Today’s news brings good polling data for the Governor – a 44 to 37 lead over Phil Angelides. I have to admit the daily email from the campaign is good stuff, the messaging is solid, and the rapid response is the best I’ve seen in many years. That having been said, there is really no campaign taking place right now, and the Governor’s numbers seem to me to reflect a couple of factors: 1) no real campaign or messaging against him right now 2). collateral damage done to Angelides in his primary 3) Arnold’scozy relationship with the Democrat Speaker, Fabian Nunes, who really wants Angelides to lose so Los Angeles Mayor Antonia Villaraigosa can be Governor in 2010 4) union money and television ads against the Governor are completely non existent.

Yes, its good to be in the lead at any point in the campaign. But there is a long road ahead, and its going to be extremely tough throughout the summer and fall. The Governor is still challenged with the GOP base and not balancing the State’s budget was a missed opportunity to give conservatives some red meat over the summer months.… Read More

Welcome back from your July 4th holiday! On Monday, I returned from my outstanding three-week journey from Great Britain, just in time to celebrate our country’s 230th anniversary of throwing off the oppressive tyranny of that nasty King George III and the British! Hooray! The day after a holiday is almost as always quiet, politically, as the holiday itself. Reporters like to take time off, too, and while holidays that are closer to elections are typically exceptions to this rule, Independence Day is far from the November elections (well, to normal people who aren’t hip-deep in campaigns). Today we feature a column penned by FR friend Jon Coupal, the President of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association (pictured). Jon has given due credit to the Governor for drawing a firm line in the sand against tax and fee increases. This is an important position of the Governor, and will help to draw a sharp contrast between… Read More

Welcome back from your July 4th holiday! On Monday, I returned from my outstanding three-week journey from Great Britain, just in time to celebrate our country’s 230th anniversary of throwing off the oppressive tyranny of that nasty King George III and the British! Hooray! The day after a holiday is almost as always quiet, politically, as the holiday itself. Reporters like to take time off, too, and while holidays that are closer to elections are typically exceptions to this rule, Independence Day is far from the November elections (well, to normal people who aren’t hip-deep in campaigns). Today we feature a column penned by FR friend Jon Coupal, the President of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association (pictured). Jon has given due credit to the Governor for drawing a firm line in the sand against tax and fee increases. This is an important position of the Governor, and will help to draw a sharp contrast between… Read More

In a textbook Ken Khachigian move, the Poochigian campaign has been airing a version of it “Fictional Crime Fighter” web ad all over Oakland cable TV. From ESPN (for us World Cup addicts) to Food Network to A&E to Fox News, anyone watching local Oakland cable over the long holiday weekend had to have been asleep to have missed seeing at least one of these ads. Click here to watch the ad.

No doubt, Jerry Brown’s friends have been calling him saying, “Man, that… Read More

I may be playing ‘catch up’ for a little while, as I try to go back and catch up on things that were going on and written about during my time off – three weeks, apparently, is an enternity in the world of politics.

That said, I was looking through past issues of Capitol Weekly (a great publication, and I am not just saying that because I am a regularly featured columnist there) and in their June 29th issue, in their regular "Personnel Profile" column they did a feature on Vince Sollitto. Last March, Vince was hired by the California Chamber of Commerce as their Vice President for Media Relations and External Affairs.

While I reserve my Chamber MVP Award for the unequalled Michele Zschau (who heads up the Cal-Chamber’s political efforts), I wanted to congratulate Vince for being recognized in CapWeekly, and take an opportunity to share with FR readers that I think that, while new, Vince is already doing an outstanding job for the Chamber of Commerce.

Vince… Read More

Jerry Brown has said that he’d like to do for California what he’s done for Oakland. Well, yesterday there were two more homicides in Oakland, bringing the total for the year so far to 70 homicides. At this time last year, there were 39 homicides. With this abysmal crime-fighting record, let’s hope that in November California voters are smart enough to say, "thanks, but no thanks" to Brown and elect Sen. Chuck Poochigian as California’s next AG.… Read More

Secretary of State Bruce McPherson last week issued a press release (see attachment) listing out the ballot measures that will appear on the November ballot, along with their order and numbering. The first group, measures 1A – 1E are all part of the Infrastructure Borrowing Package (a.k.a… the ‘even though California takes in well over $100,000,000,000.00 (that’s over a hundred BILLION) a year we are going to borrow even more money rather than (gasp!) spend 5-10% of this massive budget each year on infrastructure needs’ package).

Here they are. Dan Weintraub of the SacBee lists them as well, with a bit more of a discription. Of course there is more detail in the attached release.

Prop. 1A – SCA 7 Transportation Funding Protection. Prop. 1B – SB 1266. Highway Safety, Traffic Reduction, Air Quality,… Read More

In honor of this nation’s founders, including those at Boston Harbor that rose up in defiance of the increasing tax on tea, and especially in honor of those that risked all by signing the Declaration,but also,in defiance of those seeking to tax oil, property, tobacco and businesses to death on this November ballot, a Happy Independence Day to everyone.

"Republicans believe everyday is the 4th of July, but Democrats believe everyday is April 15th."

Ronald Reagan… Read More