Today’s Commentary is guest authored by Jon Coupal, President of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers’ Association. Coupal takes the opportunity to offer his perspective on the healthcare proposal recently released by State Senate President Don Perata…

Senate leader Don Perata has a plan to provide all uninsured working Californians with Health Insurance at an estimated cost of $5 billion to $7 billion without a tax increase. Okay…

The Perata plan would force businesses that do not provide health insurance, and their employees, through a payroll deduction, to pay into a state agency that would attempt to negotiate for “affordable” coverage. When paying taxes, workers would have to show proof of medical insurance.

**There is more – click the… Read More

The Orange County Registrar of Voter is a nice guy. Neal Kelley breaks the mold of the chain smoking, old school government employee.

I have written about him before and praised his use of technology. Today I have to mention it again.

On Election Day I voted using a provisional ballot because I had moved and not re-registered. I could have just voted the absentee ballot that was sent to my office–I knew that my new house was in all the same political subdivisions all the way down to water district. But it was the “signing under the penalty of perjury” that I could not bring myself to do. Because it specifically states that you must LIVE in the precinct in which you are voting.

So I ended up going to my old polling place and voting provisionally. The nice poll workers gave me a card with a “provisional retrieval code” and a call-in number. They said to wait a few weeks and then call to see if my vote was counted.

I forgot about it until today when I came across the card. All I did was call the number 1-888-OCVOTES and press ‘4’ to check the stats of my provisional ballot, enter my code and it… Read More

From Board of Equalization Member Bill Leonard:

***Huge Tax Hike on Beer Drinkers***

State law is full of gray areas and ambiguities. One old one is now the real culprit in this week’s headlines. When the Legislature wrote the first alcohol laws after Prohibition was repealed in 1933, California defined what a beer is and what wine is. The definition was simple – anything added to beer or wine renders it something else. Sometime thereafter beer and wine producers started adding things such as preservatives, flavor enhancers and other things. So narrowly reading the law there is NO such product as either beer or wine sold in California today. Now common sense and alcohol regulators know that is not true and so for years have ignored this narrow… Read More

Based, at least in part, on questions raised on this blog about the performance of the CRP’s Victory Program, the CRP sent out the following email today. I anxiously await the thoughts of Mike Spence and the otherswho’ve joined in questioning the Victory program.

TO: Republican Activists and Donors

FR: California Republican Party Board of Directors

RE: California Republican Party Board of Directors Meeting:

December 8, 2006

Some people, through comments and other communications, have raised questions of the California Republican Party (CRP) Board of Directors they wanted addressed at our December Board Meeting. The Board of Directors met on December 8, 2006 to discuss… Read More

After much shedding of blood, sweat and tears, the inaugural first issue of Red County magazine is winding its way through the postal system, and should be arriving in the mail boxes of fortunate recipients as I write.

I’ll quote Editor Scott Graves:

Yesterday Arnold Schwarzenegger announced a number of changes in key senior positions in his administrations. A number of them represent great moves, and a few of them are, frankly very disturbing. Let’s start with the great news! First and foremost, the Governor’s elevation of conservative Dan Dunmoyer to the position of Cabinet Secretary is outstanding news for all of us. Dan is capable, smart and effective. In this key position which acts as a liaison and coordinator between the Governor and all of the Agency heads will be in good hands. Undoubtedly this will be a big relief for former Assemblyman Fred Aguair, the GOPer who has been toiling out of the limelight in this role for awhile now. In other big news for conservatives — stalwart Cynthia Bryant has been given a big promotion. For years, Cynthia has been sitting second chair to Richard Costigan in the Governor’s legislative affairs unit, working to push the Governor’s policy agenda with the Senate… Read More

I missed the news a few days ago when it was announced that my friend Mike Richman has been kept aboard theNoah’s Ark ofconsulting firms, JohnsonClark Associates (they’ve got two of everything).

Mike, who previously was brought on with JCA to serve as a liaison with many of their candidates, now will take that job – with the title Deputy Political Director – on a permanent basis.

Congrats Mike! A greatgrab by Wayne and Tim!… Read More

Yesterday Arnold Schwarzenegger announced a number of changes in key senior positions in his administrations. A number of them represent great moves, and a few of them are, frankly very disturbing. Let’s start with the great news! First and foremost, the Governor’s elevation of conservative Dan Dunmoyer to the position of Cabinet Secretary is outstanding news for all of us. Dan is capable, smart and effective. In this key position which acts as a liaison and coordinator between the Governor and all of the Agency heads will be in good hands. Undoubtedly this will be a big relief for former Assemblyman Fred Aguair, the GOPer who has been toiling out of the limelight in this role for awhile now. In other big news for conservatives — stalwart Cynthia Bryant has been given a big promotion. For years, Cynthia has been sitting second chair to Richard Costigan in the Governor’s legislative affairs unit, working to push the Governor’s policy agenda with the Senate… Read More