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

Dan Walters is right, the clock is ticking, and Phil Angelides doesn’t appear to have a rabbit he can pull out of a hat to make thiselection close. Stunningly, he doesn’t even appear to have a campaign anywhere, erasing from memory the Gubernatorial campaign of Dan Lungren in 1998 as the worst statewide effort in history.

Angelides incompetence has allowed the Governor to ignore conservatives, sign offensive legislation and occupy the entire center left spectrum – leaving only room to his right, where Angelides cannot tread. Union contracts have been signed, education is fully funded, the State is running billions in deficits, the minimum wage is being increased, greenhouse gas bills are being signed, transvestites have new rights in the workplace and billions more in borrowing are on the November ballot. The only antidote to this is conservatism, and it is nowhere to be found in the choice for Governor.

With the signing of the bill handing Los Angeles Mayor Villaraigosa control of LA unified the Mayor’s silence is all but assured this fall – offering only the "headfake" level of support for his fellow… Read More

Remember Steve Westly? Well just as the memory of his failed bid for governor is fading, he has announced he has a new PAC according to Kate Folmer at the Mercury News.

The stated goal of Mr. Westly’s new personal political sandbox is to help elect Iranian, LGBT and business community candidates. See for yourself. Isn’t it GLBT Steve or did you purposefully want to highlight the ‘L’ over the ‘G’?

Westly also says that one of his target races is the only real competitive state senate seat where he will be supporting Lou Correa in the 34th District in Orange County.

GOP Assemblywoman Lynn Daucher who is performing remarkably well so far in her bid for the 34th Senate Seat against Correa ought to take notice of Wesley’s intentions and perhaps try to unite Republican voters rather than divide them as she headlines in the battle of Rep. v. Dem in November.… Read More

The Governor’s Veto of SB 815 today, which would have rolled back a significant source of savings in the Workers’ Compensation system, was a necessary veto to preserve the economic gains made in his historic signing of SB 899 in 2004. SB 899 is the Governor’s (and Chuck Poochigian’s) greatest public policy achievement to date – Workers’ Compensation reforms that have saved California businesses over $15 billion in two plus years.This can be considered the single greatest tax cut in California history, as Workers Compensation is essentially a payroll tax on employers.

It’s not just business that has saved money. State, County, Local and School Governments and Districts have also saved billions of dollars in their self funded Workers’ Compensation pools, freeing up taxpayer money for more productive purposes. I am one that has done much criticizing of this Administration, but this veto of SB 815 is time to acknowledge, again, the importance of these significant reforms.… Read More

Today in USA Today, the newspaper has a pretty hard-hitting and right-on column blistering Congress for their serious earmarking/pork addiction. Newly re-minted United States Congressman Brian Bilbray has a short column (reprinted below by Duane Dichiara as well) in which he praises the action taken late last week by the House of Representitives to start shining light on the ‘earmarking’ process:

Last week, the House of Representatives took the first step in changing the culture that has left so many Americans disillusioned with their government. With the public demanding reform, the House adopted rule changes to the practice of… Read More

Today Governor Schwarzenegger issued a joint announcement of an "Agreement on Ocean Health" with the Democratic Governors of Washington and Oregon — Governor Ted Kulongoski and Governor Chris Gregoire (lefty Gregoire won office in 2004 by 129 votes statewide over GOPer Dino Rossi).

Because of the featured column today from Congressman Richard Pombo on his DOER Act, I wanted to bring attention to one clause in this agreement that Schwarzenegger signed with these two liberal Governors: Send a joint message to the President and Congress reinforcing our opposition to oil and gas leasing, exploration, and development off our coasts. In light of the fact that the DOER legislation proposed by Congress would take California (and Oregon and Washington) out of the business of lobbying President and the Congress on this issue, and instead place the issue under the control of each state, why… Read More

You have to love the internet and the creative team over at the California Republican Party.

We all know that the major defining issue between Arnold Schwarzenegger and Phil Angelides is that Republican Schwarzenegger has made a strong a firm commitment against raising taxes or fees on Californians while Democrat Angelides has already pledged to raise over $18 billion in new taxes as Governor (and that number is probably low).

So now you have to check THIS out. There is a new perfect "mascot" for Phil Angelides!

No, mascot isn’t the correct term. What they have come up with is Phil Angelides’ alter-ego: The Tax Man!

He’s a caped crusader out there fighting "the dark forces of low taxes," as it says on his Myspace page (add him as your friend on Myspace).

This is one of those silly and fun things that pop up during… Read More

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