dozen demonstrators picketed outside the St. Regis.
“If he’s honest in his denial (of sexual harassment), why do women keep coming forward?” said Huntington Beach’s Leigh Ann Gilmore, a small-business owner holding a sign that read, “Why would the governor support a sheriff who demeans women?”
Now if Carona can keep his campaign and office PR staff quiet regarding the Governor’s re-election chances.
Technorati Tags: ArnoldSchwarzenegger, MikeCarona, OrangeCounty, California, CaliforniaElection2006
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Arnold Schwarzenegger, California, Election 2006, Politics, Proposition 73, Proposition 74, Proposition 75, Proposition 76, Proposition 77, Special Election 2005
California Special Election Watch: Governor Schwarzenegger Outspent
Sacramento Bee: With re-election bid ahead, governor’s cupboard is bare
After a special election with a price tag that topped $275 million, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s personal war chest is virtually empty as he begins his 2006 re-election campaign, according to reports filed Tuesday with the secretary of state.
Schwarzenegger’s ballot initiative committee alone exhausted $45.5 million during last year’s special election campaign in which voters rejected eight ballot proposals, including four specifically backed by the governor.
With all the large campaign committees reporting, opponents of the governor spent about $121 million to defeat those four initiatives, while Schwarzenegger and his allies fought the battle with $76 million of their own.
Outspent by $45 million Schwarzenegger’s opponents have a significant advantage in the media buys. But, the Governor ran a POOR campaign and the poor fundraising followed.
Schwarzenegger managed a NO-LOSE campaign into a LOSER.
The California Teachers Association spent $58.5 million to defeat Arnold.
On Proposition 73 – the abortion parental notification initiative – opponents outspent proponents $5.6 million to $1.9 million.
Record setting spending – the nature of California politics.
California Correctional Peace Officers Association president Mike Jimenez, left, and California Nurses Association president Deborah Burger celebrate their victory over Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s ballot initiatives at a rally in Sacramento, Calif., on Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2005.
Technorati Tags: CaliforniaSpecialElection, ArnoldSchwarzenegger, AllianceforaBetterCalifornia, CaliforniaTeachersAssociation, CaliforniaNursesAssociation
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Arnold Schwarzenegger Watch: Governor of the People?
California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger addresses the media during a visit to Seaside High School in Seaside, Calif., Friday, Jan. 27, 2006. The governor is pushing for new, modernized classrooms for California’s students.George Skelton in the Los Angeles Times: A Leader Can Get Lost Following the People
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has always said he wants to be “the governor of the people,” executing their commands. But there is a problem with that notion. Too often, the people don’t have a clue.Oh, they have a clue about what they want. They know where they want to wind up — but have little inkling of the route or the fare. Nor what’s feasible and what’s fantasy.
Frequently they’re confused. That’s partly because they’re misled by demagogues — and also because, being human, they try to avoid pain by living in denial.
“Voters are conflicted,” says Mark Baldassare, pollster for the nonpartisan Public Policy Institute of California. “They want almost everything. They want to continue to spend more money and tax other people. Or borrow.
“There’s not a whole lot of fiscal discipline in the public.”
That’s why Americans are carrying $2 trillion-plus in consumer debt.
In that respect, Schwarzenegger is the people’s governor. His latest $125.6-billion budget plan would have state government spending $6.4 billion more than it takes in during the next fiscal year. That “moves the state in the wrong direction,” says nonpartisan Legislative Analyst Elizabeth Hill.
This is the “live within your means” governor, remember? Why didn’t he propose a “live within your means” spending plan? a reporter asked him at the Jan. 10 budget unveiling.
“It is easier said than done,” Schwarzenegger replied. “When I ran [for governor], I thought it was easier to balance the budget, to be honest with you. But it’s very, very difficult because you’re not sitting … alone in the Capitol. You’re making decisions together [with legislators]….
“If I do my [family] budget at home, yes, it’s easy to just say, ‘Oh, we spend less here.’ End of story…. It’s easier than working at the Capitol.”
A reminder to Skelton: Don’t sell the people of California short.
A reminder to California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger: political leadership in the ARENA is NOT always expedient or TAX and SPEND.
