Friends, I just learned there's a bill in our state legislature proposing universal health coverage for Californians. It's already passed the Senate in a "We intend" form. I don't know any of the details, and I suppose it will be nigh impossible to get past the Assembly as a real bill, but I'm going to read up on it and I urge everyone interested to do likewise and then get involved!
The bill is SB 921, sponsored by Senator Sheila Kuehl of Los Angeles (23rd State Senate district).
Bill passage campaign sites: Los Angeles County | Statewide
(These sites have FAQs, bill details, quick links to send a supportive fax to your legislators, and other ways to get involved.)
I think health care is the most important domestic issue facing us today.
The high cost of coverage affects the employed and the unemployed, the poor and the middle class. It affects employers, increasing their cost per employee and making it harder for them to add new jobs with benefits. It affects the whole community when bus mechanics or grocery workers go on strike because (in part) of higher coverage costs and management's lesser willingness to pay.
The health care shortage is one of the reasons I still think Doctor Howard Dean was the best person to be President at this time. I've read and thought a lot about Senator Kerry's plan, and I don't think it is bold enough, but I'll be very glad to be proven wrong. I hear he's promised Dean supporters that health care will be the first bill he sends to Congress.
Meanwhile, Californians need not wait for Washington to solve our problems. Vermont dramatically increased its health care coverage, and other states can do the same. I'd think California would be one of the harder states to do this in because of the hardcore anti-tax stance of our Republicans and our (hushed whisper) immigrant problem. I'm also not convinced single-payer is the way to go, but in light of the current crisis, and my fears that Kerry won't solve it, what the hey!
Like I said, I'm going to read the bill and try to figure out it's realistic chances and whether there are better alternatives, then I think I'll make this my main issue.
Providing health care to all is a public good and a humanitarian duty.
Three p.m.
Supplemental Delegate Selection Caucus Locations:
Kerry Caucus Locations (in Congressional Districts 18, 20, 22, 31, 32, 34, 35, 40, 41, 42, 43, 51)
Edwards Caucus Locations (in CDs 4, 7, 11, 25, 26, 31, 37, 43, 44, 47, 49, 51)
What's my Congressional District?
(Interesting: It looks like the Edwards and Kerry caucuses are in the same place for those districts having both. I guess now that we have a nominee the security concerns don't matter?)
Wow. I just discovered D.C.'s Political Report.
D.C.'s California page is near impossible to read, but a real goldmine of election info. This page covers all major current and upcoming races in California, with candidates, likely candidates, predictions, a bit of history, and entertainment value ratings. And it's up to date! Rock on!
While we're on the subject, The Political Oddsmaker is worth a link too, but it's not nearly as current, fun, or infolicious.
This lady, Pam Martinez, tells a very confusing tale, but the upshot is that two and a half years after releasing her, the courts are very sorry but would she please come back for just two more months (of a 9 year sentence).
This article explains the motivation for Atty General Lockyer to persist in this: Martinez' case set a precedent for deciding release dates in other cases. Well, now they've got their ruling, but they're drastically disrupting a probably rehabilitated woman's life.
Martinez and Assemblywoman Jackie Goldberg are petitioning the Governor for clemency.
(Thanks to Bob Morris at Polizeros for the pointer to this one.)
Update: The Governor Agrees!
Governor Schwarzenegger has asked the State Supreme Court to commute Ms. Martinez' sentence to time served. Here's hoping the court acts on his recommendation before March 30, when Martinez is scheduled to report to prison!
Sean at blogging.la points out that the House passed HR 3717, the Broadcast Really Big Fines So We Don't Have To Look at a Woman's Breast and Can Get Rid of Howard Stern And Other People We Don't Like Act of 2004, and that his rep, Xavier Becerra, voted for it. My guy, Waxman, voted against - right on! It frustrates me that so many Reps rolled over on this.
A version of the bill is now in the Senate as S.2056. It looks to have been there for a while though - maybe they won't act on it? I don't really understand the procedural details, unfortunately, but
Senator Boxer is in the Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, which seems to have the bill, but may be done with it already.
Write Senator Boxer, Senator Feinstein, or both.
Why is this bill bad?
