Some rumblings and grumbling, as the President’s visit to Stanford is a few hours away.

1) Good article in this morning’s Chronicle _http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/04/21/BUGGKICDG41.DTL_ (http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/04/21/BUGGKICDG41.DTL) on the various tech programs floating around in Congress. Watch and see if Reeps and Dems can come together and hammer out a deal that includes more federal spending for math and science, visas for foreign tech workers, and making permanent the federal R&D tax credit.

2) Such a deal underscores an urgent White House need: the President calling a meeting with congressional leaders and delivering a lecture that falls somewhere between Robert DeNiro swinging a baseball bat Moe Howard slapping around Larry and Curly. The clock’s ticking at the both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue to get something before the midterm elections and the topic’s are stacking up: tax cuts, immigration reform. The President shouldn’t let tech fall between the cracks.

3) The President is at Cisco in a short while. Last month, Treasury… Read More

I would rather not report outside my assigned San Diego bailiwick, but there appears to be a news blackout from my OC peers (both in the FlashReport and OCBlog) in re the Harkey – Harman race and the ongoing hand recount requested by the Harkey campaign. Why the blackout from both very connected news sources, I can’t imagine – the coverage up until the morning after the election was blow by blow – down to the republishing of press releases, website foibles, mail, and chamber of commerce straw polls.

Both camps have been camped at the OC Registrar of Voters for a week and a half now. As of this morning approximately 75% of the Election Day ballots have been recounted by hand. That’s about 20% of the total votes. Harkey won on Election Day, so if she were going to pick up some votes, this would be the place. Her campaign challenged some 46 ballots, which were reviewed this morning by the Registrar of Voters. Not one of the Harkey campaign’s challenge to any ballot was upheld. Not one. You see, OC isn’t Kansas City under Pendergast, and it isn’t Tammany Hall under Tweed. The Orange County Registrar of Voters is fair,… Read More

Jessica’s Law co-authors Senator George Runner and Assemblywoman Sharon Runner (R-Lancaster) today joined San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors Chairman Bill Postmus (pictured speaking) and Fourth District Supervisor Gary Ovitt, both Statewide Co-Chairs of the initiative effort, at a kick-off event for a Child Safety Task Force comprised of government leaders from throughout the county. The Task Force will begin planning for local implementation of the initiative should it be approved in November.

The guest of honor at the event was Mark Lunsford (pictured in baseball cap), father of nine-year-old Jessica Lunsford, for whom Jessica’s Law is named. Jessica was sexually assaulted and murdered last year by a convicted sex offender in Florida.

A key provision of Jessica’s Law would prohibit registered sex offenders from living within 2,000 feet of places where children congregate or assemble. Specific locations identified in the initiative include schools and parks. However, at the discretion of local governments,… Read More

Just when folks thought the recall of the pro Wal-Mart was finally over the Ninth Circuit may decide in one way to bring it out. As FR readers recall (get it?) the a panel had ruled the recall petitions needed to be in various languages. A judge then stopped the recall election from taking place using this case has his reason. This casemay also effect initiatives. See last post on this hereand you can see FR’s own political law expert Mike Houston’s take here. Now that case is going to be heard by an en banc panel off 11 judges. See the article here.… Read More

The following from Ken Moser, a perfect voter in CD 50. This, of course, addresses nothing about the quaility of the pieces or the mail universe, but it does (except perhaps for Kaloogian) reflect somewhat of a correlation between the numberof pieces and outcomes….that’s probably a "DUH," but it is interesting to see the numbers:

I just went through the pile of mail I had gotten for the election to do a count and here it is:

Bilbray – 20 pieces of which two were in letter format one of which was from Mayor Sanders

Roach – 19 pieces of which six were in letter format two from his wife and one from former Congressman Packard

Uke – 10 pieces of which two were in letter format

Morrow – 9 pieces of which two were repeats of the same mailer and one letter format from his mom

Kaloogian – 4 pieces

Hauf – 4 pieces

Earnest – 3 pieces

CRA – 3 pieces hitting Bilbray

NRP – 1 piece asking GOP voters to… Read More

**While the main page today has been Guest-Edited by Nicholas Romero, the FlashReport is pleased to welcome as today’s Guest Commentary Author Adam Probolsky. A regular FR contributor as an Orange County correspondent for the FR Weblog, Adam is penning today’s Commentary as Jon Fleischman, the site’s publisher and regular author of this column, is out of town.**

In today’s news… Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials conducted raids throughout the country rounding up 1,187 illegal aliens from the workplace including two locations in CA (Bakersfield and San Bernardino). The announcement yesterday was hailed by some and condemned by others.

I am unimpressed.… Read More

Earlier this morning, the Orange County Republican Party hosted a small reception honoring Congressman John Doolittle in the spacious office of County GOP Chairman Scott Baugh in Irvine. Congressman Doolittle and his wife, Julie, were given a hearty welcome from Orange Countians. The caliber of some of the attendees is apparent in this photo (from left to right: Scott Baugh, Julie Doolittle, Congressman John Doolittle, California Republican Party Treasurer Keith Carlson, Young Republican Federation of California President Matthew Harper, and FR’s own Orange County Correspondent Adam Probolsky).

Doolittle was introduced by Chairman Baugh (Doolittle is pictured below speaking, with Baugh in the background) and yours truly. The Congressman spoke for about fifteen minutes and then took Q&A. It was a treat to hear him speak — this is one fine, conservative… Read More

Are you part of the small private meeting with the President?

LOL – probably not. But find out more details about the President’s itinerary for his California swing on the SF Chronicle’s Politics Blogsite — Carla Marinucci, of course, has ALL of the details…

Ironically, I will be very close to the President twice on his visit. The first time is in the Napa Valley where I’ll be vacationing, and really just hope his motorcade doesn’t mess up traffic-flow. The other time is Monday morning in Irvine (my home town) where he will hold an event and discuss immigration policy. That event I would like to attend, and share with FR readers about my experience. I’ve e-mailed a friend at the Orange County Business Council (who are ‘hosting’ the event) and I’ve emailed a friend who works for the White House. We’ll see if I can get an ‘assist’ from the home… Read More