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Jon Fleischman

Fabian’s Millions

Over at Capitol Weekly, they have a story up about how BIG LABOR passed a resolution demanding that Fabian Nunez give back $4 million to the California Democratic Party (we all know the CDP is a wholly owned subsidiary of the unions). Intepreting statements in the piece, it seems doubtful that Nunez is giving anything back.

But, let’s just say that Nunez would prefer to return the funds back in the form of some of his favorite products.

With their four million bucks, Nunez can buy the labor bosses:

139 bottles of rare Mouton Rothschild french wine ($28,750/bottle). 740 Monogram Motard Firebird hand bags by Louis Vuitton ($5400/purse). 548 Nights in the Belle Etoile Suite at the exclusive Parisian Hotel Meriece ($7300/night).

That said, it’s most likely that if the union bosses get anything, it will be 16,339,869 of these.… Read More

Shawn Steel

Mike Ramirez 2nd Pulitzer

Once the LA Times only bright spot, Mike Ramirez won his second Pulitzer earning the distinction as one of America’s best cartoonist.

Ramirez who presently works with the Investor’s Business Daily, handing the pro business journal its first Pulitzer. Ramirez was removed from the Times, as further evidence of the LA Times market deterioration, but the IBD picked up Ramirez. Mike Ramirez’s clever political cartoons are syndicated to over 450 newspapers.

The big question is why the Flashreport doesn’t carry the prize winning cartoons?

You can see Ramirez’s work at http://209.85.173.104/search?q=cache:Ek_dpjmNAIYJ:www.investors.com/editorial/cartoon.asp+%22michael+Ramirez%22&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=1&gl=us . Or google him.

Read More

Jon Fleischman

Orange County Board of Supervisors to Question Prop. 99 Funding

Tomorrow (Tuesday), Orange County Supervisors will consider taking positions on the two eminent domain ballot measures that will appear before voters in June.

By most accounts, most observers expect the Board of Supervisors to unanimously endorse Proposition 98, the ballot measure that protects all private property from eminent domain abuse and oppose Prop. 99, the phony alternative measure placed on the ballot by public agency associations representing politicians and developers.

According to sources, this news will be overshadowed by the news that Board of Supervisors may also decide to withhold its dues to the California State Association of Counties (CSAC) until the taxpayer financed organization addresses complaints first reported in the Orange County Register (to read article, click here) that they, along with other such government associations, have funneled more than $4 million from anonymous sources to qualify Prop. 99 and to fight Proposition 98.

While CSAC and the California League of Cities continue to profess innocence, the Orange County… Read More

Jon Fleischman

Today’s Commentary: Orange County Board of Supervisors to Question Prop. 99 Funding

Tomorrow (Tuesday), Orange County Supervisors will consider taking positions on the two eminent domain ballot measures that will appear before voters in June.

By most accounts, most observers expect the Board of Supervisors to unanimously endorse Proposition 98, the ballot measure that protects all private property from eminent domain abuse and oppose Prop. 99, the phony alternative measure placed on the ballot by public agency associations representing politicians and developers.

According to sources, this news will be overshadowed by the news that Board of Supervisors may also decide to withhold its dues to the California State Association of Counties (CSAC) until the taxpayer financed organization addresses complaints first reported in the Orange County Register (to read article, click here) that they, along with other such government associations, have funneled more than $4 million from anonymous sources to qualify Prop. 99 and to fight Proposition 98.

**There is more – clickRead More

Matt Rexroad

Damage Control: Why everything you know about crisis management in wrong

Damage Control by Eric Dezenhall and John Weber is an excellent book if for no other reason than it tells the whole story of the 1982 Tylenol recall case and why it is not the only way to handle a corporate crisis.

Dezenhall is the CEO of Dezenhall Resources in Washington DC. One of the areas that they specialize in is crisis communications.

This book has many lessons for those that are involved in politics about the way to handle a problem.

The one thing that stood out is something that has always baffled me about the California business community. Why do they continue to give campaign money to the people that attack them? It can’t be because they support what the person stands for.

Dezenhall mentions a client that wondered how this attack group was able to afford to challenge the client. The truth was that the client was trying to buy peace. This is something that rarely works.

This is a great book that is a quick read. Most of the principles involve… Read More

Barry Jantz

Sunday San Diego: Too Much Fun for a Weekend

McCain Sings Streisand A sure bet to start or end your Sunday right. In case anyone forgot this gem — or never saw it before— Sen. John McCain’s appearance on Saturday Night Live in 2002 doing a reverse Barbara Streisand parody is a hilarious classic. Make sure you watch ’til the end so you don’t miss all the McCain political "statements." It was funny in ’02, now it’s even funnier.

POA Yanks Hartley Endorsement One week you’re the law and order candidate, the next week you don’t have a pot to…well, forget it. If you missed the prior news ofJohn Hartley’s allegedunique precinct walking methods, find it here. The SD Police Officers Association now understandably reneges on its support for the former and wannabe-again member of the city council.… Read More

Barry Jantz

Charlton Heston, RIP

LOS ANGELES (AP) – Charlton Heston, who won the 1959 best actor Oscar as the chariot-racing "Ben-Hur" and portrayed Moses, Michelangelo, El Cid and other heroic figures in movie epics of the ’50s and ’60s, has died. He was 84.

The actor died Saturday night at his home in Beverly Hills with his wife Lydia at his side, family spokesman Bill Powers said.

Powers declined to comment on the cause of death or provide further details.

Heston revealed in 2002 that he had symptoms consistent with Alzheimer’s disease, saying, "I must reconcile courage and surrender in equal measure."

With his large, muscular build, well-boned face and sonorous voice, Heston proved the ideal star during the period when Hollywood was filling movie screens with panoramas depicting the religious and historical past. "I have a face that belongs in another century," he often remarked.

The actor assumed the role of leader offscreen as well. He served as president of the… Read More

Meredith Turney

Lieber Reintroduces Spanking Ban Bill

Some legislators just don’t learn. Assemblywoman Sally Lieber has reintroduced her bill that will ban parents from spanking their children, AB 2943. You may recall that last session Lieber introduced identical legislation, AB 755. The bill received national media attention and California became the butt of many jokes for being so out-of-touch. Parents nationwide were rightfully outraged by the arrogance of one California lawmaker inserting herself into family discipline.

In fact, Lieber has no children herself and reportedly was inspired to author her bill after a visit to her cat’s veterinarian’s office. Apparently a discussion with the vet about how bad it is to strike a cat or dog led Lieber to the logical conclusion that children should not be struck either. This, despite the fact Lieber has no personal experience raising well-mannered children herself; and in spite of thousands of years of history that prove children need parental reproof in order to become healthy, productive members of society.

Capitol Resource Family Impact has the… Read More