In the race for vice chairman south of the California Republican Party, this evening Jon Fleischman got the endorsement of his own Central Committee.

Both candidates for the post were given a chance to speak to the November meeting of the OCGOP. Fleischman took more than the two thirds of the vote necessary.

Congratulations Jon.… Read More

The Governor has promised to work to remove health care mandates as a means of reducing health care costs to consumers. A good idea–can he really accomplish it?

The Dems are committed to those mandates, passing them while Gray Davis was governor. During the early part of his time, Gray Davis signed approximately 20 of those mandates, including a mandate that allmental health services be covered and a mandate that insurance companies pay for a two day stay for a mother after the birth of a child (even if the stay was not necessary). These mandates increased the cost of health insurance by around forty percent between 1998 and 2002. At least one study has said that, for each one percent increase in premiums, 400,000 people nationally lose their health insurance. Since California has ten percent of the national employment, that number is approximately 40,000, that is, an estimated 1.6 million people lost their health insurance since 1998 as a result of insurance mandates imposed by the legislature. Since we know that the number of uninsured Californians has increased by about 2 millionsince 1998, we can safely say that the legislature has had more to… Read More

Where the heck is McGonigle Canyon?… Not many in SD had heard of this spot a couple of weeks ago, until reports that hundreds of illegals had turned it into a shanty-town, complete with no running water, basic toilet facilities (read: the ground), and even visiting prostitutes. Apparently, local officials have been ignoring it for some time, and the owners of the property have been turning a blind eye as well. A local official was even heard to say, "It’s private property, there’s nothing we can do about it."

Excuse me? Local government can’t do anything about health and safety violations, probable vermin, illegal encampments, sub-standard "housing," prostitution…need I say more? Since when did local bureaucrats become Libertarians?

Apparently, in a politically correct world, anything goes.

Well,… Read More

I’m in San Francisco for the weekend. I ran into FR friend Jim Dimartini from Stanislaus County (he’s on the Board of Supervisors there) in front of the Ghiraradelli Chocolate Ice Cream Parlor in Fishermens Wharf.

He shared with me that everyone “back home” is waiting on remaining ballots to be counted to see who will win a seat on the Board of Supervisors there – two Republicans battled it out and less than 30 votes separate the candidates…

With the growing numbers of absentee voters, unless Registrars of Voters around the state significantly beef up operations, this kind of waiting in close races will be the norm…… Read More

According to the Sec of State website, the SD 34 was updated Saturday at 5:15 to show that Lou Correa added a few more votes to his lead over Lynn Daucher. Up from 783 to, now, 821.

Lou 55234 Lynn 54413 lead821

Otto Bade 899… Read More

Opportunity knocks for the “Reborn Conservatism” touted by Minority Leader John Boehner and his Whip Roy Blunt. There are huge appropriations bills coming up in a lame-duck session before the majority transitions into the minority.

Here’s a grading scale: A: The Appropriations are weeded through, eliminating programs that reflect a fat, bloaded bureaucracy – and all 12,000 or so earmarks are removed.

GRADE: B minus — 12,000 or so earmarks removed, but much fat still in Appropriations bills.

GRADE: D — Republicans pass the buck, pass resolutions to keep the government open, and let the new Democrat Majority deal with it. This would mean failing to use the opportunity to prove their new rhetoric.

GRADE: F — Republicans are all talk and approve the massive spending packages that include the earmarks.

The significance of an A grade, or even the B- are important. You see, one of the major underlying factors that has led the GOP to growing government has been the influnce of the lobbyists (called “K Street” because so many lobbyist have offices there). Each of those thousands of… Read More

Senator Ackerman sent me the latest numbers, not so good for Reps. Lou has pulled out to a 783 vote lead, a little less than the Otto Bade write-in number of yesterday, 800+ votes. These seem to be all provisional day-of ballots. If they were still the absentees it would be better. 55147-54364, advantage Lou.… Read More

That’s right. The tax increases are coming! A while back a reporter asked me if I feared an Angelides tax increase. I told him I didn’t, because Republicans would block, like we did during the Gray Davis years. I feared an increase from the Governor, because he might get some GOP votes for it. See the interview here.

I know you didn’t see it in the advertising for the bonds but with the State 5 Billion in debt (This is without lots of bad things like prison reform, pensions etc.. not figured in), that fear is reality.I have now confirmed that the governor’s office is considering tax increases. Specifically, I have heard these at least in play. A taxon satellite and cable television and radio and TV advertising. I assume that is the tip if the iceberg.

If you see some GOP legislators. Grabthe and tell them they have to vote no. That is the only thing that may stop these increases

I hope the governor proposes to tax retroactively all the advertisements that ended just a couple of weeks ago… Read More