There is no clearer statement of the direction of any organization than its budget. Given the opportunity to impact the direction for all of California through this month's budget-related ballot initiatives, the state's voters are likely to say "no thanks" in mass quantities by not showing up at the polls.

Hospitalized in a Washington, D.C.-area medical center since mid-April, a spokesman for U.S. Rep. Pete Stark said late Wednesday that the congressman continues to recover from a bout of severe pneumonia.

A funny thing happened on the way to the budget compromise: numbers may have been just a little fudged.

SANFRANCISCO -- Despite the state's airwaves being plastered by TVcommercials showing firefighters and teachers predicting furthereconomic disaster for California should Props. 1A through 1F fail, amajority of likely voters in a poll say they will vote against atleast five of measures during the upcoming May 19 special election.

Now, just because something is fashionable, that doesn't mean it's right. Unfortunately, many government leaders these days don't seem to grasp that fact. A bill currently in the California Assembly would make it a rule that consumer products would have to be labeled according to the amount of greenhouse gases used to create said product. For an already ailing business community, this is a terrible idea.

California's citizens are again being asked to navigate the bizarre landscape of political discourse in order to make decisions that we pay our legislators to make for us. This time, the political paralysis that is called party loyalty may well force Republicans voters to oppose the spending controls that Democrats agreed to with great reluctance.

Althougha decision on the legality of Prop. 8 by the California Supreme Courtis due any day now, leaders of Equality Califoria (EQCA) said Thursdaythey are moving ahead with a new TV and grassroots-led campaign to makegay marriage legal in the Golden State.

Which hasa longer life expectancy, a house fly or a Republican legislative leader in California?

Republicanleaders, but not by a lot.

First theSenate ousted Dave Cogdill after a longpainful weekend of budget talks that includeda lockdown. He'd lasted less than a year.

AMERICAN CANYON -- Although it's just a few miles from SanFrancisco -- arguably the epicenter of the marriage equality movementin California -- a majority of City Council members in the Napa Countytown of American Canyon voted this week to reject a resolution supporting gay marriage.

Calling it an "abuse" of the council's authority, City CouncilmanEd West successfully moved to table the resolution in support ofmarriage equality proposed by colleague Joan Bennett.

Calling them a "rotten deal," the Green Party of California announced last week that it would formally oppose Props. 1A through 1F on the May 19 special election ballot.

"We oppose the cuts in transportation, education, social services and other humane services, and we oppose this deal even though we were told that great hardship would result if (this) rotten deal failed to pass," said Michael Rubin, who analyzed the measures for the Green Party of Alameda County.