When I was running for state assembly, I had to fill out a questionnaire for the Pleasanton Chamber of Commerce in order to receive their endorsement. One of the questions dealt with education; this was my answer:

Strong schools are essential to a vibrant community. In order to attract and retain the most productive citizens, our public schools must be top-notch. Pleasanton schools are known statewide and nationally as exemplary educational institutions, and that does not happen by accident. The partnerships between the schools, chamber, city government and the parent community are critical…and must be constantly nourished with vigilant work to keep all stakeholders in communication about what our schools need for the short term and the long term.

I would add this sentence to the Chamber’s Education Vision Statement: “Then, bring them home!”

It’s not just that I am a mother of three kids in Pleasanton schools who wants to see her kids come home from college and… Read More

From the way that Tony Strickland’s campaign for California State Senate is gearing up, you would almost think that that he is listed as "incumbent" on the ballot. But, of course, he is not. The incumbent, Senator Tom McClintock, is retiring next year as term limits prevents him from seeking a third Senate term. Today the ENTIRE 15-member State Senate Republican Caucus endorsed former Assemblyman Strickland in his bid to succeed McClintock.

[You can see all of the signatures by clicking on the link at the bottom of this blog post.]

"All of our Senators are committed to helping Tony win his election to the State Senator next November," Senate Republican Dick Ackerman told me tonight. If that wasn’t enough, earlier tonight, the Ventura County Republican Party weighed in with a rare (and overwhelming) pre-primary endorsement for Strickland as… Read More

Greg Pettis is a city council member in Cathedral City (Riverside County, Palm Springs area) and he is running for the State Assembly in the 80th Assembly District. Greg is a nice guy, but classically liberal. He is in a battle with at least four other Democrats for the nomination and there there are two GOP candidates battling it out to eventually succeed Assemblywoman Bonnie Garcia.

I am not sure of Pettis’ chances but I did get a fund raising letter from him recently.

His letter touches on the usual ‘I got money for parks’, ‘I got money for sewers’. But my favorite part is when he proclaims having "…stood up to Wal-Mart’s unfair labor practices."

I understand why many Democrats hate Wal-Mart. They see economics as a zero-sum game where Wal-Mart gets richer and the rest of us get poorer. I am not saying that is Greg Pettis’ position, he is a businessman.

But no matter his motivation, I don’t think that the most likely donors to a campaign for State Assembly would respond well to any anti-Wal-Mart message.

Greg, for the… Read More

[Publisher’s Note: We try NOT to reprint press releases in this space verbatim, but since I am post from my vacation, I hope that FR readers will be forgiving. This is exciting news, and I am pleased that many are already registering online for Western CPAC. If you haven’t signed up yet, there’s no time like now! – Flash] Senator Tom McClintock named Co-Chairman of Conservative Conference One of California’s most respected and admired state legislators–California State Senator Tom McClintock (R-19th District)–has been named a co-chairman of the Western Conservative Political Action Conference.

“Tom McClintock is the most highly-regarded statewide conservative leader since Ronald Reagan was Governor,” said James… Read More

Two weeks ago, a few Capital insiders were telling me that Governor Schwarzenegger’s health care reform proposal was not going to happen this year. The governor’s staff said otherwise. If I were a betting woman, I’d put my money on the governor–he put his stake in the ground to achieve major reform on health care in 2007 and that’s what he’s going to do.

But I know that I’m not going to like it.

First off, the governor is intent on putting a mandate on businesses to pay a 4 percent payroll tax (yes, it is a tax, not a fee) if they don’t provide insurance to their employees. Last week at a town hall in San Diego, the chairman of the San Diego County Hispanic Chamber of Commerce questioned how small businesses could afford such a tax. According to the San Diego Tribune, Schwarzenegger… Read More

Two weeks ago, a few Capital insiders were telling me that Governor Schwarzenegger’s health care reform proposal was not going to happen this year. The governor’s staff said otherwise. If I were a betting woman, I’d put my money on the governor–he put his stake in the ground to achieve major reform on health care in 2007 and that’s what he’s going to do.

But I know that I’m not going to like it.

First off, the governor is intent on putting a mandate on businesses to pay a 4 percent payroll tax (yes, it is a tax, not a fee) if they don’t provide insurance to their employees. Last week at a town hall in San Diego, the chairman of the San Diego County Hispanic Chamber of Commerce questioned how small businesses could afford such a tax. According to the San Diego Tribune, Schwarzenegger… Read More

The story behind Senator Carole Migden’s accident last week is getting more interesting. The Chronicle and KTVU are reporting that Migden may have had an additional accident before rear-ending a Honda sedan on Hwy 12 in Solano County.

Migden says that she only took her eyes off the road to reach for her cell phone, but witnesses say otherwise.

From the KTVU story:

But about a half dozen motorists had called 911 before the crash as Migden traveled more than 30 miles on Interstate 80, heading east… Read More

California Liberals like to think themselves as selfless compassionate souls concerned for their fellows. No matter that they hide in Beverly Hills and Malibu escaping Section 8 Housing, their kids go to elite private schools that poor folks cannot afford, but of course they give. Don’t they?

Well the sociological evidence showsthey don’t. Professor Arthur Brooks, once a well meaning liberal himself , exhaustively researched donor trends In America and discovered the more religious the person the more generous they were giving to charity.Since more conservatives are more religious the givers are overwhelmingly to the right.. "Who Really Cares" 2006, Basic Books.

Last night at the Beverly Hills Hotel is a case in point. At its annual fundraiser, the Midnight Mission featured the Hearts of Gold banquet. The Midnight Mission was founded in 1914 to care, feed, house and offer rebuilding opportunities for drunks, drug addicts and the self imposed underclass in LA’s skid row. Seldom receiving government money, Midnight Mission is considered one of the most efficient and effective charities in LA.

We who co-hosted the… Read More