The Orange County Board of Supervisors is solidly in the hands of a conservative majority and there is a vacancy that will be filled by Special Election on Feb. 6. But regardless of that outcome the next two years should be filled with votes that broadly shrink the size of county government and put the county’s future financial health back on track by reforming pension and health care benefits for county employees.

Each of the present supervisors has conservative credentials:

Chairman Chris Norby is a nationally known leader on the issue of redevelopment reform; vice chairman Moorlach not only predicted the county’s bankruptcy but more importantly lead the county’s investments as Treasurer and conservative Tax Collector for over a decade; Pat Bates had a solid voting record in the State Assembly and never wavered on her principles in face of a massive assault by her campaign opponent who seemingly sold out to every special interest there is; and Bill Campbell built a remarkably successful business before serving in the State Assembly and now on the Board and knows the meaning of paying wages and how harmful the actions of government can be on… Read More

Larry McCarthy is the President of the California Taxpayers Association, and he has penned some thoughts that are pertinent with the Governor announcing his 2007-08 state budget today…

What is a state budget cut?… Read More

As my fellow bloggerAdam Alemanjust reported, former FR Blogger and Bill Postmus Chief of Staff Brad Mitzelfelt has officially taken a seat in the big chair, becoming the newest Supervisor in San Bernardino County.

That Brad was chosen over the other applicants is both a good thing for the constituents of the 1st Supe District and for conservatives at-large.

With the appointment now out of the way now though, all eyes turn towards the actual campaign for the seat next year.

The appointment process hasn’t historically lent itself kindly to re-election in SB. From what I can gather, the last successful appointee-turned-elected Supervisor was decades ago.

Even more pressingin the immediate thoughis whether Brad even has any intention of seeking election to stay on the Board past next November.

Whether or not he does – and not to put words in his mouth, but I have heard from many informed folks who say he isn’t going to – there will almost certainly be a crowded field for this race in ’08 (at least partially comprised of the other applicants).

In any event, anearly front-runner has to be Mark Kirk,… Read More

Today it was announced by the Americans for Tax Reform that Assemblywoman Mimi Walters has been tapped to succeed retired Assemblyman (and now FR State Capitol Correspondent) Ray Haynes as the head of the Taxpayer Protection Caucus in the California State Assembly. What does this mean? The Americans for Tax Reform are the champions of the No New Taxes Pledge for federal and state legislators. The pledge is simple: I, ____________, pledge to the taxpayers of the _____ district of the State of _________ and to all the people of this state, that I will oppose and vote against any and all efforts to increase taxes.

The Taxpayer Protection Caucus is made up of the 27 Assemblymembers who have signed this pledge (the other 53 who have not can… Read More

There is a report today in the Sacramento Bee that Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez has dished out some pretty hefty raises for the New Year for key members of his staff.

I noted deep in the story that one of these raises went to his Deputy Chief of Staff and spokesman Steve Maviglio. I wanted to congratulate Steve on his raise, and come to its defense. Clearly, as a fiscal conservative, I believe it is important to be prudent with taxpayer funds. At the same time, however, I also understand that if you are going to hire and retain capable, qualified staff members — you have to be willing to pay them a competitive wage. I seldom agree with Steve’s politics. As a matter of fact, I am not sure that I ever have or ever will. But I respect Steve’s talent, ability, moxie and work ethic. While I can’t say that I agree with Steve’s dedication to raising taxes, increasing regulations and generally trying to increase the size and scope of state government, I will say that he is very… Read More

I commend the Governor for suggesting a solution to a tough problem. I just don’t think any economic theory supports the outcomes he desires. And I definitely don’t believe his is a "centrist" approach. A centrist approach would be devoid of tax increases, employer mandates and mandated spending by providers, and be full of market based incentives to lower the cost of private health plans.

My firm handles over $40 million in health and health related business, so I follow health insurance and health care trends as closely as possible. Diagnosing the reasons for 6.5 million uninsured workers isn’t that tough. Employer paid health plans are expensive. Treating doctors and facilities are grossly underpaid by government funders such as Medicare, Medicaid and MediCal. Those unreimbursed costs are mostly transferred to the private health plans when they contract for services with the health care providers. Thus, the "hidden tax" on us is primarily caused by the government because the cost of health plans is inflated, and out of reach to many employers, due to government rationing of health care dollars.… Read More

California’s new Secretary of State, liberal Democrat Debra Bowen, has appointed Lowell Finley the Assitant Secretary of State for Voting Systems and Technology. Finley has wasted thousands of taxpayer dollars by teaming up with conspiracy paranoid groups like Black Box (a.k.a. "Cynthia McKinney’s race loss was rigged" whackos) voting to sue those who have purchased touch screen voting machines which help county governments and the state complywith the federal Help America Vote Act.

Not only do these machines allow state and local governments to comply with HAVA but they allow voters who are disabled the opportunity to cast their votes privately and independently– something that was previously impossible.

This move by Bowen (pictured to the right) could signal that she plans to decertify electronic voting machines certified by her predecessor, Bruce… Read More

Founded in 2002, the Consumer Alliance for a Strong Economy is a grassroots organization that is made up of over 9000 members that include entrepreneurs, small business owners, farmers and consumers.

CASE is starting to run commercials alerting consumers to the dangers of the Governor’s newly proposal government incursion into healthcare. Here is what their spokesman, Chris Wysocki, has to say. Below, you can run the add, and then — make a call! “We applaud the Governor for his desire to address the need for healthcare reform, but the true problem of his proposal is a billion dollar tax increase on small businesses that provide the majority of jobs in the state,” Wysocki continued, “The state can utilize many of the components of the governor’s plan to encourage more people to purchase healthcare – including… Read More