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Drill for oil off the California coast? ( )Yes, need all the domestic supplies we can get ( )No, just look at Santa Barbara's beaches ( )A limited amount in most promising fields Current results (4:13pm Pacific time): 573 votes: Yes: 33% No: 62% Limited: 6%

Republican Sen. John McCain will take his presidential bid to the symbolic heart of liberal America next Monday, making a stop in San Francisco's swank Fairmont Hotel for a fundraiser. The ticket? Up to $100,000 per person. The event is at least McCain's third fundraising pit stop in the city. Back on the last day in January - only days before the state's presidential primary, which he won resoundingly - McCain hosted a fundraiser at the Four Seasons hotel.

In a sign that record-high gas prices are changing the way Californians think and live, a new poll shows that state residents are losing their long-held hostility to nuclear power and may even reconsider their opposition to oil drilling off their scenic coast. For the first time since the 1970s, half of Californians support building more nuclear plants in the state, according to the latest Field Poll, to be released today. A strong majority, 63 percent, want shipping terminals to import liquefied natural gas, a condensed and super-cooled fuel that critics say can turn into a fireball if it leaks....

An Orange County pastor was able to do what no one else could: arrange John McCain and Barack Obama's first joint general-election campaign appearance. [snip]

Presidential hopefuls John McCain and Barack Obama will speak Aug. 16 at Saddleback Church in what is expected to be the only joint campaign event for the candidates before the national conventions. The Lake Forest megachurch’s pastor, Rick Warren, will moderate the joint appearance, which will take place on the eve of the two national party conventions. After a brief appearance together, the two candidates will separately spend an hour talking with Warren.

Sens. John McCain and Barack Obama, respective presumed Republican and Democratic presidential nominees, will end the primary season by making their first joint appearance of the 2008 campaign at Saddleback Church on Saturday, Aug. 16 at the Saddleback Civil Forum on Leadership and Compassion. Dr. Rick Warren, founding pastor of the 22,000-member Orange County, Calif. mega church and moderator for the event, made the announcement today upon confirmation by both campaigns. "We're honored that the candidates chose The Saddleback Civil Forum on Leadership and Compassion for their first joint appearance, an unprecedented opportunity for America to hear both men back-to-back...

A bare majority of California voters would continue to allow gay marriage, according to a new poll released Friday. The Field Poll of 672 likely voters found that 51% oppose Proposition 8, which would amend the state Constitution to define marriage as only between a man and woman. Forty-two percent of voters support the November ballot measure. Poll director Mark DiCamillo said the results indicate a substantial change among voters since 2000, when Proposition 22, a similar ballot measure, was approved with 61% of the vote. Proposition 22 and other laws that discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation were...

Californians are likely to support same-sex marriage in the coming November election, suggests to an opinion poll released Friday. According to the Field Poll, 51% of California voters surveyed said they would oppose Proposition 8, a ballot measure that would amend the state constitution to define marriage as between a man and a woman, thus banning same-sex marriage. Forty-one percent of voters surveyed said they would vote "yes" on the measure, according to the statewide survey that was completed this week. Those results are nearly identical to findings of a Field Poll in May that found 51% of Californian voters...

Fifty-one percent of likely voters in the state oppose Proposition 8 on the November ballot, a constitutional amendment that bans same-sex marriage by defining marriage as only between a man and woman, according to a Field Poll released today. The poll shows voters are divided by where they live, their age, gender and political party. For Prop. 8: "I see nothing wrong with gay marriage. It's only controversial to narrow-minded people. ... I think the opposition (to same-sex marriage) has to do with being close-minded about homosexuality. Or maybe people are afraid of it."

The state Supreme Court in California is allowing voters this November to consider a plan to define marriage as one man and one woman, a move that could overturn that same court's ruling in May that same-sex duos should be recognized as "married." Jennifer Kerns, communications director for Protect Marriage.com, which collected more than 1.1 million signatures on petitions in support of the vote, confirmed that the high court today simply dismissed the pending challenge to having Proposition 8 on the ballot. "Obviously, the Supreme Court decision delivers a significant blow to our opponents," she told WND. "It does send...

SAN FRANCISCO – The California Supreme Court refused Wednesday to take up a case by gay rights advocates that sought to keep a same-sex marriage ban off the November ballot. The justices' unanimous decision to reject the petition means that barring further legal action, voters will consider a constitutional amendment that would again limit marriage in California to a union between a man and a woman. If it passes, the amendment, known as Proposition 8, would overrule the Supreme Court decision that legalized same-sex marriage in the state as of June 16. “This was a frivolous lawsuit. It was a...

