The California Republican Party today released a new web ad entitled "Get Serious." The web ad highlights the status of the state budget crisis and displays Democrat leaders Karen Bass, Darrell Steinberg, Noreen Evans, Lori Saldana, and Isadore Hall, in their own words demonstrating their out-of-touch and insincere approach to the state’s budget problem.

Democrat leaders in Sacramento have shown a startling lack of accountability and flippant attitude regarding the tough decisions lawmakers must make. Conversely, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and Republican lawmakers have stood up for California by pressing for a comprehensive solution to the budget crisis, that does not increase the economic burden on our already struggling California families.

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I’d guess that a few readers of the Flashreport flip straight to the blog page in the morning, me among them. One opinion piece, written by Orange County Congressman Ed Royce, is an example of why the front page is worth reading. Congressman Royce’s column addresses TARP repayments, and the attempt by Congressional Democrats to siphon some of this money off to organizations like ACORN. In effect, this siphoning amounts to patronage for leftist ‘nonprofits’ that are another wing of the Democrat machine… taxpayers paying to help the Democrats maintain a majority. It’s a ‘must read’ – click back to the homepage and rub your eyes on it.… Read More

I am not going to tear into any particular legislation in this brief blog-rant, but in the last few weeks, as I have reached out to Republican legislators to ask them why they have authored, support, or have voted for legislation that increases regulation on a particular business or industry — I have heard the same excuse back — "The industry wants this regulation."

You know what I have to say to that excuse? Tough beans for them. Just because representatives from a particular type of businesses want to be regulated does not mean that they should be. Legislators should take into account factual information about the effects of regulations into account when examining a bill, but the number one question that should always be asked when considering a potential regulation is this: "Is this regulation absolutely necessary?"

In many cases, when "industry leaders" are looking for regulation of their own industry, it is for self-serving reasons. Perhaps it is to impose standards which they like but which then stifle competition as it may keep others who may not meet the same standards from taking some of their… Read More

As the latest budget stalemate continues, IOUs and BBB credit ratings are popular topics of conversation in California. In fact, while waiting for a table in the bar of my favorite local restaurant Friday night, nearly everyone I talked to asked what I know about those state issues and what I think is going to happen.

I said I don’t know. But one thing I do know is that in February, all of the Democrats and a few Republicans figured higher government revenues would result from the largest state tax increase in U.S. history. And four months later, Controller John Chiang announced that tax receipts were $1 billion lower than projected. Chiang was quoted in the Los Angeles Times as saying, “[the legislature] must craft a new budget that recognizes California’s recovery has yet to begin.”

State Treasurer Bill Lockyer announced on CNBC on July 6 that California “should be able to pay its IOUs back in October.” Note the word “should,” coming from a guy who has a fiduciary duty to instill maximum confidence in California’s creditworthiness. One bond-rating service even lowered California’s bond rating to… Read More

Speaker Bass has to go!

California’s budget crisis cannot be solved until those responsible are removed from leadership. Last February the “big five’ leaders from both parties in both houses plus the Governor, rammed down billions in new taxes and put to vote more billions on the May 19th ballot. That didn’t work.

Everyone knows the new taxes didn’t resolve the budget gap and the voters in a 2-1 vote scuttled the new new tax increases.

So far of the original gang of 5, two have been removed. If the budget log-dam is to be broken we need new more flexible leaders.

Speaker Bass is ineffective to do the job. She has to go. Sadly, Bass has only one constituency she must answer to. Government unions are her only and sole concern. They elected her. They funded her. They control her. Since 2003 California government has grown with over 50,000 net new state employees, all union members. Don’t let anyone tell you there a hiring freeze either.

Bass doesn’t have the background for… Read More

Nothing surprises me anymore. Including the findings from a recent study that shows AB 32 (the California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006) will impose staggering costs on California families, workers and small businesses.

The study, conducted by Sanjay Varshney, dean at Sac State’s College of Business Administration, finds that when the plan is fully implemented, "California families will be facing increased annual costs of $3,857 …"

Let me repeat that: Your family and mine will shell out an additional Three Thousand Eight Hundred and Fifty Seven Dollars annually. How many families are in the position to bear the burden of such a substantial increase in living expenses? Not many. Furthermore, how many families are willing to spend money on a law like AB 32 that is founded on mythical claims?

The study also found that California’s job loss will top one million and the total gross state output by small businesses will decrease by 10 percent. In other words, AB 32 gives small… Read More

As a freshman legislator, it’s astounding to me how many times I’ve already come across scenarios in which common sense has failed to prevail. The latest is so aggravating, that I feel compelled to share.

AB35XXX was just put on “Suspense” by a vote of 7-5, with every Democrat voting for the Suspense motion, and every Republican voting against. The bill would have saved taxpayer dollars while minimizing the impact in the summer-break of the kids and parents who are being punished for a minor mistake made by Chino Valley Unified. The district miscalculated a few minutes in their bell schedule, forcing a few schools to extend their school year by 34 extra days…which in turn forced students and parents to cancel summer plans, vacations, camps, etc. This bill would have minimized the impact of that error.

The fact that the bill was put on the Senate Appropriations’ “Suspense File” only surprises me a little bit; after all this is not the first time that a common sense piece of legislation has been… Read More

Speaker Bass has to go!

California’s budget crisis cannot be solved until those responsible are removed from leadership. Last February the “big five’ leaders from both parties in both houses plus the Governor, rammed down billions in new taxes and put to vote more billions on the May 19th ballot. That didn’t work.

Everyone knows the new taxes didn’t resolve the budget gap and the voters in a 2-1 vote scuttled the new new tax increases.

**There is more – click the link**

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