Orange County’s unelected Sheriff Sandra Hutchens granted early release to 300 convicts to roam the streets.

Was this necessary? Sheriff Lee Baca didn’t think so and did not release anyone early. The Sacramento Deputy Sheriff’s sued and won an order from Judge Loren McMaster holding any more premature releases.

The Sheriff”s first duty is to protect the public. What is Sheriff Sandra Hutchens thinking?

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Republican candidates for statewide office not only need to debate, but they need to debate often. It is more important in this election cycle than ever before because of fourteen letters: Schwarzenegger. You see, Arnold Schwarzenegger really is one of the best actors out there – so much so that they should have an Academy Award for “Best Dramatic Performance In A Recall Election” – he would have won. He campaigned as a fiscal conservative – and has not been. His two hallmark “fiscal” achievements are getting the voters to max out the debt he inherited on a “credit card” of bonded indebtedness, and signing into law the largest tax increase in the history of any state. And he’s not done, with a pork-filled massive so-called water bond to appear before voters this November. In other-words, he “became” exactly the person he needed to be to strike a resonant chord with angry voters who wanted to oust Gray Davis and replace him with a fiscal hawk.

Why is Arnold Schwarzenegger’s acting performance of 2003 so relevant today? Let me give an eight letter word : cynicism. I use this word as a good one to describe the attitude of many… Read More

Jeff Stone is a Riverside County Supervisor and Candidate for Senate in the 36th District, where Dennis Hollingsworth is termed out..

REPUBLICAN LEADERSHIP NEEDED TO STOP ABEL MALDONADO Supervisor Jeff Stone Confirming Abel Maldonado, Governor Schwarzenegger’s unfortunate choice for Lieutenant Governor, would be a disaster for California taxpayers and an affront to the traditional conservative values that are the foundation of the Republican Party. Since… Read More

I am told that a vote is scheduled in the State Senate and Assembly this morning on whether to confirm Republican-In-Name-Only Abel Maldonado to be California’s next Lieutenant Governor. I’ve written so much about this issue on this blog that I am not going to go into all of it over again, I will just reemphasize the key points…

Maldonado doesn’t deserve the support of Republicans because…

he wants to destroy our party (Prop. 14). he broke his own voluntary pledge not to raise new taxes. his loyalty to the GOP Caucus is non-existent, never playing team ball but preferring to leverage himself as a "swing vote" on just about any issue. his votes will make it almost impossible for you to defend yours for him.

And, the most important reasons why Republicans should reject Maldonado…

a vote for Maldonado is an affirmation of the politics and policies of Arnold Schwarzenegger. a vote for Maldonado is indefensible to the very grassroots people, like in the Tea Party, that we are trying to unify behind Republicans. This vote will set back efforts to bring … Read More

After several attempts to get the votes to get the votes to confirm Maldonado, all of which failed — the first motion to confirm failed. Astonishingly EVERY Republican voted for him, except Chuck DeVore who laid off, and Danny Gilmore who is apparently home in his district, ill (but who is now driving up to the Capitol to vote FOR the confirmation).

Republicans made a request to reconsider (reserving the right to bring it up for another vote). Democrats counted with a motion, which passed, to bring up the reconsideration vote immediately. This caused the Republicans to call a Caucus to discuss the matter.

As far as I am concerned, Republicans should be saying, behind close doors, "This is perfect! We don’t like or want Maldonado, but we’ve shown our GOP solidarity — and we don’t have to have Maldonado as Lt. Governor. In fact, the Democrats now look like the partisans."

Republicans should just lay down at this point, let the Democrats defeat the motion for reconsideration, and everything can let Maldonado that this is his "thank you" for blackmailing the legislature last year to put his… Read More

I found myself on the campaign website of Assemblyman Nathan Fletcher today (yes, your websites do get visited by those of us in the blogging world). Fletcher gets an A+ for his site — others should pay heed. Anyways, I found this great news story on his site, and thought I would share it…

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Earlier this week we all read the headline that our state government spent well over $75 million dollars in 2009 on cars, furniture and conferences.

I had a chance to ask why yesterday during a hearing of the Assembly Committee on Government Accountability and Administrative Review.

Today, I’m still waiting to get good answers to why we’re paying $7,000 for each employee cubicle, why we retire cars in the state fleet after they accumulate 120,000 miles, and why California spends $2 million each year paying for employees to go to conferences at hotels and convention centers when the state owns facilities that can accommodate those needs.

In the face of California’s taxpayers – our working families and small businesses – who are being stretched more than ever and making do with less, hiring new employees and making these sorts of purchases is unconscionable. But it’s the status quo in Sacramento. Only here, do people justify spending $7,000 on one workspace because it’s a cubicle–gee a whole desk with walls. That makes sense. … Read More

[Cross-posted from RedCounty.com]

Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner is hell-bent on convincing Republican primary voters that he is a real conservative — which makes the contrast with his assault on insurance companies that may have even indirect investments in Iran all the more jarring, because he is laying the groundwork for social engineering by Democratic successors of the kind that set conservative teeth on edge.

I first reported on this back on December 2, when Poizner was threatening insurance companies to "voluntarily" divest themselves of $12 billion in indirect investments — and if the didn’t volunteer, he’d force them.

As I commented at the time, this reeks of campaign posturing and is the kind of gratuitous, publicity-seeking corporate bashing I would expect from a Democrat:

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