The irony of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (the Mormons) wading into California’s same-sex marriage debate is too delicious to ignore. Earlier this week, the church sent a letter signed by its president, Thomas B. Monson, to all Mormon bishops in California. The document refers to the California Marriage Protection Act on the November 4 ballot, a state constitutional amendment that would prohibit the legal recognition of same-sex unions so recently won by a California Supreme Court decision. The letter is to be read aloud during June 29 services. In part, it states, “We ask that...

Democrat presidential nominee Barack Obama today speaking to the National Council of La Raza in San Diego promised amnesty for the more than 12 million illegal immigrants that are living in the United States. Here's a bit of what Obama had to say: "Yes, they broke the law. And we should not excuse that. We should require them to pay a fine, learn English, and go to the back of the line for citizenship - behind those who came here legally. But we cannot - and should not - deport 12 million people. " Obama went on to say: "That's...

SAN DIEGO – Republican presidential candidate John McCain on Monday vigorously disputed his opponent's assertion that he had backed away from his own comprehensive plan to overhaul the nation's immigration laws. “I do ask for your trust that when I say I remain committed to fair, practical and comprehensive immigration reform, I mean it,” the Arizona senator told the National Council of La Raza convention here. “I think I have earned that trust.” On Sunday, Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, told the same group at the San Diego Convention Center that McCain backed off his...

July 14, 2008 ARLINGTON, VA -- U.S. Senator John McCain will deliver the following remarks as prepared for delivery to the 2008 National Council of La Raza Convention in San Diego, CA, today at 12:45 p.m. PT (3:45 p.m. ET): Thank you, Jane, for that kind introduction. Thank you, also to the leadership of the National Council of La Raza, and its board of directors. I'm very pleased to be with you again to discuss some of the issues in this campaign that most concern you. As you know, this isn't my first address to La Raza. I'm proud to...

Currently, it is only legal to drill for oil off certain parts of the California coast. Should the law be changed to expand drilling for oil in coastal waters or should the law stay as is? 59% Change To Expand 33% Stay As Is Have you always thought drilling should be expanded off the California coast? Or, did you only recently come to think drilling should be expanded, given the price of gasoline? 50% Always for Expanding 48% Recently Due To Prices 2% Not Sure If drilling is expanded in water off the coast of California, will the price of...

A famous Chinese proverb teaches that a journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step. For Meg Sneed, a 25-year-old Arizona lesbian, journeys to change a thousand hearts begin with a single thought: There's power in sharing personal stories. In 2006, she and other young activists in Soulforce, a gay rights group devoted to the kind of peaceful confrontation practiced by Gandhi and the Rev. Martin Luther King, traveled eight weeks by bus to evangelical colleges to share what it's like to be gay. The next year, Sneed, who was fighting cancer, was weak from chemotherapy but walked...

Presidential Candidates Blame Each Other for Failed Immigration Reform Legislation Addressing the nation's largest Latino rights group today, Sen. John McCain will accuse Sen. Barack Obama of distorting his record and remind Latino voters that he championed immigration reform legislation that ultimately failed in Congress last year. McCain and Obama are locked in a fierce battle for Latino voters — a Democratic-leaning minority group that could have considerable influence in key battleground states this November. Obama leads McCain among Latinos by 30 percentage points, according to a recent Gallup poll, despite heavy support from Latinos for Sen. Hillary Clinton in...

"But I do ask for your trust that when I say, I remain committed to fair, practical and comprehensive immigration reform, I mean it. I think I have earned that trust." —John McCain

California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger says he'd say yes if Barack Obama is elected president and offers him a position in his administration. "I'm always ready to help in any way I can the United States," Schwarzenegger said Sunday on ABC's "This Week." "Because as you know, I've committed myself to be a public servant, because this country has given me everything. And so this is my time now." Schwarzenegger has endorsed fellow Republican John McCain for president, but he said he'd "take [Obama's] call now and I'd take his call when he's president, anytime. Remember, no matter who is president,...

DOWNTOWN SAN DIEGO – Abel Moreno sat at a table yesterday at the National Council of La Raza convention, answering questions from a volunteer at a citizenship clinic. Is his wife a U.S. citizen? Yes. How long have they been married? Thirteen years. Moreno, a maintenance engineer at a downtown hotel, became eligible for U.S. citizenship in 1998. But between work and raising two children, the legal permanent resident said he kept putting it off for “tomorrow, tomorrow, tomorrow.” Finally yesterday, after a relative learned of the convention's free citizenship clinic on television and alerted Moreno, he jumped at the...

