Oakland Mayor Jerry Brown’s criticism that Sen. Chuck Poochigian is a “career politician” is laughable. When has Jerry Brown ever had a REAL job? He’s either been on the government payroll, running for office, on radio talking about government or giving speeches talking about government. The man has never gone to a business office or punched a time clock. Brown may think he knows what it is like for regular folk trying to live and work in California, but he doesn’t. He’s never had to find child care, look for the right school, talk to a child about being safe in the world or worry about their safety when they go off to college. Poochigian has raised a family in our state and understands why public safety isn’t just public policy—it’s real life to those of us trying to keep our families safe. Poochigian worked in the real… Read More

Today’s report that the unions are gearing up to spend/waste $25 million for Angelides is the best news this Republican has heard in a while.

That the unions were going to spend big was never really in question.

The question before today was where it was going to be spent.

As Jon says on the front page, $100 million might not elect Phil, so spending $25 million is really justthrowing good money after bad.

But, for Republicans – and especially conservatives – this is great news.

Had that money not gone to Angelides, it (or someamount probably nearly as large) would’ve likely gone to some combination of John Garamendi, John Chiang, and Cruz Bustamante (Debra Bowen wouldn’t have been helped much, as some of these unions have endorsed McPherson).

Dropping, say, $8 million each against McClintock, Strickland, and Poizner, each of these candidates could’ve been in real trouble.

I’m sure the unions wouldargue that a rising time raises all ships, and that helping Angelides close… Read More

The Los Angeles Times reports that Fox Home Video has created a new film division called FoxFaith. The new studio will make about a dozen films a year, half of which will be released to theaters, with the rest going directly to DVD. The studio is reported to be interested in tapping into the success Mel Gibson’s "The Passion of the Christ" by producing films that appeal to the nation’s Christian community.

On the heels of Monday’s night debut of "Studio 60 on Sunset Strip," this announcement is intriguing. Fox, and Rupert Murdoch, are targeting American Christians while the rest of Hollywood is seething with anger and hatred that these people are even allowed to exist.

I enjoyed the premiere of "Studio 60" while hating it at the same time.… Read More

[H/T to Brandon for posting this ‘proof’ of the Governor making a public appearance today with none other than State Senator Chuck Poochigian, among others, at his side. The Governor signed some legislation, co-authored by the GOP nominee for Attorney General, that cracks down on sex offenders. You can watch the video here off of the Gov’s hi-tech website. – Flash]… Read More

We’ll be devoting a LOT of space in the FlashReport between now and election day on why the big bond measures on the November ballot should be rejected by voters.

Yesterday, two important organizations, the Reason Foundation and the Performance Institute, held a major press event to talk about why these bond measures are flawed. You can read plenty on why by going here.

Here is an AP article that ran after the Reason/PI press event:

UNIONS HAVE ONE MAIN FOCUS – MORE GOODIES FOR THEIR MEMBERS I am very pleased for my friend Bruce McPherson that his campaign yesterday was able to trumpet the endorsement of the California Professional Firefighters in his first election to the position of Secretary of State (he is the appointed incumbent, so this is his first run for the office – though he did run statewide for Lieutenant Governor last go-around). It is a good endorsement to have — it is a major public employee union, and as we saw in the 2005 special election, the unions are a powerful force in politics. He also has the endorsement of the California Teachers Association. McPherson’s union endorsements gives me an opportunity to express my concern about employee… Read More

Here are the numbers from Datamar on the statewide….

Schwarzenegger, Feinstein Enjoy Comfortable Lead Propositions 1A, 1B, 1E Passing, 1C, And 1D Failing Propositions 83, 84, 85, 86, 90 Passing, 88, And 89 Failing Proposition 87 Too Close To Call San Diego – A poll released today (9/18)by Datamar Inc., shows Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, 53.6%, and U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein, 49%, each with a comfortable lead among high-propensity voters who voted in the 2002 gubernatorial primary and general elections, and the 2004 Presidential primary and general elections.

In the California Governor’s race Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger leads with 53.6%, Democratic challenger Phil Angelides trails with 31.4%. Other candidates have 11.4% of the vote, and the undecided vote stands at just 3.6%.

See it all here.… Read More

I am happy to report that the new House Republican strategy to address illegal immigration is picking up steam. Last week, the conference unveiled a series of bills focused on border security and enforcement that we will be taking up over the next few weeks. Most of these proposals were included in the broader House bill we already passed, but by breaking them up we will be able to send them to the Senate and hopefully circumvent the current stalemate with them over the guest worker issue. This strategy will take the focus off of “comprehensive” plans and force the Senate to evaluate each piece of border security for their individual merit. So far, it looks like it is working. Last week, the House passed a bill to create 700 miles of border fence. This leaves the Senate with no choice but to take up the bill, and they are expected to hold a vote later this week. In the mean time, the House is scheduled to vote on three bills focused on border security and enforcement priorities: H.R. 6089 – Combines the Dangerous Alien Detention Act and the State and Local Law … Read More