This last weekend’s California Republican Party Biennial Organizational Convention in Sacramento was a busy one, and so it will take me a few blog posts to really talk about all of the aspects of it, and ultimately provide a comprehensive recap. As conventions go, it was a tremendously successful one. It was a extremely well attended by delegates and guests (this is especially notable due to the absence of hotly contested races for statewide party office) and the lineup of speakers was top notch.
Speakers at the convention included South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford, Chairman of the National Republican Governors Association, former United National Ambassador John Bolton, gubernatorial hopefuls Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner and Meg Whitman, Lieutenant Governor candidate State Senator Jeff Denham and talked about potential candidate Bill Simon, U.S. Senate candidate Assemblyman Chuck DeVore and rumored potential candidates Carly Fiorina and Larry Elder, Congressmen Darrell Issa and Tom McClintock and also national conservative leader Bill Bennett. As I pen more from the convention, we’ll talk more about all of these folks.
With only two semi-annual conventions, the task of providing oversight for the operations of the California GOP falls to its Board of Directors, made up of roughly twenty members. Elections were held over the weekend for ten of those board positions. The top two races, for statewide office were those for the offices of Chairman and Vice Chairman. In both cases the incumbents, Ron Nehring and Tom Del Becarro, were unanimously re-elected by the delegates. In eight regional Vice Chairmanships, the results were: Appointed incumbent Patricia Welch was elected to a full term as Vice Chairman, Northwest, Tom Hudson was elected Vice Chairman, North, Morgan Kelly was elected Vice Chairman, Bay Area, Laura Gadke was reelected Vice Chairman, Central Valley, Mike Osborne was elected Vice Chairman, Central Coast, Doug Boyd was reelected Vice Chairman, Los Angeles, Larry McCallon was elected Vice Chairman, Inland Empire and yours truly was reelected as Vice Chairman, South. Also serving as officers of the committee are Keith Carlson as Treasurer and Steve Baric as Secretary (neither of whom were up for election this past weekend). Following the convention, three additional board members were appointed – Paul Bruno was appointed Budget Committee Chairman, Tony Krvaric was appointed Finance Chairman, and Tony Russo was reappointed as Chairman of Team California. Also serving on the party’s Board are California’s Republican National Committee Members Linda Ackerman and Shawn Steel, Immediate Past CRP Chairman Duf Sundheim, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, Senate Republican Leader Dennis Hollingsworth, Assembly Republican Leader Mike Villines and to represent the California Congressional Delegation, Representative Ed Royce. What a great team – I am looking forward to serving with them. Of note to readers is that the CRP’s Chief Operating Officer, Bill Christiansen, announced that he will be departing – though he will remain on staff for a few months as part of a transition as the party searches for a new permanent COO. Also, to assist in the transition, Chuck Hahn, Chief of Staff to State Senator Dave Cogdill, is taking a leave of absence from that job to serve as an interim COO. Everyone on the Board applauded the leadership that Christiansen showed for the organization during this past election cycle, and wished him good luck on his future endeavors.
Definitely worthy of highlighting in this first convention re-cap post is the strong statement made by the delegates to the convention by an overwhelming vote to discipline the six Republican legislators who, just days ago, voted with all of the Democrats in the State Legislature to pass the largest tax increase at a state level in the history of the United States. The roughly $1500 a year in extra taxation on every family in California ensures a dubious distinction for California taxpayers – we are definitely the most taxed people in the entire nation. While originally there was a plan to merely pass a statement of censure for the six – Assemblymen Anthony Adams, Roger Niello, and Mike Villines and Senators Roy Ashburn, Dave Cogdill and Abel Maldonado – there was a feeling among many that a stronger action was called for – and so instead of a paper resolution, delegates voted to deprive these legislators of any funding or support in 2010 legislative races. This directly effects some – others are termed out. But delegates felt that this resolution setting party policy, authored by yours truly, sent an important signal to Republican legislators – we are all a team – and what the party does reflects on its elected officeholders, and clearly what our elected officeholders do reflects directly on the party.
Criticism of the Big 5/Big Taxes budget deal and of those who supported it was an ongoing theme of the convention – with both ersatz Governor’s Steve Poizner and Meg Whitman blasting the plan, and a very stinging critique from Congressman Tom McClintock, who made the case to delegates that the party had a responsibility to take a strong stand against what these six had done. State Senator Abel Maldonado, exhibiting a little bit of chutzpah, attended that lunch. He had a smile on his face most of McClintock’s speech, except when the word “recall” came from the Congressman’s lips – evoking a scowl from the tax-hiking Maldonado who famously cast the deciding vote to pass the Big 5/Big Taxes plan out of the Senate.
A the general session yesterday, there was even some hi-jinx as some unknown pranksters put u
p a sign behind the podium, up on the riser at the general session, behind the curtains, blasting the six Republican legislators who supported the plan as the "six losers". At some point, someone slipped up onto the stage and ripped down the curtain, “unveiling” the sign for conventioneers. Courtesy of the mystery culprits, here is a photo of the banner.
While much talk was heard around the convention in terms of disappointment in the Governor, and his signing of these tax increases (with Republicans gathered at the Hyatt across the street, the Governor – who chose not to come to the convention – signed the tax increases no more than a few hundred yards away in the Capitol) – the Governor was not singled out, like the six GOP legislators, in a resolution — I think because he is term-limited out, and because his support for taxes is now well established – unfortunately.
It is worthy of note that the party did not take up positions on the many ballot measures that will appear on the May special election ballot, although if called into service, the party’s executive committee could consider doing so at some later point.
Despite most delegates arriving to the convention frustrated about the massive tax increases — I think that everyone felt like the party appropriately made a statement on the matter, and attendees left to go back to the 58 counties excited and energized for the upcoming 2010 elections — with opportunities to elect a real Republican Governor and with a real shot at letting Senator Barbara Boxer start to take advantage of her plush retirement benefits.
Look for more tidbits from the convention as time permits me to share them. Also, several of our FR bloggers were in attendance, hopefully they will chime in as well…
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