Consumer Watchdog

Odds and ends from the past week...

TELL US WHAT YOU REALLY THINK: Steve Maviglio, Democratic political operative and aide to Speaker Fabian Nunez, unloads on the Foundations for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights, now called Consumer Watchdog. The group is putting together a ballot initiative on health care. 

EMINENT DOMAIN MEASURES: As the California press corps withers, Capitol Weekly gets stronger. This past week, the newspaper has an excellent account of the back-and-forth over two competing eminent domain measures on the June ballot, Propositions 98 and 99. In brief, backers of Prop 98 (supported by an anti-tax group) are accusing backers of Prop 99 (supported by California cities) of "astro-turfing," the practice of using deceptively-named organizations with no real members.

WOLVES!!! A new development in the wolf wars in Alaska. A judge says the government can continue to shoot wolves from the air, though he invalidated the practice in certain parts of the state. The question of such aerial hunting -- to reduce the wolf population and protect caribou and other species -- goes to voters in the Last Frontier in August.