Good afternoon!

I’m Jeff Solsby. Jon Fleischman asked me to lend my considerable news-clipping talents to the FlashReport and I’m honored to join my friends and colleagues in the FlashReport blogpen.

Jon has asked me to join a great conservative, Rep. John Campbell–my hometown congressman–in providing an "Inside the Beltway" perspective. So I’ll share news and gossip, and also pass along information of interest to California readers–whether it pertains to our California congressional delegation, or other Golden State news and issues here in what Jon calls "the Swamp." I call DC home despite my affinity for my native Southern California.

I’m thrilled to share some of the high- and low-lights of DC news with you and will welcome your emails at Jeff@flashreport.org. So please feel free to send along any tips, topics and tidbits regarding politics and "left coast" news taking place in the nation’s capital.… Read More

When you’re wrong, I have always thought, admit it. So I am going to admit it. I was wrong, this year’s California primary actually meant something. Candidates came here spent money, and actually paid attention to Californians. I thought it wouldn’t happen, and I was wrong.

I mainly objected to moving the primary forward, and I thought that, once again, that would be a futile act. It had been every other time we moved it forward, and I thought this would be no different. In my opinion, California has really screwed up the presidential primary system in its effort to be relevant. I still believe that.

I think I was wrong because of circumstances unique to this primary. For the first time since 1952, no one on the ballot has been president or vice president (that is, in every presidential election since 1952, at least one of the candidates on the ballot was president or vice president when the general election started). That leaves the election wide open, and raises a lot of uncertainty. I think that factor, more than any other, is why California was relevant this year. It is also my opinion that California would still have… Read More

If one was going to make a list of winners looking at the results of last night’s results in California — the BIG list is short — John McCain, Hillary Clinton, the Indian Tribes whose compacts were upheld, and last but certainly not least, STEVE POIZNER, because he led the successful effort to stop Proposition 93 from passing.

Night owl that he is, Insurance Commissioner Poizner sent over the following for FR readers:

Yesterday, the voters of California sent a resounding message to the politicians in Sacramento — stop trying to fool us, stop insulting our intelligence and stop putting your own careers ahead of the job we elected you to do.

Voters from virtually every age group, political party and geographic region saw through this… Read More

Congratulations are due in Newport Beach to political consultant Scott Taylor and proponents Bill Ficker, Marion Bergeson, and Jack Crowl on their victory last night with the Charter Amendment known as the "City Hall in the Park" Initiative, which will site a new City Hall in Newport Center near the main library and save taxpayers millions. I was pleased to write the proposed law for them and successfully defend it in court. The 5.5% margin of victory must have made for a sweet night, Bill Ficker!

That said, theCity of Newport Beach hasone of the most threatening and unconstitutional campaign ordinances on its books I have ever seen, and thefree-speech loving Republicans on that council need to repeal this law before the next municipal elections to avoid getting slapped with a civil rights suit they are certain to lose, and certain to pay for. The law, which can be found on the City’s website at Municipal Code section 1.30, criminalizes all "writings," direct-mail and flyers distributed to 200 or more people in Newport Beach within 14 days of an election, unlesscopies are filed with the City Clerk within 2 hours of… Read More

Let me start off my commentary this morning with a congratulatory message for United States Senator John McCain. Senator, your win here in California was impressive, and your overall performance around the country gives you bragging rights to be able to say that in 2008, it was Super McCain Tuesday. Congrats on your big win! A lot of folks were working hard on the McCain efforts in the final push, and so I also want to congratulate all of them.

Tomorrow I will be devoting my column to sharing more thoughts with FR readers about a John McCain nomination, but for today, I want to devote the rest of my column to a very important victory — THE DEFEAT OF PROPOSITION 93!! As FR readers well know, since I have devoted so much ‘cyber ink’ to Proposition 93, it was a terrible measure constructed out of the hubris of now-retiring Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez. The entire campaign to pass the measure, which contained a specific provision to allow dozens of termed-out California State Legislators to serve well beyond even the new terms articulated in 93, was constructed around what had been labeled, THE BIG LIE. Attorney General Jerry… Read More

For nearly a decade, Corona Mayor Jeff Miller has been working to build out the 91 freeway. He has been successful by targeting projects that use existing tax dollars, that fit on the existing pavement, and can be done with a minimum of permitting, regulatory backlog, etc.

Sounds like a good idea right?

Man is it ever.

These projects have added lanes now on both sides of the freeway cutting some commute times by half without disturbing any of the birds, pocket mice, and fairy shrimp that turn out herds of environmentalists to stall and stop other transportation projects all over California.

Now to the really interesting part.

Jeff not only serves as an elected official in Riverside County – he is a Chairman of the 91 Toll Road Advisory Committee for the ORANGE County Transportation Authority.

Last year he testified for ORANGE County in their pursuit of money from the flawed transportation bonds. And you know what happened? His testimony, bringing together Riverside and Orange County talked the state into spending another $20 million or so in ORANGE County.

Today, Jeff joined a legion of ORANGE County electeds in… Read More

Let me start off my commentary this morning with a congratulatory message for United States Senator John McCain. Senator, your win here in California was impressive, and your overall performance around the country gives you bragging rights to be able to say that in 2008, it was Super McCain Tuesday. Congrats on your big win! A lot of folks were working hard on the McCain efforts in the final push, and so I also want to congratulate all of them.

Tomorrow I will be devoting my column to sharing more thoughts with FR readers about a John McCain nomination, but for today, I want to devote the rest of my column to a very important victory — THE DEFEAT OF PROPOSITION 93!! As FR readers well know, since I have devoted so much ‘cyber ink’ to Proposition 93, it was a terrible measure constructed out of the hubris of now-retiring Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez. The entire campaign to pass the measure, which contained a specific provision to allow dozens of termed-out California State Legislators to serve well beyond even the new terms articulated in 93, was constructed around what had been labeled, THE BIG LIE. Attorney General Jerry… Read More

Gov. Schwarzenegger today issued the following statement in recognition of President Ronald Reagan’s birthday: PROCLAMATION Ronald Reagan was a man who kept his word. Whether the promise was to protect swimmers as a young lifeguard or defend the Constitution of the United States as President, he always delivered. In 1966, Californians gave him a chance to govern a state facing challenges in education and infrastructure, skyrocketing taxes and deep social unrest. It was Reagan’s characteristic optimism and can-do attitude that helped meet those challenges, and eight years later, he left office as one of California’s greatest governors. As the 1970’s came to a close, our nation was… Read More