First and foremost, thank you for being a ‘customer’ of the FlashReport website on California politics! While starting as an e-newsletter, it has now been almost three full months since we made the shift to being a web-based publication. The response has been overwhelming, and I just wanted to say THANK YOU on behalf of myself, and the team of folks who are contributors to the site!

THE MAIN PAGE, COMMENTARY PAGE and E-MAIL NOTICE features of this site will be DOWN until Tuesday, January 3rd. It has been an annual tradition since the FR started in 2001 for the Publisher (me) to take this time off. However, the FLASHREPORT WEBLOG WILL BE UP AND RUNNING throughout the holidays, where many of our contributors will still be posting tidbits and thoughts. I’ll be pitching in my ten cents, too.

While the main part of the site is down, we’ll be working on some changes that I hope you will enjoy. We are hopefully going to be bringing you a couple of new exciting contributors to the site, and we are also working on having all of the changes in place for 1/3 to allow for you, FR readers, to be able to post… Read More

Lest we forget…

And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed.And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city.

And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David)to be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.

And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.

And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all… Read More

A QUICK REMINDER THAT TOMORROW WILL BE THE LAST DAY THAT THE NEWS (HOME) PAGE OF THIS SITE OR THIS COMMENTARY PAGE WILL BE UPDATED UNTIL TUESDAY, JANUARY 3RD. I WILL BE TAKING A VACATION BETWEEN THE CHRISTMAS AND NEW YEARS HOLIDAYS! THE WEBLOG ON CALIFORNIA POLITICS WILL REMAIN ACTIVE DURING THIS TIME, SO BE SURE TO CHECK IN DAILY TO KEEP UP WITH OUR FR BLOG TEAM!

STATE GOP VICE CHAIRMAN CALLS FOR MCCLINTOCK ENDORSEMENT AT FEBRUARY CONVENTION This week, California Republican Party Vice Chairman and San Diego County GOP Chairman Ron Nehring sent a memo to his 57 colleagues, the Chairmen of the various County Central Committees around the state. The subject of the memo – encouraging them to all join in an effort to change the bylaws of the State GOP and grant a rare pre-primary endorsement to State Senator Tom McClintock in his bid for the Republican nomination for… Read More

In my commentary today, I talk about an effort being spearheaded by State GOP Vice-Chairman Ron Nehring to change Party rules to facilitate a pre-primary endorsement for McClintock, establishing a Schwrzenegger/ McClintock “ticket” for ’06.

In there, I said I didn’t remember whether the State GOP had already endorsed appointed Secretary of State Bruce McPherson when they endorsed the Governor for re-election.

FR contributor Mike Spence reminded me this morning that at the time, McPherson had not yet been confirmed by the State Senate. So the GOP passed a resolution urging that he be confirmed.

That isn’t to say that McPherson, Poochigian, Leslie and others might not try to get on the “pre-primary endorsement band wagon” – we’ll see how this develops!… Read More

Historically, the California Republican Assembly has opposed pre-primary partisan endorsements by the Republican Party. This opposition doesn’t change because our friends may be endorsed. Ron Nehring, the current Vice-Chairman of the State GOP has put forth a proposal that would retain the Schwarzenegger endorsement for Governor coupled with an endorsement of Tom McClintock for Lieutenant Governor.

I need to point out that while Mr. Nehring was chairing the County Chairman’s Association while they endorsed Schwarzenegger over McClintock, the CRA PAC I headed raised and spent several hundred thousands of dollars supporting McClintock in the recall. So obviously weare pro-McClintock.

The reason CRA members like McClintock is he is principled. CRA will stand on principle on this pre-primary endorsement issue as well.

Mr. Nehring travels the state telling volunteers that the party has a responsibility to register voters, walk precincts etc…

Now it looks like the party will start choosing the nominee.

In 1998, the State Party made a pre-primary endorsement of Dan Lungren for Governor. Please… Read More

You surf over 40 webpages each morning, and you are bound to miss something. I’ve always been annoyed that the Sacramento Bee carries one of their political columnists, Dan Walters, on their online politics page, but they ‘hide’ the other prominent political columnist, Dan Weintraub, over on their opinion page.

Well, today Weintraub has an excellent column that I totally missed. It will appear on the main page tomorrow, but it is definately worth a read. In it, he looks at whether the issue of reformining the abuses of the emminent domain system here in California (this is where government can take property from a private citizen over their own objection) will becom the next Proposition 13, in terms of being a rallying issue for property owners all around the state. The column takes a particular look at the efforts of State Senator Tom McClintock at putting forward a ballot measure that may appear on the ballot next year (coincidentally when McClintock himself will appear, as a… Read More

John Myers is the State Capitol Correspondent for KQED public broadcasting in northern California. Myers operates his own blog, Capitol Notes. Myers produces the Capitol Report for his radio station, and often has interesting items on his site (you can always check it via my Blog Roll above).

Today, Myers has a post concerning Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s calendar, which the Governor started making available to public scrutiny last year. Myers takes not that despite the making public of the calendar, there are a surprisingly high number of meetings that are marked ‘private’ with no details about them. Myers goes on to note:

From today’s National Journal:

Rep. Campbell Begins To Fill Staff Positions The House’s newest member, Rep. John Campbell, R-Calif., is settling in and recently filled staff positions in his Washington office. Jim Terry, Campbell’s campaign manager and spokesman, is now his chief of staff. Terry formerly worked for California Assembly Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy, and as a National Republican Campaign Committee field representative in 2002. Before that, Terry was a caseworker in the district office of Rep. Ed Royce, R-Calif. Andrew Kiefer, formerly Campbell’s legislative director in the state Senate, is now Campbell’s senior policy adviser. Campbell’s legislative director is Julie Philp, former senior legislative assistant… Read More