by Richard Rider The Chargers (via the media that usually profits from having professional sports teams in town) are blitzing San Diego, trying to get a new stadium largely at taxpayer expense. Naturally I oppose such a subsidy for millionaires (players) and billionaires (owners).

There are many arguments against such subsidies, and I’ve voiced them over the years. For instance, we taxpayers foot much of the bill, and the owners and players pocket 100% of the increases gross profits and team resale profit.

Inaddition,most of the ticket revenue is from people within the county, resulting in the “substitution effect.” Charger revenue is money that otherwise would have been spent on some other recreational or entertainment activity… Read More

Shutdown Day 12 and 13: I did not write you yesterday. Not because I have lost any affection for you, but because the “negotiations” in the House and the Senate were moving so fast that I feared that anything I wrote you would be obsolete before you had time to read it. There is still a risk of that on this gloomy and wet Sunday morning in Washington, DC.

I also wanted to put down my rhetorical sword in the hopes that real discussions to perhaps get a win-win solution here were ongoing. It seems that whenever I give this administration and their allies the benefit of the doubt, it leads to disappointment. And it did so again this weekend.

Here is where we stand as I see it. I put the word “negotiations” in quotes because it is quite clear now that the president was disingenuous in his agreement to enter negotiations. House Republicans made a good faith offer to begin resolution of this dispute. The offer was one that I and others didn’t think was very good from our perspective, but it was made. The White House took a day to pretend as though they were negotiating, because they are clearly sensitive to that criticism,… Read More

Government Shutdown Day 11: This will be a short update today. Negotiations are ongoing between Speaker Boehner and his staff and President Obama and his staff. Also, over in the Senate, there is a sizable group of Republicans and Democrats also working on an agreement. Apparently, only Harry Reid is still holding out to not negotiate and is not involved in any of this or may be trying to mess it up.

At this point, I have no idea what has been put on the table and what has not. I don’t know if the negotiations are going well or poorly. I don’t know if this is still two separate negotiations or if there is some collaboration with the Senate. I don’t know if a deal will be reached, and if so if I will like and support that deal or dislike it and oppose it.

But after 11 days, we are finally doing what should have happened 3 weeks ago. Both sides of divided government are talking, negotiating and compromising. That is as it should be. That is how it has to be.

I’ll give you another update when some proverbial smoke comes out of the chimney signaling some agreement.

Until then, drive fast and live free.… Read More

By all reports, the ‘maiden voyage’ of the Tea Party California Caucus (TPCC) at the recent CRP Convention in Anaheim, CA was a complete success. The TPCC digital operation was a big part of that success.

At the convention, caucus managers discovered that they possessed a communications system that could help them deal swiftly with unexpected events in committees, etc., as well as a platform that allowed them to publicize the cause, enroll activist delegates, recruit volunteers, raise funds, organize workers, and cause its TPCC Convention App to go viral on delegates’ mobile… Read More

A few weeks ago, I announced SB 582 (Knight) had reached the Governor’s desk. While Governor Brown vetoed the bill yesterday, he pledged to move the idea forward anyway.

SB 582 would have required the Board of Equalization, Franchise Tax Board and Employment Development Department to examine how to consolidate their websites, alleviating one of the challenges most business owners face: paying taxes to three separate state tax agencies.

Our legislation was designed to make life easier for taxpayers by creating a one-stop shop for people to visit for all of their tax services.

In his veto message Governor Brown expressed support for the bill’s concept, stating the problem needed to be addressed immediately, rather than studied. He instructed his office to examine “if taxpayer service can be improved in a cost effective manner with a single state Webpage for all state taxes” and then move forward with implementation measures. A complete copy of the… Read More

There were a number of low-points from my perspective during the tenure of Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. But none was worse for California taxpayers, or for the California Republican Party, than the budget deal of 2009. At the heart of this particular budget deal was a two-year massive increase in taxes on income, sales and cars in California. It also included a big cut in the tax credit for families. Oh yes, the deal also placed on the ballot a two-year extension of those same taxes (which was slaughtered at the polls by voters). It was a deal that made no… Read More

Government Shutdown Day 10: I hope you enjoy getting these daily laptops…because I think they’re going to be coming to you for a while.

This whole dispute has reached a new phase. First of all, we are now past just dealing with “Shutdown/ObamaCare” and are into “Debt Limit/Entitlement Reform” territory, as well. One is unlikely to be resolved on a long-term basis without also dealing with the other. Secondly, the rhetoric has stalled. The Democrats have been repeating the same messages for days now, as have Republicans. Thirdly, Washington is settling in to this debate, and both the House and the Senate are beginning to talk about doing a few things that are not directly related to the Shutdown/Debt Limit, such as the Farm Bill. .

But, political bodies do not stay stationary for long. So, there are a number of factors that may start to move things a little here. First of all, of course, is the looming Debt Limit. As you know, I don’t think that the well-publicized October 17th date (that the federal government is “supposed” to run out cash) has much meaning. But, by November 1st, the Treasury will likely be very close to… Read More

As a newly elected and freshly appointed delegate from San Luis Obispo County, I and my other Tea Party colleagues were looking forward to our first California Republican Party Convention in March. But when we got there we didn’t find engaged activists seeking to take back our State. Instead we found young, middle-aged and older Republicans at the Convention ready to socialize and have a good time.

Since then, every meeting fellow Tea Party Caucus founders Lydia and Norm Thompson and I attended was more of a report on how bad things were than a plan for the future of the California Republican Party. “Where are our principles?” we asked the moderators at every meeting.

Other meeting attendees told us they felt the same way but had no voice. Tea Party members and conservatives felt they had lost their party. Our passion for change resonated.

By the end of the March convention we had a clear picture; it was clearly possible a Tea Party Caucus could be held at the next convention.

I immediately contacted Dawn Wildman, a family friend and Tea Party member, to help us create the Tea Party Caucus. Dawn had given up on the RINO’s years… Read More