Colorado

Greetings From Denver

Joe Mathews — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 15:28:00 -0400

I'm back in Denver today and tomorrow, to do a few reporting errands. (Word to the wise: don't be like your blogger, a Socal boy who is constitutionally incapable of checking reports, and pack a jacket when you visit the Mile High City. It's darn cold here). I'm also touching base with a variety of initiative sponsors here. In a lighter-than-expected year for ballot measures nationwide (with measures failing to make the ballot or being pulled in Arizona, Nevada, Ohio, etc.), Colorado is this year's ballot champion. Nineteen -- that's right, 19 -- measures will be on the November state ballot.

But as I talk to folks on both sides of these campaigns, I feel like I'm entering a time machine -- a time machine that takes me back to 2005 California. There, we saw Gov. Schwarzenegger and his business backers qualify a number of initiatives to the ballot. Labor then countered with a fierce "no" campaign and a few counter-measures of its own. Virtually the same thing has happened in Colorado this year, the one key difference being that Gov. Bill Ritter counseled both sides against going to war. There hasn't been much public polling. Private polling that I'm seeing shows some initiatives doing better than others, but all with serious vulnerabilities. It's quite likely that history will repeat itself here and voters will shoot down both the business initiatives and the labor counter-measures. And no one will emerge a winner after a big, multi-front, expensive campaign -- well, no one except the political consultants.

Connerly Throws In The Towel In Arizona

Joe Mathews — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 06:16:00 -0400

Backers of Ward Connerly's anti-affirmative action initiative on Friday abandoned their lawsuit to try to get the measure on the ballot. It had appeared to have enough to qualify, but was kicked off the ballot because of an unusually high rate of invalid signatures. The supporters of the measure were going back through signatures in Maricopa County, but ran out of time to go through all of them, in part because the county was providing them only two computers to do the work. They say they'll try again in 2010.

I'd be surprised if they can get the money. Connerly and his supporters have proven incapable of getting the basics of qualifying initiatives right. He had originally planned to have a similar initiative on the ballot in five states. But he has failed in three states, and his initiative in Colorado is in trouble. The only state he's made the ballot? Nebraska.

Attack On Three Colorado Measures

Joe Mathews — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 18:49:00 -0400

The above ad is running in Colorado. It attacks the well-known Amendment 47 (the Right to Work measure) and two other ballot initiatives supported by business and opposed by labor. Denver's ABC station does a fact-check of the ad here.

The ad is interesting for students of direct democracy because it criticizes the measures not for their content but for how signatures were gathered. For those who know the blockbuster democracy business, the most interesting part is the claim that people with criminal records helped gather signatures. No kidding!

A note from planet reality: the sort of people who are willing to work long hours gathering signatures and getting paid in cash often have criminal records. In my own experience with gatherers, many have substance abuse problems. If folks with records were barred from gathering signatures, there would be no signature gatherers in America--and no ballot initiatives.

Misuse of Funds Seen In Colorado Measure

Joe Mathews — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 14:31:00 -0400

Opponents of a Colorado ballot initiative to raise oil and gas taxes to fund college scholarships are accusing a state body, the Colorado Commission on Higher Education, of using public funds to support the measure. The commission denies it.

A Challenge That Will Be Answered

Joe Mathews — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 13:33:00 -0400

Denver Post columnist Al Lewis, looking at a right-to-work initiative on the November ballot in Colorado, asks where the victims are of union abuses. It's an interesting question, given the low rates of unionization in the private sector in his state and nationwide. But let me be the first to predict that Lewis will be deluged from complaints from public sector workers -- particularly teachers -- angry about being forced to give part of their paycheck to powerful organizations who practice politics they don't agree with.

Criminalizing Miscarriages

Joe Mathews — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 16:49:00 -0400

That's what the Denver Post fears will happen if Colorado voters adopt the so-called "personhood" ballot initiative that would give the legal rights of a human being to any fertilized egg.

Unions Try to Knock Colorado "Right to Work" Initiative Off Ballot

Joe Mathews — Fri, 30 May 2008 00:48:00 -0400

The union opponents of the November ballot initiative to make Colorado a "right to work' state went to court today to try to throw the initiative. The court case alleges "massive" signature fraud, with so many duplicates and false signatures that the measure could not have properly qualified for the ballot. Such suits are common and usually get thrown out. But the political climate in Colorado is so hostile to direct democracy and signature gathering now that if I were a backer of the "right to work" measure, I'd be worried.

Weekend, er, Colorado Round Up

Joe Mathews — Sun, 11 May 2008 13:32:00 -0400

Get used to it. Most of the country's blockbuster democracy news is coming from the Centennial State. A bit of news from California and elsewhere appears at the bottom of this post.

