Capitol Alert

Gov. Jerry Brown today commuted the prison sentence of a woman convicted of shaking her baby grandson to death in Los Angeles County in 1997, citing an appeals court ruling that called her second-degree murder conviction a likely miscarriage of justice.

The commutation, Brown's first since taking office last year, follows a ruling by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals six years ago that overturned Shirley Ree Smith's conviction.

The court concluded there was insufficient evidence to convict Smith of shaking to death her grandson, Etzel Glass, and she has been free since. The U.S. Supreme Court in October, however, ordered Smith's conviction reinstated, finding the lower court had inappropriately substituted its judgment for that of a jury.

"When Ms. Smith was convicted, she was 37 years old and had no criminal record," Brown said in his commutation message. "Now, she is 51 years old and has been law-abiding since her release in 2006."

He said "significant doubts surround Ms. Smith's conviction" and that "in light of the unusual circumstances in this particular case, the length of time Ms. Smith has served in prison, and the evidence before me that Ms. Smith has been law-abiding since her release from prison, I conclude that reducing her sentence to time served is appropriate."

Gov. Jerry Brown is turning to robotic telephone calls and mailers in his race to qualify a tax initiative for the November ballot.

"Hi, this is Gov. Jerry Brown," he said in a recorded telephone message that went out last night. "I'm calling because California really needs your help. We have to save our schools and stop even deeper cuts to public safety. You'll get a petition in the mail very soon. Please sign it, and return that petition so that you can take the first step in preventing even more cuts to schools and public safety.

"Thanks a lot."

The California Democratic Party, which paid for the call, said it reached more than one million households deemed likely to support the measure. It will be followed today by a mailer in which Brown is pictured talking with children beneath a chalk headline, "SIGN UP TO SAVE OUR SCHOOLS."

Brown and the California Federation of Teachers, which originally proposed its own tax initiative, agreed last month to a compromise measure, bidding to increase the state sales tax and income taxes on California's highest earners.

Brown and his allies are now trying to collect more than 800,000 valid voter signatures required to qualify for the November ballot. Time is short, and the use of mail is an indication of how expensive paid signature gathering by clipboard has become for the initiative campaign - at a cost of perhaps $3 per signature on the street.

Facing a "very tight timeline," California Democratic Party spokesman Tenoch Flores said, "we're all doing everything we can to make sure it gets on the ballot."

Slpsa Mailer

Tobacco companies have ponied up another $8.9 million in their bid to defeat a $1-per-pack cigarette tax on the June ballot, bringing total contributions above $23 million.

Proposition 29 would net $735 million annually for research on cancer and tobacco-related diseases, smoking cessation programs and state efforts to combat tobacco smuggling and tax evasion. The initiative is backed by groups such as the American Lung Association and American Cancer Society, as well as cyclist and cancer survivor Lance Armstrong.

The opposition coalition is largely financed by Philip Morris USA, R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company, and their affiliates who make chewing and pipe tobacco.

The No on 29 campaign, which dubs itself Californians Against Out-of-Control Taxes and Spending, has signed up prominent anti-tax groups and attacked the initiative as a tax hike that does not help the state budget or schools.

Of the $23 million, records show the group has already devoted $5.9 million to reserving television airtime this spring, though its opposition ads have not yet aired. More than half the amount - $3.1 million - has gone toward stations in the Los Angeles market. Expect more of that war chest to fund campaign ads around the state.

The Yes on 29 campaign has raised $2.9 million, including a $1.5 million check from Armstrong's foundation in February.

VIDEO: Dan Walters says his voter registration choice is trend-setting.

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In today's video report, Dan Walters explains how he's a trend setter as a California voter.

Meanwhile, let the voting begin. The June 5 primary is still two months away, but today's the day that county elections officials will begin mailing ballots to California voters serving in the armed forces or living abroad.

Another red letter day? May 21 is the last day to register to vote in the primary. Meanwhile, the last day to request a vote-by-mail ballot is May 29.

Find information about the full primary election calendar, lists of candidates, ballot measures, voter registration data and election rules at the Secretary of State's website.

Fun fact: A grand total of 3,165 voters had registered with the new Americans Elect party as of Jan. 3. The Washington, D.C.-based group spent more than $2 million to collect the California voter signatures to make it the first new political entity to qualify in the Golden State since 1995.

The nonprofit is planning an online convention to select a multiparty presidential ticket, as Torey Van Oot reported back in December when the group qualified for the primary.

Meanwhile, 3,617,466 Californians were registered with no party preference. Check out the numbers at this link.

CAKE AND CANDLES: Gov. Jerry Brown celebrates his 74th birthday on Saturday.