Back when Ridley-Thomas burst on the political scene, he promoted himself as a black first politician.As an LA city councilman, leaders of the Southern California Organizing Committee [SCOC] sent its members, mostly Latinos, to a meeting where Mark Ridley-Thomas was hosting a meeting for 8th District residents. The meeting erupted into a shouting match, with some charging Ridley-Thomas with alienatinghis constituents inthe ethnically and religiously diverse district. This took place back in 1993. Ridley-Thomas hasn’t changed much since then.

Mark Ridley-Thomas

The SCOC drew its membership from churches, block clubs and community organizations in South-Central LA. SCOC leaders say theywere incensed by what they felt were disparaging remarks made by Ridley-Thomas while voting againsttheir anti-gang program. The councilman denied SCOC’s charges that he favored… Read More

In a huge surprise, SCA 23 which would prohibit the Calif. Citizens Compensation Commission from awarding pay raises to legislators during a budget deficit year, failed in Senate committee today. It also provided clarification that the Commish could decreasethose same salaries if it saw fit to do so.… Read More

Back in May 2004, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger ordered state agencies to expedite the sale of an estimated $5 billion in surplus state properties. It was an ambitious plan designed to help the state raise money it badly needed.

That November, voters backed the governor with Proposition 60A, directing proceeds from the sale of those properties be used to pay down deficit bonds. Now, four years later, the state has yet to sell off most of the targeted surplus properties, according to the Los Angeles Daily News (April 8th).

The state Finance Department indicates that the state sold off no surplus property in the 2004. And while property sales climbed to $12.9 million in 2005-06, they fell to just $1.4 million in 2006-07.

Beth Mills, spokeswoman for the Department of General Services that handles surplus state land sales, said that during the current 2007-08 fiscal year, the state is expecting to take in $31.7 million from two sales. “‘About $21 million is a payment the state is receiving from the sale of… Read More

A few minutes ago, Harry Sidhu wrapped one of the most interesting press conferences to which I’ve ever been.

It was basically two parts. First, he addressed the "Orange County Grand Jury Report" mailer sent out by the Mimi Walters for Senate campaign, attacking it as deceptive and defending his record regarding working with OCE to screen Anaheim City Jail prisoners for illegal immigrants.

Pretty standard.

Then, Harry went on to discuss the negative tone of the SD33 race, said he took responsibility for his campaign’s part in it, and then renounced any further negative campaigning, pledging that henceforth his voter communication would all be positive. Nearby Harry were boxes of negative mail produced by his campaign, which he then proceeded to feed into a big shredder next to the podium.

A cynical interpretation is that it’s easy to renounce negative campaigning two weeks before the election when you’ve already carpet-bombed your opponent with negative mail and ads, and SD33… Read More

Need another reason to not trust lawyers and the Bar Associations. Conservatives have known that at the federal level the American Bar Association play politics with their rating system.

Need proof at the local level. Look at poor Bob Henry. Henry is Democrat and has been a Deputy Attorney general for two decades.

In 1992 he ran for judge and came in second. The bar rated him “qualified”. He ran again in 2004 and was rated as“well qualified. Two years ago he ran and was rated “qualified”. 2008 he runs and is now “not qualified”. To get it straight. The bar rating system four years ago had him as “well-qualified”. Since then he has been in a spiral downward dropping to “qualified” and then now to “not qualified”.

Iknow being a Democrat didn’t hurt him. So what’s changed?

Other than the make up of the review committee probably nothing.… Read More

Jon just posted a blog about President Bush vetoing the pork-laden farm bill. As Jon explained, the bill was rightfully vetoed because of all the subsidies for wealthy farmers. This issue is particularly important here in the 4th CD race. Former congressman Doug Ose (and current candidate for the 4th CD) has been the recipient of such federal farm subsidies for wealthy farm owners.

Doug Ose not only accepted $600,000 in farm subsidies (more than former Enron CEO Ken Lay), he approved those subsidies as a voting member of the House Agriculture Committee. Republicans are suffering from an image of corruption, and self-serving votes like Ose’s enforce this image, especially in a district where corruption is a hot issue. Republican voters should ask themselves if they want a millionaire congressman who will take their tax dollars to pay for his personal property.

Last week Tom McClintock launched a devastating TV ad regarding Ose’s self-enriching votes on farm subsidies while in Congress. I’m disappointed that my current congressman, John Doolittle, voted for this irresponsible bill. Based on Doug Ose’s record, Tom McClintock is the clear choice. I’m… Read More

A few weeks ago I wrote about AB 624, legislation that will require all private, corporate or public operating foundations and nonprofits incorporated in California, with assets over $250 million, to collect gender and racial data on their board and staff. It also requires these groups to report the number of grant dollars going to ethnic minorities, the disabled, low-income communities and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender recipients. After the data is collected, it must be posted on the foundation’s web site under a section labeled “DIVERSITY.” Of course, all of this is done in the name of “transparency” and forcing greater aid for “minorities.”

This is a patently bad bill; requiring philanthropic organizations to report on their board, staff and grant beneficiaries raises all sorts of questions about privacy and unconstitutionality. In addition, the government has no business in the donations of private citizens to their favorite charities.

Last week the bill was heard in the Senate Business, Professions and Economic Development… Read More

The Harry Sidhu campaign has all the hallmarks of a campaign in disarray.

The local cable systems were recently called by Harry Sidhu told they would no longer be dealing his consultants, Coronado Communications, but that henceforth Sidhu would make the buys himself.

After being bombarded almost daily with Sidhu mailers for the last few weeks, the Sidhu mailers suddenly stopped arriving last week (there’s been no cessation of Mimi Walters mail).

A new Sidhu mailer finally arrived in today’s mail — but it is clearly not something produced by Coronado Communications: too dense and wordy. This leads me to believe Coronado Communications and Harry Sidhu have parted ways.

Harry Sidhu is also planning a press conference … Read More