The new legislative session begins today and I thought I would use the occasion to take a shot at answering a virtually unanswerable question: What can we expect from Sacramento for the coming year?

First a bit of explanation as to why the question is virtually unanswerable. No one outside the deepest swamps of leftist ideology can possibly imagine all of the nonsense a progressive Democrat supermajority of California legislators can come up with. So any prediction of what to expect will inevitably miss some of the wilder and more unbelievable bits of legislation in store for us this session. In short, you can’t entirely predict the coming legislative year because you just can’t make some of their stuff up.

Another reason is that, frankly, no one knows enough about a majority of the Democrats to make a confident prediction. More than half of the members of the Assembly have been in office only a year or less. Because they have no significant track record, it is hard to predict how they will vote. Some claim to be moderates, but that claim needs to be proven with actual votes. There is some doubt that these self-styled… Read More

We’ve seen the election results. We read the polls, too. It’s no secret that Republicans have not fared well in California. So it’s up to us to reach out and build trust with the people. And building that trust depends on connecting with groups of voters who may have come to distrust who Republicans are – though not necessarily what we stand for. Talk is one thing, but actions speak louder than words. In 2014 and beyond Republican lawmakers will build trust through legislative efforts and policy initiatives that show we’re on the side of all Californians. We’re going to show California that Republicans believe government can work efficiently by doing what it’s supposed to do: serve the people.

… Read More

Today, the State Legislature will begin a new year of work with plenty of issues to tackle. While we will all take time to visit with the colleagues we haven’t seen in several weeks, there won’t be much time for socializing before we roll up our sleeves and get to work. The state budget, the economy, education, healthcare and public safety will be key issues in 2014. [1]" src="http://www.flashreport.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/Conway-Headshot1-240x300.jpg" alt="" width="240" height="300" srcset="https://www.flashreport.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/Conway-Headshot1-240x300.jpg 240w, https://www.flashreport.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/Conway-Headshot1.jpg 249w" sizes="(max-width: 240px) 100vw, 240px" />[/caption]The budget will take center stage this month and will be a concern throughout the year. This Friday, the Governor will unveil his spending blueprint. While the non-partisan Legislative Analyst has predicted growth in revenues this year, this is not a sign that we should revisit the mistakes of the past and fuel spending.

The Governor has signaled that he would like to be prudent with this one-time uptick in unexpected revenues.… Read More

The California Legislature reconvenes this week and the politicians may be on the verge of a major miscalculation because they don’t understand how real people think.

The members of the political class in Washington and our state capitols are certain they know what Americans are thinking. Just ask them. After all, they read polls and this convinces them they know how we view Republicans and Democrats, liberals and conservatives, high-profile politicians and policy issues like… Read More

In the middle of the holiday season, when Americans for more focused on travel plans and gift giving than politics, Gallup released powerful new survey data showing Americans are far more concerned about the threat posed by “big government,” compared to business or labor.

In liberalism’s heyday of the 1960’s, fewer than half of Americans considered big government to be biggest threat to America’s future. Today, it’s an astonishing 72%. To reach such a peak, Americans across the board are concerned about the size, scope and intrusiveness of government, not just Republicans or libertarians (although Republicans are the most concerned).

Not surprisingly, Americans have grown significantly more skeptical of government as it has expanded during the Administration of Democrat Barack Obama. The 2009 stimulus package, Dodd-Frank regulation of finance, Obamacare and revelations concerning NSA surveillance programs all contribute to rising concern about the role of government.

While 92% of Republicans say they see big government as the greatest threat to the country’s future, even a majority of Democrats (56%) say… Read More

Gerawan Farming is fed up.

On Dec. 16, the Gerawan Farming company filed aconstitutional challengeagainst the California Agricultural Labor Relations Board, with the United Farm Workers of America as a “Real Party of Interest.” It was filed with the California Court of Appeal, Fifth District in Fresno, against the ALRB’s invocation of theCalifornia’s Mandatory Mediation and Conciliation Statute. The statute wassigned into law by Gov. Gray Davis in 2002.

This was part of wrangling with the United Farm Workers Union that began in Oct. 2012, when the union insisted that a… Read More

Several of my recent stories about some of Gov. Jerry Brown’s appointees have revealed discrepancies about reports filed on conflicts of interest and financial disclosure.

Form 700 is a Statement of Economic Interests required of “designated” government employees, meaning the governor’s top aides and consultants.Some, but not all, Brown “designated” appointees have filedForm 700s with the Fair Political Practices Commission.

As I detailed in the stories, the FPPC included in its files Form 700 fromFish and Game Commissioner Mike Sutton.

But for newLabor Secretary David Lanier,the FPPC did not comply with CalWatchDog.com’s request for copies of his Form 700.

Because of the discrepancy, I also asked Brown’s… Read More

What will Liberty look like in 2014?

And no, it’s not a car.

Liberty is something we often hear about, but isn’t exactly a topic of discussion at dinner parties. If we don’t really know what liberty is, how will we know when it is taken away, or if it is being taken away? Unfortunately, it often takes tyranny to make liberty more precious.

The purpose of liberty is to allow human life to flourish.Are we flourishing in California and the rest of America in 2013? What will liberty look like in 2014?

Are Americans prepared to fight for liberty?

John Locke, a 17th century English philosopher and physician, regarded as one of the most influential of… Read More