SAN DIEGO (AP) – Dozens of San Diego State University students were arrested after a sweeping drug investigation found that some fraternity members openly dealt drugs and one even sent a mass text message advertising cocaine, authorities said Tuesday.

Two kilograms of cocaine were seized, along with 350 Ecstasy pills, marijuana, psychedelic mushrooms, hash oil, methamphetamine, illicit prescription drugs, several guns and at least $60,000 in cash, authorities said.

Of the 96 people arrested, 75 were students. Eighteen of the students were arrested Tuesday when nine search warrants were executed at various locations including fraternities, said Jesse Rodriguez, San Diego County assistant district attorney. Read it all here.… Read More

Every 12years Los Angeles County voters get to choose a new Supervisor. Under the racially complaint redistricting rules District 2 is the "black" seat. Although the district is vigorously trending Latino.

There are two competitors for a job most politicians believe is better than Congress. An LA Supervisor has 2,000,000 constituents, a huge staff, multiple offices, an easy commute, great salary, amazing benefits, a giant personal slush fund and best tickets to the Hollywood Bowl.Plus the 5 regents control billions and billions of tax dollars.

Former LAPD Chief and current LA City Council Bernard Parks is resisting efforts by controversial state senator Mark Ridley-Thomas for the seat.

The differences between them are stark. Chief Parks is primarily for vigorous law enforcement, skeptical of endless government union demands and pro business. And yet he has the enthusiastic support of a large coalition extending from Congressman Maxine Waters to Supervisor Mike Antonovich.

On the other hand… Read More

Every 12years Los Angeles County voters get to choose a new Supervisor. Under the racially compliant redistricting rules District 2 is the "black" seat. Although the district is vigorously trending Latino.

There are two competitors for a job most politicians believe is better than Congress. An LA Supervisor has 2,000,000 constituents, a huge staff, multiple offices, an easy commute, great salary, amazing benefits, a giant personal slush fund and best tickets to the Hollywood Bowl.Plus the 5 regents control billions and billions of tax dollars.

Former LAPD Chief and current LA City Council Bernard Parks is resisting efforts by controversial state senator Mark Ridley-Thomas for the seat.

**There is more – click the link**

View Full Commentary… Read More

After years of litigation – costing millions of taxpayer dollars – the California Department of Education has finally settled with a whistle-blower turned former employee. This whistle-blower claimed retaliation by the Department and former Superintendent of Public Instruction Delaine Eastin when he reported massive fraud in the department.

According to the Sacramento Bee (April 23, 2008), the California Department of Education paid "$4.25 million to the former worker who said he suffered retaliation after he reported corruption to then Superintendent Delaine Eastin." The trouble began when the California Department of Education dished out millions of dollars, not to California’s classrooms, but to people seemingly just trying to make a buck off the system. "The case centered on corruption in a program that handed out money to community-based organizations between 1995 and 2000 to teach English and citizenship to recent immigrants. Some of the schools that got grant money didn’t even exist."… Read More

Late last week, California’s esteemed Lieutenant Governor, Democrat John Garamendi, took a break from his statewide "we need taxes not spending cuts" tour to fire off a petulant letter to his successor as Insurance Commissioner, Steve Poizner. The subject? Garamendi is upset because after reviewing them since he was elected to office, Poizner has determined that a bunch of last minute regulations that Garamendi adopted literally on his way out of the office were in need of revision, which he is doing. I will spend more time soon delving into the policy issues involved with these regulations. For your Monday morning entertainment, though, I want to encourage you all to take five minutes to read the back and forth between Garamendi and Poizner. Garamendi’s letter, which you can view here, reads like it was written by a small child, at least in… Read More

Late last week, California’s esteemed Lieutenant Governor, Democrat John Garamendi, took a break from his statewide "we need taxes not spending cuts" tour to fire off a petulant letter to his successor as Insurance Commissioner, Steve Poizner. The subject? Garamendi is upset because after reviewing them since he was elected to office, Poizner has determined that a bunch of last minute regulations that Garamendi adopted literally on his way out of the office were in need of revision, which he is doing. I will spend more time soon delving into the policy issues involved with these regulations. For your Monday morning entertainment, though, I want to encourage you all to take five minutes to read the back and forth between Garamendi and Poizner. Garamendi’s letter, which you can view here, reads like it was written by a small child, at least in… Read More

Today the Governor announced that he is taking steps to make the State Capitol "wi-fi" friendly, with the first phase being a wireless "hotspot" in the Governor’s Press Conference Room on the first floor. Outstanding. The next phase of his plan is to make some portion of the Capitol cafeteria a "hot spot" – which is cool. These are great first steps.

But the big project, to which any project to bring wireless to the State Capitol must include, is making the Senate and Assembly Chambers wireless, so that people up in the galleries (or the press corps or guests in the back of the chambers) can access wireless. After this, it should be the Committee Rooms where the most influential meetings take place.

Speaking on behalf of the blogging community, it really would enhance our ability to live-blog about the goings-on in state government.

Now I don’t know where the boundaries are between where the Governor has jurisdiction to create "hot spots" versus the legislature — but someone should get right on this!… Read More

I won’t take credit for being the first political columnist to take umbrage with Fontana Mayor Mark Nuaimi, but I will say that it seems to have caught on… I will now refer to him as the "embattled King of Fontana" who is at the center of swirl of controversy… Or should I say controversies (plural)? This guy is now commonly referred to as "The Conflict King" because of his dual role as the Mayor of Fontana while also being the Assistant City Manager of the nearby city of Colton.

He is controversial to this columnist because he is a Republican, but yet seems to have no trouble using his office to overtly and covertly push his personal vision for the city of Fontana on private property owners, regardless of what they want to do with their property. You can read through to what I’ve written or posted on Nuaimi in the past by going here. But I have one heck of a column coming your way based on information sent to me after I first started writing about "The King" — so stay tuned.

In the meantime, I have yet another video about… Read More