Art Torres was apparently scheduled to appear as a guest at a fundraiser for the State GOP, where the entertainment is a roast of former Chairman Duf Sundheim. Torres has backed out, saying he was unaware it was a fundraising event. Bob Salladay has the scoop over at the L.A. Times Political Muscle blog. Maybe Garry South can step in?… Read More

Yesterday I penned a column on the wealthy ‘enviro-actor-activist’ community in Malibu that is rallying behind opposition to a proposed LNG facility off of the Los Angeles Coast. One particular enviro-actor-activist had his personal assistant and a friend apparently working some sort of booth at some event dedicated to their lefty-cause… and you have GOT to check out this tongue-in-cheek video taken my whomever it was that caught up to them… I suspect that Pierce Brosnan has asked her not to talk to cameras any more! I actually am embarrassed for her.

Of course, while the video is funny, the hypocracy of the Hollywood Elite is not. They can… Read More

I simply could not believe it when I opened the paper this morning and read the following quote from "Republican" San Diego Councilman Jim Madaffer:

"At end of the day I know why we have these problems," Councilman Jim Madaffer said, "it’s because the city of San Diego has an underfunding problem."

I know Jim Madaffer pretty well. I know his heart is in the right place. The problem is, I question where his head is. I believe that he still does not recognize that the City of San Diego has one of the nation’s most irresponsible records on the spending of taxpayer dollars. That they have blown hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars on outrageous pensions and chronic waste, fraud, and mismanagement. That taxpayers should not and will not stand for pouring more of their money into thispit until the spending is brought under control, and accountability measure are put into place.

The problem, Councilman Madaffer, is not that the taxpayers arehaven’t thrown City Hall even more money. City Hall’s budget has increased dramatically over the past several years. The problem is that you and… Read More

I’m not a big fan of using polling data to guide where California lawmakers should go on public policy questions. Mainly because I find that with most surveys, the responses you get are only as good as the questions that are asked. That said, polling because much more significant when you are talking about taking issues to the ballot box. I am sure it is very disconcerting to the ‘insider political set’ that the voters are so strong in their suppport for the state’s current term limits. After all, ask just about any insider and they will tell you they don’t work. Ask most outsiders, and they will tell you that they are happy with term limits. Steve Poizner is being urged by a prominent state panel to reduce Workers Comp rates further. I’m sure it won’t take much encouragement… Big Brother is alive and well and lives in Sacramento. There are so many bills out there to tell people how to lead their lives, or to ‘socially engineeer’ behavior by Californians. That’s not the proper role of government. If I want to have a solar panel on my roof, that should be my choice.… Read More

Not to be a one-trick pony, but Assemblyman Joel Anderson’s Iran Divestment bill, AB 221, is garnering some pretty significant coverage….and with the Assembly Retirement Committee’s 4-1 vote in favor this week, it’s serious.

With many unions in support, and SEIU even dropping its opposition, the CTA remains entrenched, apparently comfortable with a perceived position of being in support of our retirement benefits funding terrorist states. An excerpt from this morning’s SDUT:

…two teachers unions, the California Teachers Association and the California Federation of Teachers, said investment decisions should be made by the pension fund boards. Yeah, well, ok, if the retirement boards were doing the right thing, perhaps thelegislature wouldn’t have to intervene. Even the Teamsters understand"doing the right thing" in supporting the bill:

“For our unions this is a no-brainer,” said Barry Broad, representing… Read More

I’m not a big fan of using polling data to guide where California lawmakers should go on public policy questions. Mainly because I find that with most surveys, the responses you get are only as good as the questions that are asked. That said, polling because much more significant when you are talking about taking issues to the ballot box. I am sure it is very disconcerting to the ‘insider political set’ that the voters are so strong in their suppport for the state’s current term limits. After all, ask just about any insider and they will tell you they don’t work. Ask most outsiders, and they will tell you that they are happy with term limits. Steve Poizner is being urged by a prominent state panel to reduce Workers Comp rates further. I’m sure it won’t take much encouragement… Big Brother is alive and well and lives in Sacramento. There are so many bills out there to tell people how to lead their lives, or to ‘socially engineeer’ behavior by Californians. That’s not the proper role of government. If I want to have a solar panel on my roof, that should be my choice.… Read More

Radio talk show host and Presidential son Mike Reagan has jumped into the 2008 elections with both feet, having started a new federal political action committee named “The Legacy Committee PAC.” The PAC is in the mail right now with its initial fundraising letters, be on the lookout! Assisting Mike in his efforts is partner and talk radio executive Tim Kelly from The Reagan Group, political consultant Floyd Brown (known for funding those “Willie Horton” TV ads in the 1988 Presidential election), Response Dynamics, and yours truly as Treasurer and counsel. Legacy PAC is hammering away in its direct mail on conservative issues, and hopes to play a role in both the Presidential race and key Congressional districts in California and the U.S.

Mike has also started a separate organization, The Reagan Legacy Foundation. The Foundation is dedicated to chartiable activities and will work to support education about the Reagan presidency, and help charities related to that legacy, such as alzheimer’s research. The Foundation expects to help support the Reagan Golf Classic with other charities in San Diego later this year.… Read More

Whenever the political left wants to inspire its troops, it never takes long before they reach back to the glory days of the 1960s for one of its favorite rallying cries: "By any means necessary."

Back then, the words meant grit, determination and a willingness to endeavor against difficult odds for causes such as racial equality. For today’s left – particularly environmentalists – "any means necessary" means something entirely different.

We can all think of examples of this kind of environmental ‘extremist’ – such as “tree spiking” — but there much more pervasive level in which environmental radicalism is running rampant – through the use of political action to deceive, delay, and “game the system” for their extreme ideological and political agenda.

Since I spend a lot of time following political issues in the Golden State, I can safely say that the most blatant example of this that I can see going on in California right now has been the years-long effort to have a liquefied national… Read More