I’ve known Shawn and Michelle Steel since 1988. Both have been kind any generous to me over the years. In fact, Shawn played a key role as a mentor and a role-model for me back in my college days when I was an activist and a leader in Young Americans for Freedom, Shawn having served as State Co-Chairman of Cal-YAF with Dana Rohrabacher back in the day. This year, Michelle is running for the State Board of Equalization. She would make a fine board-member. Ironically (and inconveniently for many people, including myself) another strong conservative, Ray Haynes, is also running in the same race for BOE. I’ve known Ray since 1990 and also consider him a close friend. Ray has been in the legislature for many years, and has been a consistent voice of sanity in the liberal chaos that dominates the State Capitol.

I penned an early analysis of this Haynes/Steel donnybrook back in August of last year, and in that… Read More

For those of you who got a chuckle at Chuck DeVore’s ribbing of bill by Democratic Assemblyman Laird of Santa Cruz to mandate what kind of toilets private property owners install in their own homes, here’s a more serious afternote — five REPUBLICAN legislators voted FOR the bill.

I would invite "on the record" comment from Assemblymembers Sam Blakeslee, Lynn Daucher, Bill Emmerson, Tom Harman, and Shirley Horton.

Perhaps we can direct these folks to Republican Party’s platform that is pretty clear about where the GOP stands on private property rights. A state government mandate about the kind of toilet someone can put in their home may sound like a minor issue, but if government has a right to tell you the kind of toilet you use to force you to conserve water, then why not a law limiting the size of a home, to save on power bills? Or a law limiting the use of sharp knives in a home to limit potential injuries?

Water conservation is important. But there… Read More

Last fall, I wrote a posting for this website wondering if the Schwarzenegger campaign had put Democratic Assemblyman Paul Koretz on their payroll. Koretz had not only proposed a moratorium in the death penalty on California, but offered an explanation that was mind-boggling in its avoidance of the realities of public safety, politics and governance. His reasoning? ” “There are people who are pure as the driven snow who are on death row. ” http://www.flashreport.org/blog0a.php?postID=3D2005121413581818&post_offs etP=3D15&authID=3D2005091915380734

Schwarzenegger’s political situation has improved considerably in the last six months, and Koretz’ efforts to shore up support for the governor among GOP faithful has since been joined by the Alameda Superior Court judge who threw out the state’s high school exit exam last week. But as we all know, Republican efforts to maintain a majority in Congress have suffered some setbacks recently, as disillusioned conservatives watch federal government spending continue to spiral out of control. Added to concerns relating to illegal immigration, Iraq, gasoline prices,… Read More

Rep. McKinney is famous or rather infamous for her recent attack on a Capitol Hill Police Officer. Recently Los Angeles Councilwoman Janice Hahn may have been in a scuffle with a security guard trying to keep the lid on unruly labor union protesters. The protesters want to ruin the LAX hotel area by subjugating allhotel wokers to their union bosses whims.

While it doesn’t really rise to the craziness of the McKinney affair, it shows how pandering some council members are to unions no matter the consequences. See article here.… Read More

Publicly traded companies have certain ‘quiet periods’ when they cannot talk about their earnings and insiders can’t buy and sell stock. I am not advocating any sort of quiet period for politics but the idea does have merits for consultants like me. Here’s why:

On an average day I get asked 50 times by another consultants or voters or activists or member of the media what I think about any given candidates’ chances in the upcoming Primary Election. I am flattered that they respect my opinion and am glad to offer it when appropriate.

However, very often my opinion is mixed with hard knowledge of polling data. This often presents a dilemma for me, and other political professionals I presume. I never want to say anything bad about a client or their chances of success–even if I know they are going down in flames – I don’t want people to think I have no idea what I am talking about if I say super positive things simply in the name of loyalty.

So when you ask a political consultant how a client of is going to do – keep in mind that the answer might be more wishful thinking rather than a cold… Read More

Jill Buck is the Republican candidate for the 18th Assembly district. She is unopposed in the primary and will face either Alameda Fire Chief Bill McCammon or Mary Hayashi in the general. She sent this statement on immigration out today in an "insiders only" e-mail (I know that she considers FR readers campaign insiders, plus she said it was okay to post this!). Here’s this ex-Navy officer’s take on border control: While I was in my twenties, I gave birth to three children. Each pregnancy was more difficult than the last, and the third trimester was always a tremendous physical challenge. What does that have to do with illegal immigration? Simply this…if women who are about to give birth can cross the border illegally in order to bring a U.S. citizen into the world, then an Al Qaeda operative can cross the border illegally in order to take a U.S. citizen out of the world.… Read More

Maybe it’s just me, but I’m starting to hear more and more people—namely Democrats—complaining that the better schools in the better neighborhoods get the better, more senior teachers. Oakland City Council President Ignacio De La Fuente said it this morning in a debate he, Ron Dellums and Nancy Nadel had on the Ronn Owens show on KGO (all three are running for to replace Oakland Mayor Jerry Brown). It occurred to me that this issue might be the issue to cause a split between the Democrats in the legislature and the California Teachers Association.

There is always so much talk about “equalizing” school funding between schools, how about we “equalize” teacher experience between schools? The teachers’ union will have to stand up for the teachers with the most seniority (who you know don’t want to go teach in those yukky inner-city schools) and the Democrats will be torn between the CTA and the argument that students attending poor, inner-city schools are the ones who most need experienced teachers.… Read More

As FR readers know, there is now a vibrant primary gearing up for who will represent the former seat of "Duke" Cunningham in the next Congress. On June 6th, all voters will be asked to choose between Republican Brian Bilbray and Democrat Francine Busby in the run-off for the special election for the remaining months of Duke’s unexpired term. But GOPers only will also be able to choose their nominee to take on Francine Busby (again) this November with the announcement that conservative, wealthy businessman Bill Hauf will actively compete for the nomination.

The 50th Congressional District is home to a lot of conservative Republican voters. In the recent special election, roughly 70% of votes to GOP candidates went to conservative/reform minded candidates. Moderate former Congressman-turned-federal lobbyist Bilbray won the very crowded primary with about 15% of the total votes cast for Republicans. You can be sure that Bilbray beat out his nearest competitor, conservative businessman Eric Roach, because independent, Decline-to-State, and Democratic voters could ‘cross-over’ in the special and vote for Bilbray. It wouldn’t… Read More