COLORADO PEACE: It appears that there's been a cooling on one front of the all-out initiative war in Colorado. The trial lawyers and the sponsor of an initiative to limit contigency fees are putting their swords away. The contigency fee initiative -- and 9 counter initiatives filed by the lawyers -- have been dropped. Hat tip: Point of Law. according to the Point of Law legal blog.

DENVER ET COMMISSION GETS A HEARING: Its sponsor says there's evidence that aliens -- and he doesn't mean Mexicans, Mr. Tancredo -- are already among us. At the hearing, concern is expressed about the commission's cost -- $75,000 -- and how easy it is to qualify the measure (only 3,900 signatures) and of course, about what late night comics might say. Learn more about the Extra campaign as its new web site.

MILLER WORKERS DON'T LIKE INITIATIVE BACKED BY A COORS. The union at Miller Brewing, which is about to form a joint venture with Coors, are nervous about the Colorado right-to-work measure, which is not backed by the company Coors but is being pushed by a member of the Coors family.

COLORADO SUMMARY: This Rocky Mountain News story provides a nice political overview of how the Colorado governor and top legislators are formulating strategy for the various ballot initiatives that state's voters will face in the fall. Gov. Ritter, a Democrat, is pushing an initiative to end a property tax break for oil and gas companies; the initiative would spread the additional tax revenues among a poll-tested array of popular programs -- education, environment, clean energy.

COLORADO TITLE: Colorado boasts one direct democracy invention all its own--a title board. That is, a body that exists to give titles to ballot measures. The board has just approved two of the seven union-backed initiatives that are being pitched as a counter to the business-backed right-to-work initiative in that state. One of the initiatives would require private employers to provide annual cost of living increases to all employees.

And other odds and ends from that tiny political universe that is not Colorado.

REDISTRICTING IS HARD: In California, it was tough sledding to get signatures. In Arizona, backers of a redistricting initiative have quit, unable to get the signatures.

MISSOURI GAMING: An initiative backed by casinos in Missouri appears headed for the ballot. The measure would lift the Show Me State's so-called "loss limit," which tries to protect gamblers by limiting them to purchasing $500 of chips in a two-hour period. But Missouri gaming interests say they need to lose the limit to compete with new casinos in Kansas.

HEADLINE OF THE WEEK: This very good story on Democratic tax proposals in California is worth reading also.

IS GANG INITIATIVE TARGETING MINORITIES? Andy Furillo of the Sacramento Bee examines criticism of an anti-gang initiative in California.

VALLEJO REVENUES: Dan Weintraub, on his Bee blog, shows that revenues in bankrupt Vallejo have been on their way up.

Big Labor Pours Money Into Colorado

Joe Mathews — Thu, 08 May 2008 20:37:00 -0400

National unions have put more than $1 million into Colorado, mostly to fight the right-to-work initiative that recently qualified for the ballot. SEIU, the nation's largest union, has donated more than $600, and things are just getting started. This Denver Post story predicts that the right-to-work initiative will cost more than $25 million, and the ballot will have more than a half-dozen measures. Look for Colorado, not Ohio, to be the biggest swing state this fall, as presidential contenders battle over it, and the forces of business and labor from across the country attempt to bloody each other with initiatives here.

Thursday Round Up: Oregon, Arizona and Colorado

Joe Mathews — Thu, 08 May 2008 16:19:00 -0400

OREGON GAMING MEASURE DROPPED: Backers of an initiative to establish Oregon's first non-tribal private casino say they've decided not to go forward. They could revive the proposals, but want to see how proposals for two tribal casinos fare first.

IMMIGRATION COPS: The Arizona legislator who wants to allow police officers to enforce immigration laws is pursuing dual tracks -- a ballot initiative and legislation at the same time. The initiative is back-up, he explains.

COLORADO GOV RAIN ON SPEAKER's INITIATIVE: Gov. Bill RItter, a Democrat, questions the political strategy behind an effort by the Democratic House speaker in his state to qualify a measure lifting some of the state's spending limits. Ritter has been trying to reduce the number of measures on the November ballot.

ONE CENT SALES TAX TO FUND TRANSPORTATION: Arizonans, including Gov. Janet Napolitano, have launched an initiative to pay for $42 billion in transporation spending with a one-cent sales tax. The full plan for how they would spend the money is due next month.

RIGHT TO WORK TAB: It cost more than $300,000 to qualify the "right-to-work" initiative in Colorado for the ballot, according to the Denver Post.

'PERSONHOOD' OPPONENT: Here's an interesting profile of the former Boulder mayor and current Planned Parenthood official who is leading the campaign against Colorado's "personhood" initiative, an anti-abortion measure that would seek to protect the unborn by giving them all the rights of human beings.

NOT COMING TO KANSAS CITY: The mayor there wants a ballot measure to establish light rail on the November ballot, but he's not getting much support.

TAKE IT TO THE PEOPLE, JR: Members of the Dallas city council are seeking a public referendum on whether the city should own a hotel development outright.