Proposition 18: 2010 California Water Bond

"Whiskey is for drinking. Water is for fighting over." --Mark Twain

I need to look into this measure before it hits the ballots in the upcoming elections.

DUI for a California Politician

... a republican for crying out loud!

I won't say the name. But a southern California Senator was caught drunk driving yesterday morning at 2am. I didn't blog about this yesterday because I was busy at my new job and I had a busy evening of catching a mild cold in the pouring rain while waiting to see the premiere of a movie I've been wanting to see. Anyway! So it's been a hush hush that he's a closeted gay. What's even crazier is that I've seen him on the Senate Floor debating against gay rights and opposing every gay measure there is in the California legislature when it comes to homosexuals. So I assumed he wasn't gay. Heck, I never even met the man because he isn't part of the LA delegation (I'm affiliated with all LA members, in case you didn't know). I never thought he would be gay because of his opposing, family-value-christian-belief-gays-are-wrong arguments when it comes to gay issues. But as soon as I finally got my foot in the first house, everyone began filling me in on the gossip. Niiiiiice.

So, is he gay? I always assumed he was unmarried since it stated in the Capitol Inquiry that he's single with two adult children. Who knows. My aunt says she thinks he's a bit flamboyant when he sat next to her on a first class flight to L.A.

I'm glad I'm not working in his office right now. I'd have such a headache trying to deal with this scandal.

Here's a link to the article because I don't feel like quoting it on my page. Yes. Politics is dirty. Yes it is.

The Kinsey Collection

California Legislative Black Caucus Reception I RSVP'd myself and two other friends (Mermaid and Miss USA), who I know are bigger art and history geeks than myself, for a Legislative Black Caucus reception where we would be able to view the Kinsey Collection with the collectors themselves. I was ecstatic to see Shirley and Bernard Kinsey there and giving background information on their infamous collection of African American and African artifacts. I've been wanting to see this collection ever since I learned about it in my Black and African American History class (yes, that's what it was called). As you know, I did a second major in U.S. History, so I was already familiar with who the Kinseys were and I knew all about their generous contribution to education. It was a great reception, with speeches given by the governor, legislators, and Shirley and Bernard Kinsey followed by live music, food, and open bar. I didn't drink because my "potential future" boss was mingling in the crowd as well. Enough chatter from me. Pictures are down below. =) See photos of members of the legislatures, secretary of state, the governor, the Kinseys themselves, the museum, and three giddy girls down below. Click to enlarge!

This is NOT cool...

Honestly, who the fuck cares about the White House crashers, Tiger Wood's car crash, or Chelsea Clinton's engagement. Why the fuss, CNN? Why the repeats on stories that DO NOT matter when there are news worthy stories of albinos in Africa being hunted and murdered for witchcraft? Or how human trafficking still exists in America. Apparently, the stupid news media just wants to focus on stories that idiots would rather hear about rather than time sensitive issues of human endangerment. WTF, seriously? Why are there so many repeats on Tiger Wood's car crash - he's alive and well, people! News media should be repeating the stories of human trafficking in America, which is much more of a pressing matter at this time - well, to me at least. Urgh, fuck this shit. Idiots. EDIT: I see that CNN has a whole hour of covering the human trafficking material tomorrow. At 6 in the fucken morning. I can't watch that. I have to get ready for work at that time and try to catch the light rail and make it to work on time to work on my juvenile justice facilities report to give to boards of supervisor down in LA. This is obviously stressful, I can never get what I want. MAJOR URGH.

