Today marks the first time that the Boss has let me write the Daily Commentary, and it’s a privilege that I do not take lightly. Thanks, Boss!

What Jon has done with the Flash Report in the short amount of time that it has been “live” embodies the pioneer spirit that drew me from my native Illinois to the Golden State. It is that same pioneer spirit-that celebration of individual freedom and liberty-that drew me away from my parents’ Democratic Party to join the Republican Party on my 18th birthday. My, how quickly 10 (or so) years go by… (:

As this article goes up on the Flash Report today, I’ll be driving up to Sacramento in my 9 year old, beat up minivan to attend an open meeting regarding the CRP platform that will soon be revisited. Based on the phone calls and emails I’ve received lately, there is no shortage of diversity of opinions on possible revisions to the platform, and I think that is a great thing! While there are some who drop the “RINO bomb” on anyone who doesn’t plug into their uni-mind, I think the majority of delegates and platform committee members will remain open-minded as we respectfully consider the thoughts of our… Read More

Sometimes a story is so interesting it deserves going up on my posts at FlashReport whether it has to do with California or legal developments or not, so, here it is, John Fund on former YR Chairman and (the tie-in) early Reagan for President field director Roger Stone……whom a few of us California Reaganites have had some experience with.

Title: Stoned: Republicans who hire Roger Stone, the not-so-merry prankster of American politics, should have their political sanity checked. The latest Stone client to learn that lesson is New York State Senate Majority Leader Joe Bruno, who had to fire Mr. Stone as his $20,000-a-month political consultant after he allegedly made a bizarre and threatening call to Gov. Eliot Spitzer’s 83-year-old father, Bernard. “You will be subpoenaed to testify before the Senate Committee on Investigations on your shady campaign loans… And there is not a [expletive] thing your phony, psycho, piece of [expletive] son can do about it, Bernie” is how a portion of the call went. Mr. Bruno was getting advice from Mr. Stone on how to exploit Governor Spitzer’s own alleged dirty tricks efforts to discredit the… Read More

Legislative chiefs of staff come and go, of course, but really good ones are hard to find and keep. Congrats to George Plescia for promoting Janelle Riella to COS (a great selection!), and best wishes toShaun Flanigan as he leaves theAssembly for the Flanigan Law Firm as a legislative advocate. Elizabeth Helmsin has also been named Plescia’s capitol director.

I particularly liked Janelle’s message to me, which — yes — she understood was for publication:

“I am looking forward to my new role as chief of staff to one of the hardest working and most honest people I have ever known — George Plescia. I have been fortunate to have worked for Team Plescia and with so many other great people in San Diego County. In fact, it seems like just yesterday I was interning for you, Barry, learning everything there is to know about politics!”

Kinda makes me feel like a proud papa.… Read More

Two interesting items from today’s WSJ Political Diary E-mail, from FR friend (and native Californian) John Fund…

Divvying Up California

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has poured cold water on a fellow Republican’s idea for a ballot initiative that would end the practice of awarding all of California’s Electoral College votes to the statewide winner. Under the proposed reform, the winner in each of the state’s 53 Congressional districts would collect one electoral vote, while the remaining two (representing the state’s two U.S. Senate seats) would go to the statewide winner. In 2004, under the proposed formula, George W. Bush… Read More

The Governor signed his budget. One of the easiest reducations that could have been made to meet his $700 million in promised reducation was to wipe out the $6 million in the State Budget to support labor education and research at the UC. That didn’t happen.

He did take outfor the Scripps Institute of Oceanography and agricultural research. He also wiped out $8 million from the Public Library Foundation.

If I had to choose between a taxpayer funded labor union operation or library books. Well, I think everyone would choose the same way, except the Gov. and the union bosses.… Read More

This evening I was tooling eastbound along I-8 from San Diego into East County, passing San Diego State University on the right, just as I have done hundreds if not thousands of times over the years. The last several years the campus edge along the freeway has been adorned with a large electronic sign, flashing information about SDSU ongoings and upcoming events a few seconds at a time for passersby to see, even if only subliminally. "TUESDAY VOLLEYBALL 8 PM," and the like. A large e-vertisement for a moving but linearly captive audience.

Many San Diegans will remember the installation of the sign (with the opening of Cox Arena, if memory serves) as slightly controversial, especially to the Del Cerro residents across the freeway who complained of the outlandish night-time light in their otherwise residential community. The details are now a bit fuzzy, but I seem to recall finger pointing about SDSU as a State school ignoring local sign ordinances, a lack of a hearing and approval process for the public, etc. I believe SDSU agreed to have the sign off after a certain time of night.

The sign tiff has been quiet the last few years, although the… Read More

You knew it was going to be a tough budget year for fiscal conservatives from the minute that Governor Schwarzenegger introduced his budget to the legislature — one that was more or less embraced by the ultra-liberal legislators that dominate the State Senate and State Assembly. As a Governor who campaigned in two different elections as a fiscal conservative, we were looking to him to propose a budget that reduced the size and scope of state government. But instead, again, he introduced a budget that contained deficit spending. Using some football parlance, I equate the introduction of this bloated budget by the Governor the equivalent of a football team downing the ball on their own 20 yard line! Where we wanted strong negotiation between Democrats advocating big government on one side and the government championing taxpayers on the other — instead we got a ‘status quo’ budget.

(Need some ideas on how to shrink state spending? Remember this? Or how about these… Read More

Eastward, Ho

Arnold Schwarzenegger made lots of friends on the left when he declared that he won’t wait for federal action to combat global warming. Mr. Schwarzenegger announced a plan of mandatory carbon-dioxide emission reductions of 15% in the Golden State by the year 2020.

Now other states and even localities are catching the green wave. Washington, Oregon, Arizona and New Mexico have announced their own emissions reduction programs through regulatory mandates on businesses, homeowners and commuters. Washington’s new law will require a reduction in emissions to 1990 levels by 2020 and to 50% below that by 2050. In Seattle, King County Executive Ron Sims has proposed his own plan to save the planet from climate change. "Global… Read More