MOTHER’S MILK – New Column I’m pleased to announce that the FlashReport has a new featured columnist — "MOTHER." Mother is the pen-name for our new correspondence who will be bringing us regular updates on the goings-on in the world of political fundraising in California. I encourage you to read her first column today in the FlashReport. At the bottom of the column is a link in case you have insight, gossip, or little-known exploits or exploitations in California political fundraising that you want to share with Mom.

NEW PROP. 75 AD – Check it out below! Loyal FR reader Don Ringe happens to be the media consultant for the Paycheck Protection Campaign — and sent along to me a copy of the new ad they have starting today. Want to watch it? It is attached to the bottom of today’s… Read More

RANCHO CUCAMONGA — It may be Halloween, but that guy in the Arnold Schwarzenegger suitwho just left the local GOP Headquarters actually wasn’t trick-or-treating. Arnold stopped by to thank San Bernardino Countyvolunteers for their hard work and to highlight the strong role grassroots volunteers are playing in the special election. State SenatorBob Duttonand Second District County Supervisor and Central Committee Vice-Chairman Paul Biane gave the chief executive a tour of the operation. The Governor observed 45 volunteers preparing precinct kits and making phone calls to High Desert and Inland Valley voters with messages supporting the Governor’s initiatives. He showed particular interest in the precinct maps, which depict the Party’s 400 precinct captains throughout the vast, 22,000 square-mile county. He also inspected walksheets, scripts, and mail pieces. And helistened to some of the volunteers making advocacy calls on his behalf, while trying not to… Read More

Shocking news from the Schwarzenegger Administration.4 of the5 appointments announced for the Los Angeles County Superior Court are actually registered Republicans. See thepress release here.Amazing.Since the Governor has been making appointments in Los Angeles County they have been dominated by Democrats.A complaint I have made often to anyone who will listen.

Just to throw me off, the Gov did appoint a Democrat in Riverside County to the bench at the same time. I guess there aren’t any Republican attorneys in one of the fastest growing Republican areas of the state.… Read More

Why wait until the last minute? It’s time to start the post-election spin….

I don’t pretend to know who’s poll numbers are right. The Public Policy Institute and the Schwarzenegger team seem to be polling on different planets, or at least using vastly different samples and techniques. If I had to guess, though, Proposition 76, the governor’s budget reform initiative, is pretty much dead. Propositions 74 and 75, the measures on teacher tenure and paycheck protection, could go either way. And Prop 77, the redistricting initiative, looks like a long shot but is still pretty much of a wild card, given the cross-partisan nature of its support.

Mike Murphy, the governor’s lead consultant, has been quoted saying that passing just one of the four of the initiatives would be a victory for Schwarzenegger. That doesn’t sound like a campaign that’s confident of winning three or four of them. But for the most part, Murphy’s probably right.

Passing teacher tenure reform but losing the other three would be a very thin reed on which Arnold could claim success: it wouldn’t be a believable claim… Read More

Last timeI wrote about the confusion wrought by conflicting press releases, endorsements and dinner invites involving conservative assemblyman Ray Haynes and candidates for the 77th Assembly District. Joel Anderson and Debbie Beyer.

I have heard from both campaigns and from Ray Haynes. Here was Ray’s response:

I dual-endorsed because I am tired of conservatives eating each other alive, and trying to use the endorsement wars to accomplish that. Both are great conservatives, both should work out who should run. My endorsement shouldn’t determine that outcome.

As for the fundraiser, Debbie didn’t ask me before she used my name, but since I did endorse, I didn’t complain

Good Enough?… Read More

My brother, Rick, and I are here in the Santa Ynez Valley, enjoying some wine tasting here in God’s Country. Yesterday we stopped into the Firestone Winery for some tasting. I thought it would also be fun to rub his considerably-left-of-center nose in all of Brooks Firestone’s GOP paraphernalia that usually adorns the walls. Alas, due to an imminent remodel on the tasting room, all of the Republican goodies have been put away. Like a good red-meat-eating conservative I ponied up to the tasting bar for some Cabernet Sauvignon. Um…. No. There is NO Cabernet there (Nor any Pinot Noir, for that matter). BROOKS FIRESTONE: MODERATE WINE AND POLITICS I couldn’t help but think to myself — "Of course Brooks doesn’t make Cabernet — a bold, decisive wine — there is nothing bold… Read More

Anyone that pays scant attention to politics still knows that immigration is percolating below the surface – even in non-border states. The influx of illegal immigrants, particularly post-9/11, has frustrated Americans of every political party and polling shows that there is very little daylight among Republicans, Democrats, and Independents on the issue.

A great indicator of how powerful this issue has become was the Democrat governors of Arizona and New Mexico declaring a state of emergency in their states about illegal immigration while the Democrat Speaker of the California Assembly urged Governor Schwarzenegger to follow suit. Since 1994’s Proposition 187, Democrats have used immigration to demagogue – and it says something that they are now using for their own political benefit.

The challenge however is what to do. Since Prop. 187, little has been done on the issue at the federal or state level and President Bush failed miserably in his proposal which is… Read More

Saturday’s column by Fresno Bee political writer John Ellis chronicles a fundraising letter sent by the campaign of Congressman George Radanovich expressing concern about a potential Democrat challenger in 2006, T.J. Cox. The fundraising letter, which I also received, suggests that Mr.. Cox will spend $1 million of his own money to defeat Radanovich and that this will be matched by "ultra liberal" Nancy Pelosi, for a total of $2 million.

Now, let me tell you what is really going on here. One of the major casualties of redistricting, as you all know, is competitive elections. It seems that all of these incumbents are having trouble raising in their Districts, precisely because donors know how safe the Districts are. I, for example, don’t give to ANY legislative candidates seeking a safe seat unless that candidate is in a contested primary. So, in order to create a sense of urgency, fundraising… Read More