What if you had a reoccuring nightmare, that while you were sleeping, thousands of dead bodies were rising out of their graves to come and take…your home! Sound scary? Well it is actually happenning to the owners of homes in posh Sarataga, a suburb of San Jose. In what may prove to be a "poster-child" case for eminent domain reform on next June’s ballot, the Saratoga Cemetary District has officially left their options "open" to pursue the use of eminent domain as they seek to force the owner of a home to sell their house, which abuts the Madrona Cemetary. The "urgent need" — apparently the Saratoga Cemetary District wants to expand the roadway around the graveyard. According to the San Jose Mercury News, Nikki Teeter answered a knock on her door to find a real estate agent there, representing the District, telling her that they want to buy her home. Apparently, despite protests that the Teeters have no interest in selling their home of 29 years, the realtor kept trying to set up meetings. Apparently this Cemetary District is… Read More

Our friends at the Consumer Alliance for a Strong Economy have launched a radio advertising campaign against the ill-advised health care scheme being advanced by the Governor and Legislative Democrats. You can click on the ads below to hear them. CASE, you’ll recall, made a splash when they introduced the Dancing Duck television spot in January.… Read More

Tom McCintock, one of the few Sacramento pols who has been accurate in truly predicting the financial shortfall that is facing California, says this is just the beginning:

The newspapers are reporting that the fiscal gap is $10 billion. It is actually far more serious than that. The actual figure – according to the LAO – is that the state will spend $14 billion more than it takes in between now and the end of the next fiscal year. The difference is that we will first blow through the $4 billion reserve that the state began the year with. (That reserve, by the way, is already gone.)

But the LAO is still predicting that the state’s general fund revenues will grow about 3.5… Read More

Aninitiative to end the practice of governments accepting and spending non–reported dollars for political activity was launched at a press conference in Sacramento today. Proponentsare Jon Coupal of Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Assn., Jim Nielsen, Chairman of the California Alliance to Protect Prvivate Property Rights and former state senator, and Lew Uhler of National Tax Limitation Committee.

Under the present scheme, the League of California Cities and other entities can utilize so called "non-public funds" to weigh in politically on issues like, say, defeating efforts of protecting your property rights from abusive eminent domain takings. $7 million has been raised without accountability to fight Prop 90 previously and now towards the true eminent domain reform initiativecirculating thru Farm Bureau, Howard Jarvis and the CA Alliance to Protect Private Property. [They also have their own clever initiative that they are pushing and funding to make it look like they are reforming EmDo but has such weak and narrow… Read More

One of California’s most capable political consultants, Wayne Johnson (a principal in JohnsonClark — click on their ad!) has spent years giving of his time as a leader in the National Association of Political Consultants, and he just recently finished up a two-year stint as that group’s President (he now serves in the role of Immediate Past President and Chairman of the AAPC)..

Right now, Johnson and his business partner, Tim Clark, are in Bali, Indonesia for the 40th Annual World Conference of the International Association of Political Consultants (IAPC).

I heard from Wayne, who had just, along with a colleague and fellow California political consultant Ben Goddard (partner on Goddard Clauseen – okay, click on their ad, too!) participated in a private meeting with Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to discuss Indonesia’s remarkable… Read More

Tim Morgan Receives "No Endorsement" from CRA From the Shawn Steel for RNC National Committeeman campaign:

(Sacramento) – On Sunday, the California Republican Assembly refused to endorse incumbent Tim Morgan in his quest for re-election as National Committeeman. This is a serious embarrassment to his re-election prospects.

With his opponent Shawn Steel already locking up overwhelming majorities amongst Assembly Republicans, Senate Republicans and Central Committee Chairs, the CRA Endorsement quest was a last ditch effort for Morgan to infuse some momentum into his campaign.

"The California Republican Assembly has long been a supporter of Morgan, who has been a long time incumbent," said Steel spokesman Mike Richman. "This weekend, Morgan spent time lobbying delegates and former supporters, but it was obviously too little too late. His failure at CRA continues his horrid re-election campaign effort."

Earlier in the year, Morgan suffered a humiliating defeat when the Young Republican Federation of California endorsed Shawn Steel over Tim Morgan. On the heels of that defeat, Morgan felt the need… Read More

Steve Baric’scampaign for CRP Secretary sent out a Campaign Update earlier today.

I have to admit, I knew Steve’s campaign was going well, but even as a friend of his, I’d lost track of just how well.

Really at this point it’d be easier to list who HASN’T yet signed up to support Steve, than who to lay out the lengthy list of who HAS.

Left, Right, Center.

North, Central, South.

Constitutional Officers, Legislators, County Party Leaders, Grassroots Leaders, CRP Board Members.

In other words, just about everyone.

Steve’s campaign isdoing a great jobcircling the wagons andmyhunch is that they’ll continue to do soall the way to February.

For what it’s worth, Steve’s Update is below. Dear Fellow California Republican,

My campaign to be the next Secretary of the California Republican Party continues to garner support throughout the state. In the past month, I have received the support of… Read More

Welcome to the second installment of the FlashReport Podcast — this week I am pleased to present a one-on-one interview with California State Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner. A tad bit over eleven minutes long, this podcast focuses on the role that Poizner is taking in opposing Proposition 93. [Did you miss our inaugural podcast interview with Presidential candidate Fred Thompson? Click here.]

FR readers will recall that Proposition 93 is the self-serving initiative placed on the ballot by Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez which, if passed, will allow him to sit in the "big chair" for six more years, remaining Speaker until the end of the next Governor’s first-term. In this interview … Read More