California's primary looms large -- just like state officials had hoped

[RandySF]

SACRAMENTO — California’s Democratic primary suddenly matters.

Between the muddle of Iowa’s botched caucus, a weakened Joe Biden and Mike Bloomberg’s aggressive play for the 494 delegates at stake in the nation’s most populous state, California’s March 3 primary is taking on increased importance — just as California officials hoped it would more than a year ago, when they decided to move it up from June to March’s Super Tuesday.

And the voting has already begun: Even as New Hampshire gets its traditional place in the spotlight Tuesday, more than 15.5 million early ballots were mailed out to registered California voters last week, more than are up for grabs "in Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina and Nevada combined," California Secretary of State Alex Padilla notes.

The vast state’s reputation for a lengthy vote-counting process could prevent the quick emergence of a winner that night. But Padilla maintains there’s little danger that the confusion that happened in Iowa will take place in California, in part because the state’s elections are overseen by state administrators, not party officials. Plus, he argued, “the biggest issue in Iowa was the use of an app — and California does not use apps’’ for counting or casting ballots, or for reporting results — and the state “doesn’t allow the voting system to touch the internet” to prevent hacking.


https://www.politico.com/news/2020/02/10/california-primary-bloomberg-sanders-2020-112958

[Tiggeroshii]

1. YAYYYY

We matter!! :

[Garrett78]

2. As usual. 2016 was an exception.

[Control-Z]

16. What about 2016 was an exception in California?

I'm not trying to be snarky or argumentative. I just don't understand what you mean.

[Garrett78]

18. I mean California used to regularly vote on Super Tuesday. This isn't something new.

2012 was irrelevant, as we had the incumbent. So, 2016 was an exception in terms of California having an early say in the nominating process.

[Control-Z]

19. Got it.

Thanks for responding!

[2naSalit]

3. It should!

I'm glad that there's some progress in making a more realistic schedule. We'll just be swept up in the draft out here in never-see-a-candidate-land.

[mr_lebowski]

5. Luna and California FTW ... that tune totally reminds me of Pavement ...

I'll see your Luna and raise ya a Wilco and Billy Bragg, doing Woody Guthrie ...

[Retrograde]

6. And we've already started voting!

Last week, in fact.

Now, who do I want for state senate? We also try to stick as many contests as we can on a ballot.

[B Stieg]

7. I voted!

Yesterday, by mail as a "permanent absentee" voter.
Go Cali!

[More_Cowbell]

8. And you're still undecided?? :-)

I also voted, also permanent absentee. CA knows what it's doing!

[Skya Rhen]

17. Oops!

[Liberty Belle]

9. I'm in California and am still undecided. To me it all comes down to their views on this:

I was for Warren until she announced support of AB 5, which is decimating my field of work, harming our nonprofit, hurting media outlets and so many independent contractors including artists, writers, translators, actors, theaters, musicians, and many others. I emailed her campaign on how harmful this bill is, yet she supports a federal version of it which just passed the House.

I want to know where every Dem in the presidential race stands on the so-called PRO Act, which at the federal level touts protecting unions right to organize which is fine, but also contains a provision similar to AB 5 in California, which targets independent contractors.

As a nonprofit, I can't even hire someone to do temporary work at a fundraising event or preparing for an event unless i pay over $800 in unemployment insurance and workman's comp (a full year amount) even if they only work a half day. That is insane, Normally I'd have paid $15 an hour (generous, more than minimum wage) for such things, maybe $45 or $60 or 3 or 4 hours work.

News outlets can't hire videographers unless they are either employees or have their own companies. So our nonprofit can't just hire a friend with a cell phone to videotape a political debate, as we'd done at times before this wretched bill. Concert promoters are now required to make EVERY musician an employee even for a one-night gig, or force the bands to form their own companies at substantial cost and make every single one of their band members employees. How many young talent groups can afford that?

The bill was meant to target Uber and Lyft but they're finding loopholes and meanwhile everybody else is getting screwed, with many going out of business or moving out of state. We do NOT need this at the national level. Is anybody listening?

Before AB 5 I was all for whoever the most progressive person was who I believed could beat Trump. Now I'm all for whoever will take a stand against a national version of AB 5. There is likely to be a ballot measure in CA to overturn it as well as legislation to amend and make it less harsh on key industries in CA, but those won't be able to become law if a national version gets rammed through the Senate and signed by a Democratic President.

Has anyone seen stands by any candidates, other than Warren, on this?

[emmaverybo]

10. This is terrible. I honestly did not know. And don't know candidates' stances.

[Control-Z]

11. Bookmarking to look into in the morning.

I'm on California time here and need to fall asleep asap.

[Silver Gaia]

12. It has affected adjunct faculty adversely as well.

I honestly don't know ANYONE who says it's a good thing for them.

[Fresh_Start]

13. Liz will do the right thing

she doesn't have her own crusade.
When she makes a mistake, she admits it and fixes it

[Liberty Belle]

14. I hope you are right.

She very publicly came out arm in arm with AB 5's author, Lorena Gonzalez, in Elizabeth's campaign rally in San Diego. There were audible gasps in the press corps when they announced Gonzalez was endorsing Warren and Warren announced we need a national version of AB 5.

Lorena is former head of the San Diego and Imperial Counties Labor Council- a very powerful labor leader that Dems are afraid of crossing lest they lose labor support. But by backing this bill that hurts all the independent self-employed workers, Dems are shooting themselves in the foot and losing votes -- and most of the media is negatively harmed by the bill, too.

[MoonlitKnight]

20. She supports the intent

Once aware of these adverse impacts there is nobody I would trust more than Elizabeth Warren to make the necessary changes to fix it.

[Recursion]

21. A national AB 5 would only work if we had national incorporation laws

Otherwise it's just going to be a huge bonanza for NM post office box operators (NM doesn't require physical presence or operations to form an LLC).

[Wounded Bear]

15. It's a huge block of delegates...nt