Ask 1000 random Californians of all political stripes to list what they believe should be the state’s spending priorities, and you’ll probably see education, public safety and transportation at the top of almost every list. After that, priorities will vary depending on the individual’s point of view.

What you won’t see on anyone’s list is taxpayer financing of political campaigns, yet that’s just what Prop 15 on the June ballot would do. With a mammoth budget deficit, taxes going up, a crumbling infrastructure, and a host of assorted problems facing California, it’s not surprising that voters can think of plenty of things to spend their money on besides junk mail and negative TV ads.

Four years ago, 74 percent of voters said NO to Prop 89, a plan to tax businesses to finance political campaigns. In 2000, when the state was flush with tax revenue from the dot-com boom, two-thirds of voters rejected another public campaign financing scheme, Proposition 25.

Here we go again with Proposition 15. The California Nurses Association and other members of the spending lobby will ask voters for the third time in ten years to repeal the same… Read More

This just out from the Meg Whitman for Governor campaign… We’ll be looking with interest to tomorrow’s Capitol Weekly/Probolsky Research survey results, which is the next survey taking place that isn’t sponsored by a candidate…

April 21, 2010 To: Meg Whitman for Governor From: John McLaughlin Re: Survey Analysis Date: April 21, 2010 … Read More

This is a "must read" from Steve Moore in today’s Wall Street Journal Political Diary E-mail…… Read More

Some days I really love my job! On April 15 of this year I got a "two-fer."

First, I got to speak to nearly 10,000 tax protesters in front of the Capitol, who were exercising their right to tell lawmakers they are not getting good value for the excessive taxes they pay. And second, in front of these patriots, I had the privilege of presenting the "Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association Taxfighter of the Year" award to Marcia Fritz, the president of the California Foundation for Fiscal Responsibility.

We make this award annually to honor someone in our state who has worked tirelessly on behalf of taxpayers. Often the recipient goes little noticed because they focus on the work at hand, not on any publicity it may bring.

This year, I am happy to say, we found many who deserved the award, but first among equals is Marcia Fritz for her tireless work promoting reform of California’s out-of-control government employee pension system.… Read More

It is being reported that today the Assembly Rules Committee will consider the re-nomination of Abel "taxes and legislative blackmail" Maldonado, and that his confirmation vote will be held in the State Assembly tomorrow.

If a conservative/Republican legislator needs any reason to oppose this confirmation vote, you can either read my commentary from the last go around, or you can just use this site’s search function and type in Maldo’s name. It will come back with example after example of how Maldonado regularly aids and abets those who seek to grow the size and scope of government.

So, on behalf of all of those of us "out here" we urge Republicans to withhold their vote from Maldonado (an absention is fine with us) — we don’t need to "reward" his deplorable behavior. We also don’t need to give him what amounts to a huge boost in his campaign for the GOP nomination for Lt. Governor against Senator Sam Aanestad (a mainstream Republican). If the Democrats want Maldo, they can just let the clock run without a vote — and he’ll get the job. But he won’t be in it because of any… Read More

Today we publish an interview we conducted yesterday with political strategist Arnold Steinberg. He has served as a campaign strategist and adviser for countless campaigns. He has created hundreds of campaign advertising materials for print, television and radio media and conducted more than 1800 polling and focus group projects. The author of two graduate textbooks on campaign management and media, Steinberg is a court-recognized expert witness who has testified repeatedly on public opinion and attitudinal formation, demographics and voting patterns, media and advertising, and elections and ballot issues, and other aspects of political campaigns. He has been on several foundation boards as well as Federal boards in the Reagan and Bush Administrations. He also served on the California Coastal Commission. He also represented the United States… Read More

Today we publish an interview we conducted yesterday with political strategist Arnold Steinberg. He has served as a campaign strategist and adviser for countless campaigns. He has created hundreds of campaign advertising materials for print, television and radio media and conducted more than 1800 polling and focus group projects. The author of two graduate textbooks on campaign management and media, Steinberg is a court-recognized expert witness who has testified repeatedly on public opinion and attitudinal formation, demographics and voting patterns, media and advertising, and elections and ballot issues, and other aspects of political campaigns. He has been on several foundation boards as well as Federal boards in the Reagan and Bush Administrations. He also served on the California Coastal Commission. He also represented the United States… Read More

If you weren’t able to make it to the Democrat State Convention last weekend in Los Angeles, here is your chance to see ersatz Governor-again Jerry Brown fumble through appearances at the LGBT Caucus (courting the transgender vote made the candidate so nervous – watch him drop his cell phone!) and then the Labor Caucus. Enjoy…

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