Schwarzenegger: I'd be Obama energy czar By MIKE ALLEN | 7/13/08 10:23 AM EST California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said in an interview aired Sunday that he would be open to the idea of serving as energy czar in a Barack Obama administration. Regardless of whether he takes that particular job, Schwarzenegger, a Republican, added on ABC’s “This Week” that he’s now committed to continuing public service even after he leaves Sacramento. Schwarzenegger endorsed John McCain at the end of January, and McCain has appeared with “the Governator” to praise his efforts to deal with climate change. A Schwarzenegger appointment would...

John McCain today is poised to make the biggest mistake of his 2008 presidential run. The presumptive Republican nominee will address the annual convention of the National Council of La Raza in San Diego. La Raza is billed by too many as simply "the nation's largest Hispanic rights group." But this is perhaps the most radical apologist group for illegal immigration and the "rights" of illegal aliens -- and worse.

WASHINGTON - John McCain, angling to win a bigger share of the fast-growing Latino vote, is taking the risky step of placing an immigration overhaul at the center of his appeal. The presumed Republican presidential nominee, who trails Barack Obama among Latinos, had been focused on assuring conservatives that securing the U.S. border with Mexico would be his immigration priority. But McCain has adopted a message that gives equal weight to helping employers and immigrant workers and their families. That suggests that as president he would back the kind of legislation that has roiled many in his party -- most...

ABC News' Mary Bruce Reports: Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, R-Calif., spoke out against President Bush this morning attacking his administration for its failure to counter global warming emissions. "This administration did not believe in global warming," Schwarzenegger told ABC News' George Stephanopoulos in an exclusive interview that will air Sunday on ABC's "This Week." "They just didn't believe in it or they didn't believe that they should do anything about it, since China is not doing anything about it and since India is not willing to do the same thing, so why should we do the same thing?" Schwarzenegger said. "We...

"I just believe, frankly, in the sanctity and unique status of marriage between man and woman. That's what I believe. And that's what I support. And that's what I will fight for."

While Senator Barack Obama struggles to keep the public in the dark about the nature of his pro-U.N. Global Poverty Act, a recent "Bay Area Interfaith Leaders' Luncheon" was held to lobby for Senate passage of the bill, whose cost has been estimated at $845 billion. An actual witch who spoke at a "Pagan Pride" festival in San Francisco was one of the listed participants. The witch, known as the "Elder Donald Frew" of the "Wiccan Community," was interviewed by the Reverend Don Lewis of "Witch School International" for a "reality" show called "Magick TV" and is shown talking about...

Barack Obama is now on record as supporting same-sex marriage in California. He has previously said that he does not favor gay marriage, but he is opposing an effort by citizens in California that would ban same-sex marriage and overturn the decision of the far-left court that allowed it to go forward. It seems Obama does not want the citizens of the state to decide this issue . . .

Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama, who previously said the issue of gay marriage should be left up to each state, has announced his opposition to a California ballot measure that would ban same-sex marriages. In a letter to Alice B. Toklas LGBT Democratic Club read Sunday at the group's annual Pride Breakfast in San Francisco, the Illinois senator said he supports extending "fully equal rights and benefits to same-sex couples under both state and federal law." "And that is why I oppose the divisive and discriminatory efforts to amend the California Constitution, and similar efforts to amend the U.S. Constitution...

Marriage laws, lack of church commitment from newlyweds make faith leaders think twice. Some clergy think churches should divorce themselves from the wedding business.The controversy over same-sex marriage – along with a growing sense that many couples who marry in churches never return – has prompted faith leaders to say it's time to reconsider how California couples tie the knot.After the California Supreme Court ruled gay marriage legal, the bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of California began encouraging all couples to marry outside the church. "I urge you to encourage all couples, regardless of orientation, to follow the pattern of...

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, appearing in a taped interview Sunday on "Meet the Press," defended GOP presidential candidate John McCain as "the real deal on the environment". "I'm very proud of him. I'm 100 percent behind him," he told Tom Brokaw. Schwarzenegger acknowledged that he doesn't support everything McCain has proposed, just as he isn't always in accord with his wife, Maria Shriver, a Democrat who has endorsed Illinois Sen. Barack Obama. "That (McCain and I) don't agree on everything, it's clear. Nor do I agree with my wife," he said. But "he's terrific with the environment," and with a President...

