Dateline Sacramento (10/22/2009)
Dateline Sacramento
News with a View from the California Capitol
October 22, 2009
Divisive Question
On November 4, 2008, Californians passed Proposition 8, defining marriage as only between a man and a woman. Yet rather than settling the issue, after the election, opposition to the initiative roared angrily across the state and nation. Opponents to Proposition 8 continue the fight in the courts, in the Legislature (with the recent passage of SB 54), and in grassroots and media campaigns to influence minds and hearts as opponents gear up for a possible return to the ballot in 2010 or 2012.
Thus far, 30 states have written protections for traditional marriage into their state constitutions, while half a dozen other states now have legalized homosexual marriage – all by judicial or legislative fiat. Two states – Washington and Maine – will address the issue on ballots next month, and federal legislators have introduced legislation to overturn the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act, which upholds states' rights to ban same-sex marriages and defines marriage as only between a man and a woman under federal law.
California’s Proposition 8 passed a year ago 52.3 percent to 47.7 percent. A recent study by the Pew Research Center found that, while Americans still oppose same-sex marriage 53 percent to 39 percent, a clear majority – 57 percent – agrees with allowing gays and lesbians to enter legal agreements like domestic partnerships and civil unions.
Post Prop 8’s passage, the debate continues to rage. The activist gay community is staunchly divided on when to return to the ballot. One side favors biding their time until 2012 when they are convinced they can win at the ballot box, and the other side favors utilizing anti-Proposition 8 venom to push for a ballot measure in 2010 – even if they believe they will lose. The Pew Forum discovered a deep division nationally between those who favor pushing hard to legalize same-sex marriage at the earliest time frame (45 percent) and those who believe in exercising caution so as not to provoke more anti-homosexual sentiment (42 percent). Those in the first camp – favoring a hard push for legalizing – have declined from 51 percent in 2006.
The poll, conducted mid-August with 4,013 adults, found 49 percent of Americans believe homosexual behavior is morally wrong, only 9 percent say it is not morally wrong, and 35 percent claim it is not a moral issue. Those who see homosexual behavior as morally wrong are much less likely to favor homosexual marriage and civil unions. Only 11 percent of those who say homosexual behavior is morally wrong favor same-sex marriage, while 70 percent of those with no moral objection to homosexual behavior do. These moral views also differed markedly according to religious affiliation and attendance at worship services.
The morality of the issue relates to the subject of truth and the “cosmic battle” currently raging in the world – opposition between God’s truth claims and the lies of the world. Those familiar with Focus on the Family’s powerful Truth Project, a systematic study of biblical worldview, see in the struggle over homosexual marriage the truth claims not of God – but of humanism. California Family Council recognizes the imperative nature of assuring that Californians understand what they believe and how it corresponds with the truth of God’s Word. If you haven’t yet attended a Truth Project training event, maybe it’s time you did.
Latest Poll Reveals Dismal Approval Ratings for Congress and California’s U.S. Senators
In last week’s Dateline Sacramento edition we summarized a Field Poll showing the drop in approval ratings for Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and the California Legislature. Now, a Field Poll has been released showing that less than a quarter of Californians approve of the way the U.S. Congress is performing. Disapproval ratings are at a 20-year high, and only 23 percent say they approve of the way Congress is conducting itself. It's the highest disapproval rate since 1996.
The poll released Saturday also found that Californians increasingly disapprove of the job Democrat House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco) is doing. About one in three – or 34 percent – gave her good marks, while 44 percent said they disapprove of her performance. Pelosi’s approval rating has dropped 14 points since March of this year, when 48 percent approved and 35 percent disapproved.
The poll also found that less than half of Californians approve of the state’s Democrat senators Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer. Feinstein received a job approval rating of 46 percent, while 35 percent disapproved. And 44 percent approved of Boxer's performance, while 37 percent disapproved. Feinstein’s job approval rating is her lowest since 1996, and Boxer's disapproval rating is its highest since 1995. Boxer faces a growing battle for re-election in 2010.
The poll also reveals that California’s Democrat senators are polarizing, creating increasing disparity between the viewpoints of Democrats, Republicans, and “independents.” Field Poll director Mark DiCamillo said “It's a more partisan environment now than it was earlier in the year because they're dealing with policy."
The poll shows that Boxer is more polarizing than Feinstein. Boxer has an approval rating of 66 percent among Democrats, while only 12 percent of Republicans approve of her performance. Feinstein received positive marks from 60 percent of Democrats, while 23 percent of Republicans approved of her performance.
While 51% of California’s Democrat voters are happy with Nancy Pelosi’s performance, only 7% of Republicans approve of her work, and specific to her role as Speaker of the House, Pelosi garners a disapproval rating of 79% from Republicans and 23% from Democrats.
These latest poll numbers are another stinging indictment of the people we have elected to serve us. Voters share some responsibility in this circumstance, as we have neglected our role in identifying and electing virtuous leaders, and holding them accountable once elected.
