In today’s Frontpage magazine, Lloyd Billingsley covers Ward Connerly’s, chairman of American Civil Rights Institute, push to include the "Fairness to Americans Amendment" in Senate Bill 1348, the current immigration reform proposal being considered by the U.S. Senate. Connerly, as you will recall, led the effort to eliminate racial preferences at the University of California and a successful campaign to eliminate racial and gender preferences in state government.

Connerly’s proposed amendment to SB 1348 reads, in part:

THEREFORE, for purposes of the operation of the civil rights laws of the United States, new immigrants to the United States subject to the Secure Border, Economic Opportunity and Immigration Reform Act of 2007 shall not be considered to be "historically disadvantaged," "underrepresented," or to be in a "protected… Read More

As Jim Nielson points out his column in today, two years after the Kelo decision California has not made any serious change in its statewide eminent domain policy. However, there is a bright light in our state’s political leadership when it comes to eminent domain. This month, the Institute for Justice, a national leader in the effort to fight government’s abuse of this takings law, published a paper, "Development without Eminent Domain: Foundation of Freedom Inspires Urban Growth," written by Anaheim Mayor Curt Pringle. In this paper, Pringle documents how his city has accomplished urban redevelopment without resorting to using eminent domain. In fact,… Read More

California government is big, and it buys a lot of things. Actually, in government-lingo it is called ‘procurement’ and I wonder if many FR readers know that there is an entire department (the Department of General Services) that is responsible for spending vast amounts of taxpayer dollars on items ranging from batteries to tires, from signs to floor tiles, from fencing to fertilizer. If you think about it, every computer used by a state employee and every car owned by the state had to be purchased. (You can see a big list of the kinds of things purchased by your state government here). To be honest with you, I had never heard of the Department of General Services until I was recently talking to an FR friend who told me about an interesting situation… Just think, for your home you might spend a few hundred dollars for bedding. Now, pretend you are the State of California, where you have to buy bedding for tens of thousands of beds (just thing of all of the inmates in our state prisons). When you start to multiply that out — it is big business, and big bucks.… Read More

I have a lot of very close friends who are supporting Rudy Giuliani for President. As an officer of the California Republican Party, I am refraining from making any pre-primary endorsements myself.

That said, one of Rudy Giuliani’s most passionate public supporters is California Congressman David Dreier, who heads up our state’s Congressional Republican Caucus.

I noted that on Tuesday, Congressman Dreier was on MSNBC where is claimed that Rudy Giuliani does NOT support taxpayer-funded abortions. Here is the clip: Back on March 12, Dreier was on the Fox News Channel making the same claim: … Read More

California government is big, and it buys a lot of things. Actually, in government-lingo it is called ‘procurement’ and I wonder if many FR readers know that there is an entire department (the Department of General Services) that is responsible for spending vast amounts of taxpayer dollars on items ranging from batteries to tires, from signs to floor tiles, from fencing to fertilizer. If you think about it, every computer used by a state employee and every car owned by the state had to be purchased. (You can see a big list of the kinds of things purchased by your state government here). To be honest with you, I had never heard of the Department of General Services until I was recently talking to an FR friend who told me about an interesting situation… Just think, for your home you might spend a few hundred dollars for bedding. Now, pretend you are the State of California, where you have to buy bedding for tens of thousands of beds (just thing of all of the inmates in our state prisons). When you start to multiply that out — it is big business, and big bucks.… Read More

Earlier in the week Mike Spence, our faithful LA County FR correspondent, posted some critcism of legislation recently passed in Sacramento (with the support of a good chunk of GOPers) that would ban alcohol on boats in the Sacramento River (whether the cans are open or closed). You can read Mike’s post here.

FR has receieved a ‘response’ to Spence’s post from Sacramento County Sheriff Jon McGinnis, which appears below. It’s a bit lengthy compared to Spence’s — but then, McGinnis is an elected official, and seldom is brevity the watchword of any politican…

For several years the frequency of alcohol-related violence and lawlessness has increased within a specific segment of the American River Parkway during major summer holiday periods. During the holiday periods of the Fourth of July and to a lesser extent, Memorial Day and Labor Day, thousands of young rafters converge on this stretch of the… Read More

[Cross-posted from Red County/OC Blog]

The Janet Nguyen-Trung Nguyen recount court battle was the first I had ever watched a trial in person.

Last Monday I had my second opportunity to see a trial first-hand –and this time from the witness stand.

The back story: Garden Grove Councilman Mark Rosen is representing an employee of the Division of Labor Standards Enforcement named Christopher Lotts. The DLSE is a division of the California Department of Industrial Relations.

Mr. Lotts works in the DLSE’s Santa Ana office and beginning in 2003 has anonymously published a blog called "No Labor Standards" which is, in Mr. Lotts’s words, "An unofficial site highlighting inefficient & incompetent service that Californians receive as a result of DLSE decisions, actions, and service. The… Read More

So NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg has left the GOP.

So what?

Certainly, he didn’t leave because the Party and its leadership have been too conservative.

In fact, conservatism is nowhere to be found in this Party, which is why it is sinking like a rock all over the country, led by the President and his head scratching commitment to an unworkable amnesty bill.

Bloomberg could and will be a formidable candidate because he is a problem solver and "fixer" – precisely what people want. Voters are less committed to party and ideology than in many years because of corruption and failure by Democrats and Republicans over the last few years. For the Republicans, this represents a breathtaking fall from their previous status as majority Party in Washington.… Read More