Get Rid of the Penny?

Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson thinks we should eliminate the penny.

Asked Friday whether he thought the penny should be eliminated, Paulson agreed that it would make sense, saying, "The penny is worth less than any other currency."

Oh, Henry, you genius, you, I knew there was a reason you're the charge of the money.

Sailing Under the Golden Gate

The French racing yatch Gitana 13 broke the record for sailing from New York to San Francisco yesterday. It only took 43 days and 38 minutes.

Or, you know, we have planes now.

I'm still filling my purse with snacks

So high popcorn prices subsidize movie tickets? Really?

The data and examples given in the article just seem kind of weak. I'm going to freely admit I didn't read the entire 29 page study linked above.

I'll wait for the movie.

And I won't buy popcorn when I watch it.

Hot time in the old town tonight

What is up in SF? A "lovers' quarrel" between the incoming Planning Director John Rahaim and his boyfriend (partner? lover? I've seen several terms used) resulted in the boyfriend being held on $1m bail for setting their bed on fire and smearing canned tomato around the historic Nob Hill residence of the fire chief where the couple were living temporarily? Seriously? Why tomato?

Do you think Rahaim is going to enjoy a lengthy tenure with the city?

She has the votes, soon she'll have the power

But it's LA's Karen Bass, not the Bay Area's Fiona Ma, who has the numbers she needs to take over from Fabian Nunez as the Speaker of the State Assembly.

I'm kinda bummed because I think Fiona Ma is great and she's the nearest candidate, geographically, to me. This is still a big step ahead for California, however, as she becomes the first Democratic woman to hold the post and only the second woman ever (after Doris Allen, a Republican who was Speaker ever so briefly before being recalled).

Sorry Fiona. I'm glad you tried though. The more women pursuing these positions of power, the better our government gets.

Things that make you go Hmmm, politically

You've heard about this Obama photo thing, right?
 
Click here for the story and come back when you're done:
 
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2008/02/25/politics/p091845S97.DTL&type=politics
 
Okay, good, back now? Right. First off, I think both sides are reacting to a non-event. But it's still overwhelmingly goofy, right? Obama is in his father's native Kenya. He tries on traditional clothing. There's a photo. Now, supposedly, the Clinton camp circulates that photo to be divisive. How is it divisive? Because Americans think all turbans are dispensed by Al-Qaeda, I guess. We're too stupid to differentiate. I suppose I shouldn't be snarky, I mean, post 9/11, life isn't all peaches for Sikhs, right? And their turbans don't even look like those of the "evil-doers." Anyway. So Obama says "Hillary, stop being divisive!" And Camp Hillary, wide-eyed and innocent (again, perhaps I'm using misplaced snark) says "you shouldn't call your own photo divisive, WE don't see that turban as being terrorist like."
 
Neither side is going to win many points out of this conversation PLUS, I have to figure the papers have something else to cover besides this traction-less story. So let's get to it, kids.

In case you haven't been paying attention

We're all going to lose our homes (http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2008/02/26/national/a020309S77.DTL&tsp=1)
Which is fine because we can't sell them for enough anyway (http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2008/02/26/national/a060630S15.DTL)
Which is probably because we can't afford to improve them anymore (http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2008/02/26/financial/f031613S88.DTL)
 
Don't worry though, I'm sure if the National Realtors Association keeps running those ads about how it's a great time to buy a house, we can overcome all this economic foolishness and get right back on the Stupid-Unrealistic-House-Appreciation-Coaster.
 
Right?

Legislative Report Card

If you're into this kind of thing: CalPIRG released their legislative report card for 2007.

Those receiving an A grade of 90% and above in the Assembly include 11 of the 48 Democrats in that body: Jim Beall, Mark DeSaulnier, Mike Feuer, Mary Hayashi, Jared Huffman, Dave Jones, John Laird, Mark Leno, Gene Mullin, Ira Ruskin, and Sandre Swanson. The lowest rated Democrat in the Assembly was Nicole Parra with a 53% rating.

Something that has nothing to do with here...

But this is my favorite picture of the day:

Don't go to the ER

And in Millbrae, hospital workers prepare to strike. It's primarily the workers in a convalescent home, who have disagreements with the owners.

FYI, that's going to cause more problems than the writers.

Filing Date Upcoming

Another one bites the dust.

Now that Steve Thomas has withdrawn from the AD 15 race (before the actual filing date and start of the election), he joins Steve Filson, who already dropped out. That leaves only Joan Buchanan left.

Isn't it nice to see an election happening.

I'm back!

I apologize for being gone. Changing jobs and computers will do that to you.

To make up for it, here is something interesting.

It's the list of superdelegates in California. Who are they? Who are they going to vote for? Why are they more important than you?

News from the North

Guess he couldn't help himself: Nation is jumping into an otherwise already grab-the-popcorn fun to watch duke fest between Leno and Migden for the incumbent Migden's seat. Love it!

Killjoy

The Chron does the math and questions how legislators spent nearly $700,000 on jukets and stuff without justifying how these expenses are related to their jobs. Yawn. Oh, sorry. Does it make me a bad watch dog if I just don't get my pantaloons in a bunch over such revelations?

By they way, $700k divided by 120 legislators is a little under $6000 a piece Of course, some spend more than others.