Well, I think it probably sprang from the idea that $27,000 was a ridiculous sum to fine CBS for a violation during the SuperBowl halftime show of all things. The proposal is to increase the fine by a factor of ten, to $275,000.
Frankly, I think $275,000 is still pretty small for the CBS/SuperBowl case. Not because of the boob, just because it hardly makes a dent in the remunerative value of that particular highly viewed show. (And the violence of Timberlake's ripping Jackson's top of disturbs me much more than the revelation that she had breasts under there.)
The problem remains that this fine would be a slap on the wrist to CBS, but would be absolutely devestating to many smaller broadcasters. Furthermore, enforcement seems to be at the discretion of the FCC. This agency is now highly politicized. A look at the website lists a string of fines and findings, as if they're proud of it. This all feels to me like an election-year play to Bush's base, especially with Colin Powell's son on TV all the time.
If we give a political agency the power to wipe out small broadcasters over single infractions, we're dealing a huge blow to free speech. Conservatives may feel that indecent or profane speech should be punished, but this is not the way, as they'll discover when a liberal administration starts using this to threaten Rush Limbaugh or the stations that syndicate his show for whatever minor cause they can find.
I'd think a real solution might use a sliding scale for fines, or might rely somewhat on public opprobrium to punish broadcasters. Or the courts and a jury, or non-political panel of some sort.
Radio stations everywhere are clamping down on their talent to prevent the descent of the FCC apparatus. Consider Howard Stern, Sandra Tsing Loh, etc. (Yes, I'm much too lazy to look up all the cases.)
Why is the FCC political? Darned if I know. There are supposed to be 5 Commissioners, appointed by the President and approved by the Senate, for 5-year terms. There are supposed to be no more than three from a single party. Also, the President appoints one Commissioner to be the Chairman. Curiously, Chairman Powell is the one current Commissioner not nominated by Bush! Bush nominated the other four: two Democrats and presumably two Republicans early in his administration - weird that four of the terms expire at almost the same time? Anyway, the Democrats, Adelstein and Copps, actually seem as rabid if not more so than the Republicans, if you look at one recent decision.
I think another key here is revealed in Adelstein's opinion. Tens of thousands of complaints came in. I guess those who disagree have to write in too.
Democrat Jim Brandt is trying to unseat Republican incumbent Dana Rohrabacher in California's 46th Congressional District.
CD 46 (maps here) is a lumpy stretchy coastal communities district with lumps South LA County and North Orange County and a thin strip of Long Beach in between. Rohrabacher won 60% of the vote there in 2002.
I saw Jim Brandt today - a jolly, enthusiastic, but clearly a thinking man. Two resume items should help in a Republican area: Marine - check! Businessman - check! That experience means something to conservatives and liberals alike. Brandt's positions are clearly progressive, while Rohrabacher's look a bit reactionary - so far I've read about his striking out against immigrants and gays.
Obviously, I'm for Brandt, but the cards are stacked against him. This and this are intimidating.
Remember voting for all those judges on March 2nd?
Prepare to do it again; some of the races were not decisive and are going to runoffs, to be on the November ballot.
If you know anything about any of the candidates, post it here.
I'll be researching further, I just can't find any facts!
Meanwhile here are some resources:
Smart-Voter.org page on LA Judicial Elections
Here's what I know or am guessing so far: I read in an L.A. Times article I now can't find that four offices went to runoff. I assume the requirement is 50% or more to win outright. That would mean offices 18, 29, 52, 53, and 69 go to runoffs in November. Five. Hmm. Could be!
I'd also assume just the top two candidates get into the runoff.
Okay, so...
Office 69 would now be between Judith Levey Meyer and Donna Groman.
More later...!
Hey folks, this is a really interesting opportunity.
The Kerry and Edwards campaigns do not have enough delegates in many California Congressional Districts, so they're holding supplemental caucuses to fill out their slates.
The caucuses are Sunday, March 28th, at 3pm. Details on the open slots, how to become a delegate yourself, and (coming soon?) caucus locations are available at cadem.org.
The districts involved are numbers 4, 7, 11, 18, 20, 22, 25, 26, 31, 32, 34, 35, 37, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 47, 49, and 51.