U.S. Senator John McCain yesterday declared his support for the California Protection of Marriage initiative on the state's November ballot, leaders of the ProtectMarriage.com campaign announced. In an email received by the ProtectMarriage.com campaign, Senator McCain issued the following statement: "I support the efforts of the people of California to recognize marriage as a unique institution between a man and a woman, just as we did in my home state of Arizona. I do not believe judges should be making these decisions." Commenting on the endorsement of Senator McCain, ProtectMarriage.com Chairman Ron Prentice said, "We are honored to have the...

<p>Jason Burnett has made a lot of news lately, criticizing the Bush administration for rejecting California’s request for a federal waiver that would allow the state to enforce greenhouse gas restrictions.</p> <p>Burnett, until recently the associate deputy administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, last month testified before a congressional panel about the possible White House role in overruling the EPA staff’s recommendation of the waiver. Since then, Burnett has given numerous interviews on the issue.</p>

Hollywood stars have thrown their support and abundant cash behind US presidential candidate Barack Obama, whose historic White House bid could easily become the stuff of movies. The fundraising gala on Tuesday in Los Angeles marked a decided push by Obama to shore up private funding for his race against Republican John McCain. The story of Obama, the son of a Kenyan father and a mother from Kansas, who could now become the first black US president, resonates in the entertainment industry, which has typically voted Democratic. The event, in which top tickets went for more than US$30 000, drew...

Modesto is known as the bible belt of California. It has deep conservative roots in farmland and a vocal Evangelical community. But increasingly, some less familiar notes are echoing through California's Central Valley, CBS News correspondent John Blackstone reports. Like many other places, Modesto is becoming more religiously diverse. But unlike any other place, religion is a required course in high school here. "We can't preach, but we can teach," teacher Yvonne Taylor said. Using "Teach Don't Preach" as her motto, Taylor guides the world religions course at Johansen High. "And now we're going to be looking at Judaism, Christianity,...

(CNSNews.com) - Four organizations "dedicated to protecting the civil rights of gay and lesbian people" have filed a lawsuit seeking to prevent Californians from voting on an amendment to the California constitution that would define marriage as a one-man, one-woman union. The suit, which was filed Friday on behalf of three voters and the National Center for Lesbian Rights, Lambda Legal, the American Civil Liberties Union and Equality California, argues that "the rules for revising the California Constitution were not properly followed." "For good reason, there's a strict process for making revisions to our Constitution, and it's more involved than...

The governor's office said Schwarzenegger would skip a planned address to the 47th annual Capital Prayer Breakfast on Tuesday. Instead, he will appear with Republican presidential hopeful John McCain at an environmentally-themed campaign event in Santa Barbara. Organizers believe it is the first time a sitting governor has declined to address the annual gathering, although there is no official record. State Assemblyman Rick Keene has organized the breakfast for the past three years. A spokesman for the Chico Republican, Evan Oneto, said Keene was saddened when he learned the governor would be a no-show. Schwarzenegger spokesman Aaron McLear said the...

Demonstrators march peacefully Saturday outside the Robert Hoehn Honda dealership in Carlsbad to protest reports that Hoehn is helping to finance a campaign to place an initiative on the November ballot to stop gay marriages. Records kept by the California secretary of state show that through March, $337,000 had been contributed to the initiative effort by San Diego County residents, including $25,000 from Hoehn, president of Hoehn Motors in Carlsbad

Contact: Frank Schubert, ProtectMarriage.com, 916-849-6627SACRAMENTO, June 21 /Christian Newswire/ -- Opponents of the California Marriage Amendment, which would restore marriage in California as only a man and a woman, filed a petition today asking the California Supreme Court to remove the proposed initiative from the November ballot, thereby silencing voters on this important issue.Based on the recent California Supreme Court's ruling that led to the issuance of marriage licenses to same-sex partners this week, today's lawsuit contends that restoring the definition of marriage in the State Constitution cannot be legally accomplished by voter initiative, but rather must be passed through a...

The two presidential candidates will discuss matters of interest for the latin american community in this country. The Angeles.- The two main presidential candidates, Republican John McCain and Democrat Barack Obama, will be the guests of honor at the third Latin American National Congress, that will be carried out on July 18 and 19 in Los Angeles. The organizers confirmed the participation of the two politicians in the event, that will be performed in an exclusive hotel in Downtown Los Angeles, where it is expected that more than 300 organizations of 20 cities will attend. On the first day, McCain...

