Dana Carvey at John Burton’s Birthday Bash

Madcap Mimic Dana Carvey Skewers California and National Politicians at John Burton’s 80th Birthday Bash, December 13, 2012    Read more »

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A Possible Centerpiece of the Gubernatorial Campaign?

“I met (Lieutenant Governor) Gavin Newsom earlier. Its like he’s made of wax.

“I’ve never seen a man that beautiful. I’m not gay…. But I’ve never seen a head of hair like that. Or skin that flawless.

“I said, ‘My God, what is it? Are you Camay? Or sun screen?’

“How in God’s name can a human man look that good?”    Read more »

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John Burton’s 80th Birthday Bash

With Former Assembly Speaker Willie Brown Acting as MC, Burton Thanks Supporters For Their Contributions and Tells Them Who Their Money Is Helping    Read more »

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“Freshman Disorientation — If the State Legislature Were a Business, Would It Get Bain Capital’d?”

By Greg Lucas 

Sacramento News & Review, December 13, 2012 — Imagine trying to run a successful business in which every two years one-third of the veteran employees leave and are replaced with green sieve heads who require training, mentoring and vigilant supervision to avoid All-World clusterfucks that feature overzealous health inspectors, class-action lawsuits, mangled co-workers—or a combination of the three.    Read more »

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Who GIves a F*CK About “Hope” Anyway?

The card at left and below adorned the tables at a December 14 Birthday Party for California Democratic Party Chair John Burton, who turned 80 the following day. Burton, former president pro tempore of the state Senate and longtime San Francisco Assemblyman, expressed gratitude and a measure of surprise at reaching the milestone.     Read more »

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What Was Wrong with “Avocado?”

What’s in a name?

Plenty if you’re the California Health Benefit Exchange, which plans to have a website operational by September displaying the various health care plans several million individual Californians without coverage and the operators of small businesses can purchase beginning January 1, 2014.

A key part of the exchange’s mission is to ensure more uninsured Californians become insured.    Read more »

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California’s Population Grows Slightly to 37.8 Million

SACRAMENTO – California’s population grew by 256,000 between July 1, 2011 and July 1, 2012 to total more than 37.8 million persons, according to official population estimates released today by Gov. Jerry Brown’s Department of Finance. The current growth rate of 0.7 percent is about the same as last year’s population growth, and continues the pattern of modest growth rates over the past few years.    Read more »

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John Burton Turns 80 December 15

The February 5, 1998 Swearing-In of John Burton as California Senate President Pro Tempore

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Happy Birthday UNICEF!

UNICEF – the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund — was created on December 11, 1946.

Since then, the acronym jhas remained the same by the name has changed to the United Nations Children’s Fund.

Originally, UNICEF provided food, clothes and medical care for children in countries devastated by World War II.    Read more »

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First Assembly Constitutional Amendment of the New Legislative Session a Non-Starter

The first constitutional amendment in the Assembly introduced in the two-year legislative session that began December 3 won’t be appearing on the state ballot.

First, a two-thirds vote is required to place it on the ballot. That’s great if the author were a Democrat who hold super-majorities in both the Assembly and the Senate and, should they wish to, can palce anything they want before voters without a single GOP vote.    Read more »

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