I’d like to offer a big congrats to all those involved in making this past weekend’s Western CPAC a big success.

Doing anything like this for the first time is tough. People are leery of committing to come speak, or contribute money to something that hasn’t already been established. But even with those speed bumps in place, the hundreds of people in attendance no doubt agree with me that WCPAC was a hit.

Michael Reagan, David Keene, and Tom McClintock on Friday. Dinesh D’Souza, Dana Rohrabacher, Mark Larson, and Duncan Hunter on Saturday… and a whole lot more.

Jim Lacy, who’s brain child this Conference was, I’m sure is sleeping in a little today. But he deserves a lot of kudos for spearheading this thing. As does my friend Tiffany Delepine, who organized it. The entire Board who helped put this thing together (including the publisher of this very website) did a fantastic job.

Ihope they do it againnext year, as it’d surely be bigger and better!… Read More

As much media attention as AB 221 received the last few months — including nationally and even in the foreign press — one might think there would be a tad more hoopla surrounding its signing, maybe more than a Sunday-issued press release posted to the Governor’s website. Well, ok, I guess Arnold did indicate he would sign it a couple of weeks ago — with media stories at the time — and it’s not like there isn’t any other legislation for him to deal with this time of year. (I just wish he would sign less of it, for the most part.)

That said, a big congrats to Joel Anderson for driving this bill in his freshman year! Here’s the release (thanks to Anderson media guru Scott Barnett for the heads up):

Governor Schwarzenegger Signs Bill Directing Divestment from Iran Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger today signed AB 221 by Assemblymember Joel Anderson (R-El Cajon) which prohibits the state’s pension funds from investing in companies with active business in Iran.

“I couldn’t be more proud to sign this bill,” said Governor Schwarzenegger. “Last year I… Read More

There’s been so much fun in San Diego the past week, I can barely decide where to begin… Sanders Keeps GOP Endorsement… Big in the news and on the blogs was that Mayor Jerry Sanders kept his earlier-obtained Republican endorsement after changing his position on Prop. 22. This, of course, caused many to ask if there will soon be any principles left for the Party to defend. The GOP Central Committee members ended up in a self-imposed tight spot, after previously deciding to "early endorse" the Sanders re-election effort, then having to determine the ramifications of withdrawing support over a significant but single issue. No doubt, some will be hesitant in the future about endorsing anyone prior to candidate qualifying.

Read the Voice of SD’s take on the GOP vote.

Spence Takes a "Real’ Job…Fellow FlashReport contributor and California Republican Assembly President Mike Spence hasaccepted the… Read More

In a speech that matched logic and ideology with a firm grip on the facts, State Senator Tom McClintock dissected and completely demolished anti-global warming legislation last night at the Western Conservative Political Action Conference in Newport Beach at the Fairmont Hotel. The text of the speech will be made available at www.tommcclintock.com, but is was a barn-burner. McClintock’s exposition on the biggest single cause of growth in CO2 emissions — human breathing — brought down the house.

McClintock was introduced by conservative Assemblyman Chuck DeVore, who represents the location of the conference. Those in attendance at last nights’ dinner included Insurance Commissioner Steve Poisner, who gave a fine speech, State Senator Jeff Denham, former State Senator Dick Mountjoy, Laguna Niguel Mayor Pro Tem Paul Glaab, Mission Viejo Councilman John Paul Ledesma, Huntington Beach High School Trustee Matthew Harper, CRA President Mike Spence, HJTA President Jon Coupal, American Conservative Union Chairman Dave Keene, and the evening’s host, Mike Reagan. Joel Fox, President of the Small Business Action Committee, spoke earlier in the… Read More

Despite signing a rash of Nanny Bills with strong PC accents, the Governor slammed Mark Ridley-Thomas’s anti Chiropractic SB 801.

For months Ridley-Thomas has been making reckless charges along with the incredible Sacramento Bee of some sort of disciplinary meltdown taking place at the Chiropractic Board. Like any good Liberal, Ridley-Thomas wanted to impose more regulations on a Board that has an outstanding reputation for disciplining bad doctors and protecting the public. (See my previous posts on this here.)

Ridley-Thomas was trying to score points to humiliate the Governor. Yes, Arnold did appoint two chiropractors to the Board. Which pays nothing, but means many hours of endless meetings. Both doctors are good men and are a credit to their profession. Chairman Dick Tyler DC, practices in the Sacramento area was Arnold’s first chiropractor when Arnold was competing. Franco Columbu DC, speaks three languages and who is the celebrities doctor… Read More

Despite signing a rash of Nanny Bills with strong PC accents, the Governor slammed Mark Ridley-Thomas’s anti Chiropractic SB 801.

For months Ridley-Thomas has been making reckless charges along with the incredible Sacramento Bee of some sort of disciplinary meltdown taking place at the Chiropractic Board. Like any good Liberal, Ridley-Thomas wanted to impose more regulations on a Board that has an outstanding reputation for disciplining bad doctors and protecting the public. (See my previous posts on this here.)

Ridley-Thomas was trying to score points to humiliate the Governor. Yes, Arnold did appoint two chiropractors to the Board. Which pays nothing, but means many hours of endless meetings. Both doctors are good men and are a credit to their profession. Chairman Dick Tyler DC, practices in the Sacramento area was Arnold’s first chiropractor when Arnold was competing. Franco Columbu DC, speaks three languages and who is the celebrities doctor… Read More

As of this morning, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has acted on eight of our top twenty bills that he should veto. As FR readers know, State Senator Dennis Hollingsworth, Assemblyman Chuck DeVore, and yours truly combed through the many hundreds of bills that the liberal Democrat-controlled legislature passed and put on the Govornor’s desk. All twenty of these bills are really bad news, and the signing of any one of them represents very bad news for the liberty and freedom of Californians. So, the fact that the Governor has signed seven of the "Terrible Twenty" is horrendous. Republican donors and activists around the state worked hard to re-elect Arnold Schwarzenegger so that these kinds of bills, which you would expect to be passed by Don Perata, Fabian Nunez, and their ilk, would get a big VETO. Well, we’ll be doing a more comprehensive look at the Governor’s performance on the twenty worst bills after he has finished with them all. That said, we are urging — no — PLEADING with Governor Schwarzenegger to VETO the… Read More

The stereotypes about lazy California state workers have finally been disproven. A state worker has been busily working away at her privately-owned catering company from her state office. Ok, we don’t really know if she is lazy when it comes to her state job since her time is focused on her catering, but doesn’t it count for something that she is doing any work at all in her office?

According to a Los Angeles Times (September 21, 2007) report on newly revealed waste in state offices, “…[t]he whistle-blower office receives about 4,000 calls and letters each year, many leading to reforms of wasteful practices and, in some cases, disciplinary action and criminal prosecution.” Surely a few of these calls were made about a certain “state employee at the Employment Development Department, [who] was found to have used state time and resources to conduct her private catering business in violation of state law.”

“[The EDD employee] used her state computer and email account to promote her personal… Read More