Just because the state legislature isn’t schedule to meet again until Jan. 7, doesn’t mean our elected elves are not hard at work. In anticipation of opening day, they are giddily churning out proposed Constitutional Amendments in the hope that this might be the magical year for change. Each amendment needs a two-thirds vote in the state senate and assembly in order to appear on a statewide ballot for possible passage. Read More

The tax plan proposed by Gov. Jerry Brown on the November ballot has more support than a competing measure, according to new polling numbers released today. Proposition 30, the Brown proposal, would increase the tax on income exceeding $250,000 for seven years and increase the sales tax by one-quarter of 1 percent. In San Francisco, that would increase the sales tax from 8.5 percent to 8.75 percent. The money would primarily go toward education and public safety. Read More

The Tampa Convention Center ballrooms have been converted into a series of stalls for the news outfits in attendance. Each is separated by makeshift walls of fabric through which you can make out tables, computers, food and phones. Walking through the labyrinth of media pens, I was struck by how many other nations have outposts at this convention. News organizations from Japan, Italy and Morocco are all here, covering an event many Americans regard as somewhere below “Toddlers & Tiaras” in the queue of shows to watch. Read More

On Wednesday night at the Republican National Convention, we’ll all be treated to a tribute video. The Cecil B. Downhill Lifetime Achievement Award will go to U.S. Rep. Ron Paul. I’m hoping for slow-motion podium bashing and soft-focus moments of Paul telling Mitt Romney to read the Constitution. At 77 years old, Paul isn’t likely to run for office again, though he hasn’t ruled it out. An informal poll on his website asks, “What should Ron Paul do now?” Where more than 50 percent of respondents said “prepare for an independent run,” only 9 percent want him to support Romney. Read More