Critics of the California High-Speed Rail often claim that deliberations and decisions of the Board of Directors and staff of theCalifornia High-Speed Rail Authoritybetray how “the entire process lacks public transparency and accountability.”

It does seem true that some important decisions about the high-speed rail project occur without public notice.

Any interested member of the public diligently scrutinizing board agendas and attending meetings of the Board of Directors would never know that all construction companies working on the first segment of the high-speed rail line from Madera through Fresno will be required tosign a Project Labor Agreement (disguised under the term “Community Benefits Agreement”) with… Read More

Strategy is the most alluring facet of corporate and political campaigns. Most politicos who manage to get on cable TV news programs take on the title of “strategist.” No one wants to be the “manager,” “organizer” or “communications director.” In politics, strategy is sexy.

And strategy is important. But campaigns and organizations put themselves at a disadvantage when they fail to equally value three other facets: organization, communications, and infrastructure. These components are necessary to move a strategy from theory to practice.

Organization is the structuring and population of groups of people and resources. Organization requires management, leadership, lines of authority, accountability, people, money, improvement cycles, and more. This doesn’t sound very cool in a Fox News interview, but it’s vital for being able to harness people and money and channel these resources into action.

Infrastructure is vital to supporting the organization, and generally falls into two parts: physical infrastructure, and technological infrastructure. Physical infrastructure means headquarters, meeting facilities, equipment, and… Read More

The purpose of the political process is to persuade people to entrust those who seek it with power. The first step in that persuasive process is developing a level of trust between the voter and those who seek political power. Most Americans, including most Californians, want to be left alone to pursue their own dreams, without government interference. They want to work hard, and keep what they earn, whether they own their own business, or work for someone else. If Republicans stand for liberty, they stand for reducing taxes, on everyone, all the time.

And they stand for reducing taxes, regardless, even if it reduces government revenue. If Republicans have a sin, it is the sin of advocating tax cuts because they “increase government revenue.” They do, that is proven by history time after time, but that is not the reason for tax cuts. Tax cuts are virtuous because allowing someone to pursue their own dreams, by allowing them to keep what they earn, is the key to a free society, it is the keystone of liberty.

In addition, I have never bought into the concept that reducing taxes on “corporations” is corporate welfare. Giving… Read More

The Republican Party has suffered a historic electoral defeat and has entered a period of healthy self-examination and self-criticism. In the midst of our self-flagellation a couple of topics might be worth considering. First, what does it mean to be a major American political party? Second, are Republicans willing to take those actions required to keep the GOP a major American political party?

In the United States, major political parties could be considered umbrella organizations that exist to unite reasonably like-minded pools of voters in order to build a large enough coalition to gain working control of a government. Since each of the political parties consist of varying groups of voters with different and often conflicting priorities there are natural policy and philosophical differences or fault lines within each party. This makes the construction of a comprehensive party platform and its application to the issues of the day somewhat controversial internally.

However difficult the determination of a uniting party philosophy the key point is that it must allow both the pools of voters within the party to be generally satisfied that the party represents… Read More

This column by former San Diego City Councilman Carl DeMaio appears on the Wall Street Journal Editorial Page today… Worth a read…

REVOKING THE FEDERAL FREE PASS ON PENSIONS

Congress can help fix the irresponsible fiscal promises of state and local governments

By Carl DeMaio

As if fiscal cliffs and debt ceilings weren’t exciting enough, Congress today is ignoring a gathering financial tsunami—the unaffordable pension promises of state and local governments.

Consider California, where just 10 individual pensioners will cash $50 million in pension checks from state and local governments over the next 25 years. Already some 30,000 retired California government employees pull in pensions higher than $100,000 a year. One retired librarian in San Diego receives a $234,000 annual pension. Beach lifeguards in Orange County are retiring at age 51 with $108,000 annual pensions plus health-care benefits.… Read More

After my article yesterday, which laid out what I believe are the basic principles that would lead to a Republican revival in California, I thought I should flesh out how those principles translate into every day political and policy making decisions. Of course, policy making is the stuff of legislation. Politics is explaining the policy making process to voters in a way that persuades the voters, over time, to entrust Republicans with power. The two have to work together. If those in policy making positions are constantly playing politics, that is, constantly trying to appeal to voters to entrust them with power, the voters will grow cynical, thinking they are being used. If a policy maker, however, only focuses on policy making, no one ever knows enough about what he or she is doing to be able to make an informed decision about whether to entrust that policy maker with power. Politics without principled policy making is a bankrupt power grab. Policy making without politics is an exercise in futility.

So, that being said, how can Republicans change the course of California? I want to do a series of articles breaking down how I believe the principled advocacy of… Read More

A long eighteen months ago the highly regarded and well-read The Fix political blog on the Washington Post website posted up a list of what they felt were the best state-level political blogs. Here at the FlashReport we were very pleased to make the list. We heard back from them that a really high volume of our readers contacted them, which no doubt helped!

Well, they are doing it again! The Fix is once again compiling an updated list of the best state-level political blogs, left-center-right, and once-again we’re asking for your help.

If you are willing to take just a moment of… Read More

As an elected official and taxpayer advocate, I cannot remain silent while state tax officials punish California taxpayers who in good faith followed our laws.

That’s why I’m urging the Franchise Tax Board to reverse a controversial staff decision seeking millions in retroactive taxes from California entrepreneurs and small businesses.

In my letter to the three members of the Franchise Tax Board, I call FTB’s December 2012 staff action “unwarranted and unfair to taxpayers.”

I explain that the Second District Court of Appeal’s decision in Cutler v. Franchise Tax Board does not require FTB to take this action. I warn that it “sends entirely the wrong message to investors, entrepreneurs and job creators doing business in our state.”

A growing bi-partisan chorus of California legislators, newspapers and… Read More