Today's Fresh Meat

November 07, 2007 @ 9:00 AM

Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner, California's only down-ballot Republican, will spearhead the effort to defeat a ballot measure meant to alter term limits, the Sacramento Bee reports. It's a bit ironic that Poizner is probably using the term-limits issue to build name recognition for himself, in anticipation of 2010 gubernatorial bid. And, as Lt. Gov. John Garamendi and other have pointed out, shouldn't he be looking after victims of the Southern California wildfires, not playing 2010 politics?

Dan Walters of the Bee offers some additional analysis of Poizner's foray into the ballot measure battle. Poizner is doing a political "three-fer," as Walters put: he's raising his profile, ensuring Proposition 93 will be competitive and threatens to take away Republican support for the initiative. LIke we said, a great a way for a moderate to gain some trust in a GOP primary.

Saying he needs to devote his full time and energy to the "baseless " charges filed against himself, Orange County Sheriff Mike Caronna announced his decision to take a paid leave from office today, the Los Angeles Times reports. it's sort of like Congressman John Doolittle, who has taken a "paid leave" from the House but still shows up and votes now and then.

San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom cruised to re-election last night, with over 77 percent of the vote, vowing to continue his work on fighting homelessness, protecting the environment and improving quality of life in the city, the Chronicle reports. Now the question becomes what Newsom, as well as District Attorney Kamala Harris who also won by a landslide, will do next. Newsom is widely mentioned as a candidate for Governor in 2010, but he could also run for Dianne Feinstein's Senate seat in 2012. Harris could be mayor, or maybe state Attorney General.

This feels like deja vu, doesn't it? California's coffers will be smaller next year due to the housing slump, so Governor Schwarzenegger's office is looking at a 10 reduction in the budget next year, which could include some cuts to education, signaling another epic battle with the teachers' union, according to the Bee. And all of this during the "year of education?" We could be in for an interesting one.

Democrats and the Governor seem closer than ever to a deal of health care reform, with the revenue source remaining the source of contention, the Bee reports. Democrats want to rely on a slight tobacco tax increase, while Arnold is pushing for lottery funds. The problem with the Governor's approach is that its enactment would all but assure a costly, protracted fight with the education lobby, and there may already be problems with education funding next year.

The so-called "dirty tricks" ballot initiative that would change the rules for the electoral collage in the middle of the game and give an Ohio-sized prize to the GOP nominee is back in circulation and needs to be stopped, the Bee editorializes today. Bottom line: if you get approached about a "proportional" ballot measure at the grocery store, don't sign it.

Hollywood studios have struck back against striking writing today, taking the first steps to lay off thousands of assistants, development executives and production managers, the LA Times reports. This action could have a ripple effect on the entire Los Angeles economy and is foul play if we ever saw it.

Faster than you can say "pandering," Rudy Giuliani accepted the endorsement of televangelist Pat Robertson, who seems satisfied with Giuliani's pledge to appoint the kind of judges Bush appoints and then went to say something about "blood" and "Islam," as evidenced in the LA Times. This development could be an early indicator that Giuliani will win the battle (the GOP primary) but lose the war.

That's all for today!