This came over the wire from Assemblyman Chris Norby’s office on Thursday…

NORBY NOTES JUNE, 2012 | ISSUE 11 WWW.ASM.CA.GOV/NORBY ASSEMBLYMEMBER.NORBY@ASSEMBLY.CA.GOV THIS ISSUE Budget Deadline Looms Top-2 Primary: A Whole New November Question of the Week Budget Deadline Looms The 2012-13 California State Budget must be approved by midnight tomorrow, June 15, or legislators will not be paid. Backroom scrambling and massive demonstrations mark the Capitol this week, with 43 pulled out by police in a rotunda sit-in yesterday. The Democrats have the simple majority needed to pass a budget, but not the two-thirds required to raise taxes. Their leaders and the Governor are still $1 billion apart on which cuts need to be made to bridge the $15.7 billion deficit. Both the Assembly and Senate meet tomorrow at noon, with twelve hours needed to get the same budget passed in both houses. By that time, much of the work will have already been done, but there are always last-minute glitches and controversies and assumptions of votes that do not materialize. Read about it in Sunday’s paper-it may be too late for Saturday’s. Top-2 Primary: A Whole New November California’s June primary significantly changed the two-party system as we have long known it. Previously, the top Democrat and top Republican faced off in the fall. In one-party dominated districts, the November results were a forgone conclusion. The new top-two system, however, will match Democrat-vs-Democrat in 14 state legislative races and Republican-vs-Republican in 6 such races. This was approved by voters as a part of 2010’s Proposition 14, designed to require candidates to appeal across party lines. While East LA Republicans, for example, have little chance of electing one of their own to the legislature, they could be the swing voters in a two Democrat race. The system applies to Congressional races, as well, with two Inland Empire-based districts (8th and 31st) now featuring two Republicans squaring off against each other in both races. Seemingly, only an effective bipartisan campaign will appeal to the swing voters needed. We’ll see. Question of the Week Last Question: In what county are both the highest and lowest points in California? Answer: Inyo County; Mt. Whitney (14,495) and Death Valley (-282). This Week’s Question: Has a Democratic presidential candidate ever carried Orange County, California? If so, who and when?

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