Technorati Tags: ArnoldSchwarzenegger, California, CaliforniaElection2006
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Cindy Sheehan Watch: Considering a Challenge to California Senator Feinstein
U.S. peace activist Cindy Sheehan (L) stands next to Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez during a meeting with World Social Forum Organizations in Caracas, Venezuela January 27, 2006. The sixth world forum, an event that began in Port Alegre in Brazil, has registered more than 67,000 participants and starts with a march against imperialism and war that will likely focus on U.S. President George W. Bush and the conflict in Iraq. ASSociated Press: Peace activist Cindy Sheehan considers challenging Sen. Feinstein
American peace activist Cindy Sheehan, whose son was killed in Iraq, said Saturday she is strongly considering running for office against U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein because the California lawmaker will not support calls to immediately bring the troops home.
Sheehan, who was visiting Venezuela for the World Social Forum along with activists from around the world, said she has been thinking of challenging Feinstein for her seat for some time.
“I think this is so urgent and necessary that this is what I have to do,” Sheehan told The Associated Press in an interview, adding she would make a final decision on whether to run after talking it over with her three adult children in California in the coming days.
The Democratic primary will be held in June, and candidates must submit their statements by Feb. 14.
Sheehan, 48, who lives in Berkeley, Calif., accused Feinstein of being out-of-touch with Californians on Iraq.
“She voted for the war. She continues to vote for the funding. She won’t call for an immediate withdrawal of the troops,” said Sheehan, who gained international attention when she set up a protest camp near U.S. President George W. Bush’s Texas ranch last year.
“I think our senator needs to be held accountable for her support of George Bush and his war policies,” she added.
Come on Cindy…….how about the countless millions that Feinstein’s husband, Richard Blum, has made on the Iraq War.
And Cindy…….Senator Feinstein WILL SUPPORT the filibuster of Judge Samuel Alito.But, Alito WILL be confirmed in any case.
Are you still going to challenge Senator Feinstein?
Please do!
Bill Mundell are you warming up in the bullpen?
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez (L) greets U.S activist Cindy Sheehan as he arrives at the meeting with World Social Forum Organizations in Caracas, Venezuela January 27, 2006.
Technorati Tags: DianneFeinstein, CindySheehan, BillMundell, HugoChavez, California, CaliforniaElection2006, Venezuela, WorldSocialForumOrganization, GeorgeBush
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Michael Angelo Morales Watch: Ventura County Judge Asks California Governor Schwarzenegger for Clemency
Judge Charles R. McGrath says death sentence was based on false testimony from a jailhouse informant.Los Angeles Times: Judge Requests Clemency for a Killer He Condemned
In a highly unusual development, a judge who condemned a killer to die has asked Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to grant clemency.
Michael A. Morales is to be executed Feb. 21 for the 1981 killing of Terri Winchell, a Lodi high school student. Ventura County Superior Court Judge Charles R. McGrath, appointed by Gov. RonaldReagan, said in a letter to the governor that he believes the sentence was based on false testimony from a jailhouse informant.
Flap previously commented on this case and the heinousness of the murder here.Bruce Samuelson testified that Morales had callously boasted during a jailhouse conversation that he had planned to rape and kill the teenager. The confession supposedly took place in a crowded cellblock that Morales knew was full of informants.
Samuelson explained away Morales’ willingness to talk by saying the two men spoke in Spanish. A later investigation by the state attorney general, however, showed that Morales, a fourth-generation Californian, doesn’t speak Spanish, McGrath said.
Samuelson’s testimony not only persuaded judge and jury that the killing was egregious, but effectively canceled out Morales’ claim that he felt deep remorse for the crime, McGrath said.
Executing Morales, 46, under the circumstances would be “a grievous and freakish injustice,” McGrath concluded.
McGrath’s letter was included in Morales’ clemency petition, which was filed with the governor Friday. The petition asks that Morales’ death sentence be commuted to life in prison.
A 1981 Crime and now 20 PLUS years later another request for clemency for a convicted heinous murderer.
If Judge McGrath had a problem with sentencing for this case then so be it.
Flap certainly does NOT.
Looking at the facts of the case and the senseless heinous murder of a young girl, Flap could care less that Morales is remorseful for smashing her skull in with a hammer. He and his cousin were lying in wait for her = a special circumstance = death penalty.
Hell, Flap would have expected a Ventura County judge to give Morales the “Big Jab” regardless of the false testimony. And why 25 years later?
The San Joaquin district attorney’s office will file a response to this clemency request.
In the meantime, if Judge McGrath has any hesitation to impose the death penalty as prescribed by law and adopted by the People of California then Flap recommends he either retire from the bench or hear non-criminal cases.
