Tomorrow, the 100-member Executive Committee (ExComm) of the California Republican Party will meet at the convention center in Downtown Sacramento. After several morning presentations on various party-building topics, at 2 p.m. the ExComm will go into session to consider only seven matters – six of them being whether to take positions on Propositions 1A – 1F which are on the special election ballot next month, and the seventh on having the party endorse a ballot measure aimed at reduce instances of voter fraud, the proponent of which is popular GOP State Senator George Runner.
To make the results even less surprising, Chairman Nehring earlier this week nominated, and the board confirmed a newly constituted Initiatives Committee, which is charged with reviewing the measures, and making a recommendation to the ExComm. The recommendation of this group matter because if they recommend supporting a particular ballot measure, then it takes only a simple majority vote of the ExComm to adopt that as the formal position of the State GOP. Like with his ExComm appointments, Ron Nehring has overwhelmingly packed the Initiatives Committee with folks that certainly oppose 1A, 1B and 1C – folks like Lew Uhler, Bill Leonard, and Mike Spence who was reappointed Chairman of the Initiatives Committee. This committee will meet telephonically this afternoon. It’s somewhat interesting to note that embattled Assemblyman Anthony Adams, who has served on this committee for years, was not asked to return…
From talking to ExComm members, it appears that 1A is resoundingly unpopular with GOP leaders because of it’s trifecta of troubles — it’s trigger to $16 billion in taxes, genuine lack of faith in the ability of the so-called "spending cap" to actually work, and the political games being played by proponents in hiding the tax implications of a yes vote from the public.
**There is more – click the link**
April 17th, 2009 at 12:00 am
With the GOP opposing these, I am inclined to vote yes since the state GOP has not come up with any good ideas lately.
April 17th, 2009 at 12:00 am
“The State GOP is not flush with discretionary funds to spend – having recently emptied its coffers in last November’s elections”
Yeah, but $3 Million to Iowa and Colorado, should have been spent here in California.
Therefore, think twice the next time the CRP spend money beyond the Colorado River, because we may need those funds for critical elections.
April 17th, 2009 at 12:00 am
There you go again, Jon, off the rails to the far right. BTW, Jon, did you vote to give nearly $700,000 to the Governor to promote Prop 1A? Or did you introduce the idea to the CRP board to give nearly $700,000 to the Governor to promote Prop 1A? Isn’t this a contradiction on the part of the CRP board – to give money to the Governor that will be used to promote Prop 1A while the board of the CRP votes to try and defeat Prop 1A?
April 17th, 2009 at 12:00 am
Great article, Jon, but I think one of your sentences might have been misleading. You said that Chairman Ron Nehring “packed the Initiatives Committee with folks that certainly oppose 1A, 1B and 1C…” The word “packed” implies that Ron Nehring was stacking the deck to achieve a particular outcome. In fact, I think it would have been impossible for Ron Nehring to find ANY members of the State Central Committee to appoint to the Initiatives Committee who would have supported these terrible ballot measures. Keep in mind that these positions have a two-year term, proxy voting is not allowed, and members need to travel to meetings around the state at their own expense. There might be about seven people out of the 1,300 State Central Committee members who support 1A-1C (namely, Governor Schwarzenegger and the six budget supporters), but those people are not going to drive all over the state to attend meetings and convention — and we all know it. Thus, Ron Nehring did nothing to “pack” the Initiatives Committee; the membership simply reflects the fact that Propositions 1A-1C are among the least popular ballot measures in California history, especially among active Republicans.
April 18th, 2009 at 12:00 am
Why do business concerns like CalChamber and the SBAC support the props? Nehring and his ilk are missing the boat on this one.
April 19th, 2009 at 12:00 am
I smell some roast RINO….
April 20th, 2009 at 12:00 am
Why is it that the CRP waited till a month before the election to show thier oppisition? Nehring sitting in Arnolds lap, giving 600K to Arnolds Dream Team the got washed and put into the YES ON 1A committee?
What is it with you republicans. Do you have to wait to see what the polls say before you can make a decision. You sit and opine about this and that, but when you should have voted a month ago, you sat on your hands.
You let Nehring spend your money. You members of CRP should be ashamed. Your Delay makes voting down these props even harder. Its always humorous to watch you politicians gloom onto something after you think it will profit you. Where is the leadership. You can’t lead from behind.
Tim from Rancho Cucamonga.