California’s former Attorney General, now our State Treasurer, was banged up pretty hard by a Wall Street Journal editorial yesterday, that is worthy of sharing:

Following the example of Eliot Spitzer, state attorneys general have had a field day using their power to accuse all and sundry of wrong-doing. So it’s only fair that a little sun is now beginning to shine on the cozy business relationships between these AGs and their trial lawyer buddies.

The sight won’t be pretty, judging from a recent Associated Press report that former California AG Bill Lockyer’s office concealed tens of millions of dollars in contracts with lobbyists and legal firms. California has an open-records law so the public can see how officials spend their money. Yet Mr. Lockyer’s office… Read More

That’s right! Lots of crazy uncle (nephew) jokes are flooding through my head as I read the story in the AV Press about McCarthy’s visit to the Mojave Air and Space Port. (That’s not a joke either, there is one)

McCarthy represents parts of LA County, Kern and San Luis Obispo counties. McCarthy mentioned that basement thing at the end of the visit. Check out the article hereand you will actually see why McCarthy made it to Congress, very articulate and knowledgeable about the issues. Living in Thomas’s basement notwithstanding.… Read More

California Matters

With California moving its presidential primary to Feb. 5 of next year, what Golden State voters think about White House politics has actually begun to matter. A new poll of likely primary voters by San Diego-based Datamar, Inc. shows the two current frontrunners to be Hillary Clinton and Rudy Giuliani.

The poll shows Ms. Clinton with 34% of the vote, leading Barack Obama’s 24% and John Edwards’ 16%. Given Ms. Clinton’s enormous name ID advantage, her lead is not compelling. On the GOP side, pundits were startled to see former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani with 41% support, John McCain with only 17% and Mitt Romney trailing with 11%.

GOP analysts say the… Read More

Anaheim Mayor and former Speaker of the State Assembly Curt Pringle was just appointed by the Governor to the Public Employee Post-Employment Benefits Commission. He will serve with former UC Regents Chairman Gerry Parsky among others to find solutions to unfunded benefits for public employees.

You may recall reading that Mayor Pringle was also recently appointed by the Governor to the CA High Speed Rail Authority.

It’s not hard to figure out why the Governor would tap Mayor Pringle twice in as many weeks to serve on important statewide commissions–Pringle is a natural leader and a dynamic problem solver. I like having Curt on my team no matter what the effort.

But these two appointments are helpful in proving a point of mine, that there is a major lack of leaders in government and politics today. Perhaps it has always been that way, but among the thousands and… Read More

If you are a Republican, and think you may want to see what it is like to work for a member of the State Legislature in the Capitol Building, then don’t miss today’s lead column from Karen Pank, who, as an alumni of the Capitol Fellowship Program, makes a good case for GOPers to apply! No one that I know believes for a minute that the Fabian Nunez-pushed effort to put a term limits ‘reform’ measure on the ballot this February is about anything other than the Speaker and other term-limited incumbent politicians seeking to extend their own time in political office. There’s a story in the Sacramento Bee about how the measure was ‘tweaked’ when it was discovered that Senate President Pro-Tempore Don Perata would not be able to extend HIS time in office. Any measure that allows politicians to serve in any single chamber of the legislature longer than the current limits is a weakening of the measure. Mr. Speaker, make your case on why term limits are bad. But don’t insult the voters by trying to somehow frame your self-preservation measure as a ‘strengthening’ of term limits. … Read More

If you are a Republican, and think you may want to see what it is like to work for a member of the State Legislature in the Capitol Building, then don’t miss today’s lead column from Karen Pank, who, as an alumni of the Capitol Fellowship Program, makes a good case for GOPers to apply! No one that I know believes for a minute that the Fabian Nunez-pushed effort to put a term limits ‘reform’ measure on the ballot this February is about anything other than the Speaker and other term-limited incumbent politicians seeking to extend their own time in political office. There’s a story in the Sacramento Bee about how the measure was ‘tweaked’ when it was discovered that Senate President Pro-Tempore Don Perata would not be able to extend HIS time in office. Any measure that allows politicians to serve in any single chamber of the legislature longer than the current limits is a weakening of the measure. Mr. Speaker, make your case on why term limits are bad. But don’t insult the voters by trying to somehow frame your self-preservation measure as a ‘strengthening’ of term limits. … Read More

The public will receive only 2 days notice of the Assembly Elections Committe hearing Thursday, that rule waivers on our floor today allowed, concerning the moving up to Feb ’08 of the California Presidential Primary. The initial vote was43-25, with Republicans supplying all the "no" votes on that procedural measure. … Read More

John Fund over at the Wall Street Journal had this interesting take-away from the recent California GOP confab:

Arnold Versus the Republicans

Allies of Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger scored an important victory earlier this month by shutting down attempts by conservative delegates to the GOP State Convention in Sacramento to denounce his proposed $12 billion universal health care plan.

The governor avoided the embarrassment of having his own party label his plan a "tax hike" that Republicans should actively fight to defeat or overturn. But it took some awkward parliamentary footwork for the governor to avoid the rebuke and his narrow escape may only set the… Read More