As reported in the Sacramento Bee on Sept. 26 “Teachers union, SEIU open wallets to California Republican Party,” in recent weeks the California Teachers Association donated the California GOP $15,000, the SEIU Local 1000 donated $10,000, and the California Correctional Peace Officers Association donated another $25,000. Representatives of all three of these powerful public sector unions were present at the GOP convention in Anaheim last weekend.

As a proportion of total GOP fundraising in California in 2013, $50,000 is small potatoes. Under the leadership of their new chairman Jim Brulte, theCalifornia GOP has raised over $3.0 million so far in 2013, enough to pay off their debts and put them onto viable financial footing. As a proportion of total public sector union political spending in California, $50,000 is even smaller potatoes. Just the CTA, with 325,000 members who on average pay over $1,000 per year in dues – about 30% of which is used for political activities – spends around $100 million per year to… Read More

Government Shutdown Day 8: The outrage continues over the Obama administration’s extreme actions to punish the American people through orders given to the park service. Vietnam vets were physically removed this week from viewing the Vietnam War Memorial, which I’m sure most of you know consists of a wall entirely outside in a park. The Liberty Bell in Philadelphia is inside a closed building, but is visible through a window. The Obama administration had the window covered up so you couldn’t even see the bell from the outside. And, the Feds barricaded the road in front of Mount Rushmore so that no one can even drive by and see this monument. Problem is, however, the road is not a federal road. It’s a state highway. So, the good people of the state of South Dakota asked the Park Service to remove the barricades from the state highway. The Feds refused to do so, citing that while it may be a state highway, it is on Federal land. But, then a heavy snow came just a few days ago. The snow plows belonging to the people of South Dakota plowed their roadway and plowed all those Obama administration barricades, signs and cones right into the ditch, where they… Read More

[Editor’s Note: We are pleased to present this original commentary from Paul Glaab, a Republican candidate for the 73rd Assembly District.]

“What’s Good for the Goose…”

It was exciting to see Assemblyman Brian Nestande recently support legislation that would place all California Legislators in the Health Benefits Exchange under the Affordable Care Act. Known by everyone (particularly by taxpayers and those who create jobs) as “ObamaCare,” it seemed only common sense that someone should require the liberal elites in charge of this state to take a hefty dose of their own medicine and for once step down from their lofty pedestals to endure the same challenges regular Californians must deal with.

The only problem is that we all know Nestande is more than likely to replace Congressman Raul Ruiz since he is already running ahead of him in early polling. Meaning, we will have one less innovative leader in Sacramento. We need leaders in Sacramento who will stand for open government, conservative principles and will make sure that the government stops having one set of rules for politicians and government… Read More

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Because I had urged state GOP opposition to Obama’s Common Core Standards in an Oct. 1 FlashReport post, I received an invitation to attend the Tea Party California Caucus (TPPC) meeting/rally at the convention on Saturday.

I am on friendly terms with many Tea Party members, but I disagree on some of the basic tenets so I do not identify myself as Tea Party. Nevertheless I went to the meeting, and I have to admit it was a mind blower. I dragged along my wife, who is not afflicted with my hunger for politics, and even she was mesmerized.

I can’t remember the last time I was in a room with that kind of energy, unless it’s the auditorium of my high school for a pep rally. It was really something to see adults exhibit adult passion, rather than adult calculation, with such ease and force. I saw real emotion, real intensity of purpose. In spite of myself I felt at home, because this is the kind of passion I feel when I object to the Common Core Standards. The standards are a scam, and it makes me angry. I don’t want American education controlled by vested interests… Read More

Government Shutdown Day 7: It wasn’t a very good weekend for my sports teams. The Kansas City Chiefs won and are 5-0. And, the Boston Bruins are 2-0. But, in car racing and baseball and college football, nothing came out as I wanted. And, my son crushed me this weekend in our NFL fantasy league, although I did win our NASCAR fantasy league this week. Ah, but there is always next weekend.

Such is not the case with the government shutdown. For, as John Boehner now quite famously quipped at a press conference on Friday in response to a question about the president saying he was “winning”, “This is not some damn game!” So, what happens next? What will break the stalemate?

It is quite clear now that this is no longer just about the shutdown and funding the government for the year, but it is also about the debt limit. The Treasury Department has been saying that by October 15th, they would have exhausted all borrowing authority and will be left with about $30 billion in cash. Independent analysts believe that the $30 billion buys them about another 7 to10 days. That gets you until October 22-26. But, those same analysts are… Read More

Some species of jellyfish can grow to be very big. They are also said to be brainless and, to the unwary, can be hazardous. To taxpayers, this is also a fair description of the Los Angeles Unified School District.

The massive district, geographically the nation’s largest and second in enrollment, covers all or part of 31 communities in addition to the city of Los Angeles. Its budget is larger than a least 18 states and, unfortunately, possesses a well-earned reputation for horrible management. One has to look back only a few years for prominent examples.

In the late 1990s, the district set about building the nation’s most expensive high school on real estate that turned out to be contaminated with hazardous chemicals. Mitigating this problem added years to the completion of the project and millions to the taxpayers’ bill. Although the evidence suggested that this boondoggle was the result of incompetence, ignorance and outright corruption, LAUSD officials uniformly asserted the Bart Simpson defense: “I didn’t do it, nobody saw me and you can’t prove a thing.” Incredibly, no one was ever held accountable for this fiscal fiasco.

Since then,… Read More

I always have to remind my readers the morning after a California Republican Party convention that the cutting-edge analysis of the weekend that you’ve come here to find won’t be here until tomorrow. You see, especially with this event, I am not just trying to chronicle the festivities, but I am in-fact a participant in them. As such I actually don’t write much during the convention (I tweeted a good amount at this one) — and I come home — spent. In this case, I left convention for my son’s birthday party, and then off to Disneyland for eight hours.

Of course FlashReport analysis of a California Republican Party Convention wouldn’t be complete without our insightful regular feature — CRP Convention Winners and Losers. As a participant over the weekend, I have some cool ideas for people to honor, one way or the other. But I am happy to report that these events are big enough an there are many things that happen when I am not around.

So… Once again I am looking for nominations/suggestions of people at the convention who were winners and who were losers. Don’t be shy! You can comment here, or… Read More

Government Shutdown Day 6: Today is the Lord’s Day in my Christian faith. That calls for a little more introspection and a little less fact telling.

In the last week, I and my Republican House colleagues have been called “terrorists with bombs strapped to our chests” by President Obama’s press secretary. Harry Reid said we are “anarchists”. A New York Times reporter said we were just like the terrorist group, Hezbollah. Congressman George Miller, Democrat of California, called us “jihadists” on the floor of the House.

These are not terms that should be thrown around lightly. They are the modern equivalent of calling someone Hitler or a Nazi Storm Trooper. Real terrorists, jihadists and suicide bombers are out there right now doing terrible things that bear no equivalency to the desire to repeal ObamaCare.

A Republican colleague of mine, from a swing district, had to pull his children out of a public elementary school last week because they were being threatened…….by their teachers!!! His wife called him crying at the terrible things the teachers said about… Read More