Assemblyman Joel Anderson introduced legislation earlier this week to divest the Public Employees Retirement System (CalPERS) and State Teachers Retirement System (CalSTRS) of investments in Iranian-connected businesses, appropriately questioning whypublic funds should support terrorist states (read the original FR post and Joel’s SDUT op-ed).

At the time, not even he likely comprehended the amount of monies invested, as research was still being conducted to determine the total. Granted, California may have the best-funded retirement system in the world, but the answer is still unbelievable.

According to Conflict Securities Advisory Group (CSAG), a Washington, DC-based research and consulting firm that specializes in corporate ties to Iran and other security concerns, CalPERS is invested in 152 companies with ties to Iran with investments that total some $14 billion. CSAG further identifies 69 of these companies,… Read More

With the year-end campaign finance numbers in, it is apparent that Jerry McNerney is going to be a major drain on the DCCC to keep the 11th district in play in 2008. Despite two fundraisers that the McNerney campaign promoted by sending out on his Christmas cards (not kidding and they actually sent one to Assemblyman Greg Aghazarian’s office), McNerney managed to limp into the new year with $42,357.50 in the bank to go with still unpaid debt of $124,108.49.

McNerney is now going to have to raise money to pay for a political operation while he tries to keep up with the pace of being a new member of Congress with no political experience. Add to that the responsibilities of needing to spend time getting around the district to continue to underwhelm his new constituents in a Republican district and it doesn’t leave much room for error. If McNerney doesn’t pick up his fundraising in the March report he might end up with an even higher spot on the political "Endangered Species List."… Read More

Senator Joe Biden made a really stupid and seemingly racist comment that is running in the Feb. 5, 2007 The New York Observer about Senate colleague Barack Obama. He said. “I mean, you got the first mainstream African-American who is articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy,” he said. “I mean, that’s a storybook, man.”

I take issue with the "mainstream" part of his comment as much as the "clean" part. Some people would argue that it is just ‘old out-of-touch white man speak’ rather than racist. Maybe, but either way it’s pretty bad.

It did however remind me of some of my other favorite racist rants. Here are a few, two were said while on California soil:

Back in July 2004 then-Education Secretary Richard Riordan told a little girl at a Santa Barbara library reading program that her name, Isis, "means stupid, dirty girl." After she asked him if he knew what it… Read More

This should be amusing to many a Southern California Republican. According to The Politico, Orange County’s lone Democrat Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez, she who is oh-so-fond of cats (what’s with these Democrat women and their cats), has quit the Congressional Hispanic Caucus because Congressman Joe Baca, also a Democrat, called her a "whore".

Here’s an exerpt of the piece (now linked via Drudge):

Rep. Loretta Sanchez has quit the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, accusingthechairman, Rep. Joe Baca, of telling people she’s a "whore."

Baca denied the charge.

In an interview with The Politico Wednesday, Sanchez, a California Democrat as is Baca, also cited concerns about whether Baca was… Read More

In Ronald Reagan’s White House, there was an adage that “Personnel is Policy.” That those who are in the room to make the recommendations do matter.

So, it is always good to see when elected officials’ offices are filled with good people. Michelle Steel’s is one that certainly meets that standard.

Erik Caldwell comes to Michelle’s office as her Chief of Staff/Chief Deputy/Whatever they call it in the BOE from being President of the San Diego Young Republicans and once upon a time as President of the statewide College Republicans.

Ken Maddox is Michelle’s Director of Legislative Affairs. Ken is a former Army Officer, former Assemblyman, and former CRA-backed candidate for State Senate. In addition, and more near and dear to me, Ken is a former member of California YAF.

John Hrabe is Michelle’s Communications Director. John also is an established activist, currently serving as Executive Director for YRFC. Before he moved down to LA to work for Michelle, when he used to spend his days working in the Capitol for… Read More

My friend Grover Norquist tipped me to this report from Daily Kos on the impact of the Libertarian Party vote on the recent Congressional elections, including here in California, where the Libertarian Party candidate almost figured in a defeat for Republican Congressman John Doolittle:

The Libertarian spoilers

by kos Wed Jan 31, 2007 at 07:59:56 AM PST One of the under-reported factors for the Democratic victories in 2006 was the spoiler effect that the Libertarian Party played. Here are races in which the Libertarian vote was larger than the Democratic margin of victory:

Missouri Senate

McCaskill (D) 1,047,049 50 Talent (R) 1,001,238 47 Gilmour (L) 47,504 2

Montana Senate

Tester (D) 198,302 49 Burns (R) 195,455 48 Jones (L) 10,324 3

That’s control of the Senate right there. And in the House there was at least one race in which Libertarians helped deliver a seat to Democrats:

IN-09

Hill (D) 110,185 50 Sodrel (R) 100,503 46 Schansberg (L) 9,920 4

In… Read More

Debate rages in the capitol (although with the slow-motion pace of the Legislature, this inferno is more like a can of Sterno) about reforming redistricting, with a little inducement of extending term limits.

But California voters have had this debate already – they passed term limits for Legislators (Prop 140 in 1990), and later passed term limits for Federal Reps as well (Prop 164 in 1992.)

After courts threw out Term Limits for Federal Office holders in 1995, US Term Limits and others sought and received promises from hundreds of US House members to abide by the three-term limit. Most Congressional reps simply broke their pledge.

But former Congressman Doug Ose (R- Sacramento) did something unprecedented – he kept his promise.

Ose’s seat was originally one of the few competitive CA Congressional seats, but after redistricting, it was solidly GOP – so Ose could have been Congressman for life.… Read More

Everyone knows that the Governor and State Legislators are actively considering a move of the 2008 California Presidential Primary from June to the first Tuesday in February.

There is no doubt that it is within the authority of these politicians to move around the date of California’s primary — and they have done so, a lot, over the years. I would go so far as to say that it is extremely likely that it will move.

In some recent news articles about this potential change of date, there have been references to making changes in the way that the major political parties select their delegates to their respective national political conventions.

**There is more – click the link**

View Full Commentary… Read More