Lawmakers declared that all of the spending was reasonably related to legislative, governmental or political purposes, as mandated by state law. But because there is no requirement that legislators provide any details explaining how the spending was job-related, taxpayers and voters have no way of judging for themselves if the expenses were appropriate.

So? And why are taxpayers and voters two separate categories? If taxpayers don't vote it's their own damn fault, so whatever. And tax dollars aren't paying for this anyway, so that sort of side implication is a bit misplaced too.

So what did some of our local guys do that's worth us bending over to pick up throwing stones?

San Ramon Assemblyman Guy Houston, for example, spent $125 in campaign money at a jet ski rental shop on Maui, justifying the expense in public reports only as candidate travel.

Fremont Assemblyman Alberto Torrico used $185 in donor money for a round of golf in Napa, while Orange County Assemblyman Todd Spitzer used $139 in contributor money to buy a wedding gift for one of his campaign aides - also without detailed explanations.

Oooh, awful, isn't it. Call me crazy, but maybe the people with the right to be angry are donors who forked over cash to help their candidates win, rather than cush up their lives in office?

Either way, I just can't seem to care that much. Do you? Do you think a round of golf makes a legislator decide he owes it to whomever to vote for everything, say, CMA or trial attorneys, etc, supports? Against what it hates? I think it's a bit more complex than that.

How It Went Down

In case you want to know how it actually went down last night after the votes were finally counted. Or, rather, this morning at 8am.

The Indian Gaming props are the only ones that passed. Though 91 did manage to get 41% even after it's authors abandoned it. Go california!

Here's a breakdown of the delegates, in case you actually thought anything would be settled after super-duper tuesday.

'How Clinton Won In California' - hint: it involved getting more votes

The Chron has an analytical piece on the keys to Clinton's California victory yesterday, while still acknowledging that the practical outcome of her ten-point or so lead is really only a few delegates over Obama. (Link: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/02/06/BA3IUT6L8.DTL)
 
The article notes:
 
"California has long been "Clinton country," but Hillary Rodham Clinton seized Super Tuesday's biggest prize by winning big among women, Latinos, Asian-Americans, gays and lesbians, older voters and working class Californians - which blunted Barack Obama's strong support from African Americans, white men and independents, according to exit polls.
 
"While Obama was able to carry some of the state's progressive centers - including San Francisco, Alameda, Marin and Santa Cruz counties - Clinton dominated in voter-rich Los Angeles County as well as Santa Clara County, Orange County and San Diego County. The New York senator also vacuumed up support in inland areas like Fresno, Riverside and San Bernardino counties."
 
I would've predicted Obama to have done better in LA County - thinking he'd get the more cutting-edge left while Clinton carried the now old-school New Democrats in more traditional counties - as she did in Orange and San Diego and inland.
 
"Obama proved once again his popularity among African-Americans, taking almost 4 out of 5 black votes in California. But Clinton more than compensated by winning among Latinos by a 2-to-1 margin and among Asian-Americans by a 3-to-1 margin.
 
""Asians were a surprise," said Bruce Cain, director of the University of California's Washington Center. "It's the first (presidential) election we have seen where Asian voters were a big factor. They are about 8 percent of the Democratic electorate.... The two major immigrant groups voted for Clinton as opposed to the candidate who has the immigrant background.""
 
Does that statement imply that all Asian voters are immigrants or have immigrant backgrounds (more recent than the rest of immigrant-built America, that is). To have that demographic result mean more, I'd want to know if we're talking about recent Asian immigrants or all Asian Americans. Otherwise, why the presumption?  There have been waves of Asian immigration to the US and to Cali several times over the past two centuries - about the same time as other European immigrant waves and we don't count them as immigrant groups.  Seems a bit contrived to me.
 
Clinton enjoyed strong returns across the state. But Obama did pick up Mono, Siskiyou, Plumas, Sierra, Yolo, Nevada and Alpine counties. Everyone knows as goes Siskiyou, so goes the Nation, er, State. No? 

Election Day Report from the Field

Seen in Santa Cruz!
 
A good friend reports that it took her a moment this morning to realize who it was who had handed her a ballot.  She stared at him for a few minutes trying to place the face in context.
 
Why, it was none other than former Assemblyman Fred Keeley.  We LOVE Fred Keeley.  We miss Fred Keeley.  A lot.
 
Kinda makes you want to vote Yes on 93, doesn't it?  We coulda had more Fred. And a better California!
 

Klaske Withdraws

Fred Klaske withdrew from the assembly race.

I bet you didn't even know there was a race on yet.

That leaves School Board Member Joan Buchanan, ex-pilot Steve Filson, electrician Steve Thomas and teacher John Taylor of Sacramento. Wait, Sacramento is in the district?

Happy Harvey Milk Day!

What do you do if you are a gay liberal Democrat locked in a tight primary race against another gay liberal Democrat? You propose to make a new holiday to honor San Francisco's best-known gay leader.

That Debate Thing Last Night

Last night, I went out to California NOW's debate watching party. Free beer! Free food! Old woman shushing you!

Assemblymember Mark DeSaulnier was there, as was Assembly candidate and School Board Member Joan Buchanan. They both made nice little speeches about the exciting opportunity we have right now with two (that's right TWO) great candidates and how we have to get out to vote in all three elections this year. And the old woman looked very confused, three elections you say?

It was a really good event, around 150 people (maybe more, I'm bad at estimating) and everyone very excited. I talked to both the special geusts too. Pictures to come.