Me as a Consumer Activist? Most of you would never confuse me with obnoxious consumer groups who do the bidding of trial lawyers. I thank you for that. However, there is a consumer issue included in a bill by Senator Pat Wiggins (SB 1167) that gives cause to worry.

This ill-advised legislation will impact drivers when they are in an accident – and that likely means all of us in California at some point. SB 1167 will prevent drivers from obtaining information about auto repair options, including body shops that are pre-qualified with insurers and meet established standards of excellence. Pre-qualified shops are reviewed by companies and confirmed as giving high-quality service, the fewest inconveniences, and the best guarantee (possibly lifetime) on the work.

That’s information I want to have when choosing a shop to repair my car. I want to be fully informed, but apparently Senator Wiggins thinks that’s a bad idea. She would want me to play a guessing game – wondering if I’ve chosen a good body shop because I’ve been prevented from learning about other options. Her bill provides that once a driver has… Read More

I just received the following alert from Alliance Defense Fund:

Calif. Court of Appeal agrees to reconsider homeschooling caseCourt grants petition for rehearing filed by attorneys with ADF

LOS ANGELES — The California Court of Appeal agreed Wednesday to a request by attorneys with the Alliance Defense Fund to reconsider a Feb. 28 decision making most homeschooling a crime in the state.

“Parents have a fundamental right to make educational choices for their children,” said ADF Senior Counsel Gary McCaleb. “Because this ruling impacts all Californians, we believe the case deserves a second look. We look forward to presenting this case for rehearing.”

Ruling against a child enrolled at Sunland Christian School, a private homeschooling program, the California Court of Appeal found, in the case In re: Rachel L., that parents who educate their children at home could be criminally liable under California law

“Another look at this case will help ensure that the fundamental rights of parents… Read More

The open seat on the Stanislaus County Board of Supervisors (currently held by Supervisor Tom Mayfield who is retiring) is one of the more interesting match ups in the Valley this year. The conventional wisdom has been that former longtime Sheriff Les Weidman was a shoo-in for this seat against upstart Vito Chiesa.

Low and behold, local farmer and former Stanislaus Farm Bureau leader Chiesa has surged in this hotly contested race (full disclosure: Chiesa is a client). In the latest finance reports filed through March 17th, Weidman’s fundraising has collapsed. During this period Weidman only raised a paltry $16,500 of which 10K of that was a personal loan. With a cash on hand of $11,732 and plenty of unpaid bills to account for most of that, Weidman’s campaign is struggling into the last two months of the campaign.

Meanwhile, Chiesa has built a grassroots base that is now fully fueled. Chiesa raised $56,400 while banking $46,719 from a donor base that was constantly being told that Weidman had the race in the bag. Should be interesting to see how supportive Weidman’s supporters are now that the aura of invincibility is no… Read More

When scanning political news stories from around California this morning, as I do each day, from time to time I come across something, or someone, worthy of special note, this time out the San Bernardino County Sun…

The City of Colton has about 175,000 residents, and you can find it on a map by sticking a pin right at the intersections of the 10 and 215 freeways.

Once upon a time Colton was the home of famous wild west frontiersman Wyatt Earp. But for those who follow politics, I guess it is notable that in recent years, several members of the City Council have left office in scandals, and that the Mayor of this city, Kelly Chastain, is facing a recall on this June’s ballot.

None of that, however is what drew my attention to this city. It was an article referencing destroyed e-mails in city government, which led me to read further down where I got to what I thought was the … Read More

Jon – you "missed the Mark" in your scathing commentary on Fontana Mayor Mark Nuaimi. I posted a similar message as a commentary to your post, but I felt strongly enough to revise and post it here.

I have worked with Nuaimi numerous times (including running his campaigns for Mayor), and yes, I am proud to have done so.

Mark originally gained notoriety in a virtually one-man crusade to crack down on widespread prostitution and drug sales along Foothill Boulevard in Fontana – just blocks from schools and playgrounds. His efforts led to a massive crack down and propelled him to the City Council.

Then Mark took on incumbent Democrat Mayor David Eshelman, when no one thought he could win. He won because he showed a real passion and vision for his city. He had the courage to stand up while the polished politicians hid in the back room.

Since then, Mark has been an effective and able Mayor for Fontana – helping develop new leaders; transforming the City Council from a squabbling sandlot to an effective, cohesive body; and bringing a new sense… Read More

When scanning political news stories from around California this morning, as I do each day, from time to time I come across something, or someone, worthy of special note, this time out the San Bernardino County Sun…

The City of Colton has about 175,000 residents, and you can find it on a map by sticking a pin right at the intersections of the 10 and 215 freeways.

Once upon a time Colton was the home of famous wild west frontiersman Wyatt Earp. But for those who follow politics, I guess it is notable that in recent years, several members of the City Council have left office in scandals, and that the Mayor of this city, Kelly Chastain, is facing a recall on this June’s ballot.

**There is more – click the link**

View Full Commentary… Read More

Most kids go through a phase where they like to play doctor.They listen to each other’s heartbeat, tap knees, wrap pretend wounds with bandages, and prescribe non-existent medicine. Some medical suppliers in L.A. County have continued that game into adulthood and are playing a wasteful game of doctor. They’ll take your medical supply orders and the Medicare money, but just like the game, the patient won’t receive any actual service.

According to an L.A. Times article (March 3rd), a great number of L.A. medical suppliers gave the opposite of what the doctor ordered: “After a series of surprise inspections in Los Angeles County, Medicare fraud investigators found persistent corruption among equipment suppliers who set up phony offices that billed the government $21 million over one year….” The all too serious $21 million in losses was diagnosed after… Read More

MEMORANDUM

To: Governor Schwarzenegger at the State Capitol From: Jon over at the FlashReport RE: Massive Democrat-Created State Deficit Governor, there is no doubt that the liberal Democrats who largely control the budget process have taken California down a path of severe over-spending. As we all know, state spending has massively out-paced state tax revenues, increasing a staggering $25 billion since 2003. Out of the gate this year, you correctly identified this problem for what it is, too much red ink. Too much overspending. You made it clear that California families, taxpayers, would not be saddled with higher taxes in order to address this chronic overspending issue. You rightly introduces a budget that represents a 10% across-the-board cut to what would have been the ’07-’08 amounts (from our perspective, a modest proposal). As a companion to… Read More