I am proud to be an elected member of the Orange County Republican Party Central Committee (t/y to any FR readers who helped me get re-elected last month). Tonight, as I write this, I am at the monthly OC GOP meeting, where there is a debate taking place that is soooo boring that pillows should be issued to attendees.

The issue? It’s obscure – but has to do with whether or not the Alternate appointed by an Ex-Officio Member (in this case a State Senator) had the right to pull a candidate for office off of the Endorsement consent calendar. (The OC GOP like many other County Committees endorses in local non-partisan races.)

Chairman Scott Baugh ruled that the Alternate could vote. His ruling was challenged, sending a group of about 200 people into a unique form of hell – with pro and con speeches, etc., etc. Ultimately Baugh’s ruling was upheld.

Why am I sharing this with you? Oh, that’s simple. Misery deserves company.

My two final observations: Scott Baugh is a great Chairman who volunteers his time despite sometimes challenging times. The other is that FR blogger Adam Probolsky was the Ex-Officio… Read More

Fifteen months after he officially began running for Governor… Almost a year since Governor Schwarzenegger proposed the legislation now known as Jessica’s Law… More than a month after law enforcement and others asked him to take a stand for California children…. More than three weeks since he himself promised to lay out an "alternative," Phil Angelides today finally came out with a position on Jessica’s Law…

He endorsed it. (No-brainer.) Nice work for a first day on the job by Angelides’ two new Democratic operatives — Steve Maviglio and Roger Salazar — who were called in to pick up the slack left when senior advisor Bob Mulholland was benched last week.

But in typical Angelides fashion, he had to tweak his support a bit to maintain his "anti-Arnold" image. So, he criticized the state’s parole system for sex offenders. And what does he use to back up his assertion? Not info from the Governor’s Office. Not stats from the Department of Correction or any other state agency. What does he use? A… Read More

I know that many readers of the FlashReport assume that publishing this site is a full-time endeavor. Thanks to the great support team on this site, and miracles of modern technology, the FR is largely done in the wee hours of each morning (at least my part). My full time job since March of 2001 (when I left my position as Executive Director of the California Republican Party) has been as Deputy Director for Public Affairs with the Sheriff’s Department in Orange County. It’s been a great position, working closely with our great Sheriff Mike Carona.

I’m excited to share with you all that after over five years, I have decided to go out on my own, and form my own business. So starting in August, I will be opening up an office (actually I will be subletting some office space from FR friend and former Assembly Republican Leader Scott Baugh) and starting up a government relations – political – communications consulting firm! I’ll share more with you about it when I get it off of the ground in the coming weeks. I am very excited to be going out on my own!! (Of course, this will give me more time and flexibility to work on… Read More

The Truman Show?… Former Steve Peace aide Art Castaneres and lobbyist Adrian Kwiatkowski have started a new group, the Truman Association, ostensiblyas the "centrist-left" alternative to the GOP-leaning San Diego Lincoln Club. I guess these folks are fed up with the local Democratic Party being a monthly debating society, with no real power. More on this development and the ramifications later…but with apparentties to Howard Wayne and Padres owner John Moores, the group could have some clout locally. Matt Potter has the story here in the SD Reader.

Unsealing Aguirre… Speaking of the Reader, Don Bauder pens an excellent piece for the alternative tabloid this past week on the intrigue and machinations behind getting SD City Attorney Mike Aguirre’s 1989 divorce records unsealed. Bauder, formerly a columnist for the SDUT, has no problem asking the embarrassing question of… Read More

I was expecting a quiet Sunday as I spent time this morning surfing over fifty websites compiling the main page. Not so much. There’s a lot going on out in news-land today. Lots of great reading for those who like to do that with their Sunday. Let’s start first with recommending four great columns for you to read: Congressman Richard Pombo penned a piece for the Contra Costa Times on why the Endangered Species Act needs a serious facelift. This is accompanied on the main page by an article from the Sacramento Bee on this same subject. Also featured, from the Bee, are a pair of articles from the ‘dynamic duo’ of Walters and Weintraub. Both pieces take a really hard look at Governor Schwarzenegger and the kind of Governor into which he has evolved. I think you will enjoy them both. Finally, LA Weekly columnist (and prolific writer) Bill Bradley has a piece on his site today that illustrates a big challenge for Phil Angelides — if you want to raise taxes on everyone, eventually you need to get into specifics – or do you? On the ‘hard news’ side of things — the top story today is an… Read More

I was expecting a quiet Sunday as I spent time this morning surfing over fifty websites compiling the main page. Not so much. There’s a lot going on out in news-land today. Lots of great reading for those who like to do that with their Sunday. Let’s start first with recommending four great columns for you to read: Congressman Richard Pombo penned a piece for the Contra Costa Times on why the Endangered Species Act needs a serious facelift. This is accompanied on the main page by an article from the Sacramento Bee on this same subject. Also featured, from the Bee, are a pair of articles from the ‘dynamic duo’ of Walters and Weintraub. Both pieces take a really hard look at Governor Schwarzenegger and the kind of Governor into which he has evolved. I think you will enjoy them both. Finally, LA Weekly columnist (and prolific writer) Bill Bradley has a piece on his site today that illustrates a big challenge for Phil Angelides — if you want to raise taxes on everyone, eventually you need to get into specifics – or do you? On the ‘hard news’ side of things — the top story today is an… Read More

Paperwork has been filed with the Oceanside City Clerk to recall Councilwoman Esther Sanchez, no surprise to anyone watching the divided city council and the brazenness of the council majority the last few years. Read the North County Times story here.

Calling Sanchez the "power behind the throne," Lawson Chadwick is leading the recall charge, to the dismay of the San Diego Democratic Party, which is considering removing him from his seat on that body as a result. So much for the First Amendment.

Some other folks signing the initial recall paperwork include political consulting partners Jack Orr and Mary Azevedo. Last Sunday, I noted Jack’s lack of fear in challenging the Oceanside troika of Sanchez, Mayor Jim Wood, and Councilwoman Shari Mackin. He proves it here.

The recallers will need to collect at least 10,680 signatures in 160 days.

Attached below is the intent to circulate petition.… Read More

Sept 19 was the date set for the recall of two of three remaing pro- Wal-Mart council members in Rosemead. See last post on Rosemead here.However, there is an outstanding court case that may screech this to a haly again. See here. This kind of election bring out all kinds of wackiness. The targets of the recall voted to ban all outdoor smoking and ant- Wal-Mart types are looking at everything Wal-Mart is doing on the building site. See here.

Of course for me the ironic part is that the election will take place after theGrand Opening of the Wal-Mart which, could put an anti- Wal-Mart council in charge of spending the tax revenue Wal-Mart produces. Only in California.… Read More