Dave Cortese, a San Jose city council member who is running for mayor, is planning on declaring a "permit holiday,” which would reduce the red tape for potential new business start-ups in his city, according to the San Jose Mercury News. Cortese, the son of the former state Assemblyman Dom Cortese (Democrat-turned-Reform Party), faces a June 2006 primary election to replace current Mayor Ron Gonzales. Cortese told the paper that he was borrowing the permit holiday idea from the City of… Read More

Over the Thanksgiving holiday, I’m sure everyone enjoyed some turkey. Well, there is another turkey being talked about in Sacramento – a public policy turkey. There is a lot of talk swirling around about a potential massive infrastructure bond measure that would be of epic proportions – numbers that have been talked about range from $50 to $100 billion (how many zeroes is that? Hmmm…$100,000,000,000.00). Anyways, you can read plenty about my thoughts on this in my commentary today.

Jon Coupal, the respected President of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association has penned an exclusive column for today’s FlashReport where is eloquently lays out the reasons why such a bond measure would be poor public policy, and bad news for California taxpayer.

In all of my conversations that I have had with folks about this potential… Read More

The Cunningham situation is developing rapidly… This should hold us over until we hear from Duane…

By ELLIOT SPAGAT

The Associated Press

SAN DIEGO

Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham admitted taking $2.4 million in bribes as part of guilty pleas Monday in a case that grew from an investigation into the sale of his home to a wide-ranging conspiracy involving payments in cash, vacations and antiques.

Authorities said Cunningham steered defense contracts worth tens of millions of dollars… Read More

Like many Republicans I know, I’ve spent the last few months puzzled and concerned about all of the allegations around Congressman Randy "Duke" Cunningham. I remember meeting Duke during his first campaign for Congress, and being ‘blown-away’ by this bigger than life persona and story (as a very decorated combat flying ace). With each story that has come out, my heart has said, "Duke will show ’em! He couldn’t have done what they said!" At the same time, after each story, the voice in my head starts to say, "Hmmm. Duke is being quiet, and the case against him is getting to be so bad that even a ‘magic bullet’ theory wouldn’t explain it all." Now with the news today that Duke has resigned his seat after pleading guilty to taking millions of dollars in bribes — I have two things to say: The first:… Read More

Today I focus on attorneys. You will see some of them have political practices, others are in criminal law. All of them are OC Power Brokers.

NOTE: Many of these attorneys have been the driving force behind electing judges and the district attorney now and in the past. I don’t want to politicize the bench unnecessarily but know that these are the players who got many of our respected jurists their jobs, both appointed and elected.

Tom Malcolm. A Jones Day partner and major Republican donor he is the Dean of the OC legal community and respected by ALL.

John Ramirez. A partner at Rutan & Tucker, he is among the top land use/initiative lawyers in CA. If you need to qualify an… Read More

FR Friend and political consulant Dave Gilliard provides this useful information to readers of the FR Blog:

SPECIAL ELECTION CALENDAR 1. Gov. must call a SPECIAL GENERAL ELECTION within 14 days of vacancy. The window would be Nov. 26- to Dec.10.

2 IF the SPECIAL GENERAL ELECTION is called within 180 days of a statewide election, (after Dec. 8), it can be consolidated. It is likely the Gov. will do this in order to save money.

3. THE SPECIAL PRIMARY is eight Tuesdays before the SPECIAL GENERAL, or APRIL 11.

SO, the dates would be: PRIMARY – April 11 RUN-OFF (GENERAL)… Read More

I am predisposed to be suspicious of anyone with the power to prosecute. It is the Jeffersonian in me that questions authority and especially authority that can use the vast resources of all the Federal Government to bring hurt on those suspected of [fill in alleged heinous crime here].

It is with that vain that I question the actions of the Federal Prosecutors in the case against Rep. Duke Cunningham.

I agree that Rep. Cunningham made serious errors in judgment. His crimes were so blatant that they include "OVERT ACTS" like illegally accepting over a million dollars in loans to buy a property and so ridiculous that he allowed a defense contractor to pay a $1000-plus repair bill for his Rolls Royce!

But someone needs to call attention to the Federal Prosecutors–the so called U. S.… Read More

Courtesy of FR friend Dave Ellis, click below to read the actual Duke Cunningham plea agreement. Thanks Dave!… Read More