There’s too much to summarize here. Good luck to California voters in June and November 2010:

Get Me Rewrite! Does California need a new constitution? – coauthored by Robert Stern (head of the Center for Governmental Studies and one of tomorrow’s panelists) – in California Lawyer, November 2009.

Nonpartisan California Forward Action Fund Reform Initiatives Built on Lessons Learned from Other States – Yahoo Finance, November 3, 2009.

Do Californians Want Another Car Tax? – California Beaches Blog, November 4, 2009 warns of a possible $18 per vehicle tax initiative to support state parks.

Public pension reform initiatives are filed for 2010 ballot – Orange County Register, November 6, 2009. The online news story has links to two versions of the initiatives.

Pension Reform Is On The Way – Friends for Fullerton’s Future, November 7, 2009, lauds the pension reform initiatives, and concludes “Democrat Bill Lockyer has admitted that the state will go bankrupt without serious changes to the pension system”.

This Hot Air link to a Bill Lockyer address shows him telling California legislators they are to blame for the budget and pension mess because they are beholden to union interests.

Lobbyists sue to block campaign-finance ballot measure – Sacramento Bee, November 7, 2009. A novel idea: have lobbying firms taxed to support state political campaigns! Lobbyists are suing to have it removed from the ballot. The initiative’s goal is to cut the link between the California Secretary of State, lobbyists, and election financing.

Governor says state can handle debt service on $11.1B water bond – Fresno Bee Opinion Talk, November 6, 2009 – says Governor Schwarzenegger is confident voters will approve this November 2010 initiative.

Initiatives target the initiative process – Monterey County Herald, November 7, 2009 – mentions the organizations California Forward and Repair California and a local League of Women Voters’ forum on 2010 state reform ballot initiatives.

Conference notes:

Panelists agreed women should take more leadership roles; the governor said he’s appointed several women to state posts and realizes the importance of women’s points of view.

Branson described an event he spoke at in Saudi Arabia: Women were sequestered behind a curtain, and they cheered from there after he told the men, “You’ve taken all the best seats!” He followed up by encouraging thousands of women with good seats at yesterday’s conference (and those listening to the live stream on the internet) to to take the lead in bringing change to other parts of the world where women have virtually no freedom.

Sheila Bair’s message to women in business and government: focus on where you are, know yourself, do your job well, and the next opportunity will come along.

The governor’s points on leadership and women: Good decisionmaking requires good advice (he credited California’s first lady), families should emphasize math proficiency for daughters, and don’t be afraid of failure (he mentioned some of his movies – I’d never heard of Hercules in New York). Schwarzenegger said that even during this recession, California is leading the way in green technology jobs and patents.

Re: appointing women to government posts, green technology, and California taking the lead, UCLA’s Journal of Environmental Law and Policy just published California’s Climate Change Program: Lessons for the Nation by Mary Nichols, Schwarzenegger-appointed Chair of the California Air Resources Board.

Article points:

California has developed comprehensive policies on climate change, carbon reduction, and renewable energy.

This is a “classic exercise of a state’s historic police powers to respond to threats”

Upfront costs will save citizens money over the long term; that money can be invested in the state’s economy to promote green jobs and technologies.

Federal and state-level coordinated action should foster the initiative and creativity of local governments.

California has provided consistent leadership and brought together agencies, boards, departments and commissions to meet emission reduction targets in various areas.

AB 32, the state cap-and-trade program, low-carbon fuel standards, and SB 375 are all key components of California’s program.

SB 375 aims to synthesize land use, transportation and housing plans to reduce vehicle miles traveled.

“This executive order adds nothing to getting us to our goal of liberating us from our over-dependence on carbon-emitting fossil fuels, improving our air quality, reducing fuel price volatility, and creating a vibrant and growing source of jobs, innovation and economic vitality in California,” the assemblyman said at a press conference today. “The hope for real solutions was encompassed in AB 64, SB 14 and the slate of renewable bills the Legislature passed last week, not window dressing solutions. I am hopeful we can still reach a compromise, but on the strength of this executive order, we won’t be getting to 33 percent by 2020.”

Schwarzenegger criticized the bills as too protectionist because they restrict out-of-state and other sources of renewable energy. According to the LA Times (September 16),

The governor objected particularly to a provision that would limit utilities from using credits purchased from out-of-state wind and solar projects to cover more than 30% of their renewable obligations.

The proposed limit, labor unions and ratepayer advocates insist, is needed to ensure that the bulk of renewable projects are built and operated in California, providing high-paying jobs.

Krekorian was joined by environmental activists Darrel Clarke, chair of the Sierra Club Angeles Chapter and Faramarz Nabavi, deputy director of the California Wind Energy Association.

Navabi’s statement: “It is crucial to California’s renewable energy future that these bills become law this year. Without a statute to give clear authority to the agencies, any dissatisfied party will have plenty of grounds to litigate, causing further delays and possibly derailing the whole program. Furthermore, investors will continue to face great uncertainty about the future rules of California’s renewable energy market and thus focus their efforts elsewhere. California has fallen out of the top dozen states in the amount of new wind energy installed last year, in part because previous bills to raise the RPS had not passed. The legislature successfully put together a bipartisan package this year and I urge the government not to veto these bills and make 33% law today.”