The Governor gets thousands of appointments to state boards and commissions, he appoints those who help him run the bureaucracy, he appoints judges.

One rule is an important one to know — not all appointments are created equal.

Being appointed to a County Fair Board is not nearly as weighty as the appointment of an Agency Secretary, or a member of the University of California Board of Regents.

Speaking of the University of California Board of Regents, today the Governor announced the appointment of his long-time friend, business associate and former staffer Bonnie Reiss to an influential and coveted U.C. Regents seat.

Reiss, a liberal Democrat, is not exactly the kind of appointee that I would like to see from my Republican Governor. I guess California’s millions of Republicans weren’t available to serve.

I have heard from many that Reiss is a good person, and very capable. I would just like to see the prominent appointments of Governor Schwarzenegger go to people who actually think that government is too big, and spends too much.

It was Phil Angelides who was supposed to be the one who would appoint Democrats… Read More

Lenin’s expression for describing naive Liberals as " useful idiots " for his purposes is no more apt than California Congressman Mike Thompson from the 1st District.

Today it is revealed that the person who paid for his trip to Iraqshortly before against Saddam Hussein, was the evil tyrant himself. How does Thompson feel about accepting the blood money to rant against the United States and Bush? Don’t know. We should ask.

The Justice Department indicted a Mathanna Hanooti who worked for Iraq’s foreign intelligence service through one of those Islamic charities. This one called Life for Relief. With Saddam’s money three democrat congressmen accepted a free ride to Iraq to denounce America. That included well documented fruitcake Jim McDermott of Washington and recently retired but true leftist David Bonior of Michigan. What a threesome.

… Read More

Longtime FR friend Robert Molnar was on-hand at Senator McCain’s big fundraising event in San Francisco last night. Robert is the trusty right-hand man to Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner. We asked Robert to pen something to fill in FR readers on the event… The San Francisco Ritz Carlton was the scene of Senator John McCain’s most recent California campaign stop last night. Of course it wouldn’t be San Francisco without anti-war protesters, and last night was no exception. A handful of individuals practiced their freedom of speech rights from the sidewalk, flanked by a dozen of San Francisco’s finest. A big thank you to the SFPD for easily managing the group and not allowing them to interrupt the arrival of guests. Interestingly, across the street on a building was a large sign saying "We Love John McCain", which put smiles on faces of arriving guests, and scowls on the faces of the protestors. … Read More

Today we are pleased to offer this guest commentary from our incoming Senate Republican leader (in just a couple of weeks)…

EDUCATION BEGINS IN THE HOME By Senator Dave Cogdill, District 14 Senate Republican Leader-Elect

The very minute a person becomes a parent is the minute in which the education process begins. Parents teach their children how to feed, talk, and walk. We also lay the foundation for our children to learn logic, math, and reading among other things. We teach them basic social skills. These are parents’ responsibilities that last well beyond children’s formal education. However, based on the recent 2nd District Court of Appeals ruling against home schooling, the court seems to be saying that parents cease to be… 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