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RandySF's JournalRepublicans send '400-year veto' constitutional amendment to voters
Wisconsin voters will be asked whether the state’s constitution should be amended to prevent the governor’s powerful partial veto from increasing taxes or fees under a measure that cleared the state Assembly Thursday.
It’s a direct response to a partial veto from Democratic Gov. Tony Evers’ in 2023 authorizing school districts to raise property taxes to bolster their budgets through the year 2425.
Republicans have continually blamed Evers’ “400-year veto” for causing property tax bills in Wisconsin to hit their highest point since 2018. With a party-line vote on the Assembly floor Thursday night, they responded by passing a joint resolution that will place a consequential question on voters’ November ballot.
Voters will be asked whether the Wisconsin Constitution should be amended “to prohibit the governor, in exercising his or her partial veto authority, from creating or increasing or authorizing the creation or increase of any tax or fee.”
https://www.wpr.org/news/wisconsin-assembly-400-year-veto-online-gambling-sandhill-crane
Before 'Epstein's Island', power and privilege shielded abuse on Michigan's North Fox Island
As the revelations and debate continue about the millions of files related to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and their international ties to wealth, privilege, and perversity, the idea of a sophisticated network of elites sexually preying upon children is not just a modern facet of an internet-connected world, but eerily similar to a scandal that was centered in Michigan more than half a century ago.
North Fox Island is small, just over three miles in length and about a mile wide, located in Lake Michigan, about 50 miles north of Traverse City. While it is currently state-owned and uninhabited, that was not always so.
Purchased by Francis “Frank” Shelden in 1960, access to the island was very difficult until Shelden installed a landing strip with the intent of allowing small aircraft as the primary means of getting there. Shelden also built cabins, and created trails, making it into a remote resort and camp where he, along with a group of other men, incorporated a tax-exempt charitable trust in 1975 known as Brother Paul’s Children’s Mission.
On its face, the mission was noble. This group of men, some wealthy, some educators, but all concerned, would recruit young boys and teenagers from underprivileged communities and offer mentorship, guidance, and skill building that the boys wouldn’t normally have access to.
https://michiganadvance.com/2026/02/20/before-epsteins-island-power-and-privilege-shielded-abuse-on-michigans-north-fox-island/
Assembly panel moves bill aimed at protecting N.J. voters
An Assembly panel on Thursday approved a bill whose sponsor said will protect New Jersey’s voting system from weakening and protect voters from disenfranchisement.
Assemblywoman Verlina Reynolds-Jackson (D-Trenton), the bill’s prime sponsor in the lower chamber, said the bill focuses on protecting the rights of voters and ensuring citizens are not inhibited to vote due to their race or language. She said federal Republicans are threatening the American electoral process, including with the Trump administration’s raid of a Georgia elections office and the passage of a House bill requiring documented proof of citizenship before voting.
“As we commemorate our nation’s 250th anniversary—founded on the principle of ‘no taxation without representation’—we are confronted with the Trump administration’s intensifying desire to harm the integrity of our electoral process,” Reynolds-Jackson said. This makes the advancement of the John R. Lewis Voter Empowerment Act even more critical than ever in order to safeguard our democracy.”
If passed, the legislation would establish an independent Division of Voting Rights tasked with overseeing state election laws. The bill bars policies that “unnecessarily deny or abridge the right to vote” and requires any policies that “burden” the right to vote to be narrowly tailored to minimize the policy’s potential collateral effect.
https://newjerseyglobe.com/legislature/assembly-panel-moves-bill-aimed-at-protecting-n-j-voters/
2 NYPD officers covered up drunk driving crash involving off-duty officer, prosecutors say
Two NYPD officers allegedly covered up a drunk driving crash involving an off-duty officer by manipulating their body cameras, prosecutors said.
Michael Caligiuri, 31, and Ryan McLoughlin, 30, were arraigned Friday on a host of charges, including tampering with evidence, public records and falsifying business records.
The two are accused of manipulating a body-worn camera during the incident. The NYPD says it initiated the investigation and referred the case to the Manhattan District Attorney's Office.
The two responded to a 911 call just before 10:30 a.m. on Oct. 16, 2024, about a crash involving an intoxicated driver near Eighth Avenue and West 26th Street, according to prosecutors.
https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/nypd-officers-charged-drunk-driving-crash-cover-up/
SF opens endorsement season with state Dems' convention
This weekend is a big one for state Democrats, several thousand of whom will converge on Moscone Center in San Francisco to try to decide who to endorse for races for governor down to the Board of Equalization.
The 3,500 delegates and others will be treated to speechifying from party leaders and elected officials, discussions of causes and policy, hospitality suites for schmoozing and workshops and training, including panels on organizing in the “Age of AI” and “Virtual Volunteer Engagement.”
Events around town include a walk at Sunset Dunes Park on Friday afternoon, a California Young Democrats reception at the Hibernia SF on Friday night, a Saturday LGBTQ happy hour at The Alchemist and a large Saturday night dinner at a local hotel honoring U.S. Rep. Nancy Pelosi, who is not seeking reelection.
