HANG IN THERE As the weather heats up, undoubtedly so will pressure on legislative Republicans to provide needed votes to approve the massive record-setting state budget. It is fair, and reasonable for legislators to throw out a simple line in the sand on budget spending — we will not vote for a budget that spends more money than last year. True, revenues may be up because we cannot get a tax cut through the Democrat-controlled legislature. Well, let’s use any increase in funds to go ahead and end the deficit spending. After that, we can use additional revenues to pay off state borrowing. While I know our state is burdened with Proposition 98 which arbitrarily requires that a portion of revenue increases must go to education, we should work hard to figure out how to move money around in a way that allows us to achieve the goal of spending the increase in state revenues to pay our bills. If Republicans can keep this ‘line in the sand’ then we can make sure that it is very clear that we are opposed to largesse and out-of-control spending. THEY’RE… Read More

HANG IN THERE As the weather heats up, undoubtedly so will pressure on legislative Republicans to provide needed votes to approve the massive record-setting state budget. It is fair, and reasonable for legislators to throw out a simple line in the sand on budget spending — we will not vote for a budget that spends more money than last year. True, revenues may be up because we cannot get a tax cut through the Democrat-controlled legislature. Well, let’s use any increase in funds to go ahead and end the deficit spending. After that, we can use additional revenues to pay off state borrowing. While I know our state is burdened with Proposition 98 which arbitrarily requires that a portion of revenue increases must go to education, we should work hard to figure out how to move money around in a way that allows us to achieve the goal of spending the increase in state revenues to pay our bills. If Republicans can keep this ‘line in the sand’ then we can make sure that it is very clear that we are opposed to largesse and out-of-control spending. THEY’RE… Read More

Here’s a great video – check it out…

Earlier today, former FlashReport blogger Phil Paule submitted the attached proposedbylaw change to the CRP offices in Sacramento.

The proposed change seeks to require that CRP employees be registered Republican voters, essentially requiring that they be citizens.

Clearly, it is in response to the recent situation involving the CRP’s now ex-COO.

It will certainly be interesting to see how this plays out.… Read More

Read this, and then ponder why our Governor, who is a vastly wealthy man and has raised millions for his own group, can’t seem to help the state GOP with $4.6 million in debt it incurred on his behalf? See here.I guess Bloomberg keeps his promises.… Read More

Fellow FR correspondent Adam Probolsky seemed quite concerned when I told him I might post about our trip to the Big Newport theater to see… The Transformers. Now, to be honest, this flick wasn’t Adam’s or my idea – but that of our “host” Mike Schroeder (yes, the former State GOP Chairman) who went so far as to buy tickets on Fandango for the two of us, and for Steve Baric, President of the California Republican Lawyers Association.

I think Adam’s hesitancy is because he thought it wasn’t “cool” to be seeing the Transformers movie. But there must be more to the Transformers than meets the eye. We are in the theater with hundreds of others.

Adam seemed a little more comfortable when we ran into yet another FR contributor, Congressman John Campbell, here with his wife.

Schroeder topped that, though, by pointing out that Kobe Bryant is here, too!

Ohh, the movie’s starting now – time to stop blogging!… Read More

Mark Larson, who previously indicated a "drop dead" date of July 4 for a decision on running for an open 52nd Congressional seat, is now saying he will take some more time to mull it over.

With all his other on-goings, his self-imposed deadline may have been a tad too ambitious. Yet, as the long-time radio host says, the filing deadline gives him some time. From his blog:

Tuesday, July 03, 2007

IN OR OUT? OK, so I feel like a human pinball machine….new ideas and possibilities bouncing all over the place! When I left KOGO in June I said I wanted take time to consider all things, including getting some clarity on a possible race for Congress. In the meantime, all sorts of intriguing ideas and projects have come up… ironically all since I stuck a "date" on my decision process (by July 4)there’s been more to consider. But it’s a nice thing (and quite humbling) to hear from people with suggestions, new offers and even campaign advice.

All of this has caused me to come to a decision of —"no decision"… Read More

Earlier in the week, Governor Schwarzenegger tapped Democrat Mary Nichols, formerly Deputy EPA Administrator in the Clinton Administration and a senior environmental offical for both Governors Jerry Brown and Gray Davis, to be the new Chairman of the California Air Resources Board. My initial take on that appointment is here, and below is a defense of that appointment by Republican Dan Skopec who until last week served as Deputy Secretary of the Cal-EPA. He has started his own consulting firm now. This piece was submitted by the Schwarzenegger Administration: