November 19, 2009

It’s a Tax, stupid.

by Acquanetta Warren

Halloween is over, but the fright is just beginning. At a time when taxpayers are struggling with a faltering economy, plummeting home values, declining retirement investments and education savings, salary cuts or job losses, and reduced public safety services, the state is there to help by adding to the burden. Talk about dumb.

It shouldn’t be allowed to happen, but it is – and at the worst possible time.

I’m talking… Read More

UC students in Los Angeles almost shut down a UC Board of Regents hearing this morning on the UCLA campus. The board was considering a 32 percent increase in undergraduate fees and students were so outraged by the increase that they flooded the meeting, chanting, interrupting and holding a raucous protest outside. The estimated cost per student if the fee is passed will be $2,500. That’s an enormous increase, especially for students who already face loan balances making them indentured—but educated—servants. The students’ frustration is understandable. In fact, most taxpayers can completely sympathize. The state government just started withholding an additional 10 percent from our paychecks. And the legislature continually passes new taxes and fees to pay for their pet projects. College students … Read More

Mayor Ashley Swearingen today announced the first round of major budget cuts for the City of Fresno as part of a predicted restructuring due to plummeting tax revenues.

I have a lot of confidence in Ashley. She”s a tough, smart pragmatic leader who listens well and does her homework. While we might not agree on some issues, she’ll never be accused of being unprepared, and she doesn’t back down from her positions with nuanced explanations.

For these economic times, the City of Fresno, along with City Council Members Lee Brand, Andreas Borgeas and Larry Westerlund (all Fresno County Lincoln Club Members) is in good hands. Stay tuned.… Read More

Meg Whitman’s credibility with voters in the Central Valley was destroyed today by yet another revelation about her effort to protect the Delta smelt over the needs of our farmers in the Central Valley. To make matters worse for Whitman’s candidacy, she is proudly standing by her past donations to defend the Delta smelt.

This morning, the San Jose Mercury News reported that after contributing $100,000 to the EDF in 2007, Meg Whitman contributed an additional $200,000 to the Environmental Defense Fund’s efforts to protect the Delta smelt as recently as a year ago in 2008.

… Read More

We received the following volley from longtime FR friend Bob Haueter. Bob is the Chairman of the Meg Whitman for Governor Campaign in Los Angeles County…

Bob Haueter: Support The True Fiscal Conservative By Bob Haueter Whitman for Governor Los Angeles County Regional Chairman

Californians know well that our state is in a fiscal meltdown, with new budget deficit projections running as high as $25 billion.

Each of us is feeling the pain of the failure of Sacramento politicians to rein in spending and make state government live within its means.

Between budget years 1998-99 and 2007-2008, state general fund spending grew an astonishing 80 percent, from $58 billion to $103 billion. And in the past few years, while Californians faced layoffs, home foreclosures and higher taxes, state government continued to hire.

This must stop.

We need real leadership in Sacramento. We need someone who will watch out for Californians. And we… Read More

This video of Stephen Colbert interviewing California Congresswoman Jackie Speier is awesome. It is totally a must-watch video. Thank to Torey over at the SacBee for hipping me to it.

The exchanges on gay marriage are… priceless. And Colbert’s razzing of Speier’s proposal to allow 14 year olds to vote… A must watch…

The Colbert Report Mon – Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c … Read More

Today the Governor announced that he is promoting Fred Aguiar to be Deputy Chief of Staff and Senior Advisor. At the same time, he has tapped Aguiar’s long-time protege and trusted right-hand Scott Reid to be Cabinet Secretary (the primary liaison between the Governor’s Executive Office and the various Agency heads).

Aguiar has served in the Schwarzenegger Administration in a variety of capacities from Agency Secretary to Cabinet Secretary, to Commission appointee. Aguiar has served on the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors (during what now seems like the good old days) and served in the State Assembly.

I have known Aguiar for many years and know him to be a calm, collected and pretty conservative guy. We applaud Governor Schwarzenegger for elevating Aguiar’s role in his administration.

That said, Fred, your job will certainly be a tough one. The seeming inability of the Governor to apply any consistency in his governing philosophy (except his now record-long… Read More

I guess it’s almost time for us to just establish the "web ad of the day" feature here on the FlashReport. Today’s featured piece has been produced by the Poizner for Governor campaign, and it seeks to highlight the fact that while Meg Whitman has taken a pro "turn on the water" position in terms of the federal orders to keep water from being pumped from the delta in order to preserve the Delta Smelt, Whitman’s family foundation has apparently donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to the Environmental Defense Fund, which has as one of its priorities the preservation of said Delta Smelt.

Here is is the background data for the ad.

Jarrod Agen, of the Poizner campaign, also adds (this is lifted from his e-mail):

In 2007 and 2008, Meg Whitman gave $300,000 to EDF’s Center for Rivers and Deltas. But in 2009, she’s pretending to support the Central Valley farmers. Earlier this year, Meg Whitman was a “huge fan” of Van Jones. But then a few months later she claims that she … Read More