St. Patrick’s Day may be filled with celebration, but it is not filled with a lot of news on California politics. So the main page is pretty light today. Yesterday afternoon and evening I had the opportunity to spend time with Governor Mitt Romney as his campaign took him through Orange County. I was able to conduct a ten minute interview with Romney, which we’ll be publishing on Monday. I also was able to shoot quite a bit of EXCLUSIVE video coverage of Romney speaking at a private home in Irvine, and at a reception at the impressive St. Regis hotel and resort in Dana Point. Romney was very impressive, and his level of Orange County financial support even more so. As daily FR readers know, last week we featured over a four-day period some columns on behalf of the major GOP candidates for President. Today, since the news was light, I took the opportunity to feature them all again, on one page. Our featured Golden Pen piece today is actually a short video tribute to former President Ronald Wilson Reagan, and I encourage you to take a trip down ‘memory lane’ and check it out. Remember to wear… Read More

St. Patrick’s Day may be filled with celebration, but it is not filled with a lot of news on California politics. So the main page is pretty light today. Yesterday afternoon and evening I had the opportunity to spend time with Governor Mitt Romney as his campaign took him through Orange County. I was able to conduct a ten minute interview with Romney, which we’ll be publishing on Monday. I also was able to shoot quite a bit of EXCLUSIVE video coverage of Romney speaking at a private home in Irvine, and at a reception at the impressive St. Regis hotel and resort in Dana Point. Romney was very impressive, and his level of Orange County financial support even more so. As daily FR readers know, last week we featured over a four-day period some columns on behalf of the major GOP candidates for President. Today, since the news was light, I took the opportunity to feature them all again, on one page. Our featured Golden Pen piece today is actually a short video tribute to former President Ronald Wilson Reagan, and I encourage you to take a trip down ‘memory lane’ and check it out. Remember to wear… Read More

I had the good fortune of attending the Rod Stewart concert in San Jose last night. He put on a 2 ½ hour show with no opening act (except for some bagpipes wondering around the crowd beforehand), and it was spectacular!!! There aren’t a lot of 60-somethings who could pull off “If You Want My Body,” and “Tonight I’m Yours,” but he did!

When he sang “Young Hearts Beat Free Tonight”, I had to kick myself for being a terminal political junkie, because the song made me think of Senator Harman’s bill, SB 126, which will require that the next set of health education content standards developed by the State Board of Education include instruction on child abuse prevention. The song talks about a young couple who run away together “’cause there ain’t no point in talking when there’s nobody listenin’”, and how their lives turn out very difficult. It made me think of all the children who are victims of various forms of neglect and abuse, and how the lifelong ramifications of that abuse can… Read More

In Homer’s The Odyssey, the Greek’s laid seige to the ancient city of Troy for a decade. Finally, the Greeks ended their seige, and sailed away in the boats, leaving only a very large wooden horse outside of the massive walled city — seemingly a tribute to the Trojans who had held them at bay for ten years. The Trojans brought this horse into their city, where they began revelry and celebration at the broken seige of their city. In the early morning hours, while the celebrants slept, Greek soldiers who had been secreted away in a hidden compartment of the wooden horse snuck out and open the large gates allowing the Greeks in, who then conquered, sacked and burned Troy.

This story becomes important because in the battle for property rights in California, the League of California Cities has… Read More

The Governor has become famous for flip-flopping and folding in the face of criticism from liberals and the media. I say it ain’t so! The Governor is consistent on at least in one area. He has consistently appointed Democrats to the bench in LA County. See FR post here. In the past the Governor appointed 2 Democrats for every Republican. Closer to the election it changed it a little and it included a Democrat re-registering shortly before the appointment from Dem to DTS in order to confuse the numbers. See FR post here. Today the Governor stayed true. Today he appointed three to the LA Superior Court, 2 Dems and 1 GOP.See press release here. The worse news is he is now replacing a seat with a GOP judge held.Richard Van Dusen, a former Republican Club President passed away … Read More

In Homer’s The Odyssey, the Greek’s laid seige to the ancient city of Troy for a decade. Finally, the Greeks ended their seige, and sailed away in the boats, leaving only a very large wooden horse outside of the massive walled city — seemingly a tribute to the Trojans who had held them at bay for ten years. The Trojans brought this horse into their city, where they began revelry and celebration at the broken seige of their city. In the early morning hours, while the celebrants slept, Greek soldiers who had been secreted away in a hidden compartment of the wooden horse snuck out and open the large gates allowing the Greeks in, who then conquered, sacked and burned Troy.

This story becomes important because in the battle for property rights in California, the League of California Cities has… Read More

When I started writing this post yesterday, therewas still a bit of "hope" the Guv would use his leverage of his signature [or not] onthe Presidential Primary bill, SB 113, to get redistricting reform, the promise which has been renegedon. Thisby the Democrats at the state level, as well as the threats by Speaker Pelosi at the Federal level of no reform of Congressional district line apportionment methods. Since the ‘contract’ has been broken, the Guv should feel no obligation to sign this now until this is done right.

Instead this morning, the official news is that it will be signed at 10:30 here in town.

What a disappointment.

We will be stuck as taxpayers with the $90 million bill.

We havea 3rd election for voters to wade through in 2008 with lousy turnout expected for June.

We have noreal assurance of paying back counties.

We have already presidential candidates all over this state since it’s truly an open, "non-incumbent" electionfor the first time in many years.

The leverage will be gone to extract a true redistricting reform for the… Read More

Today Governor Schwarzenegger will sign legislation that was put on his desk, without the vote of a single Republican in the State Assembly, to move the date of the Presidential primary to Tuesday, February 5, 2007. The merits, pro and con, to moving the date of the primary up have been discussed pretty thoroughly here on this website, and in many other public forums. While I can think of a few reasons to veto this legislation, the one that comes most readily to mind is one that doesn’t seem to factor into the Governor’s bill-signing methodology — and that is backing up the other players on what is supposed to be his Republican team. I have had an opportunity to speak with many Republican members of the Assembly, to talk about their concerns. Some are concerned about playing into the hands of the Democrats on their plot to try and extend their terms in office. Others are concerned about the national implications of furthering in a large way a shift to a ‘national primary’ — precluding tier two candidates from having a real shot. Others are unhappy with the additional costs of creating an extra,… Read More