The Scales of Justice depicts a figure that, in order to achieve a fair measure and balance, is blindfolded. The method of redrawing legislative district lines every decade that is currently in place is not a fair measure or balanced. The only blindfold involved is the one that those defending this system try to keep pulled over the voters on this issue. Politicians drawing their own district lines is too great a temptation and self-interest to entrust to them as just a cursory look at the map from 2001 would reveal.

A measure back in the 80’s to remove this self-interest from politicians was defeated after heavy runs of TV ads featuring Jack Lemmon and others. Speaker Willie Brown later cackled about how they pulled a fast one on California voters.

The measure last year with similar goals, Prop 77 was defeated with heavy opposition from Democrat leadership as well as a smattering of Republicans. All sorts of reasons were concocted about the makeup of the panel, 3 retired judges, being too out of touch or too white to draw… Read More

Stephen Moore is one of the more gifted editorial writers out there — over at the Wall Street Journal, has penned an outstanding piece, entitled, The Market and Its Medicine: Solving the health-care "crisis" means not more government involvement but less.

It begins:

This morning’s Commentary from Mike Spence concerning the California Republican Party has already spurred a few e-mails to me — so I just wanted to let any stakeholders in the CRP know that if you would like to weigh in with your thoughts about the CRP, feel free to contact me. I’m happy to arrange to post your thoughts up on the site!… Read More

I’m running for Vice Chairman, South, of the State GOP. Here are some thoughts from some prominent supporters:

"Jon Fleischman is a leader in the California Republican Party. Please join me in supporting him for Vice Chairman, South" – Tony Strickland, GOP Nominee for State Controller

"As State Chairman of the California Republican National Hispanic Assembly I feel that it is paramount that we have a strong… Read More

In the late nineties some GOP leaders pushed to take over the CRP and local GOP county committees with a simple mantra: Ideology doesn’t matter, what matters is the "nuts and bolts" of party building. Basically, the goods they sold said the party should focus on registering voters, GOTV etc…. Of course most were moderates (who would lose campaigns if ideology was a factor) and their successful campaign culminated in the much-heralded CRP Parsky Commission reforms of 2001. … Read More

BOE Member Bill Leonard has twice mentioned in his weekly newsletter questions as the effectiveness of the CRP’s 20 million GOTV effort. He calls for a "performance audit". See here.

Coincidentally, the CRP Board of Directors will meet face to face at their Sacramento Headquarters this Friday. Just added to the agenda will be a full and frank discussion of the effectiveness of the GOTV program.

Steve Kinney will present a detailed post election analysis, which would show that our down ticket candidates [Mc Clintock and Strickland] won the absentee votes but lost dramatically with election day voters. [ See Brandon Powers blog Dec 6 here]. More interesting is that the majority of voters were white, older, married and home owners. What gives?

In the meanwhile, who raised the 20 million and how did it get spent?

Board members are promised they will see all direct mail that was issued by the CRP and review all scripts used at the telephone… Read More

In the late nineties some GOP leaders pushed to take over the CRP and local GOP county committees with a simple mantra: Ideology doesn’t matter, what matters is the “nuts and bolts” of party building. Basically, the goods they sold said the party should focus on registering voters, GOTV etc…. Of course most were moderates (who would lose part campaigns if ideology was a factor) and their successful campaign culminated in the much-heralded CRP Parsky Commission reforms of 2001. Below are some thoughts I have about improving the CRP. I never bought the complete abandonment of ideology from the party machinery. That’s how we get GOP endorsements of bonds and other follies I come to them though my 20+ years of GOP involvement in politics, my 15 on the CRP Executive committee, including six years on the CRP Board. I also come from the perspective that 2006 was not a good year for the CA GOP. The Governor won and so did Steve Poizner. McPherson, McClintock and Strickland didn’t. … Read More

Buried in the business section of the Sacramento Bee (and again in the opinion page) was a story about what should be one of the biggest political scandals of the year: Sacramento Councilman Steve Cohn, in an brazen attempt to curry favor with labor unions, is secretly attempting to force a private company to unionize – even though employees already voted against unionizing.

One of the regions oldest businesses – the venerable Blue Diamond Growers, which is really a co-operative of 3500 small growers — learned of the move by the City of Sacramento when the item appeared on the agenda for this Friday’s council meeting.

Councilman Steve Cohn — who really wants to be mayor — is trying to eliminate the standard secret ballot, which would leave employees open to intimidation for their ballot choice (no matter which side they pick, they would be subject to possible intimidation).

Cohn once tried to block expansion of Sutter Hospital… Read More