Here is the question. I guess I will commit the heresy:

Is this Governor really any better than Gray Davis was? Set aside Workers’ Compensation reform for a minute, his single greatest policy achievement.

He has spent more, borrowed more, wasted precious resources chasing idiotic greenhouse gas legislation, run the State GOP into debt, ignored his down ticket running mates in 2006, pandered to left wing social interests, and up until this year, dissed Republican lawmakers and their legislative priorities.

The State budget we are in now will go down as the second worst in history, right behind the disastrous 2000 budget. Finances are cratering. Spending roars on, and we haven’t’ even sold 25% of the approved bonds yet from the "infrastructure" package. Once those bonds are sold, the state’s payment will skyrocket – without the revenues.

Finally, the Governor is chasing his tail on health care. Employer mandates are a serious part of the discussion. Meanwhile, the health care market continues to reform itself, without government intervention. My guess is that there are two reasons why health care… Read More

From Mighty Thor at www.redcountysandiego.com (I believe the news came first from a local progressive blog, actually) comes some amusing news of Republican turned DemocratAuday Arabo’s ‘frontrunner’ campaign for 78th state assembly imploding. Looks like the local Democrats are as eager as local Republicans to skin Auday alive.

The best part of the invite is where they mention Auday sued "the American Lung Association and City of El Cajon to block enforcement of tobacco sales to minors", always a winning issue.

The post:

Auday Arabo: A Man Without a Party MIGHTY THOR was just forwarded the following evite for a party for "the man without a party". The party scheduled for this Friday at Chevy’s celebrates Auday’s one year anniversary as a Republican Democrat. Click HERE to take a look at the evite. Here’s the text from the evite:

Host: No Fool For Assembly Location: Chevy’s Fresh Mex 1202 Camino Del Rio N, San Diego, CA 92108 US When: Friday, November 16, 6:00PM Phone:… Read More

In September, on our main daily news page, the FlashReport featured an LA Times article, “Cities, counties pay price for Capitol clout,” which reported that last year local government in California spent nearly $40 million on capitol lobbyists – more than labor, oil or business.

The League of California Cities and the California State Association of Counties justified these enormous expenditures of tax dollars by claiming that unlike other private interests, they can’t make political contributions to legislators and causes.

Apparently that might not be the case… In recent weeks, the League of California Cities campaign finance reports and a leaked memo suggests otherwise. In fact, their reported lobbying expenses are just the tip of the iceberg of a large and powerful political machine financed by California taxpayers.

Recent campaign reports and an internal memo reveals that the League is well on their way to spending millions of dollars on an eminent domain ballot measure that the state’s independent Legislative… Read More

This last week, I filed a complaint against the Clinton campaign alleging that the campaign had co-ordinated with the opposition to the California Electoral College reform to defeat the initiative. Clintonistas and their operatives filed a complaint against the initiative claiming that it was a secret Giuliani operation, alleging on very flimsy evidence that the Giuliani campaign was really running the operation to benefit Giuliani.

Well, since I have been involved with this issue since 2001, working on the campaign from the day of filing, and an endorser of Mitt Romney, I knew this was false, but when the campaign sputtered in July, the Clintonistas were bragging to the newspapers and media everywhere, that their aggressive opposition to the initiative caused its death.

Well, news of the death of the initiative was clearly premature, and those who were fighting the initiative literallyadmitted to the press that they had committed the very sins that they had accused the Giuliani campaign of committing. Not very smart for these supposedly very smart campaign operatives, and, if the FEC wishes to maintain any semblance of impartiality, they will pursue the… Read More

In September, on our main daily news page, the FlashReport featured an LA Times article, “Cities, counties pay price for Capitol clout,” which reported that last year local government in California spent nearly $40 million on capitol lobbyists – more than labor, oil or business.

The League of California Cities and the California State Association of Counties justified these enormous expenditures of tax dollars by claiming that unlike other private interests, they can’t make political contributions to legislators and causes.

Apparently that might not be the case… In recent weeks, the League of California Cities campaign finance reports and a leaked memo suggests otherwise. In fact, their reported lobbying expenses are just the tip of the iceberg of a large and powerful political machine financed by California taxpayers.

**There is more – click the link**… Read More

You have wonder about "Light" Governor John Garamendi. Perhaps he just has too much time on his hands since, in the Golden State, his job is primarily to hang out and be available in case the Governor becomes incapacitated. We have a suggestion for Garamendi — perhaps he should spend some time in his posh office today, seeing if he is capable of patting the top of his head while he rubs his tummy at the same time. It would appear that Garamendi doesn’t believe that mature adults know how to multi-task. In an effort to win a "Hot Air" award from the FlashReport, Garamendi started flapping his jaws yesterday, complaining that State Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner shouldn’t be spending any time opposing the Perata/Nunez Term-Limits End Run Initiative because all of Poizner’s time should be spent dealing with the aftermath of the wildfires. I know, Lt. Governor, that it might blow you away to hear this, since I guess it doesn’t work so… Read More

To: FlashReport Readers From: Dave Gilliard, Manager, California Counts RE: Electoral College Reform Initiative – An Update for FlashReport Readers! Just two weeks ago, the Electoral College Reform Initiative was destined to join many other great ideas that never made the ballot due to lack of money, organization or time. Today, thanks to the generous support from donors and herculean efforts from everyone working on the measure, I am very happy to inform… Read More

Senator Bob Dutton drafted this piece exclusively for FR readers, where he brings up a good point — the Governor has the power, and the responsibility to declare a state of fiscal emergency — now! Time is “NOW” for Governor and Legislature to Deal with Budget Crisis State Senator Bob Dutton I applaud Governor Schwarzenegger for his recognition that the State of California is in the midst of a financial crisis. According to the LA Times, Governor Schwarzenegger ordered all state departments to identify cuts of at least 10%. California’s… Read More