Charles Munger, Jr, the wealthy son of Warren Buffet’s close business partner, who has emerged as one of the most divisive players in California Republican politics will be ascending to the Chairmanship of the Republican Party in Santa Clara County. Recently Munger played a huge role in driving an inter-mural battle within the California Republican Party, seeking to gut the party’s platform. Party regulars from around the state rallied and overcame Munger’s finances to prevail. Prior to the assault on the party platform, Munger weighed in as a support of Proposition 14 which was championed by Arnold Schwarzenegger and Abel Maldonado. Right in the arguments for supporting Prop. 14 in the Secretary of State Voter Information Pamphlet was, “The best part of the open primary is that it would lessen the influence of the major parties…”

So according to the rumor mill, Munger’s first act as Chairman will be to replace the Republican Elephant on the Santa Clara County GOP with a photo of a puppy dog. All joking aside, it is worth noting that someone who seeks to reduce the influence of political parties is now going to be… Read More

I invite you to join me in celebrating Ronald Reagan Day this Monday, February 6 in honor of our former California Governor and U.S. President.

In these challenging economic times, we can learn much from our former governor and president. Ronald Reagan believed in the American people, and he was confident that our nation’s brightest days are ahead of us.

In 2010 I authored Senate Bill 944 making Mr. Reagan’s birthday, February 6, a special day of significance in his honor. Monday will mark the second annual Ronald Reagan Day since my legislation became state law.

This special day for Reagan, which began last year on his 100th birthday, does not create a state holiday, nor does it cost taxpayer dollars.

Instead, Reagan Day is what is called ‘a day of special significance’ just like other days celebrating John Muir, California teachers and the California Poppy.

Please take a moment to visit www.facebook.com/ReaganDay to share a favorite memory, quote, photo or video… Read More

My family loves tradition. Every February 2nd, we gather together in front of a roaring, wood flamed, environmentally-unfriendly fire and watch The Greatest Conservative Movie of All Time.

For the record, it’s not “The Ten Commandments.” It’s not even “Red Dawn.” It’s “Groundhog Day” featuring Bill Murray as his snarkiest.

Murray’s movies have always been quotable; in fact, I believe you risk breaking several local and federal regulations if you don’t invoke at least one Caddyshack quote during every round of golf. (I’m especially proud of the fact that I was once able to use the phrase, “Your honor, Your Honor,” with true intent and boundless glee while golfing with a Superior Court judge back in Ohio.)

“Groundhog Day” is filled with the kind of language that should make every conservative heart sing: • “Don’t drive angry.” • “Well, what if there is no tomorrow? There wasn’t one today.” • “This is one time where television really fails to capture the true excitement of a large squirrel predicting the weather.”

“Groundhog Day” displays timeless conservative themes.… Read More

I am really not sure, at all, when Jerry Brown has time to be Governor of California. I know that it was to that job to which he was elected, but it seems to me that Brown must be spending all of his free time as a volunteer handing every aspect of his drive to place massive tax increases on the November ballot. In the Form 460 Campaign Finance Filing for the Governor’s tax increase ballot measure committee, Californians to Protect Schools, Universities, and Public Safety, a ballot measure committee supported by Governor Jerry Brown, the busy-bee Governor reported bringing in contributions totaling $1,198,311.56. That’s a pretty serious haul, and no doubt it involved considerable time and effort by Brown and his volunteer army…

You see, a review of the committee’s campaign financials that were filed yesterday list precisely no expenditures nor do they list any accrued but unpaid expenses. This means that all of these funds have been raised without the help of any professional fundraising consultants, whatsoever. And God bless… Read More

In a recent interview, Governor Jerry Brown claimed that CA High Speed Rail will cost “a lot less” than the current $100 billion figure that “people are saying” it’s going to cost. And he found a gold mine of free money that’s going to pay for it. The man needs some serious drug testing.

Jerry, $100 billion is not “what people are saying” HSR is going to cost. It’s what the PEER REVIEW EXPERTS and the LEGISLATIVE ANALYST’S OFFICE (among others) say it’s going to cost — at a minimum. Actually, to be fair, with the usual cost overruns, they suggest it will cost about $117 billion. And it’s unlikely that will even include San Diego at all.

And Jerry, you think that AB32 “cap and trade” fees (a separate disaster) are to be considered mad money — free funds that can be frivolously spent on HSR with no concerns about the state’s far more pressing needs — including that public education thingy.

Frankly I hope the governor “stays on track,” barreling down the line to his HSR train wreck. This nonsense will serve as the poster child for us opponents of further raising California taxes. It all but assures our eighth straight… Read More

On February 1, California’s 425 local Redevelopment Agencies will be gone — terminated by action of the legislature and Governor, along with an awesome ruling by the State Supreme Court. Much has appeared on the FlashReport, penned by yours truly and by many guest columnists, on why the elimination of these agencies is a tremendous public policy victory for the people of California. If there is going to be one last “Hail Mary” play by the California Redevelopment Association or the League of Cities — look for it in the next 72 hours.

Capitol Democrats have their own reasons for not wanting to extend the life of these RDA’s – primarily ending the diversion of tax dollars into the RDA’s. Republicans should be opposing any efforts to throw a lifeline to RDA’s this week for three important reasons…

The first is that as conservatives, we should be opposing the monkeying around with the free market that is done as local politicians use taxpayer dollars to play “Sim City” — picking winners and losers as if they were feudal lords from the middle ages. This had led, among other things, to a … Read More

The short answer to the title question is No. Although from the way the press flaks for him you might believe the opposite. Now that I hear others repeating the press cover story that the upcoming Facebook IPO is going to balance the state’s budget I have to speak out. Facebook is a worldwide corporation that happens to be based in California. It is engaged in a constant battle with the other Internet behemoths such that it either must grow or die. One possible way of growing is to take the corporation public raising the financial resources to effectively compete. Thanks to past Wall Street scandals the process for going public with stock sales , known as the Initial Public Offering (IPO), is expensive and time consuming. The rumors are growing that Facebook will publish the preliminary filings in the next few weeks starting a minimum four month process before the IPO can occur. However, aside from the California corporate taxes that Facebook already pays, there is no taxable transaction in an IPO. The initial sale of stock from the corporation to the public does not generate any income and therefore no tax is due. There is no possible windfall for… Read More

This week, California’s two largest government employee pension funds released their 2011 earnings reports revealing poor performances that may lead to huge taxpayer bailouts. If Bernie Madoff had issued honest quarterly reports like these, his investors would have seen his fraud and closed down his Ponzi scheme before it cost them billions.

A recent Stanford University study shows California taxpayers may have to pay up to $300 billion to cover shortfalls in the statewide pension funds during the next 30 years — CalPERS, CalSTRS and UC. The $300 billion projection assumes government pension funds will earn an average 6.2 percent return, a more realistic estimate than the 7.75-8% average return the funds use to obscure their huge debts. Of course the actual earnings could be far less during the next three decades, raising the final cost much, much higher.

It is incredible that we are betting our civic and economic futures on the stock market, but that is the condition of offering government employees risky defined benefit plans. With so many of our financial eggs in one basket we must carefully watch that basket. When CalPERS reported earning… Read More