Find your Congressional District: Los Angeles County | Anywhere Else
I went to one of the original caucuses (30th CD for Dean!) back in February and highly recommend everyone go if they can. You'll get to meet local politicians and activists and learn about an obscure bit of the political process. You just have to be registered to vote as a Democrat in the appropriate district. It doesn't take very long, but you have to be there on time - they have strict limits on when you can vote to prevent people from voting at more than one caucus.
List of Current Delegates and Empty Slots
Senator Boxer will hold another local kickoff event for her reelection campaign tomorrow.
LOS ANGELES - Thursday, March 18, 2004 - 6:00 p.m.
East Los Angeles College Student Center
1301 Avenida Cesar Chavez, Monterey Park
With special guests Los Angeles City Councilmember Antonio Villaraigosa and State Senator Martha Escutia and live music from Domingo Siete.
Please RSVP to: Jessica Mejia at the Boxer Headquarters at 323-904-4949 or jessicam@boxer2004.org
There's a big March for Peace (or something) this Saturday, March 20th, in Hollywood. See http://answerla.org/ for more info.
I don't know much about International ANSWER, the group that seems to be organizing this march and others worldwide. I suspect they're a lot further left than I am, but I guess it's time to go find out.
Update: I overslept. Must try again next time!
Former Massachusetts Governor and 1988 Democratic Presidential nominee Michael Dukakis will speak at the next meeting of the West L.A. Democratic Club, Wednesday March 24 at 7pm in Venice.
Cool.
I don't quite know what to think about Senator Barbara Boxer, but maybe I'll get an opportunity to judge in person this week. The Senator is coming to Los Angeles for a campaign kickoff event on this Tuesday March 16th. (Okay, yes, that's tomorrow.)
LOS ANGELESTuesday, March 16, 2004
12:00 p.m.
Los Angeles Fire House Museum
134 Paseo de la Plaza Olvera Street
Los Angeles
Please RSVP to:
Elizabeth Lambe at the Boxer Headquarters
at 323-904-4970 or
email at elizabethl@boxer2004.org
Refreshments will be provided
The website also implies she'll be back in town on Thursday, but no details.
The LAUSD Board of Education voted yesterday to lay off ... 500 people?
Here's the press release. [PDF]
I don't totally understand the language of the release. What are permanent certificated and non-permanent certificated employees? They're sending notice to 29 of the former and 154 of the latter, who apparently must legally be notified by March 15. And they're eliminating 480 administrative positions - not clear if that number includes the 29 and the 154 or not.
These layoffs are part of a larger budget reduction plan necessary to prevent the LAUSD's currently projected $489 million deficit for 2004-2005.
The press release mentions one item getting a budget increase: $3.5 million for more school police for middle and high schools.
KCRW said something about special education being hardest hit by these budget cuts. (Grr!) I must try to find out more. They (KCRW) also tell us the LAUSD's total budget size: $5.2 billion - so they're facing almost a 10% shortfall! (Compare to the 8% of the budget for administrative costs.)
The preliminary 2004-5 budget is available as a 154-page PDF. Needless to say, I haven't finished reading it yet; I'm taking KCRW's word for the total number.
Two California State Senators, a Democrat and a Republican, called on the state to decertify the touch screen voting machines that had problems in the March 2nd primary.
More later, but my initial reaction is "Thank goodness!" My secondary reaction is that I think the state has made a bit of an investment in the new machines, and it may be very expensive to change plans now. But if LA County is using touchscreens in November, I plan to get an absentee ballot and hand-deliver it to my precinct.
(I am a software developer. I'm not as scared as some - I worry more about software bugs than intentional malfeasance. In light of either possibility, though, I think any machine that doesn't output a hardcopy of each voter's ballot for verification purposes should be protested. I hesitate to say more without reading more about the specific machines we're using.)
update: See http://blackboxvoting.org/ for more info.
I'm hoping to build a useful political site with a Los Angeles focus. My theory is that individuals can have a greater influence on local matters, but tend to know less about them than the big sexy national issues.
This will be the place where we can share research and opinions on what goes on in L.A. and perhaps plan actions to improve our communities and reach out to the world offline. Or something. I have very vague ideas, but I know this: I can't build a real resource by myself, so I hope if you're here you'll take a minute to comment and contribute.