California is in a severe drought as the rainy season never came this year. With seventeen towns in the state in such dire straits that they may run out of water within two months, emergency measures are being taken to avoid drought ghost towns.

The House of Representatives is considering action to help deal with this emergency by considering a measure that would provide for alternative ways of protecting the Delta smelt – a fish that a federal Court has ruled must be protected even at the cost of the state’s vast food production capacity.

Even without the current crisis, California already faced a “government-imposed dust bowl” due to Endangered Species Act requirements… Read More

One week ago today State Senator Rod Wright was found guilty of eight felony counts after Los Angeles County District Attorney prosecutors made the case to a jury that Wright did not actually live in the State Senate District to which he was elected to office.

Yesterday I penned a lengthy column detailing how tragic it was that not one of 39 other State Senators had publicly committed that they would vote to remove Wright from office — this on the heels of Senate President Steinberg saying that it was his intention to let Wright stay in office at least through his sentencing in mid-March, and perhaps even beyond if Wright is not ordered to prison during his appeal (Wright is facing up to 8 years in state prison for his crimes).

Well, we now have our first two Senators who have come out in favor of removing Wright from the Senate — Senator Joel Anderson and Senator Andy Vidak. Both of the Republican legislators stated their desire to vote to remove Wright — Vidak on his Facebook page and Anderson in an email exchange we… Read More

Many Californians may not have noticed, but their wallets just avoided getting hit by a speeding car tax.

Last month, the Attorney General cleared a measure entitled the “California Road Repairs Act of 2014” to begin collecting signatures for placement on the November ballot. Backed by well-heeled transportation interests – including contractors, construction unions and the bond industry — the initiative would more than double the California car tax, known as the… Read More

Six days ago State Senator Rod Wright was found guilty by a jury of eight felony counts — some for perjury and some for voter fraud. All of the counts stem from the successful prosecuting of Wright by the Los Angeles County District Attorneys office for basically not residing in the Senate District he represents. If the judge were to “throw the book” at Wright he could spend as long as eight years in prison. In all likelihood it would be much less than that. Sentencing has been set for March 12.

The next day I published an editorial the gist of which was that if Senator Wright does not resign he must be removed by a two-thirds vote of the Senate. I was not… Read More

This Associated Press “story” about the California bill to overturn Prop 209 (the anti-“affirmative action” prop passed by the voters in 1996) is essentially the “cut and paste” version of the dishonest press release put out by proponents. The AP is no longer a press organization — it’s become largely a government “information” distribution channel. No fact checking allowed — and sadly some papers (including theSAN DIEGO U-T) too often run AP stories without even a cursory review.

Here’s what the story says: “In 1995, minority students accounted for 38 percent of high school graduates and 21 percent of those entering as University of California freshmen, Hernandez[a principal proponent of the bill]said. By 2004, they made up 45 percent of high school graduates but 18 percent of incoming UC freshmen, he said, adding the gap is growing.”

But go look at the official stats of the demographics of 2013 incoming UC freshman: … Read More

Before I say anything for the purposes of full disclosure I would like to say that I am a personal friend of the Moorlach family and work on the same floor as him at the County Hall of Administration. I also have a good relationship with Senator Walters’ staff and was a volunteer for her State Senate campaign, as an OC Young Republican board member I spent dozens of hours volunteering for her campaign. I do not know Greg Raths all that well, I’ve met him a few times and as State Vice-Chair of the Young Republicans I gave him an opportunity to speak at our last meeting at the CRP convention. Now on to the news:

A few months ago a friend of mine in Sacramento sent me a random message on facebook saying “Hey do you know who’s doing polling in CD 45?” I had no clue a poll was being conducted…and shortly after Pat Maciariello that episode dropped out of the race. So in my own head I came up with the theory it must have been Pat doing polling to check viability. Since then I always kind of wondered what the numbers looked like. Given my personal friendships with many directly involved with this race it was just something I … Read More

Are you looking for an opportunity to get more involved in the political process? Are you concerned about the State of California and want to help make a difference in determining its future? Are you graduating from college this year but unsure of your next step? Then, consider applying for one of the 2014-15 Capitol Fellows Programs.

Our state needs intelligent, determined, young conservatives who will help pave the way for a better California – a California where economic prosperity and opportunity make it the Golden State once again, instead of the state of… Read More

On February 4 at 10:00 a.m. and February 19 at 2:00 p.m. I’ll be hosting two telephone townhalls for small business owners. These free events, co-hosted by the National Federation of Independent Business, will provide specific information to small business owners on how best to avoid common tax errors.

Small businesses play a vital role in our economy, but every day owners face challenges with tax laws in the State of California. The laws can be complicated and owners can face stiff penalties and interest if deadlines and accuracy are not met. As their elected taxpayer advocate, I want to hear their concerns and answer their questions.

The telephone townhalls will inform small business owners about how to protect themselves from common tax traps such as missing records, successor liability, undercollection of tax, and invalid resale certificates. Information about these issues will help small businesses avoid making potentially costly mistakes.

If you’re a business owner or interesting in starting your own business, I encourage you to join me on one of these calls. Please register online at… Read More