Reform candidate closes gap in race to be California schools chief

A former charter school executive aiming to unseat California’s education chief has closed the gap in a race shaping up to be a proxy war between school reform advocates and the state’s powerful teachers unions, a new poll shows.

The poll released Tuesday by the San Francisco-based Field Research Corp. showed Marshall Tuck, who has the backing of former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and funding from billionaire philanthropist Eli Broad, three points ahead of incumbent Tom Torlakson.

Among likely voters polled by the organization, Tuck had support from 31 percent, compared to 28 percent who favored Torlakson as the campaign begins in earnest prior to November’s election.

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http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2014/09/09/reform-candidate-closes-gap-in-race-to-be-california-schools-chief/

This Year's Fair Entries:

Ruby Boysenberry Preserves
Spiced Pickled Beets
Creole Sauce
Ruby Boysenberry Jam
Blueberry-Basil Vinegar
Macrame bracelet
Macramé earrings
Speecy Spicy Salsa

Was going to enter an Apple-Caramel Butter and Butternut Squash Pie too but took a tumble and mangled up my elbow pretty good so couldn't get to those this year.

Will know on Oct 5th if I won anything.

Fingers crossed!

On Amazon Prime: "Alpha House."

This series is hysterical. Written by Gary Trudeau, it takes no prisoners with Republicans. John Goodman stars.

Highly Recommended on Netflix streaming: "Stolen Summer"

One of those movies made awhile back but that you've probably never heard of. Starring Aiden Quinn, Bonnie Hunt and Brian Denehy.

DEAR DU PROGRESSIVES: I'm insensed that I did NOT get the memo. Who the HELL is in charge here?

Had it not been for DU's Third Wayers sending out the Bat Signal alerting DU's Democratic Party Faithful that apparently, all of DU's progressives have signed on to the Ron Paul for President campaign I would have never known! I just want to know, where the HELL is my memo? Do we need to overhaul the mail room, the data processing methods, what? Come on, people, get your act together! I mean, if I was missed that means others, maybe thousands of us of us have not yet been informed that we must now align with the right-wing Libertarians.

Reduced to typing with one hand

due to cast on right arm. How DO you guys do it?

Surgery Wednesday. Need some positive DU vibes.

So, last Monday I was working at an apt. complex, had just completed an interview, was walking across the courtyard when I tripped over a raised slab of concrete I never saw coming. Proceeded to go ass over tea kettle, and dislocated AND fractured my elbow. Anyway, have to have some screws and a plate put in to put LTH back together again. Thank the goddess it's covered by worker's comp as I don't have insurance. The surgery is Wed.

So . . . could use some of those positive DU vibes if you've got any to spare.

Thanks,
LTH

Early Morning Make Up, Megatron and Disney

THREE Sweet Victories in California battling Citizens United.

I'm taking a much needed break from DU these days but since I've been involved with the 99Rise! Movement (these are the guys that marched almost 500 miles from Los Angeles to Sacramento) and began posting a few weeks back about our efforts, I wanted to give everyone an update (they're not covering this in the mainstream media).

The three bills that we were advocating have ALL PASSED in California State Legislature! ALL OF THEM!:

AJR1, the formal call for a federal Constitutional Convention to propose an Amendment outlawing big money corruption (California was the second state, behind Vermont, to pass a call for a Convention)
SB1272, letting Californians vote to instruct Congress & our CA legislature to propose & ratify such an Amendment
SB52, the DISCLOSE ACT, to start to require top donors to be prominently reveled in every political ad they fund.

Here is the letter that was sent out to all the activists:

After the vote, after 480 miles of marching, 12 days of occupation, 47 arrests, and 3 legislative wins, we gathered to announce the end of the #SACsitin. We celebrated our victories and shared a vision for where we go from here. I want to share those things with you and invite you to join our celebration.

When we set out from Los Angeles 48 days ago, we were determined to make the sacrifice of walking almost 500 miles across California, occupying our state capitol for days, and going to jail because we believed it would do two things. First, we believed our bold action would challenge our elected leaders to acknowledge and act to end the crisis of corruption. The journey was indeed very difficult, the sacrifice real - marked by pain, stress, and fatigue - but our faith in its power has been dramatically confirmed by win after win.

The very first day after our arrival rally & first sit-in at the Capitol, California became the 2nd state in the union to pass a resolution calling for an Article V Convention to propose a money-out 28th Amendment. In the 1st week of our occupation, we joined other democracy activists in filling a hearing room with our bodies & stories and a once-uncertain committee passed the California Disclose Act. And on Monday, as we stood watch in the gallery and held high the new symbol of our movement - one finger raised high, signifying "one person, one vote" political equality - the Assembly passed SB1272.

Over the course of our occupation and this series of successful votes, we met with a growing show of solidarity and respect from California's elected leaders. One by one, legislators came down from their offices to meet with us in the rotunda and voice their gratitude & support for our cause. Yesterday, in a very rare exception to strict scheduling practices, the Governor's office arranged a meeting for us to share our story and demands with senior staff. Finally, today, as the Senate voted to send SB1272 to the Governor's desk, Senator Ted Lieu stood on the Senate floor and raised his finger in the air in beautiful, common cause with our movement.

These victories are significant, even historic steps toward reform. But, tonight we celebrate also the victory of a dramatically strengthened movement. Indeed, we marched and occupied not only to move our leaders but also for a second and in some ways much more important purpose: to move you, our supporters, and the public. We know that our ultimate victory - a 28th Amendment and federal legislation that abolish the relationship between economic wealth and political power once and for all - will only come through a nationwide mass movement of nonviolent civil resistance.

As we end the occupation today, we do so with thousands of new supporters, dozens of empowered new leaders and allies, and an untold number of citizens newly aware of both the crisis of corruption and a growing movement determined to end it. Help us celebrate this victory and spread the good news of hope and a rising movement by sharing this graphic right now.

As we go forward from this day, we are determined to build on this moment by empowering those who walked with us, joined the occupation, or were inspired by it - wherever you are - to lead your own marches, your own campaigns. Stay tuned. Soon we will announce new training opportunities and bold next steps. For tonight, we thank you for your support and celebrate a hard-won, sweet victory.

Join us in celebrating and sharing the good news.

With hope,

Kai & the 99Rise family


http://www.99rise.org/

THIS is what Democracy looks like and THIS is how it's done. Tired of the status quo? Then DO something about it.

LTH

Just home from the 99Rise March in Sacramento.

Needless to say, we're exhausted. We took Amtrak up to Sacramento to meet with the marchers for the final rally. We had a really good turnout. People car pooled from San Diego, L.A., the Bay Area, pretty much all over California. The Wolf Pac (TYT) was there, as was Dolores Huerta (UFW), MoveOn, "Fractivists," and others. Sad to say, after marchers walked all the way from L.A. to Sacramento, THEY CLOSED THE CAPITOL building even though it was supposed to stay open until 5:00 so we were barred from entering OUR building. They had the CHP on horseback there, the lookouts on top of the capitol building itself, a pretty good police presence but all was peaceful and people were well behaved. They were planning on staying the night at the Capitol Park but I just heard about an hour ago that the CHP were coming in and threatening to arrest them.

I'll post pictures and some video tomorrow.

ETA: Corrected speeling.