Dianne Feinstein

I just received a recorded message call opposing Prop 8, the California ballot initiative to ban same-sex marriage. The recorded voice belonged to Bonnie Shatun of the California Teachers Assn. She cited the endorsements for the No on 8 position by U.S. Sen Dianne Feinstein and by the League of Women Voters. Such calls suggest that women, perhaps moderate women, are a focus of the outreach of opponents of Prop 8.  The call is also well-timed, and suggests a more organized campaign against Prop 8 than we saw a few months ago.. A new ad by Feinstein against Prop 8 has just gone up. More on that to come.

A gubernatorial spokesman predicts a "total meltdown" in the Capitol if there's not a deal for a new California budget  by Saturday, the deadline for adding measures that would be part of any compromise to the November ballot. At Blockbuster Democracy, we're adopting "Total Meltdown" as a way to distinguish California posts from news from other states.

In Total Meltdown news...

DON'T TAKE PERATA'S WORD: The Senate Democratic leader said a deal was close. It wasn't.

DIFI SMACKDOWN: Democratic U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, a rumored candidate for governor in 2010, went to Sacramento yesterday and criticized legislators for failing to put a $9.3 billion water bond on the ballot. She's right, of course. The state badly needs the infrastructure, and the bond represents a compromise reached by her and Gov. Schwarzenegger. But folks on the left and right hate it, and the California legislature's mantra right now might as well be: "Let's make the perfect the enemy of the good."

WE DECIDE, YOU VOTE.  The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors reversed itself and voted to put a sales tax on the ballot to fund transit programs. But then the board voted to register its opposition to the package. Yes, it's confusing.

Here are details on the compromise, $9.3 billion bond that Gov. Schwarzenegger and Sen. Dianne Feinstein want the legislature to add to this November's California ballot. The bond would fund water storage and restoration of the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta. But the governor's efforts to secure such a bond in recent years have been frustrated by partisan and geographic rivalries.

Now comes news that an effort to recall the Democratic speaker of the state House in Michigan has gained new momentum. Conservatives there are upset about Speaker Andy Dillon's support for tax increases. It's already a nasty business. As the Detroit News reports, recall supporters are criticizing Democrats for hiring a convicted felon to lead a "blocking campaign" to dissuade voters from signing the recall petition. Dillon's supporters went to court and got an order telling recall backers to stop using out-of-state petition circulators. But Dillon is taking it seriously, sending out mail to every voter in the district.