At a news conference urging voters to oppose Proposition 23, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa told Texan oil companies to go home for interfering in California politics by funding the initiative that would suspend AB 32, a landmark state law that aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The LA Times reports that the mayor stated, “We won't compromise our environmental and health standards so you can make more money,” and argued that if the proposition passes it would be bad for the health of Californians. Community activists from Latino neighborhoods participated in the event, which you can read more about here.

And in other Prop 23 news, Sacramento’s City Council voted unanimously to oppose the ballot measure. The Sacramento Press reports that “Councilman Steve Cohn said Tuesday night that the proposition is ‘a false choice between economy and the environment.’” You can read the city’s resolution against the initiative here.

Finally, Earl Cooper, the President/CEO of the Black Business Association, took to the pages of Fox & Hounds to write in support of Prop 23 due to concerns about the effects that AB 32 will have on small businesses. Cooper writes:

The campaign opposing Prop 19, the initiative to legalize and tax marijuana, has added some big political names to the “No on 19’s” staff of support. Specifically, it was announced that U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein and Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca will serve as co-chairs for the fall campaign. In a statement, Feinstein said, “California will not see a single positive result if Proposition 19 passes. It is a poorly constructed initiative that will cause harm to Californians on our roadways, and in our schools, workplaces and communities. I look forward to working with Sheriff Baca to ensure we defeat Proposition 19 in November.”

Feinstein had endorsed the campaign earlier but now has come on board in a more active role to serve as co-chair. Democrat Barbara Boxer and Republican challenger Carly Fiorina have also come out against Proposition 19, as has Democratic Attorney General Jerry Brown and Republican former eBay CEO Meg Whitman. Sheriff Baca stated, “Proposition 19 places a huge burden on law enforcement. It would create a patchwork of thousands of conflicting local laws, with no state standards.  I agree with Senator Feinstein that no good can come from this jumbled legal mess. […] I am honored to serve with Senator Feinstein as co-chair of the campaign and I look forward to working with her to defeat this ill-conceived and poorly-written initiative.”

Read more here.
 

Money talks, and for Proposition 27, Democrats are coming out in force to support the measure that would return redistricting rights to legislators (and effectively disband the newly-created Citizens Redistricting Commission). Capitol Alert reports that since Monday, more than $500,000 has been contributed by Democratic lawmakers to the campaign. And who is primarily dishing out the cash? It appears its legislators who are from districts that would be redrawn by the new commission. The Citizens Redistricting Commission was approved by voters in the 2008 election and gave the 14-member board the power to redraw state legislative and Board of Equalization districts, a right that Prop 27 supporters from the legislature want to take back for themselves. There is also a competing measure to Prop 27 this year that qualified earlier on that would expand the powers of the Citizens Redistricting Commission by adding congressional redistricting to its redrawing tasks. Read more here.

The November election is closer than you think, and with that in mind, September is National Voter Registration Month. California’s Secretary of State, Debra Bowen, is urging voters to check their registration status or to register now if they aren’t already. Bowen stated, “Californians have just a few weeks left to register to vote in the Nov. 2 general election, but there’s no need to wait. Registering takes only a few moments and National Voter Registration Month is the perfect time to mark the task off your ‘to-do’ list.”

If you’re not sure whether or not you’re registered, you can find out through this web site.

If you want to register, you can find a form here.

Finally, if you only want to vote by mail for the November election, request to do so here by October 26th.  
 

The Secretary of State has announced that a new ballot measure has been cleared for circulation, an initiative that would prohibit the state (specifically major pension funds) from investing retirement funds in companies that have ties to Israel. In essence, the measure is regarding divestment from Israel in relation to settlement activity. The ballot title and summary are as follows:

“PROHIBITS STATE RETIREMENT FUNDS FROM INVESTING IN COMPANIES ENGAGED IN CERTAIN BUSINESS ACTIVITIES IN ISRAEL. INITIATIVE STATUTE. Requires the Public Employees’ Retirement System and State Teachers’ Retirement System to identify investments in companies that do business related to the construction or maintenance of Israeli settlements, including those in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, or that provide military supplies and services to Israel. Requires retirement funds to urge these companies to stop these business activities, and, subject to fund fiduciary responsibilities, to divest from companies still engaged in these activities. Prohibits retirement funds from making new investments in these companies.”

In order to qualify for the ballot, its supporters must gather 433,971 signatures by January 31, 2011. The proponent is Chris Yatooma, who stated the reason for the measure as follows: “We hope California will be the first state to apply a comprehensive divestment strategy that other states will follow. This divestment approach looks to mirror the divestment strategy embodied by the worldwide anti-apartheid movement that toppled white rule in South Africa.”