I tried to think of something special for my friend Richard Costigan to commemorate this, his birthday. I went to his FB page, and realized that he’s got plenty of people there wishing him well on his big day (FR friends John Bovee and Nancy Bennett among many others).

So, Richard, for you — a birthday cake right here on the FlashReport blog.

Hope you have a great one!

(Also, on behalf of all of your friends, we "get it" that you are disappointed that the Governor tapped Maldonado and not you to be Lt. Governor. Better luck next time — get over it!)… Read More

Last Tuesday voters in Orange County went to the polls to pick their next Assembly member. This was a hotly contested race on the Republican side, and while the race sometimes turned ugly, I was pleased to see the final results.

I endorsed Chris Norby because I believe he does what he says and he says what he means. As Floor Leader I need members like Chris by my side to help us push the Republican vision. I am confident that Supervisor Norby (and now, presumably, Assemblyman Norby) will make the voters of his district proud and will be a valuable asset to our caucus.

While this was a special election and Chris will still have to face a run-off, I have no doubt that he will be working with us in the Capitol come next year. Congratulations Assemblyman Norby, and welcome to Sacramento.… Read More

Senator Cogdill’s decision not to run for re-election may impact the race to replace Bill Leonard on the Board of Equalization.

Former Assemblyman Alan Nakanishiis seriouslylooking at a run at Senate District 14. Nakanishi previously ran for Senate against Mike Machado in 2000 and just missed. The race, assuming Mike Villines stays put for Insurance Commissioner, has only one other big name opponent, Assembly Tom Berryhill. Berryhill is oft mentioned as a possible successor to Sam Blakslee as Assembly Republican Leader.

Nakanishi would have to be able to get his money back from the various slates he bought. That would give him the half a million needed to run in the senate race. Having him change to Senate race changes the dynamics in a race that featured him, State Senator and rumored ballot title "Taxpayer Advocate" George Runner, Former Assemblywoman and Leonard’s deputy Barbara Alby and Senator Roy Ashburn.

His odds to win the Senate seat seem better than beating both Runner and Alby.

And people say nothing politcal happens over the holidays.… Read More

It is extremely annoying to have Governor Schwarzenegger (among others) attacking his fellow Republicans for being ‘partisan’.

I don’t want to speak for all of those elected Republicans in the State Capitol — but I will speak for myself. I am not a conservative because I am a Republican, I am a Republican because I am conservative.

The reason why conservatives in the legislature seem to

I think what Schwarzenegger is trying to say is that he doesn’t believe that there should be ideologues in Sacramento — individuals who are committed to a certain set of principles and ideas. Never mind the fact that it was a group of committed ideologues who founded the very republic in which we all enjoy our freedom.

Conservatives believe that practical solutions to solving problems facing our state should be looked to, first, beyond government. To individuals, to families, and communities. Ultimately, where government involvement is required or desired, it must be done mindful of the fact that the first most important calling of government officials should and must be to ensure that they do not set into motion actions by… Read More

One of my better "insider sources" tells me that the Governor is going to appoint State Senator Abel Maldonado (? – Santa Maria) to be the state’s next Lt. Governor.

Somebody get me a barf bag.

Talk about exactly what California, and the Republican Party don’t need.

Abel Maldonado, while I pleasant enough guy in the right circumstances, is what we call a "Xenomorph" — that which changes shape due to external influence.

At a time when our state and my party need leaders who are willing to stand tall against the advance of progressivism and the rise of the (very expensive) administrative state — Maldonado doesn’t stand tall for anything. In fact, he may be the perfect pick for this Governor as both continually demonstrate positioning on issues in the most erratic manner. Which is to say that they have no consistency.

If Maldo’s name is put forward by the Governor, I guess we can look for the silver lining. The first of which is that Maldonado could be rejected by the Senate (if I were in the Senate, I wouldn’t be inclined to vote to confirm him — except maybe just… Read More

Apparently the Governor just announced on the taping of tonight’s Jay Leno Show his announcement that he is nominating State Senator Abel Maldonado to be Lt. Governor. We extend congratulations to the Senator.

We are now commencing a 24 hour "nice nice" period where we shall say nothing critical.

(Of course, the blog post below this one was penned and posted BEFORE the breaking news.)

That said, the smarter people out there will write about timelines and such for confirmation votes. But it does immediately create a new political dynamic in the lower chamber where (presumably) Assembly Republican Leader Sam Blakeslee will now be focusing his energies into a forthcoming special election for the State Senate — which likely starts a countdown clock to his stepping aside from his Assembly Leadership position.

We’ll reach out to him to find out what he’s doing.… Read More

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When I first became a member of the Board of Equalization in 2002 the job I found least satisfying was sponsoring legislation. I had left the Legislature and no longer thought it was my job to make laws. Since that time I have grown even more wary of this and last week’s meeting of the Board is a good example. There are always legislative proposals that can reasonably be called “technical housekeeping” — like fixing drafting errors in law. I am happy to support these efforts. What I do not like is the tendency of the Board to lobby the Legislature to make the tax agencies more powerful and to prop up bad tax programs. I appreciate that the Governor has vetoed many egregious recommendations from the BoE — while also signing some that came out of the BoE over my objections — but at the very least there should be much more public pushback when the BoE asks the Legislature to make laws affecting taxpayers.

At last week’s BoE meeting, the Board, over my objections, approved sponsoring legislation to mandate that certain small businesses and individuals apply for a Use tax permit; another to validate the uncollectable Use tax… Read More