CalWatchdog Morning Read – November 4

04 Nov, 2016 by CalWatchdog Staff

Field Poll: Voters poised to pass a bunch of ballot measures
October jobs miss mark, wages tick up
Good drought news
Out-of-area spending dominates two of the most important Assembly races
SD Congressman to pay back campaign funds used for household expenses

Good morning. TGIF. A new poll out this morning suggests that voters will likely approve many of the 17 measures on the ballot. Of the 10 polled by the Field Poll/UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies, voters appear ready to approve at least seven.

Included among those poised to pass is recreational marijuana. CalWatchdog has more.

In other news:

Important election data point: “The U.S. economy added a less-than-expected 161,000 jobs in October and the unemployment rate stood at 4.9 percent as investors got to digest the final payrolls report before Tuesday’s presidential election.” CNBC has more.
Drought improving? “A rainy October in Northern California has lifted about a quarter of the state out of drought conditions, the U.S. Drought Monitor reported Thursday. It’s the rosiest picture released by federal officials since the spring of 2013, when about 64% of the state was considered to be in “moderate drought” — or worse.” The Los Angeles Times has more.
Two top Assembly races: “Millions of dollars in outside money is pouring into two high-profile Assembly races in San Bernardino County, state records show.” The San Bernardino County Sun has more.
Just in time: “Congressman Duncan Hunter, R-Alpine, says he will repay $49,000 to his campaign account after months of revelations that he used the fund for personal expenses.” The San Diego Union-Tribune has more.