Last week was a bit crazy, so I am playing a little bit of catch up.

We linked to a story by Nancy Vogel in the Los Angeles Times where, after much controversy swirled about Fabian Nunez buying thousands of dollars in french wines on a European junket, it turns out that Nunez foisted the wine on the California Democratic Party.

Well, last Friday the fine folks at the No on 93 campaign gave a gift to Speaker Nunez. They had delivered to his office a bottle of Charles Shaw Chardonnay. Those in the know refer to Shaw as "Two Buck Chuck" because that’s all it costs. It’s thrifty, its American, and I am sure it ended up in the Speaker’s sterling silver trash can.

The No on 93 folks say that, "Admittedly, the bottle of Two Buck Chuck was purchased at a Trader… Read More

With looming tax increasesneeded to fund it, AB 1X passes off the Assembly floor, on a party line vote of 46-31. The voters will likely be asked to pass a package of tax increases in November ’08 that would raise taxes on hospitals, employers payroll from 1-6.5%, and tobacco,to fund the projected, at least in Year 1, $14,000,000,000 health program, toprovide benefits for users at up to 400% of the federal poverty level.

With the Democrat drumbeat for tax increases to fix the current $14,000,000,000 budget messstarting up, I wonder what Dem tax increase ideas will be left over for eitherbudget or health. Tobacco tax was bumped up a few years ago, the sales tax also, 9% in some lucky jurisdictions. The richest Californians[or those at the 700% of poverty level I like to say] were hit by Prop 63 a couple years ago.It will be much more difficult to raid counties or the transportation funds now, with propositions rightly passed by voters to safeguard these funds from a hungry state budget.

The taxes on these 3 items are seen inDem floor arguments as a "self-funding" mechanism for… Read More

This just in from Joel Fox, President of the Small Business Action Committee. We wanted to get it posted right away. Attention Assembly Democrats: This plan HURTS the economy! We urge a NO vote…

From Joel Fox…

Small and medium sized businesses will ultimately carry more than a “fair share” of funding for the health care plan now being constructed in Sacramento. The plan requires businesses to fund health care for employees according to a formula based on wages and social security payments. Other funding mechanisms are a tax on hospitals, mandated individual insurance and a possible doubling or even tripling of the cigarette tax. Under the business revenue formula, businesses up to $250,000 in payroll must cover their employees’ healthcare or pay 1% of payroll into a state run pool for healthcare. Those employers with payrolls of $250,000 to $1 million will pay 4%. From $1 million to $15-million the tax is 6%. Over $15-million the levy is 6.5%. However, there is no inflation escalator clause being discussed for the funding measure. If that doesn’t change, then as time goes on many small and medium sized… Read More

Some things are so absurd they make you LOL (laugh out loud).

Proponents of the massive healthcare entitlement and tax increase package are calling it the “Health Care Security and Cost Reduction Act.”

Nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. It would be more aptly entitled the “Health Care Insecurity and Cost Increase Act.”

Government intervention will ultimately reduce access to and quality of health care. And how you can call a multi-billion dollar tax increase a “cost reduction” is beyond me…

I guess this is what happens when Adam Mendelsohn and Steve Maviglio are double-spinning together.… Read More

Before I ran for California state assembly in 2006, I was what you might call a “political fan.” I wore my team’s colors, cheered in the stands, and never missed a game/debate on TV. I knew the stats on all my team’s players, and the stats of the players on the opposing team. Every Election Day was a Superbowl.

When I ran for office, I got to get down on the field a little bit. I got to know some of the players up close, heard them talking away from the press and the fans, and in some cases, became disillusioned and disappointed by what I saw behind the scenes.

Since that experience, it’s been much more difficult for me to feel that same heady rush when I see something good happen in politics, because I am suspicious that there is some selfish motivation behind what I see. However, today, I let myself be thoroughly inspired again. I let myself believe that our country still has people in politics that care more about our nation than themselves. I let myself see real leadership in politics,… Read More

If blogs had existed in the 1980s or early 1990s, Jim Johnston would have been mentioned frequently in those of a political nature. He and partner David Lewis were among the best campaign consultants of the era.

So, it is noted with sad irony that Johnston’s recent passing resulted in barely a mention in the political weblogs, save for a brief Red County/San Diego tribute. None of the frequent Red County commenters and castigators had anything to add to the post, quite frankly because very few in the blog-reading genre of activists have likely heard of the firm Johnston & Lewis. In the political world, it seems, anything of 15 years ago is ancient history.

It reminds me in a way of the new crop of pro ball players, many with loads of talent and millions in cash but little in knowledge, taking no interest in the history of the game and those that came before them, not recognizing names like Ernie Banks, Bill Russell or Fran Tarkenton.

Sports analogies aside, I was glad to see the Wednesday Union-Trib column dedicated to Jim Johnston. Written by Gerry… Read More

I’ll wager this is the first time in history that the Gay & Lesbian Times’ Person of the Year has also been a current Republican Party of San Diego County-endorsed candidate. Tell me if I’m wrong.

I’ll let other pundits weigh in as to whether Mayor Sanders or Steve Francis views the pick as the greater holiday gift.… Read More

Just over a week ago, I penned a commentary that included some analysis of FR friend Jim Brulte’s endorsement of Proposition 93, authored by Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez, which if passed would loosen California’s current term-limit restrictions for state legislators. Today I am pleased to offer this perspective from Senator Brulte about his support for 93.