Lonely Repulican

As I was heading into work this morning, I heard via NPR that a lonesome Republican in Congress voted for the major health care reform. I was a bit shocked to hear that a Republican was going against his party to vote on a much needed health care reform bill ignoring that fact that he has no colleagues in congress. As soon as I was dropped off at work, I rushed into the office and turned on my t.v. Just as I hoped, this had to be big enough news to hit CNN, MSNBC, or maybe even FOX (shudders). Sure enough, the story was big in the political arena on CNN. The lonesome Republican turned out to be no other than Louisiana Representative Anh Joseph Cao. Once I received the news, I was not surprised. Last summer, when Congressman Cao was running for the vacant seat that former Representative William Jefferson was occupying, I did a little snooping around on the internet on this devout Catholic lawyer. I became intrigued by Congressman Cao because he’s an immigrant from Vietnam. It’s extremely rare for someone who’s a descendant from the South Asian region to become involve in politics, especially reaching as high as Congress. K, I’m done explaining my reasons for researching him. What’s more shocking was how he won the election in a democratic state populated heavily with African American residents. This just goes to show that voters will give their vote to who they know will represent those best – this is exactly what happened. One of maybe some of you reading this, might not even understand what that means. So here was a devout Catholic Republican who immigrated from Vietnam at the age of 8 years old who won the Congress seat by beating out eight others who was running for the same vacant seat, including William Jefferson, who was, at the time, being investigated on bribery charges. This just goes to show that there will be citizens who will look past political parties and vote for someone who will stand to diligently represent them. Fast forward today, despite his party affiliation, he decided to vote for the health care bill because he knew that many, many of his constituents are uninsured. Now that’s standing up for the people who trusted him by voting him into office. This is a noble, selfless act, even if it may isolate him from making friends among fellow republicans in congress. As of late, many politicians are forgetting what their job entails - i.e. standing up for your district.

"Cao called his vote a matter of conscience. "Twenty percent of the people in my district are uninsured and we have tremendous health care issues in the district,'' Cao said after the vote, as reported by the Times-Picayune."

Click here for the whole article on stumbleupon if you’re interested in reading the full article. But then again, many of you are just glazing over my words and don't give a damn about what I have say unless it's about drama in my life or what I did over the weekend or what Mermaid and I are planning for this week, because this isn't in your "field of interest." Here's an advice, try becoming more friendly and understanding to issues rather than negatively bringing it down. Open your mind once in awhile. Try it, it won't kill you to try.

Stop Cock Blocking Me.

I was born in California, raised in California, and will DIE in California. I love this golden state of mine so much, but living here makes it so hard for me to actually enjoy it, especially when I hit retail therapy sessions. Trying to buy things here is SOOOOO difficult. Why do I have to go through so much paper works and identification verification just to buy harmless items, yet only to get denied later?? Even one of my item that I have in my possession is still an ongoing paperwork to confirm my background checks. I've had it since July and haven't even gotten to play with it yet!!!! I'm going to bring up this retail cock blocker to someone's attention. Talk about frustrations. T_T Why can't I have my cake and eat it too?? .::EDIT::. That's ITTTTTTTT. I hit another road bump during my retail session therapy. I'm emailing my Senator tomorrow.

Vetoed

We just got one of our bills vetoed by the Governor's office that stated our bill would result in significant Proposition 98 General Fund cost pressures. Umm.. okay. Weren't we prancing around the entire Capitol community with songs and phrases about how our bill was a fiscal bill with NO costs? Thanks for ignoring us for the past several months. Now I wonder whether or not children that are at risk of abuse and neglect will be placed on priority for child care services. There is already paid programs for child care services in California, our bill was just to ensure that children under JCS who are at risk or neglected be placed under priority. Since when is there a cost in placing children on priority lists? Muy buenos, Governor.

My Labor Day Weekend Rant

I had a relatively, effortless, unproductive Labor Day weekend. It was nice to just lounge around the house with an arm full of furry critters with whiskered faces. Due to my lack of unproductive-ness, I haven't been inspired to write anything significant. Writers block, perhaps. I missed one of my good ol' friend's birthday dinner on Saturday evening because I had no car (I'm still car-less!) and didn't want to pester people into giving me rides. Would've been great to go because I wanted to show off the scars of my mosquito bites from Cambodia and Vietnam - bastard insects. So here I am, sitting in my office waiting for the legislatures to begins their floor session. It's currently 9:30am, they were suppose to start at 9am, these guys never start on time. *shakes head* Last night I saw a ripened large banana sitting on the kitchen counter and decided to whip up some good ol' fashion homemade banana bread. I'm so glad I did because now I have something healthy to snack on during the work hours rather than starving my buns off. I'd rather starve than feed my body cheap-processed-packaged snacks. I used to dislike how there are mini marts within 20 steps of my office building because I would mindlessly walk inside and walk out with $20+ worth of things I didn't need. I had no control over my ugly habits at the time. However, all that has changed when I started to...- when I began to...- ...hmm. I don't know why I stopped. Can a person really change their way of thought without much planning? O_O .::BREAKING NEWS::. Duvall removed from committee after vulgar comments caught on tape!!! He's an Assemblymember with the California legislature whom I've seen several times when I'm working, but I've never had any business to deal with his office since the organization I work for isn't one of his constituents. This is hilarious because it's making me wonder what exactly does "family values" mean these days when politicans like Duvall, keep repeating that phrase. Here's the article from sacbee if you're so interested in reading.

