Late last week the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, which sits in San Francisco and is known as a liberal court, upheld the Arizona "Citizens Clean Election Act" which provides taxpayer dollars "matching funds" to candidates for state office to use for advertising of their campaigns. Since California is flirting with such a law, known as Proposition 15 on the next election ballot, the Court’s action is worth taking note of.

The conservative Goldwater Institute had been successful at the trial court level in knocking out the law on First Amendment grounds. Their solid argument in the trial court, along with a couple friendly PACs and candidates, was that the campaign law actually chilled or reduced speech rights. This is because under the law, if an opposing candidate fails to use only the taxpayer money for his/her campaign, and spends more than the candidate taking the state money, then the state automatically coughs up more taxpayer dollars for the candidate "on the dole." Thus, opposing candidates are discouraged to spend money on advertising, for fear that the government will respond by… Read More

Apparently Los Angeles City Council members and Mayor Anthony Villaraigosa believe their type of governance is a model by which other states should follow – if last week’s vote to ban LA from doing business with Arizona is any indication. What an arrogant move considering the council and mayor’s woeful neglect of LA’s immigration problems. Specifically, LA leaders embrace a sanctuary policy known as “Special Order 40,” which prohibits LA peace officers from questioning suspects about their immigration status. It’s the same policy that slain teenager Jamiel Shaw’s parents tried to have overturned a few years ago. When Shaw, a 17-year-old LA-area high school football star, was murdered by an illegal alien gang member in 2008, questions arose about the city’s sanctuary policy and the opportunities law enforcement had to deport the killer. Sadly, the grieving parents were blocked by the Left Wing contingency that is the LA City Council, and Special Order 40 stands as the law of the land, making life in LA easy for illegal aliens; unfair for legal immigrants and in some cases, dangerous for LA families like the Shaw’s.… Read More

I was on the road yesterday, so today’s mail post is for Friday and Saturday.

KENNEDY FOR SACRAMENTO CITY COUNCIL “Firefighter Letter” with a very clever magnet that features a fire dog (TODAY’S WINNER), JAY SCHENIRER FOR SACRAMENTO CITY COUNCIL “Jump Ball” I have no idea what this mailer is all about, YES ON 16 “The Eagle” boy eagles are popular symbols for Republican mail, SLATEMAILER “Attention Republican” this is the second drop of the Tim Carey California Voter Guide and featured Cooley for Attorney General and Villines for Insurance Commissioner, SLATEMAILER “COPS” featuring Cooley again.… Read More

A longtime FlashReport reader (from the beginning!) and frequent commented Tom Kaptain, a friend of many years, has been a political operative and producer of targeted slate mail since 1995. Tom’s slate cards promote candidates on both sides of the aisle — you’ll see a profile of his work when his slate’s drop, as we’ve done and will do with other prominent slate cards. While Tom is (gasp) a Democrat, I reached out to him for his thoughts on the GOP gubernatorial primary because I have always been impressed with the depth and clarity of his comments on this blog over the years… So, without any further introduction… MY TAKE ON POIZNER V. WHITMAN IN THE CLOSING DAYS By Tom Kaptain Groucho Marx once said, "outside of a dog, a book is man’s best friend.… Read More

As a County Supervisor I realize what severe financial problems our state is facing. Our elected leaders at the state and local level will be forced to make some decisions that will be tough. That is why we get paid the big bucks.

When I worked in the Capitol years ago we all used to be eager to find out what was in the budget proposal put out by the Governor in January and the May Revise. Not any more. When I heard about the May Revise proposals I just shrugged my shoulders, considered it interesting, and then dismissed the release as one interesting fact among thousands of others.

These documents used to be the foundation for discussing our state financial plan for the next year. That is really not the case now. They have become the opening bid in the budget political poker game as opposed to the base for fiscal policy.

In the LA Times today Jack Dolan has an excellent piece on what the elimination of CalWorks really means. It means a reduction of funding at the state level and the inability to pull down federal money into our economy but it… Read More

I don’t watch Dr. Phil, but I have been told that one of his favorite sayings is that past behavior is the best indicator of future behavior. If I have his saying wrong, I apologize in advance. But I like the sentiment, because it is absolutely true. One of the best ways of predicting what a politician will do in the future is what he or she has done in the past. That is not an absolute test, but it is not a bad one. Look at what someone has done, and that will tell you what they will do.

That is one of my problems with Meg Whitman. I have no idea what she would do in office, because I have no indication of what she has done in the past. The last politician I took at face value without a history was Arnold Schwarzenegger. Now, I will admit, I didn’t endorse Schwarzenegger because I thought he would be a great conservative. However, at the time I endorsed him, He was in a dead heat with Cruz Bustamante. Since conservatives had started the recall, I believed that a recall that ended with a Cruz Bustamante governorship would be a disaster for the movement. I know that Tom McClintock never forgave me for what I did, but I didn’t do it… Read More

The Orange County Taxpayers Association Voter Guide, Reed Royalty, President, just put out an expensive voter guide in Orange County. What a laugh! I pity the poor consultant (John Lewis) who had to produce it for Royalty.

It lists among many Republican candidates for Orange County nonpartisan office, liberal Democrat Webster Guillory for Orange County Assessor. Guillory, a long term and aged, post Social Security retirement incumbent who has never been competently challenged, and who is an African American, is the only Countywide administrative candidate whose picture the Orange County Taxpayers Association does not include in the mailing. Very sad. Guillory’s opponent, Claude Parrish, is endorsed by the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association, the National Tax Limitation Committee, the Orange County Republican Party Central Committee and former Republican Governor George Dukemejian. There is no question that the Orange County Taxpayers Assocation endorsement of Guillory is a complete bunch of B.S. and must be a part of the "old boy" network that movements such as the Tea… Read More

It has come to our attention that staff of the Governor’s Office has sent Campaign materials from their State e-mail accounts in attempt to solicit Endorsements and support for their Political activity as it relates to their opposition of the California Jobs Initiative – the ballot measure which is expected to appear on the November ballot.

Simply put, using Taxpayer funds to support Political activity is a violation of Campaign Law (FPPC rules).

Below is a copy of one such e-mail from the Governor’s staff (Chief Deputy Director Lisa Kalustian) on state government e-mail system, unmistakably soliciting political activity in opposition to the California Jobs Initiative, along with the forwarding of campaign literature. Also included in the e-mail is an Endorsement Form from the official Campaign Committee that was formed to oppose the ballot measure. The name of the person receiving the e-mail has been removed in order to protect the whistle blower’s anonymity.

To further investigate the matter, the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association has filed a Public Records Act request with the Governor’s office, and has cc’d the Fair Political Practices… Read More