LA Philanthropy Watch

On April 22, 2010, LA Philanthropy Watch featured the post (and video) that follows.  The new blog, Civic Intersection, has a July 22, 2010 post, “What’s the Matter with the Media?,”  about a more recent episode in which Andrew Breitbart is a central player.

“Thinking to myself: What are we, eight months into the ACORN story and the mainstream media is still telling me that those videos aren’t enough evidence?”

Andrew Breitbart, at the Southern Republican Leadership Conference on April 9, 2010, muses about racism, racial epithets, and the burden of proof. His meditations lead him to comment on ACORN and the undercover videos (introduced at his Big Government website) that successfully bamboozled the mainstream media. Mr. Breitbart, who lives in Los Angeles, takes no note of the California Attorney General’s report, released a week earlier, which offers evidence debunking the right-wing narrative about ACORN that Big Government created.

Rachel Maddow’s April 6 video takedown of this narrative – Context, Lies, and Videotape – provides a useful counterpoint.

See also, “The Undercover Videos: Final Nails in ACORN’s Coffin?” Ht: Talking Points Memo.

This video is featured at the website of the Coalition to Ban Billboard Blight, which asks the question, “Smart License Plates: A Very Dumb Idea?“  State Senator Curren Price (SD-26, which includes Los Feliz) has proposed a study of the idea. More information at the link.

[Video clip of Representative Joe Barton (R-TX) appears below.]

Kahn Shoeib of Consumer Watchdog has been LiveBlogging this week at the U.S. House of Representatives Energy and Commerce hearing on big oil.  This was posted this morning (”Rep. Barton: I apologize for Obama’s ’shakedown’“):

Rep. Barton from TX, drawing murmurs from across the room, publicly apologizes to BP for the White House’s success in getting BP to commit to a $20 Billion escrow account to compensate the people who have suffered from the oil spill.

Calling the White House’s efforts a “shakedown”, and hinting that they may be “illegal”, Barton decries President Obama’s pressure on the sanctity of a “private” corporation. Barton is “ashamed”, and analogizes the WH’s actions to a Congressmen coercing a private corporation to spend $20 Billion in his district.

Hmm. This is interesting from a lawmaker who has sponsored or cosponsored more than $50 million in Congressional earmarks since 2008, mostly for that same district. Why is it bad to  get BP to pay compensation for its misdeeds, and good to ding taxpayers for pork projects in your district?

[Editor's note: I've changed the link to 'more than $50 million in Congressional earmarks,' since Consumer Watchdog's link was to Representative Barton Jennings Gordon (D-TN).]

Here’s the video, courtesy of TPMtv:

(Regarding the image: the face of BP throughout much of California is ARCO, a subsidiary of BP.)

Center for Governmental Studies assessment of Proposition 17 on the June 8, 2010 California Primary ballot.
Allows auto insurance companies to base their prices in part on a driver’s history of insurance coverage.  Initiative statute.
Editor’s note: This proposition overturns the 1988 Proposition 103 auto insurance reforms, which required insurance companies to base rates on 3 factors: driving record, total miles driven, and years of driving experience.  This initiative, funded by Mercury Insurance, would allow another factor – “continuous coverage” – into the mix.  Mercury sees this as good for business; there is no reason to suppose it is good for consumers.

Center for Governmental Studies assessment of Proposition 16 on the June 8, 2010 California Primary ballot.
Imposes new two-thirds voter approval requirement for local public electricity providers.  Initiative Constitutional amendment.
Editor’s note: This cynical measure, funded by PG&E – a huge, for-profit utility company, is designed to fool the voters and eliminate competition.  Since publicly-owned utility companies are prohibited from spending money on political campaigns, there is virtually no campaign to oppose this scheme to preserve PG&E’s monopoly and its ability to raise rates at will.  This cries out for a ‘No’ vote.

Center for Governmental Studies assessment of Proposition 15 on the June 8, 2010 California Primary ballot.
California Fair Elections Act.
Editor’s note: This would allow public campaign financing for one elective office – Secretary of State – essentially a trial run to reduce special interest influence in elections.  It’s tempting … though I’ll be surprised if it passes.

Center for Governmental Studies assessment of Proposition 14 on the June 8, 2010 California Primary ballot.
Elections.  Increases right to participate in primary elections.
Editor’s note: This proposition would deny political parties the right to select their own candidates, would eliminate third parties from the general election ballot, and would allow candidates – whether Democratic or Republican or third party – to hide their party affiliation.   I am skeptical of the theory that it would “end the bickering” in Sacramento.

Center for Governmental Studies assessment of Proposition 13 on the June 8, 2010 California Primary ballot.
Limits on property tax assessment.  Seismic retrofitting of existing buildings.  Legislative constitutional amendment.
Editor’s note: No one submitted an argument opposing this measure.

On Monday, President Obama announced Vote 2010 – a campaign “to make sure the same people who were inspired to vote for the first time in 2008 go back to the polls in 2010.”  Carrying out this campaign is the principal priority of OFA-California, as Mary Jane Stevenson described in her interview with LA Philanthropy Watch (”OFA-CA Reaching Out to First Time Voters of 2008“).

Consumers Union (the folks who publish Consumer Reports) has put together a check list to help people “move their money from the big banks who took billions in bailouts, to smaller local community banks and credit unions.”  This video – featuring George Bailey and Mr. Potter – describes the Move Your Money campaign, apparently inspired by Arianna Huffington and Rob Johnson (”Move Your Money: A New Year’s Resolution“) at the Huffington Post.