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

It seems to me like Senate and House Republicans in Washington, D.C., have a tremendous challenge ahead of them. If I had to give it a title, I would call it, "Mending the Credibility Gap." When you are the party in power, you have to govern. This means that you move beyond the world of rhetoric, and you actually have to enact policy. I believe that a large part of the reason why Republicans their majorities in the Senate and the House in this last election was because a lot of core Republican voters had finally stopped mustering up the support to re-elect Republicans who were long in rhetoric about limited government, but who presided over unprecedented growth in the size and scope of the federal government. According to Ed Fuelner, the President of the Heritage Foundation:

It seems to me like Senate and House Republicans in Washington, D.C., have a tremendous challenge ahead of them. If I had to give it a title, I would call it, "Mending the Credibility Gap." When you are the party in power, you have to govern. This means that you move beyond the world of rhetoric, and you actually have to enact policy. I believe that a large part of the reason why Republicans their majorities in the Senate and the House in this last election was because a lot of core Republican voters had finally stopped mustering up the support to re-elect Republicans who were long in rhetoric about limited government, but who presided over unprecedented growth in the size and scope of the federal government. According to Ed Fuelner, the President of the Heritage Foundation:

From today’s San Bernardino County Sun (missed this on the news roundup):

Discouraging words aimed at Lewis George Watson, Staff Writer Though he won re-election, November has not been kind to Rep. Jerry Lewis, R-Redlands. First, his party lost control of the House of Representatives. That meant Lewis will lose his chairmanship of the House Appropriations Committee, which made him one of the most powerful lawmakers in the nation. And now, already facing a federal… Read More

Since we are short a Central Coast correspondent, and I’ve spent some time over the last several months working races there, I thought I’d pick up some of the slack. In Ventura County ‘The Mother of All Supervisorial Battles’ between Republican Peter Foy (disclosure: Coronado Communications client) and Democrat Jim Dantona appears to be coming to close as the remaining absentee votes are counted. On Election Eve Dantona led by a 300 vote margin… a lead which has deteriorated into a 700 vote deficit with about 40,000 votes counted and a couple thousand left to count.

Mike Osborn/Ventura County Republican Party were significant winners in this brawl. As long as I can remember the Ventura County Republican Party has been at best useless. Several weeks before the November Election Mike Osborn was elected Chairman and immediately took steps to make the organization relevant. In short, he actually raised and spent money to help elect his local candidates. Chairman Osborn’s biggest victory was clearly Peter Foy, where the Party spent tens of thousands of dollars making sure the seat would be held by a Republican as opposed to a partisan… Read More

The Legislative Analyst, Elizabeth Hill, has once again issued a report where she is VERY concerned about the structural deficit of the State of California. Assembly Republican Leader Mike Villines (pictured) responded to her alarming report by saying:

The Legislative Analyst, Elizabeth Hill, has once again issued a report where she is VERY concerned about the structural deficit of the State of California. Assembly Republican Leader Mike Villines (pictured) responded to her alarming report by saying:

Though California has made progress in reducing the size and severity of our state’s fiscal problems, today’s report shows that much work remains to be done if we are to truly eliminate the deficit once and for all. With a… Read More

You will never look at a pencil the same way again. Milton, we will miss you. … Read More