Yesterday marked the beginning of the 2007-2008 legislative session. The Assembly once again installed Assembly member Fabian Nunez as Speaker of the Assembly yesterday and the Senate re-elected Senator Don Perata as Senate Majority Leader. Most of the action was in the Assembly, as the governor sat through the whole swearing-in ceremony and got up to saw a few words when Nunez introduced him.

Nunez gave a speech about wanting to work with members of both parties on issues such as health care, education and the environment. When Assembly member Mike Villines was elected as Republican leader in November, Nunez issued a statement saying, “I congratulate Assembly member Mike Villines on his election today as Republican leader. If there is any lesson to be learned from the election, it is that California voters want us to be partners, not partisans…I look forward to working with him to continue the bipartisan progress we made with Governor Schwarzenegger.”… Read More

A quick up-and-back for me yesterday for the swearing-in.

Shirley Horton was gracious enough to let me hitch a ride from the airport to the capitol. It’s hard to believe she is starting her last term in the assembly. Time flies. I guess the competitive AD 78 will now be heating up for ’08.

I caught up with our new SD legislators. "It’s been a long time coming," Joel Anderson told me, slightly taken aback that his college roommate was now putting him on the record for the FlashReport. "We’ve been working on this for two years — it’s great to be able to celebrate with family and friends."

Yadda, yadda. Okay, Joel, now say something that I don’t expect every other freshman up here to regurgitate. Like, what’s your first piece of legislation?

OK, that did it, then he gets the twinkle in his eye. Anderson wants to pursue adequate funding for San Diego’s traffic management system, which apparently doesn’t address traffic congestion on a 7-24 basis, unlike four other SoCal counties. I wouldn’t necessarily call that meat and potatoes legislation, but it… Read More

As many FR readers already know, I am a candidate for Vice-Chairman, South, of the California Republican Party. The election will be on February 12th in Sacramento, and I will be campaigning hard all of the way until ‘election day’ at the GOP Convention. I am humbled to enjoy a tremendous amount of support from throughout the Southern Region (Riverside, Orange, San Diego, and Imperial Counties). I thought I would highlight three prominent endorsers of my campaign who are more ‘statewide’ than regional figures in California Republican politics:

"Jon’s acumen and understanding of the business of politics makes him my choice for Vice Chairman, South, of the California Republican Party." – State Senator Tom McClintock… Read More

I’m in Sacramento for the swearing in. The night before was a big dinner. A couple of interesting items. First, Freshman Assemblyman Joel Anderson invited everyone to a party after the dinner. It was attended by Assembly members Villines (the new GOP leader), Martin Garrick,Jean Fuller, Paul Cook and Senators Wyland and Battin. It was so popular the the Sheraton shut it down!

My big question is this. Jon Fleischman sends us bloggers an email explaining that he needs our help, because he is going on vacation for his B-day etc… Imagine my surprise when I run into his wife Maureen at the dinner. Turnout she is the new District Director for Assemblyman Mike Duvall. I guess someone has to pay the credit card bills from Hawaii.

[Publisher’s Statement: "I am very excited about Mike Duvall’s selection of Maureen for a prominent role on his staff. She will do a great job for… Read More

Right now, 100 newly elected (or re-elected) legislators are being sworn into their terms in the State Legislature. This is a good opportunity to provide some "unspin" to counter what we have been reading lately about legislative Republicans and the upcoming session…

There have been several efforts in the last few weeks my the main stream media (including some of the more well read columnists) to frame the election of Mike Villines as Assembly Republican Leader as some sort of ‘lurch to the right’ by Republicans, and a rejection of any notion of bi-partisan cooperation in the State Capitol. Let us remember that the Republican Party’s major tenants are a commitment to limited government, local control and individual responsibility. It should not come as a shock to any political pundits that Republicans in the State Legislature are very concerned about the growth in the size and scope of state government. Despite the dismal performance of our Republican majorities in Congress where spending increasing steadily under their watch, the vast majority of Republicans, especially when time is taken to explain how their tax… Read More

Last Friday, at financier Doug Brown’s Manhattan Beach ocean view home, Sen. Sam Brownback announced that he would open his Presidential Exploratory Committee today. The Senator pointed out that in politics " anything " can happen. Given, that conservative Sen. George Allen is no longer, in less than a month, proves the point.

Explaining how he would succeed, Brownback (pictured to the right) pointed out the obvious. It’s all about Iowa. Kansas which shares a long geographical border also share common political instincts. The nature of that Primary demands intense retail politics. Brownback has nurtured his contacts there since he was elected to Congress in 1994. The Senator correctly believes that if he shows well in the Iowa primary his campaign could ignite nationally.

Sen. Rick Santorum help convert Sam Brownback into Roman Catholicism in 2002. As such it was no surprise seeing several prominent Catholic leaders.… Read More

Today is swearing in day for the new Legislature. The 2006-08 session officially begins today.

For me, it is a strange time. Since 1992, I have showed up on the first Monday of December in each even numbered year, raised my right hand, and swore to defend the United States Constitution and the Constitution of the State of California against all enemies foreign and domestic. I then spent the next two years defending those Constitutions against the domestic enemies who were elected to the California Legislature. That duty now falls to the new Legislators.

When I first joined the Legislature in 1992, there were 48 Democrats and 32 Republicans in the Assembly and 26 Democrats and 14 Republicans in the Senate. Today, there are 48 Democrats and 32 Republicans in the Assembly, and 25 Democrats and 15 Republicans in the Senate. The Senate never had more than 17 Republicans in the Senate, but the Assembly had 41 Republicans after the 1994 election. After those Republicans were sold out by Paul Horcher, Doris Allen and Brian Setencich, they finally solidified their majority by January, 1966. We lost that majority in November 1996.

In fact,… Read More

Today is swearing in day for the new Legislature. The 2006-08 session officially begins today.

For me, it is a strange time. Since 1992, I have showed up on the first Monday of December in each even numbered year, raised my right hand, and swore to defend the United States Constitution and the Constitution of the State of California against all enemies foreign and domestic. I then spent the next two years defending those Constitutions against the domestic enemies who were elected to the California Legislature. That duty now falls to the new Legislators.

When I first joined the Legislature in 1992, there were 48 Democrats and 32 Republicans in the Assembly and 26 Democrats and 14 Republicans in the Senate. Today, there are 48 Democrats and 32 Republicans in the Assembly, and 25 Democrats and 15 Republicans in the Senate. The Senate never had more than 17 Republicans in the Senate, but the Assembly had 41 Republicans after the 1994 election. After those Republicans were sold out by Paul Horcher, Doris Allen and Brian Setencich, they finally solidified their majority by January, 1966. We lost that majority in November 1996.… Read More