The Two Faces of California's Upcoming Election Year

"Property rights advocates will try to make it the year of eminent domain. Environmentalists will try to make it the year of climate change."

"On the local level, various citizen groups will try to make it the year they assert themselves – as in Stanislaus County, where a February initiative would subject agricultural zone changes to a public vote."

"Cast against the backdrop of a contentious presidential election, a real estate slump, and possibly a recession, it's hard to discern what the impact on the California planning and development scene will be when the dust clears. But it is entirely possible that, electorally, we'll see two Californias this year – the liberal one, which will emerge in February and November, and the libertarian one, which will become evident in June."

"That's because, at the state level, there will be not two elections but three – the presidential primary in February, the regular primary in June, and the presidential election in November."