Today's deadline for bills to make it out of their house of origin will come and go without any real movement on the issue of campaign finance reform... an example of why people on both sides of the aisle say only a ballot initiative will ever really change the way money makes its way through the political system.

On this week's newsmagazine version of The California Report, we're looking at the governor's record on the issue, and the death two years running of bills he's endorsed that would change the system.

Last year, it was AB 3006 (Haynes); this year, it was AB 16 (Huff). Both bills featured blackouts on fundraising during portions of the legislative year, an idea Schwarzenegger advocated in his 2003 campaign. But both also went nowhere in the Assembly, with some critics saying the governor could have done more to make it a part of his agenda.

Of course, campaign finance reformers say the Legislature wanted no part of the issue either, and must share in the blame. Most of the legislation to change the role of money in politics will die a quiet death at the end of today, including a plan for public financing of campaigns under AB 583 (Hancock).

In fact, the only real bill dealing with donation limits that is still alive is AB 709 (Wolk), which would reinstate contribution limits on ballot measure committees controlled by candidates. The bill is now in the Senate, but is unlikely to ever become law... considering the man who would have to sign it, the governor, successfully had those same contribution limits overturned in court a few weeks ago.