Welcome to Anaheim, California. As you read this column, there are professional signature gatherers who have been hired by a coalition headed up by the Walt Disney Corporation to qualify a ballot measure in this central Orange County city. No, the measure is not to name Mickey the official mouse of the Anaheim (I would be surprised if that wasn’t the case already!). Actually, the measure they are circulating is a very bad one — which actually is the reason for me spending some time on this local issue.

The measure, in a nutshell, would institute an extreme form of what is called ‘ballot-box zoning’ in this city of well over 300,000 residents. Specifically, Disney is pushing a measure that would set into stone the current city zoning ordinances (the ones that dictate the ‘acceptable uses’ on property) in the Disney Resort Area around the Magic Kingdom. It would do so by requiring that ANY changes (like if you own a coffee shop and want to convert the use into an apartment building) would have to go through a citywide vote for approval at the next regularly scheduled municipal election. Normally you would pursue this… Read More

The aforementioned, in today’s FR, bill to ban incandescent light bulbs moved through the Assembly Utilities and Commerce Committee this afternoonwith a 9 to 3vote.… Read More

Well, unfortunately, Assemblyman Doug La Malfa, FR’s North California Correspondent, didn’treally need to exercise much of hisconsiderable forensic talentin this morning’s televised "debate". The goodfolks at CNBC seemed to supportively suggest to Assemblyman Lloyd Levine that consumers drive the market — not government — and evenrhetorically questionedLaMalfa about his awareness of the fact that the rest of the country thinks California is a "laughing stock" for bills like Levine’s light bulb ban, the topic of discussion.

AB 722 would simply ban the sale of incandescent light bulbs in California by 2012. Levine, again, diagnoses the lack of consumer interest in substitute light bulbs that might save energy and money as a "market failure", a term used by political… Read More

FR readers will recall that a couple of weeks ago I told you all about yet another lame bill from Assemblyman Lloyd Levine – this is the one that would, in effect, stop any new construction of hotel resorts along the coast. Levine would like you to neuter your dog. How about instead, we neuter his bill which is up for a vote this afternoon?

I’m pretty sure than no GOPer would vote for it — but I guess Dems will have to decide if they would support a bill so extreme that even the pretty liberal Coastal Commission opposes it…… Read More

Pennsylvania Boy

The writer behind the blog "PA for Hizzoner, Rudy Giuliani" put the best possible spin on the results of this weekend’s presidential straw poll at the Pennsylvania Leadership Conference, a key barometer of GOP activist sentiment in the state. The headline was "Rudy Leads All Presidential Candidates," but the blogger had to confess the headline "may be a little deceptive," since the former mayor actually got 16% and tied for second with Newt Gingrich, who spoke at the conference. The winner was non-declared candidate Fred Thompson, who "slaughtered the field" with 35% of the total vote.

Mr. Thompson was a non-candidate on a roll this weekend. He also came out on… Read More

Atthe annual CRA Convention,delegates to vote in a "straw poll" for president. Thompson won, Hunter and Romney ties for second. Just a note a candidate needs two-thirds at our endorsing convention in order to win a CRA endorsement. The results:

Fred Thompson (25%) Duncan Hunter (19%) Mitt Romney (19%) Ron Paul (12%) Tom Tancredo (8%) Newt Gingrich (7%) Rudy Guiliani (7%) Sam Brownbeck (3%) Mike Huckabee (0%) Tommy Thompson (0%)

[Publisher’s announcement: The ever-humble Mr. Spence neglects to tell readers that he was re-elected to yet another two-year term as President of the CRA! Congratulations!! Publisher’s Question: I presume McCain also got no votes? Publisher’s note: Giuliani is probably the big winner of this survey. If the CRA can’t solidify behind a single conservative in the primary, the socially moderate former New York Mayor gets a walk… Flash]… Read More

The flurry of thousands of pieces of legislation flying around the State Capitol this time of year (hold on to your wallets and purses!) continues to allow the FlashReport to bring our readers into the building to take a closer look at individual pieces of legislation.

Today we’re taking a moment to look at Senate Bill 1000, introduced by Republican State Senator Tom Harman of Orange County. PROPERTY RIGHTS Before I delve into the specifics of this legislation, let’s have a short little primer on property rights. This has been a big issue lately, especially since the United States Supreme Court in their (terrible) Kelo v. New London decision cleared the way for government to come in and take someone’s private property through eminent domain if the government deems that a different use for that property would further ‘economic development’ in the area. This has lead to a… Read More

Today the California Republican Party has has re-launched its website, www.cagop.org, and it is definately worth a visit!

As you can see from the graphic to the left, the new website has a great look, and a main page that will allow you to easily navigate the site (don’t worry, you won’t actually have to see Senator Harry Reid’s face every time you go to the site).

Things to see on the site:

Below is a capture of the page of the site that allows you to easily drill-down to your own County GOP leadership, with contact information and a map on how to get to your local GOP County HQ. You actually just click on the graphic of the county that you are from, and up comes the information! CRP Chairman Ron Nehring is blogging over there, so you’ll want to check out the California Republican Blog. The CRP is posting its latest releases and statements in an online Newsroom. A calendar of events to let you know what is going … Read More