The California Department of Water Resources announced this week that the Central Valley may only get five percent of the water it needs next year.

The Central Valley, the heart of California,is the state’s top agricultural producing region, often called “the nation’s salad bowl” for the great array of fruits and vegetables grown in its rich soil.

Samuel Taylor Coleridge, author of theRime of the Ancient Mariner, wasn’t thinking about California’s Central Valley when he wrote:

However, if the water resources department gets its way, the Central Valley may as well get used to this poem.

I talked with… Read More

[Publisher’s Note: We are pleased to offer this original column submitted to the FlashReport by Mark Vafiades, Chairman of the Republican Party of Los Angeles County.– Flash]

The San Fernando Valley is used to feeling a shifting of the ground and tremors that arrive without warning. That’s why the final results of this week’s special election for a vacant seat in the State Assembly’s 45th District – no matter the winner – should be seen in their proper context.

From the beginning of this contest, conventional wisdom held that Republican Susan Shelley didn’t have a chance and repeated a pessimistic drumbeat: Registration is against her. She will be heavily outspent. And the issues favor Democrats.

And yet, something extraordinary happened: An energetic Shelley campaign that stressed common sense issues, challenged outdated political assumptions and reached out to diverse voters brought about a virtual dead heat.

Less than 200 votes out of more than 26,000 cast separate Shelley and her Democrat opponent. We are eager to have all the votes counted, and we are closely monitoring the… Read More

This holiday season, nothing says Happy Holidays like health insurance. And nothing says health insurance like government health care, according to the Obama administration.

“This holiday season, millions of Americans have a chance to get quality, affordable health insurance—many for the first time,”barackobama.comsays.

“If you have family members who are uninsured, you can play a big part in helping them find coverage that works for them. It might not always seem like it, but your family listens to you. So have the talk.”

To help you “have the talk,” Barackobama.com has put out a new video called, “… Read More

Shame on You! I am appalled to see your “quick facts” focus almost exclusively on public pensions. This is not the stuff of an independent, non-profit think tank. It is clear to me that you are pursuing an “agenda [that] includes opposing … [universal] health-care and climate-change regulations, reducing union protections and minimum wages, cutting taxes and business regulations, tightening voting restrictions, and privatizing education.” As Tracie Sharp, the president of the SPN, noted, your collective goal is apparently to “win in your state.” Californians will not accept your push back to the 1920’s (and look what happened then); we are on to your partisan goals and funders.

Submitted via the CPPC “Contact Us” form by a University of California professor on 11-16-2013

There are myriad ways to respond to these accusations. For starters, they don’t question whether or not our “Quick Facts” are factual. That’s too bad, because they are.… Read More

Some random thoughts on the passing political scene…

— Anyone who thinks millions upon millions of American losing their existing health care insurance coverage isn’t on purpose is in need of their own medical care. This article in the Los Angeles Times tells you everything you need to know. In order for Obamacare to actually work, they have to force you out of your plan and into the exchange.

— Today is election day in the San Diego Mayor’s race. Publicly released polling has made two things clear — no single candidate will achieve a majority of total votes cast and be elected today, and Republican Kevin Faulconer will definitely be in the run-off election. The only question that remains is whether progressive Democrat Councilman David Alvarez or Republican turned Independent turned Democrat Nathan Fletcher will grab the number two spot.

— Of course virtually no one who currently has healthcare wants to be in an Obamacare exchange health care plan. Did you know that the list of medical… Read More

At last week’s City Council meeting in Orange the Mayor, Tita Smith, took a former Planning Commissioner’s service in the military as an opportunity to deny him his spot back on the Commission. Mike Merino, a Republican and former candidate for City Council, vacated his post on the Planning Commission while serving our nation in the Navy at the US Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay. Upon Captain Merino’s return home was greeted by the news that he was no longer welcome to serve on the city’s Planning Commission. Mayor Tita Smith, a Democrat, blocked his appointment and offered little reasoning beyond saying she thinks he’s served on the Commission long enough. It’s absurd that the Mayor would suggest that it’s okay for Mr. Merino to serve his country on a military base that borders a Communist adversary and houses some of the world’s most violent terrorists, yet she doesn’t grant him the courtesy to return to a post he vacated to defend her way of life.

This is not the first time this issue has come up in Orange County, the Rancho Santa Margarita City Council sought to replace Councilman Jesse Petrilla, albeit… Read More

[Publisher’s Note: We are pleased to offer this original column submitted to the FlashReport by Young Kim, a candidate for the State Assembly in California’s 65th District – Flash]

Last weekend I traveled to San Diego to participate in an unparalleled opportunity, learning practical campaign experience from top state and national Republican leaders and political strategists. With strong Democratic majorities in… Read More

Suppose you have been scrimping for years so that you and your family could finally enjoy a Hawaiian vacation. Winging your way high over the Pacific, visions of palm trees, white sandy beaches, crystal clear water and maybe even hula dancers pass through your head.

Disembarking at Honolulu International Airport what do you see? Politicians. Lots of politicians. Lots of California politicians.

The California politicians are making their annual pilgrimage to paradise. And while you are paying for your own accommodations, the California lawmakers scheduled to attend the Independent Voter Project (IVP) conference scheduled to begin November 17, will have most of the bill for their suites at the 5-star Fairmont Kea Lani picked up by others. Among the dozens of interests providing hospitality to legislators are a host of corporations and even one of the most powerful public employee unions in California.

However, not to worry. No lobbying will take place according to Dan Howle, a Lilly USA executive who helped organize the event. “It gives the sponsoring companies an opportunity to talk about what their business is like in California,” Howle told the Los… Read More