- It seems the most popular quick peek is the list of fun ballot titles, so here are a few more. A timely award goes to Orange City Council candidate Brian Harrington who lists “Supply Chain Leader” as his ballot title. Alma Griffin, who is running for Artesia City Council, lists “Rigger Specialist” and gets credit for doing hard, physical labor. We’re giving the “supercool” prize to Dublin City Council candidate Kashef Qaadri, whose ballot title is “Scientist/Cloud Architect” because we think it would be supercool to design big fluffy clouds, although the “Cloud” probably refers to data storage.
- Don’t toke on the clock, but you will be allowed to smoke marijuana on your personal time and your employer can’t fire you. By now, all stoners know that Governor Gavin Newsom signed Assembly Bill 2188, which will prevent employers from discriminating against or firing someone for pot use while not at work. But despite the exciting headlines for those who enjoy 420 Day, be prepared to wait – the law does not take effect until January 1, 2024. Write that down – you need to wait 15 months. Don’t forget.
- Ad spending in the L.A. Mayor’s race may set records. The L.A. Times reported Rick Caruso’s campaign has already reserved $17 million in broadcast TV ads which is “likely the largest single-day ad reservation ever placed in a local L.A. race”. The $17 million did not include cable or digital advertising.
- Independent redistricting commissions are all the rage and now we will have more. Thanks to Governor Gavin Newsom’s signing pen, and the state legislature, three more counties will have an independent process. Last year the state’s independent process prevented the dreaded gerrymandering, although it was far from perfect. Reformers have 8 years before the census to work on making redistricting a truly fair and open process.