Kicking the weekend off, the San Francisco Democratic County Central Committee Friday afternoon will host what is billed as a series of fireside chats with all nine major Democratic candidates for governor at the Commonwealth Club on The Embarcadero. About 400 people are expected to attend the event, for which in-person tickets are sold-out. The event will also be streamed online (enter SFDCCC for free admission).
https://www.sfexaminer.com/news/politics/california-democrats-2026-endorsements-sf-convention/article_813b1441-60cd-4458-8ea4-33d8fe157544.html
Federal ruling in Florida ballot initiative restriction challenge could have national implications
The leader of an effort to expand Medicaid access to low-income childless adults in Florida maintained Friday that the outcome of a federal lawsuit could decide the fate of citizen-led ballot initiatives in the Sunshine State and possibly the nation.
Following the end of a two-week federal trial, Florida Decides Healthcare Executive Director Mitch Emerson told reporters the citizen-led initiative process is the sole remaining constitutional path for people to drive change in government.
A 2025 law championed by Gov. Ron DeSantis (HB 1205) requires petition circulators to be Florida residents and United States citizens, prohibits convicted felons who have not had their voting rights restored from circulating petitions, and requires all petition circulators to register with the Florida Division of Elections.
The law allows the state to levy a $50,000 fine against an organization that allows those categories of people to even handle petitions.The fine is per violation.
https://floridaphoenix.com/2026/02/20/federal-ruling-in-florida-ballot-initiative-restriction-challenge-could-have-national-implications/
Clock ticks as Oregon lawmakers postpone transportation referendum vote yet again
The Oregon Senate postponed a vote for the third time this week on a controversial bill to reschedule a referendum on transportation tax and fee increases from November to May.
Senate Bill 1599, a Democratic proposal to shift a statewide vote on whether to approve or reject parts of a 2025 transportation law from November to May, was listed as the first thing on Friday’s agenda in the Oregon Senate. Senators took up several other bills on the agenda until Senate President Rob Wagner, D-Lake Oswego, who was seen nervously pacing back and forth on the Senate floor and conferring with Senate Minority Leader Bruce Starr, R-Dundee, adjourned floor proceedings until Monday morning.
Time is running out for Democratic lawmakers. They have until Wednesday to get the bill past both chambers and signed by Gov. Tina Kotek, according to the secretary of state’s office. That’s because of deadlines to print ballots for Oregonians living overseas and gather arguments for the state-issued voter’s pamphlet.
The Oregon Senate was originally set up to take up the bill on Wednesday, but Republicans staged a walkout ahead of the vote citing the need for “more meaningful discussions” between parties. The following day, the Senate unanimously agreed to move the bill from Thursday’s agenda to Friday’s.
https://oregoncapitalchronicle.com/2026/02/20/clock-ticks-as-oregon-lawmakers-postpone-transportation-referendum-vote-yet-again/
Signatures submitted for anti-trans Colorado ballot measures
An anti-LGBTQ+ organization submitted signatures to the Colorado secretary of state’s office Friday for two ballot measures that would restrict rights for transgender children in the state.
Protect Kids Colorado, a coalition led by prominent anti-LGBTQ+ activist Erin Lee, submitted signatures for ballot measures that would prevent transgender children from participating in school sports and receiving gender-affirming surgeries. Lee led several anti-LGBTQ+ initiatives that the Colorado Title Board rejected ahead of the 2024 election.
Friday was the deadline for the group to submit to the secretary of state’s office at least 124,238 valid signatures from registered voters for each initiative. If the office verifies the group met that threshold, the measures will be placed on the November 2026 ballot.
There isn’t clear data on the number of transgender student athletes in Colorado, and the two major hospitals that provide gender-affirming care to minors in the state do not offer surgeries to minors.
https://coloradonewsline.com/briefs/signatures-anti-trans-colorado-ballot-measures/
Epstein Files Fallout Spreads to College Sports Buildings
After the Department of Justice released its latest tranche of Epstein documents in late January, many universities are facing a quandary regarding buildings across campus that bear the names of donors with ties to Epstein. Do they rename these buildings, which include football facilities at Ohio State and UCLA?
Front Office Sports reached out to four schools with sports and athletics facilities named after wealthy donors whose various ties to Jeffrey Epstein have been exposed: UCLA, Tufts, Ohio State, and Stony Brook. Tufts said it is “monitoring” the situation, and Ohio State detailed a lengthy consideration process the university is undergoing. Stony Brook and UCLA did not comment
Notably, none of the schools ruled out changing the names.
https://frontofficesports.com/college-sports-buildings-facilities-donors-epstein-files/
PA-07: Democrats running in 7th line up seasoned campaign teams, key endorsements
Bob Brooks, the 7th Congressional District candidate, made headlines last year when his campaign hired a high-profile strategist that helped elect Zohran Mamdani New York City mayor and landed the expected public endorsement of Gov. Josh Shapiro.
But what about his Democratic primary opponents? They also have hired experienced political consultants and collected impressive endorsements, a review of their campaigns shows.
With three months until the May 19 primary, the Democratic candidates are ramping up activity in the race to determine who will face first-term Republican Congressman Ryan Mackenzie in November. Tuesday marks a critical step as candidates begin collecting the required 1,000 signatures to get on the primary ballot.
In 2024, Mackenzie defeated three-term incumbent Susan Wild by 1 percentage point, one of the narrowest GOP victories that year. Mackenzie’s victory helped Republicans retain control of the House.
https://armchairlehighvalley.substack.com/p/democrats-running-in-7th-line-up
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