Update:
Apparently Judge McGrath has retired from the Ventura County Superior Court. He is not listed as a current judicial appointee.
Flap does not know if as a retired judge he continues to hear some cases as a “rent a judge.”
Patterico adds his insight here.Previous:
Michael Angelo Morales Watch: Kenneth Starr to Assist Death Row Clemency Bid
Technorati Tags: MichaelAngeloMorales, ArnoldSchwarzenegger, California, StanleyTookieWilliams, ClarenceRayAllen, KennethStarr, Charles McGrath
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Michael Angelo Morales Watch: Kenneth Starr to Assist Death Row Clemency Bid
Sacramento Bee: Kenneth Starr to assist death row clemency bid
Kenneth Starr, the special prosecutor who urged the impeachment of former President Clinton, is helping prepare the clemency petition for convicted murderer Michael Angelo Morales.
“He is clearly interested in this issue and has decided to take on the case,” Stella Richardson, a spokeswoman for the American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California, said of Starr.
Morales, 46, was condemned to death for the 1981 rape and murder of Terri Lynn Winchell in Lodi.
Starr could not be reached for comment Thursday. An ACLU press release said Starr is getting involved in the Morales case because the condemned inmate “immediately took responsibility for his actions, was distraught with remorse and has made impressive and consistent efforts to atone for his crime while in prison.”
The dean of the Pepperdine University law school and a practicing attorney for the Los Angeles firm of Kirkland & Ellis, Starr “was also involved in the last clemency petition granted” in Virginia by Democratic Gov. Mark Warner on Nov. 29, Richardson said. The lead defense attorney on the Morales case is Los Angeles lawyer David Senior.
The inmate’s clemency petition is scheduled to be filed today with Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. Morales’ execution has been scheduled for Feb. 21.
Not another clemency hearing for California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Let’s look at Morales’ crime(s):
In late 1980, Ortega told Glenda Chavez that he was angry at Winchell for
accusing him of being a homosexual and for her calling him “gay.” Ortega and
his cousin, Michael Angelo Morales, 21, plotted to murder her as “pay back” for
her remarks.In the weeks before the murder, Ortega set up a ruse to trick Winchell into
believing that he wanted to make amends and become her friend. In the
meantime, Morales “practiced” how he was going to strangle Winchell and on the
day of the murder told his girlfriend, Racquel Cardenas, how he was going to do
Ortega a favor and strangle and “hurt” someone.On January 8, 1981, Ortega called Morales and told him he was driving Winchell
to Morales’ apartment. Ortega lured Winchell into accompanying him and
Morales in Ortega’s car to a remote area near Lodi, California. There, Morales
attacked Winchell from behind and tried to strangle her with his belt. Winchell
struggled and the belt broke in two. Morales then took out a hammer and
repeatedly hit her in the head with it. She screamed for Ortega to help and tried
to fight off the attack, ripping her own hair out of her scalp in the struggle.
Morales beat Winchell into unconsciousness, crushing her skull in several places
and leaving 23 identifiable wounds in her skull.Morales took Winchell from the car and told Ortega to leave and return later.
Ortega left. Morales dragged Winchell face-down across the road and into a
vineyard. Morales completed an act of sexual intercourse with her unconscious
body. He started to leave, but went back and stabbed her four times in the chest
to assure her death. Winchell died from both the head and chest wounds. Her
body was left in the vineyard naked from the waist down with her sweater and
bra pulled up over her breasts.Within two days, Morales was arrested at his residence. The police found
Morales’ broken belt with Winchell’s blood on it hidden under a bedroom
mattress. The police found three knives and the hammer hidden in the
refrigerator vegetable crisper. The hammer had traces of Winchell’s blood on it.
The police also found blood-stained floor mats from Ortega’s car in the trash.
Winchell’s purse and credit card were also in the house. Ortega’s blood-
spattered car was impounded. Morales had used $11 from Winchell’s purse to
buy beer, wine, and cigarettes on the night of the murder.Clemency?
You have got to be kidding.
Morales deserves the same treatment as Stanley Tookie Williams and Clarence Ray Allen.
Patterico does not agree – well sort of………
Technorati Tags: MichaelAngeloMorales, ArnoldSchwarzenegger, California, StanleyTookieWilliams, ClarenceRayAllen, KennethStarr