I worked in law enforcement for 33 years, 31 of those with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. During that time, advances in technology, techniques and tactics have helped us reduce crime in LA and around the state by dramatic numbers. But public safety policy is too often determined strictly by political or budgetary pressures, rather than what is best to help protect citizens.

The most recent example of this is so-called ‘Realignment’, created by the Legislature and Governor Brown through AB109 to shift much of the burden for prisoners off the state and back to the counties. In purely literal terms, AB109 has done what it promised – it has moved inmates, and their associated costs, out of state prisons and into county jails.

The Los Angeles County jail system is the most complex and dangerous jail system in the country and realignment has only exacerbated the issues we see today. First, county jails are only meant to house inmates for 365 days, one year, for a variety of reasons from petty crimes, those awaiting trial, or those waiting for transfer to a state institution.

But now, rather than housing prisoners for a year, we have… Read More

Another anti-plastic bag bill is making its way through the Legislature – but this one holds far more garbage than its 13 predecessors — all of which I have been writing about since 2007.

SB 270 would ban recyclable plastic retail shopping bags and allow supermarkets and grocers to charge a minimum of 10 cents each for paper and thicker plastic bags.

The… Read More

As reported by investigative journalist John Hrabe, conservative gubernatorial candidate Tim Donnelly has accepted money from public safety unions in his legislative campaigns. His support from unions wasn’t a momentary lapse in judgement. As cited in Hrabe’s reports, his past candidacies have also benefited from independent expenditure campaigns funded by public sector unions. To not report Donnelly’s actions here would be negligent. But Donnelly’s not alone.

An assembly candidate from Orange County, conservative Keith Curry,recently lost the endorsement of the conservative Orange County Lincoln Clubfor accepting a donation from theOrange County Firefighters Union. Apart from the Orange County Lincoln Club’s dramatic decision to hold Curry accountable, none of this is news. While public sector unions virtually control the Democratic party in California through campaign contributions and lobbying, public safety unions spread their money around to… Read More

The Governor is on the right track in proposing a budget that has no new taxes, contains ongoing expenses, pays down debt and begins to address the state’s growing pension costs.

I just wish the Governor would repeal the fire tax and stop the bullet train.

In addition, California continues to rank as the worst state to do business in an annual survey of business leaders.

The next test for the Governor will be how he deals with legislators who want to raise taxes and spend billions more. Will he hold the line?… Read More

Since the early 1960’s the Orange County Lincoln Club has been a major player in local, state and national politics. Since it’s beginnings, launched under the leadership of iconic Orange County business pioneers like Walter Knott, the founder of Knott’s Berry Farm, Si Flour of the Flour Corporation and Arnold Beckman of Beckman Instruments, the Club has been an a key influencer in California politics. The Club played key roles in the successful candidacies of Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan, Pete Wilson, George Deukmejian, the recall of Gray Davis and the subsequent election of Arnold Schwarzenegger. John Wayne was a member — need I say more?

The point I am trying to convey is that the Lincoln Club, with it’s storied history, and track record of targeted but meaningful political engagement, is a big deal in Orange County. So it was not a small thing when this group, which has a history of generally avoiding involvement in Republican on Republican primary races, a couple of months ago endorsed Newport Beach City Councilman Keith Curry for the State Assembly in District 74. And it’s a big deal that last week by a unanimous vote the group revoked their endorsement… Read More

Mention the words “Common Core” in any crowd, and you are sure to get a reaction.

Common Core is the federal government’s plan to try to bring “the same standard” to every K-12 public school in the United States. Through the Common Core, the federal government has imposed a single teaching plan on 15,000 school districts across the country, with principles of equity at the center of its implementation.

But is the initiative really about equitable outcomes?

Parents, students and teachers are frustrated and… Read More

Today on the House floor the release by the Bureau of Reclamation of more than 70,000 acre feet of water from dams on the American and Stanislaus rivers in Northern California was highlighted by Congressman Tom McClintock (R-CA).

The water releases were made to meet environmental demands that place fish above people. These releases were made in spite of a devastating drought and dwindling water supply where the water will be desperately needed this summer.

“We cannot demand that our people scrimp and save and stretch and ration every drop of water in their parched homes, while at the same time, this government treats our remaining water supply so recklessly, so irresponsibly, and so wastefully,” noted Congressman McClintock in his remarks. “This conduct utterly destroys the credibility of government demands for stringent conservation and sacrifice by our people, and it thoroughly undermines its moral authority to make these demands.”

Full House floor remarks: Putting Fish Before People

California is suffering one of the worst droughts in its history. More than a half-million… Read More

Once again it is time for taxpayers to get a good grip on their wallets because Sacramento politicians are looking to extend the “temporary” taxes imposed by Proposition 30, approved by voters less than two years ago.

There is nothing more permanent than a temporary tax. They are as immortal as a vampire and as nearly hard to kill. Take the “temporary” tax imposed in 1898 to pay for the Spanish American War. It remained on the books until 2006 when Congress discovered that the… Read More