Some random thoughts to start off the weekend:

There was an article in Capitol Weekly this week in which Lt. Governor Cruz Bustamante was whining about something the Governor did or didn’t do. I so don’t care about what he says that I didn’t even link to it. There is a Supervisor in San Bernardino County named Jim Harnsberger. He is always in trouble for the lamest things. He reminds me of the character Pig Pen in the Peanuts comic strips. I was genuinely surprised this week that Senator John Kerry, after making a campaign appearance for Francine Busby in San Diego, didn’t swing by the Stockton area and make an appearance for another big supporter of his, “Republican” Pete McCloskey who is challenging conservative Rep. Richard Pombo. Apparently, in California you can get the death penalty if you rape a girl, and then kill her. … Read More

The fact that the Democrats are even contemplating a competitive November election season is more a statement about Republican leadership than anything. We KNOW the Democrats have zero agenda. Yet, they might win some seats in the House and Senate this fall. Why? Representatives likeJerry Lewis, who evidently doesn’t get back home much to listen to the people, don’t understand the conservative malaise they have caused. In my column for the Lincoln Club almost 15 months ago I outline exactly what issues threaten the Republican Majority. Congressmen Lewis’ response to the Wall Street Journal editorial is not an encouraging sign.

The federal budget is now over $2.7 trillion – from just over $1.2 trillion when the "revolution" started in 1995 under Newt Gingrich. Any Republican Member of Congress defending that record doesn’t deserve reelection.… Read More

I have spent the last few days at the Orange County Registrar of Voters as a member of the Harkey team monitoring the vote count.

You will hear more about this count and recount from others and from me later. But it is worth noting now, that I have a new appreciation for the ‘government bureaucrat‘. I have known OC Registrar Neal Kelley as a competent and fair Registrar but we generally don’t work with the people that work throughout the office on a regular basis.

These last few days I have found them to be just as knowledgeable and just as fair. That doesn’t mean they have bent over backwards for either the Harkey or Harman campaigns, they have just responded to our requests and been generally pleasant.

If you think I am just kissing up–believe me, if there was something askew to report, I would post it!… Read More

If you rent a old movie or two there is bound to be a western where the town is controlled by a rancher or mining company. People have to rent from them and the town is controlled in every way by the company in charge. Well, in LA county there is such a place. It’s called Vernon. Vernon hasn’t had an election in over 20 years. The mayor’s grandfather was on eof the founders. By the way the mayor is a Republican and so are two other council members. Most homes are owned by the city.

Vernon was founded as an industrial town and has fewer voters than a normal precinct. It sports 60 cops and is home to Farmer John. They have their own ultities and most important have about $100 million in various investments they control.

In a city this size a sudden influx of peope could change who controls power. That happened a few months ago. The interlopers may be asscoiated with the convicted Treasurer of South Gate, Albert Robles. Albert went to UCLA with me. In Fact we ran against each other for a slot on the student body council. The Bruin Democrats endorsed ME!. Get the idea.

As a result there have been evictions, lawsuits and the… Read More

Today’s Bee profiles the Valley Taxpayer’s Coalition and three of its leaders. Former Fresno City Council members Chris Mathys and Ken Steitz form the nucleus of this group, with the assistance of former City Manager and current Lincoln Club of Fresno County officer Jeff Reid. Reid is the policy guy, and no one read more and understands better the quagmire of government information than he.

Actually, this is my favorite "thing" about the taxpayer groups. They actually read legislation and fine print and when they point out the details it makes people crazy.

That having been said, I don’t support all of their viewpoints. But they are a critical counterweight to those in local and county government that would tax and spend without a thought, and an even better counterweight to business men and women that get a little wild on the spending side as well, with government money, of course.

So, let’s not be afraid of or hold taxpayer groups in contempt. We… Read More

As devoted FR readers know, elections took place in areas outside San Diego and Orange counties. You can see a previous post on Arcadia here.

The big city to have municipal election was Long Beach. The three-term Mayor Beverly O’Neil is retiring. There will be a runoff between SCE Exec Bob Foster and Councilman Frank Colonna. Colonna is a registered Republican. He has a steep hill to climb. Foster got 48.5% of the vote.The flasher cop cameup very short..See my post here. In the hotly contested city auditor’s race Laura Dowd was successful in paying back incumbent Gary Burroughs. You can see my last post on that here.

Finally there are a couple elections too close to call still. See here. Will the Long… Read More

There are two leading Democrats running for the 18th Assembly district: Bill MCCammon, the Alameda County Fire Chief, and Mary Hayashi, the former director of the California chapter of the American Public Health Association and a major advocate of Prop. 63.

According to the Oakland Tribune, carpetbagging may be issue in this race.

It seems that Hayashi and her husband have spent a little time district shopping. After living in Sacramento, the couple moved to Castro Valley in 2001 and Dennis Hayashi, a civil rights advocate/attorney and former Clinton appointee, ran for the 20th Assembly District in 2004. After losing, the couple relocated to a part of the Castro Valley that was in the 18th district and Mary Hayashi filed for as a candidate for the 18th.

McCammon, on the other hand, is a life-long resident of Alameda County. McCammon counts Senate President Don Perata as a key supporter, while Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez appointed Hayashi to her post on the Board of Registered Nursing. Both… Read More

Tonight, Republican activists and donors from all around San Diego County will cozy up at the Kona Kai resort at Shelter Island for the County GOP’s annual Lincoln-Reagan Dinner (if you know local party boss Ron Nehring, it’s not hard to understand how his hero, Ronald Reagan, got equal billing on the marquis on this annual event). There will be a "who’s who" of the Republican scene on hand with Senate Republican Leader Dick Ackerman, incoming Assembly Republican leader George Plescia, San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders and a host of statewide Republican candidates all coming to support their party, and hear from keynote speaker Jim Gilmore, the former Republican Governor of Virginia and also a former Chairman of the Republican National Committee. But it won’t be Gilmore that is the star attraction at this event tonight, nor Ackerman or Plescia, or even my buddy Ron Nehring. No, tonight is going to be all about Brian Bilbray and Eric Roach. As you have all read, Bilbray appears to have eked out a narrow victory in a crowded field for the honor of being the lone GOP contender on the ballot against liberal Democrat… Read More