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

Backs Andal in Race for Congress

At 2 P.M. this afternoon in Danville, Assemblyman Guy Houston will declare his candidacy for Contra Costa County Supervisor by challenging sitting incumbent Mary Piepho. Houston, a veteran of a targeted seat in the 15th district, will have a huge advantage in fundraising and name identification (as well as the gratitude of the GOP for giving Dean Andal a clear shot at McNerney). Piepho has had trouble solidifying her seat and will now be facing a formidable opponent in Houston. As the long-time Mayor of Dublin before his tenure in the Assembly, Houston is no strager to the importance and differences that a non-partisan race entails and has always had a strong base of democrat support due to his hard work and fiscal conservatism.

After speaking to the Assemblyman, it is apparent that the major financial problems of Contra Costa County were an important factor and he feels he "can do a lot of good" on the Board of Supervisors. He was also keenly aware that a primary in the 11th congressional district would not help the GOP and would waste valuable resources. When discussing… Read More

SENATE GOP RESOLVE AND SOLIDARITY The built-in deficit in the budget passed by the California Assembly is actually about $2.9 billion. This is significantly more than the numbers being thrown around by those advocating the passage of that document in the Senate. One of the problems is that with a budget that is so huge, there are so many areas that can be interpreted and analyzed in different ways. I can tell you that over the years, I have come to rely on the financial acumen of State Senator and FR friend Tom McClintock for some clarity and truth on fiscal matters. $2.9 billion is his number. He also reminds us that this year’s proposed budget represents a $21.7 BILLION dollar increase in state spending since the recall election that brought Arnold Schwarzenegger to Sacramento. So with this as some very sobering context, we have to applaud what are being referred to as the "Magnificent 14" for their solidarity. Republicans sticking… Read More

It’s that time of year again: the semi-annual campaign reports — the documents politicos pour over to see which candidates are raising how much from whom, grist for the candidate-positioning mill.

Over at Red County/OC Blog I’ve posted about the reports in Orange County’s 33rd Senate District and the 71st and 60th Assembly District reports. or more specifically, the candidates in the GOP primaries, which is the only election that really matters in those districts. Red County/San Bernardino also has an update on AD34, AD60 and SD29.… Read More

The latest release from the Giuliani campaign explains that they have hired on eight California Field Representatives to carry the banner of former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani to the far reaches of the Golden State.

TheGiulianiField Representatives are as follows:

Cathy Hayes Hayes was Regional Field Director for California GOP Victory 2006, handling the Central Coast . She has also served as the Executive Director of the Santa Barbara County Republican Central Committee, Regional Finance Coordinator for the National Republican Congressional Committee in Washington , DC , Deputy Director of the Majority Leader’s Fund and Joint Fundraising Manager of the National Republican Senatorial Committee.

Ashley Ingram Ingram served as head intern with the California GOP Victory 2006. She worked specifically on youth issues for Governor Schwarzenegger. She coordinated precinct walks and phone banks, while recruiting high school and… Read More

As you spend today mulling over their options, weighing the importance of demanding much needed reforms in state government spending in return for providing needed votes for a big fat state budget, I know that there is concern about the perception of their efforts to the public. Our "friends" in the main stream media have yet to publish one legitimate story from the perspective of principled fiscally prudent legislators who are refusing to approve a massive budget unless it comes with some significant reforms to reduce deficit spending in future budgets, and important reforms to mitigate the potentially devastating effects of the implementation of costly regulations in the name of the ‘global warming’ battle. There is the potential to eliminate thousands of vacant positions in the state bureaucracy, and more. But we don’t read that story in the newspapers, either. We are only treated to a daily dose of "who isn’t being paid today" in an effort to create feeling that delaying the budget simply is not worth the reforms sought by responsible Senate Republicans. Guess what? At some point, there will be a state… 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