Superintendent of Public Instruction

I have been trying to research candidates for Calif. Superintendent of Public Instruction. Tom Torlaksen has a long solidly liberal voting record in the Assembly. He is articulate, and a monogamous heterosexual with kids. He taught a sport (cross country) with a high level of white participation.  He was a full-time teacher before  being elected to the Assembly.


Aceves seems slightly more of a hands-on practical guy.  He has been a teacher, principal and superintendent, and has not run previously for political office.  However, he is endorsed by the council of La Raza, and was once quoted as saying there were too many old Anglo, white teachers in his district. (As it happens, my daughter was a young white Anglo teacher in his district for a year.) 
I may end up voting for my tribe.

Mojave Solar Plant Approved

Here is good news on the energy front.  Interior Secretary Ken Salazar has approved the mojave desert solar project. 
(NY Times)

Of course, it will kill a few desert tortoirses.  Evidently, Senator Diane Feinstein has dropped her opposition.  I wonder whether Barbara Boxer will take credit for this in her reelection campaign.

Water Rights Initiative--The end?

So, On Tuesday the 12th of this month, the Mount Shasta City Council took no action on the question of potentially calling a special election on the Water Rights Initiative.  This will effectively kill it, although the proponents could sue to force a special election.  Initiative proponent Angelina Cook indicated after the meeting that the group probably had no stomach for further litigation, and would take a break, perhaps rewriting the ordinance for another try. 
The initiative proponents had argued, before the council and in litigation with the county, that there had been two versions of the initiative back in August of 2009, and that the wrong one was inadvertently given to the Mount Shasta City Clerk on August 25, for the Notice of Intent that began the process. 
Your writer pointed out that the date stamp on the current version is actually October 7, 2009, six weeks later.  This is a smoking gun of sorts, but was not considered newsworthy by the Mount Shasta Herald (here).

Hate Speech Laws

The first amendment right to free speech is substantially limited in other western nations such as the Netherlands, Canada and Great Britain.  In the Netherlands, Geert Wilders is on trial for speech critical of Islam.  I don't have any really original thoughts on this, so I will link to Randall Parker's post here.