Newswire
In the battle over gay rights, this fall was supposed to be a slow period, almost like a political time-out. Both sides were expected to spend the next few months preparing for a California Supreme Court decision on whether to overturn the state’s ban on same-sex marriage.
It’s often hard to pick one event or issue to write about when there are so many from which to choose. So here are some observations on a few events of last week that mark the official start of the 2008 election year.
California Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner is reportedly exploring the possibility of a ballot measure next year designed get uninsured motorists off the state’s roads and highways. Industry sources confirmed the development initially reported in newspaper accounts quoting a consultant who advised Poizner on his successful 2006 commissioner campaign, Wayne Johnson of Sacramento, Calif.-based JohnsonClark Associates.
RJ Reynolds and Philip Morris delivered such a thumping to Oregon’s proposed cigarette-tax increase Tuesday that the sound could be heard all the way in Washington, D.C.
An Oregon ballot measure entered the national debate over taxes and spending Tuesday as President Bush said the defeat of Measure 50 showed voters are sick of overspending by Democrats.
An 11-member review panel will be set up to monitor Denver’s marijuana possession cases under a ballot measure approved by voters.
When it comes to gaining voter approval of ballot measures, the City Council is on a roll.
The city is 7-for-7 since 2002 on issues referred to the ballot by the council.
In 2004, New Jersey became the first state to use taxpayer money for stem cell research, beating California to the punch by three years.
Democratic legislators and Gov. Ted Kulongoski are quietly working on a plan to toughen sentencing for property crimes — a move aimed at blunting a more stringent measure by Republican activist Kevin Mannix.
As the battle over embryonic stem cell research raged for two years in California, Nancy Reagan made emotional appeals in countless television commercials and Brad Pitt passed the word in personal appearances, part of a well-organized $30 million campaign to persuade voters to approve the financing.