California Prison System

This is a pretty neat interactive graphics from sacbee.com about California's overcrowded prison system. You can see how the planned capacities for each facilities has changed since it was first built. Take a look at how many inmates California's prison facilities now carry (which is majorly over the limit)! Also, check out the census on the same interactive map (tabbed under "prison system by the numbers") on the racial breakdown. Are they legal or illegal citizens?? hmm... http://www.sacbee.com/1232/rich_media/2124324.html

haha WHAT?!?!

Is anyone else watching the Senate Informational Hearing: The Policy Considerations of Proposed Agency Consolidations on the California Channel? HAHAA What is up with these presenters?? Well, just one of them. He doesn't seem to grasp the question being asked by Senator Alquist. He also seems pretty annoyed by her question. Yes, question, singular. Here goes the LAO to save his ass by answering his question on the federal financial aid process. Good crisis, yea? I can answer that question! Bulls eye for Ruby and I!

Samuel Brannan

Funny man he was. All of his major accomplishments were usually mixed in with his alcoholic behavior. I wish I had chosen to do my research on him instead of Ida B. Wells since he is a Californian, why not write a paper on my own people of the past, right? Don't get me wrong, Ida B. Wells is a woman who I truly admire, but there is something funny about Sam Brannan's history that would've been bizarrily fun to study. He was a great Californian entrepreneuer who couldn't hold his liquor. At one point in California history, he was the richest man in the state. It was him who had made a lot of good impact on the city of San Francisco (one of his landmarks: Brannan St.). He lost all his money when he divorced his wife who took half of everything he owned (lots of lands, buildings, etc. meaning he had to liquidize 'em to pay the dues!). What got me interested in him? It was by one of his quote when he spoke to a group of potential investors in what is now known as Calistoga, the resort town he founded. He meant to say that the town would someday be known as the Saratoga of California but the alcholic beverages got the best of him. Instead he said "Calistoga of Sarafornia." Bless his heart.

Ahem...

These are from last Friday's news. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is proposing to further cut school funding by $680 million and eliminate in-home care services for the majority of current recipients, his Department of Finance announced today. Source: http://www.sacbee.com/topstories/story/1902345.html The governor was in Livermore this morning dedicating the "world's largest, highest-energy laser system," right around the time his Department of Finance was announcing $3 billion more in state spending cuts, including less money for schools and adult daycare. Source: http://www.sacbee.com/static/weblogs/capitolalertlatest/022671.html o_O

Scary Business

Darrell Steinberg is on CNN right now defending his choices and suggestions on how he rules over the Legislature. California has always had problems with finding the right people with the right kind of leadership. Our buget deficit is scary business. I'm more worried about education right now. Last year, the government pays 70% of our tuition while we paid the 30%. If there's no money left for us, that 70% could go lower forcing students to shell out more. Scary thought during this time.

new faces for 2009-2010

gee-yah! it's already that time of the year with the elections done and over with. there are new faces at the capitol, some returning assemblymembers and senators; others are fresh-faced. i'm a bit excited. it's going to be quite a year with a busy agenda here in California. :)

Historic day in the making

Election. I'm quite burnt out from all the presidential news. I only care about the propositions in California. I'm glad I got out of work early yesterday to vote so that made things easier for me today. Remember, vote for what matters! I didn't vote for neither the Rep or Dem candidate, so don't ask me. It's depressing that some of the people I talked to in class this morning weren't aware of the other candidates in other parties. One guy's reaction was "There's a Green Party?!" Horrible, ain't it? Happy Voting Day! ...i miss my grandma in indiana. =(

Oh Governator!

