Henry Nicholas

Henry Nicholas, the billionaire Broadcom founder and funder of "tough on crime" ballot initiatives in California, has pleaded not guilty to securities and drug charges. For those interested in the case, you might check out the excellent work that Orange County Register reporter John Gittelsohn (a former competitor and friend of your blogger) has done on this subject.

In the Los Angeles Times, friend of the blog Robert Greene looks at the billionaire anti-crime initiative sponsor who now faces two big federal indictments.

Over the last two weeks of October 2004, Gov. Schwarzenegger and billionaire Henry Nicholas led a campiagn to defeat Prop 66, a ballot initiative that would have eased some of the most onerous parts of California's "three strikes" law. With Schwarzenegger's campaigning and Nicholas' money, the "no" campaign made political history, taking an initiative that seemed certain to pass and sending it to a shocking defeat. The "no" vote grew by nearly 30 points in two weeks. Independent pollsters say they have never seen such dramatic movement in a ballot initiative.

Billionaire Henry Nicholas, founder of broadcom, has checked into the Betty Ford Center for alcohol rehabilitation, the Orange County Register reports. He's funded two crime-themed initiatives this year: the victims rights' measure (currently paying $2 a sig on the street) and an anti-gang measure. In 2004, Nicholas and Gov. Schwarzenegger led an expensive last-minute campaign to defeat Prop 66, a measure to change the state's three strikes law. The measure lost more than 20 points in the polls in the last 10 days.