There have been a lot of questions raised since Governor Schwarzenegger introduced his proposed 2007-2008 budget last week. First and foremost, the Governor is to be firmly commended for coming out of the gate with a verbal commitment not to raise taxes to deal with the huge overspending problem facing California state government. As most FR readers know, the Governor directed his agency and department heads to work on a state budget that cuts state spending across the board by 10% (well, actually, it was really a 10% decrease in what the anticipated budget would have been… I know, it’s confusing.) When the proposal was unveiled, it contained in it some very "high profile" cuts that would be very impactful on Californians — two that immediately come to mind are the closing of a great number of state parks, and everyone has heard about the Governor’s proposal to grant an early releases to tens of thousands of "non-violent" felons. It was all very dramatic when announced, and definitely drove home the message that Californians all around the state were going to be negatively impacted by the "austerity… Read More

1st Supervisor District Score a big win for OC Supervisor Janet Nguyen. The California Court of Appeals just issued a ruling upholding last year’s OC Superior Court decision that made her the winner of the 1st Supervisor District special election over Trung Nguyen by a mere 3 votes. Trung appealed that ruling, seeking to be declared the winner.

This comes on the heels of last week’s surprise decision by former state Sen. Joe Dunn not to challenge her re-election, leaving OC Democrats scrambling for a candidate.

71st Assembly District Mission Viejo Councilman John Paul Ledesma has dropped out of the GOP primary and endorsed Corona Mayor Jeff Miller, the leading fund-raiser in the race. You can read my take on this here.… Read More

There have been a lot of questions raised since Governor Schwarzenegger introduced his proposed 2007-2008 budget last week. First and foremost, the Governor is to be firmly commended for coming out of the gate with a verbal commitment not to raise taxes to deal with the huge overspending problem facing California state government. As most FR readers know, the Governor directed his agency and department heads to work on a state budget that cuts state spending across the board by 10% (well, actually, it was really a 10% decrease in what the anticipated budget would have been… I know, it’s confusing.) When the proposal was unveiled, it contained in it some very "high profile" cuts that would be very impactful on Californians — two that immediately come to mind are the closing of a great number of state parks, and everyone has heard about the Governor’s proposal to grant an early releases to tens of thousands of "non-violent" felons. It was all very dramatic when announced, and definitely drove home the message that Californians all around the state were going to be negatively impacted by the "austerity… Read More

We would like to issue a sincere warning to anyone or any group that has legislation pending in the State Legislature that could impact them — stay away from Speaker Fabian Nunez or you WILL get fleeced by him to "give" big bucks to his self-served, career-extending Yes on Proposition 93 Committee.

While we know that many such individuals and entities have already had a "cashectomy" from Nunez, apparently those millions simply aren’t enough.

How do we know this?

The Yes on 93 Campaign in the last couple of days has CANCELED over HALF OF A MILLION DOLLARS in reserved TV time in five media markets.

You chances of seeing a Yes on 93 commercial on ABC, CBS, or Fox in the Fresno Area has gone down. Or if you live in Los Angeles, look for less Yes on 93 propaganda on CBS, NBC, ABS, FOX and KCAL (over $300,000 of the dropped buys were in the LA market). In the Capitol City? Time on UPN and FOX has been slashed. San Francisco? Your CBS. ABC, NBC, and FOX affiliates have had Yes on 93 ads… Read More

This afternoon I received a press release from my friend James Vaughn, Executive Director of the California Chapter of the Log Cabin Club (for those new to the game, this is the Gay/Lesbian Republican Organization). The release was touting the appointment by Governor Schwarzenegger of Peter Hankwitz to the California Student Aid Commission. I have met Peter a few times before (he is pictured to the right). A Republican, he hails from the San Fernando Valley, works in the entertainment industry, and as James’ release points out, he is the 11th Log Cabin Club appointment made by this Governor. Peter, congratulations!

FR readers may have noticed that I don’t write a lot about Gubernatorial appointments anymore. It’s not that Arnold isn’t… Read More

I just left the Governor’s visit to San Diego, one in a series of around-the-state meetings to discuss the budget crisis and state fiscal reform, ala "spend what you take in and no more."

About 50 folks at Mission TrailsRegional Park Visitors Center,including Mayor Jerry Sanders, SD Councilmembers Scott Peters and Jim Madaffer, County Supe Greg Cox, Escondido Mayor Lori Holt Pfeiler, Solana Beach Mayor Joe Kellejian, and various board members from Taxpayers Association and area chambers of commerce, as well as a handful of firefighters.

A good overall presentation by the governor on living within means. An interesting response to a question about the reason for pushing forward with healthcare reform during a budget crisis: "Healthcare reform is revenue neutral and nothing to do with the budget." Many might argue that point, but the overall message was loud, clear and reiterated:

"One thing I don’t recommend is taking care of this budget problem with increased taxes….that would be the complete wrong approach."… Read More

Yesterday my good friend and occasional FR colunnist, Lance Izumi, was named president of the board of governors of the California Community College. Pacific Research Institute, the think tank for which Lance works, issued the following release today:

PRI’s Lance Izumi Named President of the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges

San Francisco – On Tuesday, January 15, Pacific Research Institute’s director of Education Studies Lance T. Izumi succeeded Kay Albiani as president of the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges. The Board sets policy and provides guidance for the 72 districts and 109 colleges within the system. It is the largest system of higher education in the country with more than 2.6 million students.

“Kay Albiani has been one of the greatest leaders of the state’s community colleges,” Mr. Izumi said. “I look forward to continuing that tradition of… Read More

Oakland likes to dub itself, “The Bright Side of the Bay.” But, recent activities lead me to wonder exactly how bright Oakland’s government officials are. With former Oakland mayor and Attorney General Jerry Brown’s skewed view of the city’s rising crime rate, Oakland continues to be the home of political denial.Oakland City Attorney John Russo seems to have taken a trip down the same river of “denial” by giving himself a good-sized kickback. According to The San Francisco Chronicle (December 19, 2007), the City Attorney gave himself a significant raise withoutpermission:“John Russo boosted his $207,000 salary by $28,000 this year by giving himself management leave and vacation pay typically reserved for non-elected department heads and managers, city records show.” The rules for vacation pay are simple: “Unelected Oakland … Read More