Press-Enterprise , CA
May 9 2005
Former candidate singing new tune
Political Notebook
The Press-Enterprise
Danney Ball, the Hemet singer-songwriter with two failed statewide
candidacies under his belt, is launching a new kind of campaign.
Ball wants to spread the word about earthquake preparedness and is
taking to the state’s roadways in his recreational vehicle to do so.
He plans to begin his travels when he turns 65 on May 18.
While running for governor in 2002 and then for U.S. Senate last
year, Ball toured the state in the vehicle with campaign signs and a
painting of himself on the side.
Ball and the massive vehicle were a frequent presence at political
events and in large parking lots near freeways, where he parked in
hopes of catching the attention of passersby. He also made
appearances at Inland political clubs to woo voters.
Now, Ball is trying to convince Californians to make sure they have
earthquake-preparedness kits ready — and he might even make some
money along the way. Ball, the self-described “Songwrangler,” is
pitching a boot-stomping ditty, “The California Earthquake Song,”
along the way.
Initiatives Away
Assemblywoman Bonnie Garcia, R-Cathedral City, isn’t running for
office this year. But her name would still show up on a ballot if
Gov. Schwarzenegger calls a special election this fall to push his
government “reforms.”
Last week, the campaign pushing Schwarzenegger’s overhaul agenda
turned in hundreds of thousands of signatures to qualify an
initiative that would increase from two years to five years the
amount of time until new teachers gain tenure and the resulting job
protections.
Garcia is the official proponent of the initiative, dubbed the “Put
the Kids First Act.” Earlier this year, Garcia said she sponsored the
measure because the public education system had “failed my family and
failed me personally.”
The teacher tenure measure isn’t the only initiative with an Inland
connection making news.
Assemblyman Ray Haynes, R-Murrieta, who is seeking the GOP nomination
for a seat on the Board of Equalization next year, introduced an
initiative to create a California Border Police to patrol the state’s
border with Mexico.
Be It Resolved
They lack the law-changing impact of a bill, yet a staple of
lawmakers’ legislative routines is the resolution.
Lawmakers carry several a year. They typically recognize people, urge
a course of action on Congress or commemorate events, such as the
Armenian genocide following World War I.
Some resolutions recognize people or things that don’t seem wanting
for attention.
State Sen. Nell Soto, D-Pomona, introduced a resolution honoring the
60th anniversary of the April 12, 1945, death of former President
Franklin D. Roosevelt — the subject of countless books and a
monument on The Mall in Washington, D.C. that draws millions of
people annually.
“It’s just honoring a good man who helped us get out of poverty,”
Soto said. “For those of us who lived in Pomona and were very poor,
he helped us a lot.”
In the Assembly this year, there have been resolutions to declare a
day to honor Rotary International (Assemblyman John J. Benoit, R-Palm
Desert), to urge Congress to protect the patent of the Inland
manufacturer of the Maglite flashlight (Assemblyman Joe Baca Jr.,
D-Rialto) and calling on the state to develop commercial trucking
routes (Assemblywoman Bonnie Garcia, R-Cathedral City).
Most resolutions pass unanimously. Sometimes, though, the debate
rivals that of a controversial bill.
In 2003, for example, members of the Assembly disagreed sharply over
resolutions about the war in Iraq — Assembly Democrats balked at
commending President Bush — and Father’s Day, with Republicans
complaining that the measure promoted alternative lifestyles.
Political Notebook was compiled this week by Jim Miller and Michelle
DeArmond.