So Arnold is in Ohio today campaigning for fellow republican, John McCain. Our governor rarely ever criticizes those of opposite parties, but today he criticized Democrat Obama's policy and some crap about "socialist" ideas then he goes on to talk about his physical appearance of being "scrawny." Geez. Wasn't it just last week when he considered Obama a great candidate? And what's with him poking fun at his physical appearance? Good grief. Poor Obama and poor McCain. They always get their appearance made fun of. It's election day tomorrow. If you didn't vote, then you don't have a right to complain. Comprende?

Voter Registration Rally

This past Saturday, I attended the Voter Registration Rally held on the South Steps of the Capitol. I was muy excited since the Secretary of State, Debra Bowen was going to be the guest speaker. Several weeks ago, she was in the Middle East trying to make voting for our soldiers easier. I've always wondered how soldiers voted during election time when they were stationed away from their precinct. The Rally was not as interesting as I was expecting. I was really disappointment with the low turnout. Since nothing much was going on except for performances by rappers, singer, and choir groups I decided to leave and go back when Debra Bowen was scheduled to speak. Well, I came back a little too late and she had already given her speech and left. Major disappointment on my part, since I really wanted the opportunity to meet/see her. =( I think I saw the Mayoral candidate, Kevin Johnson while leaving, but I wasn't sure since he wasn't surrounded by a bunch of bodyguards. I should have asked for a picture anyway, but I was feeling a bit self-conscious and didn't want to do it alone. The friend I was with didn't want to be in the picture since he was wearing a headband. geez... I did take a some pictures. Although, it was nothing exciting. This time I checked my camera settings so the pictures turned out great! No need to even photoshop. =D This was the set up of the breast cancer awareness event on the west steps of the Capitol. Here is the south steps where the Voter Registration Rally was held. See? Small, insignificant gathering. =/ Most of the pictures I took are more scenic views of the Capitol building since it still takes my breath away. Pretty... This was the gathering... There was a group sitting under the shade to the right of this picture. Irregardless, the crowd was still small. Depressing, isn't it? I was also sad that there were no McCain/Palin booths at the event. There was only an Obama/Biden booth. I was disappointed with that. I feel that since this event was made to encourage more people to register and vote, there ought to be a vast array of booths to help answer questions, promote more voters, etc. etc. This made the event look very biased... I was happy that there was a booth displaying the League of Women Voters. I chatted with the nice lady at the booth for a little while and grabbed some pamphlets then I wondered off to the back of the Capitol. With monuments like these, it's no wonder it makes me proud to be born in "Kahleefonyah." XD I had never seen the back of the Capitol until Saturday. =O I left the event after 4pm and decided to check out the boutiques on J st. Downtown has some neat little shops. I met up with my two little sisters and two little cousins and we walked around J and K street just checking out the shops. I didn't purchase anything in the little boutiques, but I did in a nifty little Antique shop called Nina's ... something. The name just slipped my mind. The shop was difficult to navigate, but everything was quasi-organized. I found a jewelry box in pristine condition. I see a little sad face on the jewelry box. It knows that the person who purchased it still avidly plays on her Wii and Xbox; also decorates her room with monster trucks, Harry Potter posters, and cat pictures in her bright pink bedroom and she collects knives and daggers. Poor jewelry box, it can already tell that I don't really wear jewelry. bwahhaah! The jewelry box is a bit small, but it was only $8! Not bad since it's now my first jewelry box. =D Drum roll, please! I am about to present the the best thing I have ever purchased. I actually haggled the price down to $10 since it was a little bit banged up and rusty. Chinese Checkers!!! I have never owned one. I actually learned how to play Chinese Checkers 2 years ago on Club House for the Nintendo DS. Yes, I know. I'm a weirdo for not knowing how to play it until recently despite the fact that I'm half Chinese. Whatever, I'm American-born, so I have an excuse to not know. hehee. The other side of this Chinese Checkers is actually regular Checkers. I've been playing that game since I was 6 years old. My first opponent was my popa. I hope my next community event will be much better. I should head back to that antique shop for some glass dolls. They would look great on my bookshelf with their creepy stare. hehehee Sigh, Mermaid just got on a plane heading to Vegas. I wish I was going with her. =(