Good morning, it’s Monday, October 28, 2024. In today’s edition, voters to decide on marijuana legalization; California proposes new aid for Hollywood; the cheese theft of the century:
Top Stories
MARIJUANA: Voters in Florida, North Dakota and South Dakota will decide whether to legalize marijuana for recreational use in next week’s elections. All three states have legal medical marijuana regimes in place, but the ballot measures to allow for recreational use face higher hurdles.
North Dakota voters have rejected legal pot twice. South Dakota voters approved recreational pot in 2020, but that amendment was ruled unconstitutional; they rejected a second attempt in 2022. And in Florida, any constitutional amendment must receive 60% of the vote to win passage, a high bar — especially in the face of fierce opposition from Gov. Ron DeSantis (R).
Should they win passage, supporters will face a new conundrum: Where to go from here. Most states that allow ballot measures have already approved recreational marijuana. That means to win approval in the remaining states, marijuana supporters will have to win over legislators. Outside the Northeast, that’s been a tougher sell. Read more at Pluribus News.
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT: California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) rolled out a new plan to spend $750 million on film and TV tax credits, more than double the $330 million currently budgeted. Newsom and Los Angeles officials have been under pressure to act as Hollywood suffers the aftereffects of the pandemic and strikes by writers and actors. (Los Angeles Times)
ENVIRONMENT: California regulators are preparing new rules to require more sales of zero-emission motorcycles. The first-in-the-nation plan would require 50% of motorcycles sold in California be zero emission by 2035. (CalMatters)
BUDGETS: Kansas legislators will create a new Special Committee on the Legislative Budget to develop budget recommendations for state agencies, bypassing Gov. Laura Kelly’s (D) office altogether. Kelly’s office would still be required to create and submit a budget under state law. (Topeka Capital-Journal)
TAXES: Louisiana lawmakers will meet for special session on Nov. 6 to consider substantial changes to the state tax code. Gov. Jeff Landry (R) has asked lawmakers to reduce the top individual and corporate income tax rates, establish a flat tax and raise standard deductions. Landry’s plan would offset revenue losses by eliminating dozens of sales tax exemptions and extending sales taxes to new services. (New Orleans Times Picayune)
In Politics & Business
FLORIDA: A new St. Pete Polls survey shows Florida’s Amendment 4, the pro-abortion rights measure, winning 54% of the vote — short of the 60% threshold it needs for passage. The poll found 38% said they would vote against Amendment 4. (Florida Politics)
OREGON: A new Public Policy Polling survey found just 29% of Oregon voters back Measure 118 to create a universal basic income by taxing corporations, while 54% are opposed. The poll shows former House Speaker Dan Rayfield (D) leading former county prosecutor Will Lathrop (R) by a slim 46% to 41% margin in the race to be attorney general. (Oregonian)
UTAH: A write-in candidate is dropping his bid to be Utah’s next governor after a legal threat from yet another write-in. State Rep. Phil Lyman (R) threatened to sue candidate Richard Lyman, alleging that Gov. Spencer Cox’s (R) campaign paid them $1,000 to run. Richard Lyman’s attorney denied he had been paid to run. (Salt Lake Tribune)
CRIME BLOTTER: Police in Sanford, Maine, are on the lookout for state Rep. Lucas Lanigan (R), who is accused of aggravated assault in a domestic violence case. Lanigan is seeking re-election this year. (Bangor Daily News)
PEOPLE: Former Ohio House Speaker Jo Ann Davidson (R) has died at 97. Davidson, a former co-chair of the Republican National Committee, was the first and only woman to run one of Ohio’s legislative chambers. (Columbus Dispatch)
By The Numbers
$544 million: The amount of illegal marijuana seized by California law enforcement officials this year. The state Department of Justice’s program to combat the black market has seized about 77,000 plants — but growers in Siskiyou County produce an estimated 12 million to 16 million plants per year. (Los Angeles Times)
$398.2 million: Rhode Island’s projected deficit next year, as expenditures rise faster than revenue. State budget officials said expenditures will rise even faster in the future when new state worker contracts take effect. (Providence Journal)
Off The Wall
British police are on the hunt for a cheese thief, after a con man posing as a wholesale distributor made off with nearly 1,000 wheels of artisanal cheddar last week. The 22 metric tons of cheese are worth about $390,000. (Associated Press)
Someone make a movie about this story, it would be so gouda. And $390,000? That’s a lot of cheddar. Sorry, we’ll show ourselves out.
A blackback land crab, native to Costa Rica, has a new home at the Denver Zoo after it stowed away on a flight to Denver in June. Blackback land crabs are also known as Halloween Crabs for their black heads and orange bodies. (Colorado Public Radio)
The Seattle area is home to a higher share of married couples who have a pet but no children than any other in America. New data from Nielsen shows 13.5% of Seattle homes feature “fur baby” couples, edging out cities like Raleigh, Louisville and Grand Rapids, Mich. (Seattle Times)
Quote of the Day
“It’s a high cost with little fish return.”
— Washington Rep. Steve Tharinger (D), on a $100 million state plan to tear down a motel to help salmon return to a traditional habitat in a culvert underneath. (Seattle Times)