Many may remember Donna Arduin as Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s first Director of Finance for the State of California. Arduin came into the Schwarzenegger Administration with a track record of being a strong conservative, well versed on budgetary and finance matters, and lived up to her reputation. Arduin, who had been heading up Florida’s equivalent office for Governor Jeb Bush, had come out to be part of Team Arnold’s original transition after the recall election, and then agreed to stay on for a period of time.

After the first year of the Schwarzenegger Administration, Arduin left California to return home to quiet Tallahassee, Florida, which she calls home. She partnered up with famed economist Arthur Laffer in a consulting firm, and has been loving life. Donna keeps up on California politics by reading this website, and has written a couple of columns for us!

Today, it is being reported… Read More

Proving they are more beholden to their union backers than they are their own constituents, a majority of the San Diego City Council on Tuesday told their fellowcitizens they shouldn’t be allowed to save money when grocery shopping.

Some are calling the council’s proposed law a “Big Box Ordinance,” as it bans large retailers that devote more than 10 percent of their floor space to non-taxable sales, such as groceries (i.e., no Wal-Mart Super Centers).

Let’s call it what it is, a “Big Brother Ordinance." Regardless of any other San Diego reforms being championed by Mayor Jerry Sanders, Big Brother is alive and well at City Hall.

We can’t besure if this Big Brother is embodied more by the city council majority or by those unions that have forced the issue, driving the council to do its bidding while ignoring anything akin to free market economics. Instead of trying to decide which is Big Brother, let’s just call the council majority and the unions “Big Brothers in… Read More

Proving they are more beholden to their union backers than they are their own constituents, a majority of the San Diego City Council on Tuesday told their fellowcitizens they shouldn’t be allowed to save money when grocery shopping.

Some are calling the council’s proposed law a “Big Box Ordinance,” as it bans large retailers that devote more than 10 percent of their floor space to non-taxable sales, such as groceries (i.e., no Wal-Mart Super Centers).

Let’s call it what it is, a “Big Brother Ordinance." Regardless of any other San Diego reforms being championed by Mayor Jerry Sanders, Big Brother is alive and well at City Hall.

We can’t besure if this Big Brother is embodied more by the city council majority or by those unions that have forced the issue, driving the council to do its bidding while ignoring anything akin to free market economics. Instead of trying to decide which is Big Brother, let’s just call the council majority and the unions “Big Brothers in… Read More

As a consultant I take great pride in seeing my clients win. It sure is fun to win, especially in the face of huge opposition. OC Supervisor-Elect Pat Bates is a great example. She won in the face of a four-to-one fund raising advantage (Gilliard Blanning Wysocki ran her campaign, my firm did the polling).

Pat is also a great example of the gracious winner.

Since Election Day candidates like Bates who pulled off victories have fielded congratulatory calls, many from people who were not as supportive as they could have been during the election. Some from people who were no where to be found, but now want to be a father of their success.

The nature of many candidates is to question the intentions of those well wishers and ask "Where the hell were you last month when i needed another $10,000 to pay for that last piece of mail?"

But the gracious winner never says that. They smile, thank the caller for their kind words and do a little silent victory dance in their head.

We can all learn a lesson from candidates like Anaheim Councilwoman-Elect Lucille Kring. She is another gracious winner. Having taken out an incumbent… Read More

Our ‘revamping’ of the FlashReport Weblog continues in full-force, and I am exceptionally pleased to introduce to you another new addition to the great cadre of contributors we have for site! Please welcome Jill Buck to the FlashReport. Jill will be joining us as a new blogger from the San Francisco Bay Area region. California is a big state, and the Bay Area, despite being so overwhelingly liberal, is an important part

This last election cycle, Jill ran a spirited campaign for the State Assembly as the Republican nominee in the 18th District, in the East Bay Area.

Jill has established herself as a smart, savvy and principled Republican who has a lot to offer us, as she observes and analyses the political goings-on in her region, and well as joining with our other site authors in sharing observations about California state politics.

You can read about Jill’s background here, and look forward to seeing her regular contributions to our site!

Welcome Jill!… Read More

In the coming days, newly minted Assembly Republican Leader Mike Villines will be announcing key leadership team members, the most prominent of which will be his selection for Chairman of the Assembly Republican Caucus.

We have verified that Villines’ pick for this important post is conservative leader Bob Huff. Huff has quickly risen in prominence in GOP circles because of his understanding of politics, his commitment to core Republican principles, and his ammiable personality.

Congratulations (in advance) Assemblyman Huff – our expectations are appropriatly high! And a nod of respect to Leader Villines – a superb pick!

(Note: I’ve had this intel for a little while, choosing to hold it in confidence. I’m only posting it now because so many folks have told me, that it will be common knowledge by noon. I guess make that eleven now!)… Read More

I really couldn’t be more proud to live in Oakland than I am today. Not only do I have to look forward to seeing Jerry Brown hands the reins of power over to Ron Dellums, but we get a hand-holding ceremony around Lake Merritt to celebrate the new mayor to boot! The Chronicle’s Matier & Ross write today about Dellums’ and Schwarzenegger’s planned festivities. One can’t fault Schwarzenegger for throwing a big party this time around. He rightly held off when he was first elected, rolling up his sleeves and telling the voters that he understood he was sent to Sacramento to get work done that the recalled Gov. Gray Davis was unable to accomplish. But under normal situations, it is customary for governors to throw inaugural parties and there’s no doubt that… Read More

One of California’s brightest public policy minds is retiring (perhaps temporarily) from public office after a sixteen-year career on the Garden Grove City Council.

Political professionals, myself included, often times under estimate the impact of individual elected officials. And it is easy to discount the majority of elected officials both local and in the legislature–they just don’t have the skills or knowledge or command of the issues that allows them to be great at the job of making policy.

Councilman Mark Leyes is the exception to that rule. He is in an economist by education, a political strategist by necessity and visionary by desire. And if you had ever been to Garden Grove in the late ’80s and then came back today, you would know why Tuesday night’s retirement party hosted by the city had included over a hundred admirers of Leyes and what he accomplished in his tenure on the council.

Having served on a local water board and policy guru at another water district prior to… Read More