Governor Jerry Brown has announced the filing of a tax initiative with the state Attorney General’s office, one touted as capable of generating nearly $7 billion in dedicated funding for the protection of education and public safety. It’s a plan that- along with the recent Think Long proposal- sells itself as moving beyond partisanship.

In my view, the Republican Party’s only two serious candidates for President this weekend announced they had turned down the invitation to participate in the completely unserious Newsmax presidential debate, which is set to be moderated by Donald Trump.  Jon Huntsman, former Governor of Utah and Ambassador to China, and Ron Paul, Texas Representative and staunch libertarian, told Newsmax that they simply were not interested in participating in a reality TV show masquerading as a serious political event.

When confronted with the possibility of a serious third party or Independent challenge to the two-party system, the partisans of the Democratic and Republican parties can be found to rely on a handful of well-rehearsed talking points aimed at disarming any and all opposition to the status quo.

While nearly half of Californians do not personally identify with the Occupy movement, 58% agree with the underlying reasons for the protests, says the highly respected Field Poll in announcing survey results last week. If this were an election, the opposition would be stomped, as 58% is a landslide. Clearly, the Occupy protests are resonating with the general public, at least in California.

The California High-Speed Rail Authority recently released a report saying their proposed plan to put a tunnel underneath Diridon Station in San Jose is not possible. The soil is poor with high amounts of groundwater. Plus, a tunnel would require buying more property than an elevated system, and would thus cost substantially more. This means the only alternative is to build huge elevated tracks.

A Field Poll released on Thursday reveals that Californians are frustrated with the current political process and have a bleak outlook for the country's future- even with a presidential election approaching in 2012.

A coalition of U.S. beet and cane sugar producers are suing member companies of the Corn Refiners Association (CRA). Their amended complaint claims that the CRA is involved in a “conspiracy to deceive the public” by advertising High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) as “corn sugar”. Sugar farmers say HFCS manufacturers have spent over $50 million on misleading ads.

Pepper spray is far from the only stinging rebuke felt by students at UC-Davis and other UC campuses in recent weeks.  Regents of the UC system are currently considering tuition increases that could reach 16 percent, bringing the cost of an education from $12,000 to $22,000 per student by the 2015-16 academic year.  This fee is for tuition only, excluding room, board and other expenses such as books and special lab fees.