We just received this from Senate Republican Leader Dick Ackerman:

Last night Senate Republicans held firm once again to our conviction that the proposed budget fails to either balance or reduce the structural deficit. Nor does the budget include language to prevent frivolous lawsuits that delay building roads, schools and hospitals. We cannot continue to ignore the state’s precarious economic standing. A thirty-percent growth in the state budget over recent years and a projected more than $5 billion deficit for next year, has forced a day of reckoning. Faltering revenues and a slumping housing market has only perpetuated the crisis. California cannot continue to live on… Read More

That is the question all GOP donors and activists need to ask themselves after last nights budget vote. Don’t get me wrong. I like Abel personally. He is a nice guy. If he is the nominee CRA is bound to support the nominees of the party. But his district is a tough one and he will have a tough time in his re-election campaign. It will cost the GOP big bucks to keep him there. Registration has been slipping etc… So is he worth a cool million dollars? Because of the 2/3rds vote needed to approve a state budget, it is the one time that our GOP Senators can make a difference and make a stand. There are no judicial confirmations or leadership control issues at stake. These issues are often used by liberal Republican to persuade us to vote for their candidates. … Read More

Yesterday afternoon, I was invited to a small private reception with former United States Senator Fred Thompson at the beautiful home of the Davis family, nestled on the coastal hillside overlooking Crystal Cove State Park and the pacific ocean in Newport Beach. It truly was an intimate affair, with about twenty folks in attendance, including the Presidential aspirant, his beautiful wife, and two of Thompson’s political point people in California, longtime political strategist Ken Khachigian and local consultant Dave Ellis. All told had nearly an hour with Senator Thompson, and it was spent the way you would like it to be… We all gathered up chairs in the back patio of this gorgeous home and had an intimate chat with the man who aspires to the top elective office in our nation. Having never spent any real quality time with Thompson before, I have to say I was very impressed by him. It was very clear in hearing him talk about issues (and this was an environment where he was free… Read More

With the reports in, here is how the fundraising is shaping up in the Riverside County State races for the period of January 1 through June 30. I posted only Republicans in the 37th SD and 64th AD since they are Republican seats. I will post the Democrats in a day or so for the 80th AD which is more highly Democrat than Republican:

SD 37 to replace termed out Jim Battin

Current 64th State Assemblyman John J. Benoit $441,000 Cash on Hand, $218,019 raised in the period.

Former 65th State Assemblyman Russ Bogh $427,000 Cash on Hand, $157,664 raised in the period.

Bothhave raised a mix of Sacramento and local funds.

AD 64 to replace termed out John J. Benoit

Rose Ramirez Girard$78,920 Cash on Hand, $101,901 raised. Loaned campaign $66,000, raised $37,000 from district

Kelly McCarty$81,078 Cash on Hand, raised $81,795. No personal money. Virtually all came from individual collision centers throughout the state.

John Pate$100,394 Cash on Hand, $106,840 raised. Loaned campaign… Read More

A funny thing happened while looking at the campaign reports for AD 60 candidates Larry Dick and Curt Hagman. During this early stage of the campaign there is a lot of focus on money and of course strategy. One strategy is to buy slate cards early so your opponent can’t buy them On April 18 of this year Larry Dick’s campaign sent $5,128 to the coveted “Save Prop 13 Committee” Slate and on April 26th sent a grand to probably “reserve” a slot on the "Republican Women’s Voice"Slate card. Not to be outdone Curt Hagman’s campaign on May 11 sent $1,000 to “Save Proposition 13” Slate Card and $1000 to the “Republican Woman’s Voice” Slate Card. Campaign Reports show these to be the same slates. If a candidate … Read More

The State Senate is in session tonight, and despite knowing that the Republican Caucus has not agreed to a budget deal, Perata forced yet another vote on the fat, bloated state budget.

The vote failed, but it is notable that moderate Republican Abel Maldonado decided that hanging tough for real spending cuts and programmatic reforms was a bit too much for him. I don’t know what his pressure points were but when choosin’ time came, and he voted, he went with all of the Democrats instead of his colleagues.

To be commended are the 14 solid Senate Republicans who are keeping faith with each other, and are commited to some real reforms and spending cuts.

More to come, I’m sure…… Read More

You may well have seen TV news statewide of a structure collapse on a highway construction project up here in Butte County on Hwy 149, between Oroville and Chico. The early Wednesday morning accident was a result of a collapsing heavy-steel structure that would support the forms to pourconcrete upon for a new overcrossing where 70 meets 149. It was not a collapse of an actual overcrossing as first reported [or even hyped], nor justa scaffolding forpersonnel to work from.

A Fed Ex truck was struck by the falling steel girders, 3000 lbs each or more, as the driver was proceeding north. He was trapped for 3 hours as safety personnel worked to extract him, pinned under wreckage held down by the steel I-beams. The happy ending for him was only an ankle sprain, some cuts and bruises and a harrowing experience. He is already at home tonight with his family.

A construction worker atop the collapsing structure, rode it 50 feet down and he suffered several broken bones and is still hospitalized in serious condition.

A third injurya few minutes later, was to a woman who drove upon the scene and rearended a parked CalTrans vehicle and broke… Read More

Legitimate, real and important policy differences separate Senate Republicans and Democrats in the budget debate.

After it was clear that no forward momentum on a budget would take place (Senator Dennis Hollingsworth attempted to bring up GOP programmic changes and belt-tightening trailer bills to no avail), Senator Jeff Denham tried to bring up a motion to fund vital government services during this impasse. The Democrats voted as a block against this reasonable accomodation.

So to all of you TV, radio and newspaper reporters, you should report that it is the Democrats who want to use those in need of services as “pawns” to try and put on pressure for a bad budget resolution.

The Senate is in recess.… Read More