This Week's Fresh Fruit and Stale Bread

Fresh Fruit: The California Taxpayers' Association. In a sign of just how desperate the budget crisis has become, the California Taxpayers Association, California's oldest self-described taxpayer organization, voted 28-19 to support a temporary sales tax hike to help balance the budget this year.

Stale Bread: The Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association. But the more things change the more they stay the same. After the CTA announced their support of a temporary sales tax to help close our state's outstanding $15 billion budget, the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association was quick on the draw to prove that they can remain just as obstinate as Republican legislators. "It's disappointing that Cal-Tax folded under the pressure, but the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association will never do so," Howard Jarvis president Jon Coupal said.

Fresh Fruit: North Hollywood's Walter Reed Middle School. Apparently wishing to fuel a narrative that his campaign is disorganized and confused, during Senator John McCain's primetime acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention, he spent the first half of the speech in front of what appeared to be yet another green screen. Turns out it was a lawn in front of Walter Reed Middle School in North Hollywood. While everyone and their mother can piece together that this photo was intended to be Walter Reed Army Medical Hospital, the campaign later issued a statement pretending the misplaced photo, one that would not be instantly recognizable to the public, was in fact intended to showcase McCain's commitment to education.

Stale Bread: California's Public Schools Under a Republican Budget. When legislative Republicans unveiled their DOA budget proposal last week, they called for over $5 billion in education cuts. These proposed cuts come despite a report released this week that less than half of California schools are meeting federal academic targets.

Fresh Fruit: Community Organizers. After Republican speakers, including Governor Sarah Palin, mocked community organizers at the RNC, the community organizers fought back. In California, the Courage Campaign sent out a strongly worded rebuke: "Did Sarah Palin make you angry last night? You are not alone. Outright lies. Gross distortions. Sarcastic attacks on community organizers. All delivered with a wink and a smile to 37 million people, almost as many as watched Barack Obama's speech. Quite frankly, speaking as a community organizer, she pissed me off. And she pissed off progressives across California and the country."

Stale Bread: OJ Simpson. CMR's Sherry Greenberg expressed concern this week that the new OJ Simpson trial will take place during the closing stretch of this year's election. "Let's not forget the very different and passionate reactions that the White and African American communities had to the original OJ verdict. In an election featuring the first African American Presidential candidate, such differing reactions to a verdict could, even if unfairly, impact voters willingness to select Obama," she wrote.

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