**Update 11am Sunday: Turns out that after I posted this via blackberry that I quickly discovered that the outgoing DA, Grover Trask, was not on hand — which probably also explains why DA-Elect Pacheco was also not there. I did have a nice chat, though, with the County Assessor…**

I won’t steal the thunder of FR’s Riverside County Correspondent, Barry Nestande, by giving away too many details…okay maybe I might…

But Barry and I are both at the Cabazon Resort just west of Palm Springs where Riverside County GOP Chairman Jeff Miller is presiding over an amazing "Liberty Dinner" event for the county GOP.

The list of elected Republican officeholders tonight for this event that is a tribute to retiring legislators Russ Bogh, Ray Haynes and retiring District Attorney Grover Trask.

Besides Haynes and Bogh, present here tonight are their successors Kevin Jeffries and Paul Cook (the incoming DA Rod Pacheco is noticably absent), Congresswoman Mary… Read More

There is a situation brewing in the theme-park centered City of Anaheim that really deserves much more attention than it has been getting on the FlashReport. We’ll try to rectify that in the coming week, but let’s give FR readers the 30,000 foot view. Anaheim is one of Orange County’s largest cities, and is on the national map because it is the home to Walt Disney’s original theme part, Disneyland. It’s home to the Angels, the Mighty Ducks, and to former Assembly Speaker Curt Pringle, who is the city’s Republican Mayor — coasting to re-election next month. Trying to follow the politics of the Anaheim City Council isn’t too easy, and I am not really going to delve into that in this short summary. Suffice it to say that there is one candidate who is running for City Council that is being talked about not only in the coffee shops and around the water coolers of Anaheim — candidate Bill Dalati is quickly becoming a topic of conversation nationally. … Read More

Should only lawyers and judges vote on judges? That is exactly what LA’s legal newspaper the Metropolitan New-Enterprise editorialized yesterday. The paper is really mad at CRA for opposing Joyce Kennard and the GOP folks that filed the lawsuit challenging Jerry Brown’s status as a candidate for Attorney General. Eventually the editorial does criticize Democrats for "partisanship." This is their conclusion.

"All of this points to the need to revamp judicial elections in California, removing themfrompartisan political influences by restricting voting to those “admitted to practice”—that is, judges and lawyers."

Yes, that would solve the problem; The Bar Associations has never rated conservatives poorly because of a partisan bias. We should let lawyers control the laws of the land. The unlearned in law just aren’t bright enough to make such weighty decisions. Those that are practicing ambulance chasers are much more qualified to decide who should sit on… Read More

You may ask yourself, Why Measure Y? Measure Y was placed on November’s ballot in Santa Monica by the initiative process. If it passes it will make adult personal use of marijuana the lowest enforcement priority, unless the use occurs on public property or in conjunction with driving under the influence. So, puffing and driving is a no, no. Anyone taking a walk Friday night by the pier already knows that enforcement of pot laws is low. Along with vagrancy, public drinking etc…. Just don’t let your parking meter expire. Here is how one knows that this is a liberal city and not a libertarian city. While this is on ballot and may pass, the City Council voted to ban all tobacco related smoking around ATM’s movie line and mandated a 20 ft smoke free zone around non-governmental buildings. … Read More

MEMBERS OF THE CALFORNIA REPUBLICAN LAWYERS ASSOCIATION FILE SUIT AGAINST BROWN CALLING HIM UNQUALIFIED TO BE CALIFORNIA’S TOP COP (CRLA urges Brown to do the honorable thing and withdraw from AG’s race.) Yesterday members of the California Republican Lawyers Association (CRLA) filed a lawsuit in Sacramento Superior Court requesting the court to enforce California Government Code section 12503 and established Supreme Court precedents to declare Edmund Gerald "Jerry" Brown, Jr. ineligible to be California Attorney General. “Jerry Brown should do the honorable thing and withdraw from the race for Attorney General,” said Steve Baric CRLA Chairman. Baric added “Government Code section 12503 is clear no person shall be eligible for the office of the Attorney General unless he has been admitted to the California State Bar for the five years immediately prior his election.” All California attorneys must continue to fulfill their obligations to retain their admittance to practice law in California. An… Read More

Stories about Phil Angelides’ extreme micro-management leak out from time to time, and whenever they do, they really make you want to scratch your head. You want to say to yourself, "Who does that?"

I cannot miss the opportunity to share with you another vintage anecdotal story from the files of ‘Micromanager Phil’ — which was buried in a Los Angeles Times story today:

Governor Schwarzenegger stopped by the 2nd Assembly/4th Senate District with Senator Aanestad and myself on hand, as well as the City Council members of Colusa, 3 Colusa Supervisors, the Sheriff, andother local officials today to survey the progress on levee repairs. Back in April, he declared the emergency that set aside the usual red tape and years of surveys and studiesthat typically delay levee repairs and maintenance. Colusa County, along the Sacramento river about 50 miles northwest of Sacramento, contains 6 of the growing number [now at 103]of critical levee erosion sights that need immediate repair. This sight at Moon Bend [not known to be a hangout spotof your Democrat Attorney General nominee, JerryBrown] is nearing completion of its repairs, over 1/4 of a linear mile. [Here is local network television coverage… Read More

What is that sound? It is the sound of implosion.

There is no surer sign of a campaign that is in dire straights than when you start having to cancel your television media buys. With the extremely impacted general election, reserved television space is a much sought after commodity. The fact that the Cruz Bustamante for Insurance Commissioner campaign is now starting to ‘release’ rather than purchase huge chucks of time they had reserved on major stations around the state is terrible news for Bustamante and will only further depress any future ability to raise campaign funds. With just a little bit of ‘elbow grease’ research, the FlashReport can tell you that some of his media spot cancellations look like this: SACRAMENTO MARKET He’s cancelled ALL of his spots on KMAX, KOVR, KTXL, KXTV, and the week of 10/23 on KCRA.

SAN… Read More