The California Independent Voter Project wishes everyone a safe and happy new year. On this New Year's Day, we pledge to continue our pursuit of exceptional analysis from both sides of the political spectrum on all things politics in this great state. With 2008 behind us, let us look forward to a bright future and work together to make those hours of great adversity that made up the end of last year a distant memory. Happy New Year California!...

In an attempt to reach new audiences to get the word out about California's budget deficit, the governor's office has created a new online widget that marks how many days the Legislature has gone without passing a new budget and displays the amount of money the state is losing by the second. The governor has even kept an updated Twitter account that posts regularly about the budget deficit and state issues. It's a great way to follow the budget crisis at a glance. While you're catching up on h...

With California facing an 11.2 billion budget deficit, Governor Schwarzenegger called lawmakers into a special session Monday and announced a fiscal emergency in the state. "Without immediate action, our state is headed for a fiscal disaster,and that is why with more than two dozen new legislators sworn intoday, I am wasting no time in calling a fiscal emergency specialsession," Schwarzenegger said. Unable to reach a compromise on a plan to reduce state spending and raise taxes, the debate wil...

Only days after Californian's agreed to shell out  $40 billion for a high-speed rail program, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger announced a plan to hopefully put an end to the crippling state budget deficit. In order to overcome the $11.2 billion budget shortfall, the governor proposed a 1.5-cent increase in state sales taxes, a higher taxes on oil and liquor production, and a state workers’ pay cut for 19 months. He has also proposed that the state slash government spending by $4.5 billion. It is ce...

LA Times Get set for the California governor race Schwarzenegger to gay marriage backers: Don't give up Skelton: Schwarzenegger's call for tax hikes brings him into real world Prop 8. protests spring up throughout state Uncounted ballots unlikely to reverse Prop. 8 San Francisco Chronicle How churches allied to pass Prop. 8 Quick fix for state budget problems a long shot Berkeley high-speed transit not yet a done deal Sacramento Bee California budget battle looks like it'll be a rerun...

Governor Schwarzenegger's proposed sales tax hike isn't what meets the eye, says JosephHenchman of the Tax Foundation. The governor says that the state tax rate iscurrently 5 percent, but this isn't entirely true. "Schwarzenegger can get away with calling the current tax '5 percent'because carved out special taxes can become essentially autonomous fundingsources, like Minnesota's new 3/8th sales tax for wildlife refuges and arts andculture programs or Colorado's failed 0.2% sales tax for develo...

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Barack Obama has been elected the 44th president of the United States, an election announced around 8:00 pm Pacific time. The Associated Press reported that John McCain called Obama to congratulate him on the victory. He delivered his concession speech shortly after. "The American people have spoken and they have spoken clearly," McCain said to a booing crowd in Arizona. He commended Obama, calling the election "historic."...

SD UT: Probable Record Turnout on Election Day SFChron: What will happen to those already married if Prop. 8 passes? LA Daily News: Authorities On Alert for Prop. 8-Related Incidents SFChron: 'A Lot at Stake' in California SFChron: San Francisco Budget- From Bad to Worse SFChron: 13.6 Million Californians Expected to Vote LATimes: Skelton- Prop. 12 'Pays For Itself' LATimes: Polls Show Prop. 4 is Close LATimes: Schwarzenegger Stands With Bi-Partisan Coalition Against Prop. 5...