Networks and coalitions across California are becoming active in the identification of candidates who share their values, and those same coalitions are submitting to education on how the electorate is to practice encouragement and exhortation with those elected. Stay tuned for more information as plans are underway.
Governor’s flip-flops damage trust, jeopardize water deal
Quoting Abraham Lincoln, “If you once forfeit the confidence of your fellow citizens, you can never regain their respect and esteem.” Nowhere are those words more true than in politics. Despite their excitement when voters elected Arnold Schwarzenegger to govern California, recent contradictory actions by the governor has continued to decimate voter confidence in him, as a recent poll illustrates. The governor’s apparent flip-flopping on his commitment to resolve California’s water situation before approving hundreds of legislative bills may have irrevocably damaged his credibility with members of the Legislature.
Over the summer and prior to the final month of the legislative session, the governor repeatedly called on the Legislature to act, and regularly chided legislators for their failure to focus their attention on efforts to find a water solution. When the Legislature returned from its summer recess, Governor Schwarzenegger and legislative leaders proclaimed their commitment to resolve California’s water problem before the end of session. Nonetheless, the Legislature adjourned for the year without a resolution.
And after the Legislature adjourned without sending Schwarzenegger a bi-partisan water proposal, he threatened to veto all pending legislation on his desk if legislative leaders did not agree on a comprehensive water plan before the October 11 constitutional deadline to sign or veto bills. As the deadline approached, the governor emphatically reiterated his commitment to veto legislation if a deal was not reached. However, on the eve of the deadline and without a water deal in place, he recanted – flip-flopped. The governor’s threats and chiding were apparently idle, as he ultimately signed more than 500 bills into law, including measures about which he had ridiculed legislators over the summer.
According to Governor Schwarzenegger, he recanted his veto threat because he believed water negotiations had progressed to a point where there was an agreed upon framework that warranted his change of heart. That proposed water “framework” or plan contained the following:
- $9.4 billion bond on the 2010 ballot, with restrictions on the amount the state can borrow
- A statewide water conservation reduction goal of 20% by 2020
- Mandatory groundwater monitoring
- Stricter water rights enforcement
- Creation of a Delta Stewardship Council to oversee delta management
However, despite convening another legislative special session on water, and purporting that a deal was imminent, there is still no agreed upon water deal.
Over the next few weeks, the governor and legislative leaders will continue their efforts to find consensus on water, but with session adjourned, and without a veto threat, it is uncertain if the governor can force or effectively negotiate a successful water deal. Further, increasing opposition from local governing agencies, employee unions and environmental groups (who are adamantly opposed to any above ground construction necessary to increase the state’s storage capacity), will make securing legislative support for a water deal an almost insurmountable task.
Local Links
LA VERNE – Family comes full circle – When Marci Rienstra, adopted into an American home from Korea as a young girl, went to South Korea in August to meet her adopted daughter, Lily, for the first time, it was a special visit for a number of reasons. Marci and her husband, Ryan, residents of La Verne, already had one child, 5-year-old Lindsay, but were unsuccessful in conceiving a second child. So they decided to go the adoption route. Months of applications and review processes later, the married couple of 11 years were on their way to pick up their new child. Read more in the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin.
FRESNO – A pro-life advocate participating in the 40 Days for Life campaign outside a California abortion clinic in Fresno was assaulted by a pro-abortion woman, cutting the pro-lifer’s arm and creating an obscene tirade. Obscenity Alert: Video of the attack has been posted on YouTube. Read more at EWTN.com.
SALINAS – A handful of parents voiced outrage Wednesday night about the Washington Union School District’s handling of an incident in which a middle school student is accused of drawing up a “hit list” of other students. Several parents attending the monthly school board meeting said the district should have communicated more quickly and clearly with them about the boy’s potential for assault. Read more in the Californian.
Truth Project Opportunities
RIVERSIDE – California Family Council continues to expand its offerings of the acclaimed Truth Project group leader training seminars. Training in biblical worldview is a prerequisite to living out authentic Christianity in today’s postmodern culture, with its subjective claims of truth.
The next Truth Project group leader training seminar:
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Spanish Language Training
9:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.
Host Church: Iglesia Amigos (Southern California)
5211 Lakeview Avenue
Yorba Linda, CA 92886
Saturday, November 14, 2009
8:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Host Church: Neighborhood Church of Anderson and Cottonwood (Shasta County)
4684 Rhonda Rd., Anderson, CA 96007
Saturday, November 21, 2009
8:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Host Church: Calvary Chapel, Paso Robles (Central Coast)
1615 Commerce Way #A, Paso Robles, 93446-3614
For more information on attending or hosting a seminar, call the California Family Council at 951.354.8362 and ask for Trudy. Register online for seminars at: www.californiafamily.org.
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