On November's ballot in CA we will have two very important propositions. The Marriage Amendment and Sarah's Law which is a parental notification law. Please, please, please view this 60 second video and pass it on to everyone you know. Please go to www.FriendsOfSarah.com for more information. Also see National Organization for Marriage California

At least 14 employees in the San Diego County Clerk's Office raised religious objections to performing gay wedding ceremonies but were told by their boss they couldn't pick and choose between marriage applicants. Clerk Greg Smith said last month that he would allow employees with religious objections to avoid performing the ceremonies, but the response was apparently more than his office could accommodate. “It would unfairly burden other employees and would directly compromise the services we provide to the public, particularly given that so many employees have requested the same arrangement,” Smith's office told 14 employees by e-mail. ... “The...

SACRAMENTO – Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said Wednesday he opposes lifting a ban on new oil drilling in coastal waters, breaking with President Bush and Republican presidential candidate John McCain. Schwarzenegger, who has endorsed McCain's presidential bid, said the federal offshore drilling ban was not to blame for soaring gas prices. A federal moratorium has been in place for 27 years. "We are in this situation because of our dependence on traditional petroleum-based oil," Schwarzenegger said in a statement that referred only to Bush's call for the ban and did not mention McCain. "The direction our nation needs to go in,...

... Sixty gay and lesbian couples had appointments today to get their marriage licenses in Santa Ana and at a second county office in Laguna Hills. Many others were expected to wait in line and get their licenses without an appointment. The California Supreme Court cleared the way for the same-sex wedding ceremonies in a ruling it issued last month. The ruling struck down a provision of state law that defined marriages only as between a man and a woman. Opponents of same-sex marriage have turned their attention to a ballot measure in November, which would embed that traditional definition...

Today, California same-sex couples are rushing to the altar. But this November, California voters will have their chance to say “I do� or “I do not� to gay marriage. In the meantime, what have we learned about what gay marriage will mean for gays, for marriage, and for the wider society? In just the last few months, a newly confident same-sex-marriage movement is becoming more open and revealing about the answers. The New York Times, of all places, gave us a glimpse in its front-page story this past Sunday, “Gay Couples Find Marriage Is a Mixed Bag.� What can we...

Amends the California Constitution to provide that only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California. Summary of estimate by Legislative Analyst and Director of Finance of fiscal impact on state and local government: The measure would have no fiscal effect on state or local governments. This is because there would be no change to the manner in which marriages are currently recognized by the state. (Initiative 07-0068.) -- Qualified: 06/02/08 Signatures Required: 694,354 Title: This measure shall be known and may be cited as the "California Marriage Protection Act."

The leader of East Bay Catholics has gone beyond an accommodating message on same-sex marriages from bishops statewide to urge his parishioners to change the law."As faithful citizens, Catholics are called to bring our laws regarding marriage into conformity with what we know about the nature of marriage," said Bishop Allen Vigneron, head of the Oakland Diocese.Failing to do so would make Catholic life countercultural, he wrote in a statement published in the June 9 Diocesan newspaper, the Catholic Voice. "No government has the power to change the order which God has inscribed in our nature," Vigneron says in the...

The California Republican delegation to the national convention in Minneapolis selected its leadership over the weekend. [My summary from short article below] Chairman: Former Secretary of State Bill Jones, who chaired GOP nominee Sen. John McCain's California campaign Honorary Chairman: Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger Co-chairmen: former Gov. Pete Wilson, Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner and state party chairman Ron Nehring Committee reps: • Rules: Bob Laurie and Jill Buck• Credentials: John Peschong and the Hon. Rosario Marin• Platform/Resolutions: Rep. Kevin McCarthy and Jennifer Russo• Permanent Organization: Sonia Denham and the Hon. Van Tran

McCain to attend; Obama was invited By Hiram Soto UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER June 6, 2008 San Diego will be at the center of the Latino world next month. The National Council of La Raza is set to announce Monday details about its upcoming national convention in San Diego. Republican presidential candidate Sen. John McCain is expected to appear, and Sen. Barack Obama, the Democratic presidential nominee, is considering an invitation. NCLR, the largest Latino organization in the nation, will hold its annual conference July 12-15 at the San Diego Convention Center. More than 20,000 people attended last year's convention in...