California Insider

Election law blogger Rick Hasen argues that a literal reading of the election code suggests that the Democrat ads attacking Schwarzenegger are within the law. He says ads promoting Angelides, if they identified him, would not be kosher.

Gov. Schwarzenegger this morning signed legislation to end state investments in Sudan to try to pressure the government there to end genocidal violence in Darfur.

For you bubble watchers, the California Assn. of Realtors reports today that August home sales were down 30 percent from a year ago, but the median price was up 1.6 percent. The Realtors expect those prices to start coming down before the end of the year.

Randy Bayne says Angelides is right to take a stand against the war and promise to try to bring home California's National Guard troops if he is elected -- even if the position he is taking is legally and politically dubious.

While I disagree with Angelides' proposal, I see nothing wrong with a governor, or potential governor, using his position to oppose a war if he thinks it is wrong. The governor of California is expected to be a leader on national issues. Nothing should be outside his purview, especially a matter as serious as the war in Iraq.

Bill Cavala says the surge in decline-to-state voters is a self-feeding phenomenon that is likely to continue. As candidates try harder to get the attention of those disinterested voters, he says, campaigns cost more. As campaigns cost more in a world where contributions are limited, wealthy candidates and independent expenditures play a greater role, and both tend to blur party issues in favor of other messages. This in turn drives more people away from registering by party. And so on. Makes sense to me.

Frank Russo says the governor's veto patterns show that Schwarzenegger is more partisan than he lets on. I suspect, however, that this is primarily a function of whose bills get through the Legislature. Perhaps Russo could also tally up the bills that the governor signs by partisan affiliation as well, and let us know those numbers.

In Sacramento, the SEIU is using an environmental lawsuit as leverage to try to force Sutter Hospital to let the union organize its workers without opposition. In Riverside, the union helped block a bond measure for seismic safety repairs to Valley Health System hospitals and then said it would back a bond proposal if the district approved a new contract. The Riverside Press Enterprise isn't impressed.

The Riverside Press-Enterprise says the eminent domain initiative goes too far.

The normally fee-averse Long Beach Press-Telegram says it wishes Schwarzenegger had signed legislation to slap a $30 fee on every container moving through the ports of Long Beach and LA. The money would have gone toward mitigating the environmental and traffic effects of trade.

But Jon Fleischman says the governor made the right move.

The Contra Costa Times takes on a bizzare case of secrecy at the state's Department of Boating and Waterways. This hardly sounds like the "open government" that Schwarzenegger promised when he ran for governor in 2003.

Ryan Sager says migrating Californians are turning the West's politics blue.

The Times says the parental notification initiative would do more harm than good.

The Riverside Press Enterprise is also opposed.

The Sacramento Bee says the "clean money" initiative is a power play, not real reform.