I see how this is going to work – it is going to be the love/hate month where it comes to Arnold Schwarzenegger and pen — whether he uses it to sign a bad bill, or uses it to veto one. I am still trying hard to discern the ideology and principles that he is applying when reviewing bills so that I can try to have an accurate anticipation of what he will do.

Assembly Bill 172 by Democrat Assemblywoman Wilma Chan of Oakland was a veto waiting to happen. This legislation clearly puts the State of California further into the business of operating preschools (you’ll recall that the voters soundly rejected an attempt by ultra-liberal Rob Reiner to pass a tax increase to do just this). As a matter of fact, this bill was an end-run around the voters who rejected that plan. The clear lesson of that rejection was that voters do not want their tax dollars going into government pre-school. But, of course, someone is trying to take as the lesson that the objection was not to the government schooling, but just to raising taxes on smokers to do it.

Anyways, about a half-dozen moderate Republicans voted for this bill — and there was an odd and… Read More

Yolo County’s strong arm tactics to takeover from private ownership the 17300 acre Conaway Ranch in eastern Yolo County has been thwarted. Eminent Domain was invoked over a yearago by the county since the owners wouldn’t sell, in order to ‘protect’ the ranch, ostensibly. The owners had been operating it as it had been for many years, as a rice farming operation and as duck clubs with much natural wildlife habitat. The owners were even awarded for their stewardship by wildlife organizations. But the county, sensingthat some of theownership, having a history of being in the development history [the horror!]may want to turn the 17300 acres into houses and strip malls, thereby the county must take the land to ‘save’ it! Never mind that about 15,000 acres is virtually undevelopable as it is so highly susceptible to flooding you would be out of your mind to try. Our helicopter ride with the Guv and Homeland Security Secretary Chertoff early this year gave me abirdseye view of the vast majority of the land under several feet of water, up next to the Sacramento River and it’s working, intact levee.

So what… Read More

I have noticed that the Governor’s campaign polling numbers have been up while he has been silent on this lidicrous "big bonds" debacle on the November ballot, where the Republican Governor and Democrat leaders want the max out the ‘credit card’ of Californians to the tune of over $40 billion — when the tragic reality is that taxpayers already pay more than enough in taxes (this year well over $100 billion) to be able to afford infrastructure investment with current dollars.

Ace San Francisco Chronicle reporter Carla Marinucci today is blogging that come the beginning of October, the Governor is going to be heating up his bi-partisan campaign for the bonds, out campaigning with Democrats Don Perata and Fabian Nunez.

This is the dumbest idea ever.

Obviously I have made it clear as to why this is a poor public policy choice, and clearly the Governor disagrees.

Put politically is is a REALLY… Read More

Every flailing political campaign has a defining moment. Michael Dukakis had his death penalty question during a debate. Howard Dean had his "Yeeaaaahhh!"

And now Phil Angelides has his fainting school girl.

This is completely symbolic of the Angelides campaign: On a day that was supposed to provide a big boost for Angelides, when Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa finally swallowed the bitter pill and endorsed the Democrat candidate for Governor, Phil Angelides got caught like a deer in the headlights and was upstaged by both Villaraigosa and San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom.

There were dozens of school kids who were pulled out of class and made to participate in the partisan political event by standing behind Angelides in camera-shot. And while he was speaking, one of the girls apparently fainted.

As television cameras rolled, Angelides stopped his speech and stood there dumbstruck while the two mayors and 2010 Democratic… Read More

Today the California Correctional Peace Officers Association endorsed Phil Angelides for Governor. This shouldn’t come as a surprise. Let’s remember that this is not a interest group focused on making the prison system better, it is a public employee union. As such, they only care about the wages and benefits and working conditions of their members. This union is notorious for the political activitism and boast that they will spend millions for the candidates they endorse.

I’m sure Arnold Schwarzenegger is shaking in his snakeskin books.

Public employee unions are a significant part of our problems in Sacramento because they only sing from one play sheet — how do we get our employees more money and more benefits, and how do we create more government jobs? For them, the solution to every problem is simple – grow the size and scope of the government. Pay us more. Give us more benefits. Hire more of us.

I’m sure we’ll be reading more about the impact of this endorsement. But one that is certainly good is that it makes it just that much easier for Governor Schwarzenegger, politically, to tell these… Read More

Today the FlashReport is announcing the "20 Worst of the Worst" bills produced by the ultra-liberal legislature. These 20 bills have been placed on Republican Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger by the Democrats, and we are calling on the Governor to veto ALL of them.

I would like to express our sincere gratitude to Republican Assemblymen Rick Keene and Chuck DeVore for doing the heavy lifting in identifying these bills, and so I would like to draw your attention to the list here.

We will be looking back at the list each day, with an eye on how the Governor is doing on our hopeful goal of a 1.000 batting average! Right now, as of this morning, he has officially vetoed one of the bills, so it at a .05 average (he has promised to veto another, and unfortunately has promised to SIGN three of the worst of the worst into law – be we will hold out hope).

Feel free to give your comments on the Worst of the Worst below!

Also, don’t miss the outrageous story today in the Los Angeles Times. Well, it isn’t really the story that is outrageous, it is the subject on which the story is focused… The use by the Angelides of a… Read More

Today the FlashReport is announcing the "20 Worst of the Worst" bills produced by the ultra-liberal legislature. These 20 bills have been placed on Republican Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger by the Democrats, and we are calling on the Governor to veto ALL of them.

I would like to express our sincere gratitude to Republican Assemblymen Rick Keene and Chuck DeVore for doing the heavy lifting in identifying these bills, and so I would like to draw your attention to the list here.

We will be looking back at the list each day, with an eye on how the Governor is doing on our hopeful goal of a 1.000 batting average! Right now, as of this morning, he has officially vetoed one of the bills, so it at a .05 average (he has promised to veto another, and unfortunately has promised to SIGN three of the worst of the worst into law – be we will hold out hope).

**There is more – click the link**

View Full Commentary… Read More

I don’t know the guy at all, but I REALLY appreciate him helping our down-ticket GOP candidates (see Jon’s posting). Am I the only one wondering why Rudy Giuliani can make it California to help out Tom McClintock, Chuck Poochigian and Tony Strickland when Arnold Schwarzenegger couldn’t find the time to appear with these guys at the state’s GOP convention last month? Maybe I’m judging the governor too harshly and after bill signing is over, he’ll come out to help our down-ticket candidates in a big way. (I’d love to see Schwarzenegger shine a little of his movie-star light on badly Jerry Brown has failed to deal with Oakland‘s crime problem and why he shouldn’t be promoted to be the state’s… Read More