Amidst the steady stream of stories of ineffective bureaucracy, poor tracking, and management mishaps that cost the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) millions, we rarely see a story about the school district failing to pay its own. Just when we thought it could do that part of its job correctly, the LAUSD proves us wrong again.

According to The LA Daily News (August 27, 2007), "Seven months after Los Angeles Unified rolled out a $95 million computerized payroll system, school officials are prepared to pour at least another $37 million into the project to fix thousands of problems as [the district braces] for the start of the school year." We have become anesthetized to absurd figures concerning LAUSD’s waste, the United Teachers Los Angeles President explains, "[However, this situation is] an 8.9 on the Richter scale… It’s very bad[,] and it promises to get worse when [the] traditional school [year] starts." LAUSD’s interim chief operating officer explains that "the… Read More

Passing off of the Assembly floor again was the idea of microstamping an ID number on every bullet shell casing as it is discharged by a gun. This as an idea to solve crimes. Never mind that a conviction could never be upheld by finding a shell casing with your ID number on itat a crime scene…I hope.… Read More

Update: AB 8 passes tonight by a vote of 45-31…heading for the Guv’s guillotine. [After terms like health care being "a right" were used in the debate.] I wonder who has "the right" to then pay for that "right", the children of parents who have to spend even more time at work to pay for this "right" conferred by goverment to others?Does government have the answer when it is only willing to add to the mandatesthat drive upcosts, nottackle the cost drivers, the litigation, thediscouragement of competitition, the illegal immigrants receiving benefits not playing by the immigration rules? We are a compassionate people that will help the deserving. This isn’t the answer.

After passing out of the Senate earlier 22-17, with 2 Dem "no" votes, the discussion is now on our floor, of taxing businesses to pay for health care for all. The Guv has sent a memo out promising a veto on this measure. This discussion could go for an hour or two, with a known outcome. Maybe we can come back later and address what drives… Read More

Last weekend, about a thousand members, alternates and guests gathered at the California Republican Party Convention at the Renaissance Esmerelda Hotel in Indian Wells in the Coachella Valley/Palm Springs area. As is typically the case, we’ll be sharing some stories and happenings from this event over the next few days. First and foremost, we’re pleased to announce the return of our highly-acclaimed, caddy and pithy "Winners & Losers of the CRP Convention" column, which we should be featuring at the end of this week. While your trusted FR team had many of our team members on the ground, looking over the convention for nominees, we typically get some of our best suggestions from FR readers. If you have a nomination, you can e-mail us here. As always, we ensure the confidentiality of anyone who contacts us. I’ll start by fast forwarding to a couple of results from the weekend that I want especially emphasize. The first is that convention delegates unanimously put the party on record as opposing… Read More

The fact that Sen. Don Perata is under FBI investigation is not news. However, I have had two contacts with folks in Sacramento that are teling methat rumors are swirling that he will be indicted in a week. Just after this week’s session is over.

If true, Perata becomes the main face of the ant-term limits campaign. Time will tell.… Read More

Last weekend, about a thousand members, alternates and guests gathered at the California Republican Party Convention at the Renaissance Esmerelda Hotel in Indian Wells in the Coachella Valley/Palm Springs area. As is typically the case, we’ll be sharing some stories and happenings from this event over the next few days. First and foremost, we’re pleased to announce the return of our highly-acclaimed, caddy and pithy "Winners & Losers of the CRP Convention" column, which we should be featuring at the end of this week. While your trusted FR team had many of our team members on the ground, looking over the convention for nominees, we typically get some of our best suggestions from FR readers. If you have a nomination, you can e-mail us here. As always, we ensure the confidentiality of anyone who contacts us. I’ll start by fast forwarding to a couple of results from the weekend that I want especially emphasize. The first is that convention delegates unanimously put the party on record as opposing… Read More

I didn’t go to the California Republican Party convention this past weekend, but I did read Governor Schwarzenegger’s already-notorious speech. You can read it here.

I don’t think any serious Republican disputes the Governor’s assertion we need to bring more independents into the party. That’s not exactly a revelation. We are losing folks to the DTS column.

But it’s hard to take the Governor’s prescription seriously, in no small part because it comes from the Governor.

Let’s take this line for example:

But being a Republican is important to me. This party is important to me.

Really, Governor? The moment Phil Angelides won the Democratic primary, it was crystal clear you were going to be decisively re-elected. If the party was "important to you," expending serious resources to help elected other Republicans to statewide offices would have been a concrete way of showing that. The reality is Arnold is all about… Read More

From today’s WSJ Political Diary… (Thanks for the shout-out!)

Governor Moonbeam II

California Republicans met at their convention near Palm Springs this weekend and heard two starkly different messages. Their own "post-partisan" governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger, called on them to embrace the fight against global warming, support huge tax increases required by his universal health care plan and otherwise move to the center. Otherwise, he warned, the GOP would be "relegated to the margins of California’s political life."

The governor’s message was received with tepid applause, with some delegates sitting on their hands. The atmosphere dramatically changed only minutes… Read More