One type of business has a special affinity for California — Asian businesses. They have substantial ethnic communities built up, and are comfortable being on a Pacific Rim state.

But oddly enough, these Asian business people seem to have an interest in maximizing profits — or at least staying in business. Of course, all California businessmen have the same desires, but not all have the bonding ties to their local ethnic communities that is common among Koreans, Vietnamese, Filipinos, Chinese and Japanese.

Retail businesses do not move easily, as they have an established customer base that won’t move with them. But other businesses that MAKE things don’t have that problem, and now other states are beckoning.

The oddest state is also perhaps the most economically attractive — Texas. Asians probably don’t relish moving to that stereotypically redneck state, far from their established roots in CA. But closer inspection reveals significant Asian populations scattered around the state.

CONSIDER THIS: Per capita, and adjusted for the cost of living, CA ranks 37th in GDP of the 50 states. Only 13 states are… Read More

Think this title evokes a strange comparison? It is no stranger than Gov. Jerry Brown’s press conference Wednesday with legislative leaders admitting defeat of a measure where they sought to cut your gas usage by half. Judge for yourself – here’s the actual quote:

“We look at the Middle East and see the desperate migrants trying to escape the hell of the Middle East wars, and are now inundating Europe,” Brown said. “We will get a foretaste of what climate change will mean, not just to Europe, but to California… mass migrations, untold suffering, rising sea levels, extreme events. Now I know that’s big, it’s not insiderism, it’s not tomorrow, but it’s… Read More

They don’t come any better than Peter Hannaford.

This week the Republican Party lost one of its giants. Peter Hannaford, a man whose long list of accomplishments included serving as a senior adviser to Ronald Reagan both in Sacramento and in Washington, has passed away.

When I decided to run for Lt. Governor of California last year, one of my first calls was to Peter Hannaford to ask him to serve as Chairman of the campaign. During the nine month undertaking, Peter demonstrated the kind of keen insight and cool strategic thinking that served him so well over the course of his career.

Born in… Read More

The California State Assembly passed the assisted suicide bill Wednesday. Itwill be heard next in the State Senate,whichhas also previously passed a prior assisted suicide bill.

The bill passed 42-33 during hours of often emotional versus rational debate… anddespite being revised during an extraordinary legislative session having nothing to do with the bill. The special session was called to address funding health care and Medi-Cal.

However, the bill passed with the help of three Republicans.

Assembly members Catharine Baker, Brian Maienschein, and… Read More

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In 1980, at age 18, I cast my first vote for President, for Ronald Reagan.

California’s 33rd Governor, and our nation’s beloved 40th President, Mr. Reagan counseled that:

“Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction… it must be fought for, protected, and handed on to the next generation.”

First principles conservatism, and the individual liberty agenda, are rooted in our nation’s founding, as moved forward by Abraham Lincoln, and Ronald Reagan, and these American ideals remain worth protecting and extending.

Since Reagan, I have supported various GOP Presidents, Governors, and Members of Congress advocating robust domestic economic growth policies, American national security interests, and more limited government.

Now, I believe the Presidential candidacy of U.S. Senator Marco Rubio offers our nation a… Read More

California’s public sector unions collect and spend well over $1.0 billion per year. When you have that much money, you can hire thousands of skilled professionals to wage campaigns, litigate, lobby, negotiate, and communicate. You can hire the best public relations firms money can buy. You can commission research studies that spin facts to support your agenda. You can silence voices of dissent, voices of reason, voices of reform, with an avalanche of misinformation. And it works.

Here, then, for what it’s worth, is a “top ten” list of some of the biggest deceptions and misleading claims made by California’s government unions.

1 – Government unions are protecting the middle class.

FALSE. Government unions are protecting government workers at the expense of the private sector middle class. The agenda of government unions is more wages and benefits for government workers, and more hiring of government workers. To adhere to this agenda, failure of government programs still constitutes success for these unions. More laws, more regulations, and more government programs equates to more unionized government workers,… Read More

It’s a dark day in California politics when a bill supporting life is killed before even being assigned to a legislative committee, and a bill pushing assisted suicide gets Republican votes.

Two California Repoublicans helped pass the revived assisted suicide bill, thereby helping Democrats fast track it.

It’s as if some have been reading from Saul Alinsky’s Rules for Radicals: “If you push a negative hard enough, it will push through and become a positive.”

What’s up is down right now in the California Legislature.

“Pick the target, freeze it, personalize it, and polarize it.” Alinsky

Following the release of several horrific videos exposing top Planned Parenthood directors negotiating to sell aborted fetus organs and tissue to the highest bidders, Assemblyman Jim… Read More

During Arnold Schwarzenegger’s first campaign for governor, one of his biggest backers, super wealthy Warren Buffet, famously said his property taxes on his Laguna Beach home were not high enough. The comment caused California homeowners to question Arnold’s bona fides as a conservative so he threatened to make Buffet do 500 sit ups for his transgression. While the controversy blew over, there seems to be no record of Buffet making a voluntary additional payment to the county tax collector to assuage his conscious.

Most California homeowners don’t have Buffet’s wealth and rightfully believe they are already paying enough to finance local services. But still, the question of just how California property taxes measure up against other states is the source of a lot of angst and disinformation. (Rumors have it that some on the far left are preoccupied with this subject as they look for opportunities to force the “evil landowning elite” to pay their “fair share.”)

For years, the curious could consult information made available by the Tax Foundation, a Washington, D.C.-based think tank whose mission is to educate taxpayers about sound tax policy and the… Read More