Steve Poizner, whom I have endorsed for Governor,traveled to the Central Valley yesterday and presented his water policy plan that calls for bold and immediate action to be taken in an effort to bring water to the Central Valley. In his call for increased recognition of this crisis, Steve sent a letter to Speaker Nancy Pelosi and demanded that she introduce legislation before Congress to help resolve this issue. If you live in the Central Valley, as I do, then you’re all too familiar with the current water problem. Congress refuses to make the needs of Californians a priority and has allowed out of control regulations to hurt our farmers, businesses, and citizens. Steve Poizner understands that the bureaucrats in Washington, D.C. don’t know what’s best for the people of the Central Valley. It’s the local residents and farmers who know what’s best for their land and their livelihoods. That’s why Steve presented a plan that includes bold solutions for the immediate future and … Read More

California Good editorial piece in today’s Union Tribune.

In recent weeks and months we have seen story after story about fraud and overpayments in… Read More

Assemblywoman Diane Harkey just sent this over…

Unbeknownst to most Californians, yesterday was the Special Election run-off for Congressional District 32, a traditionally Democrat-controlled seat due to the infamous gerrymandered districts we have here on the left coast. Not surprisingly, Judy Chu, Democrat from the San Gabriel Valley and current Member of the Board of Equalization, District 4 – another seat traditionally held by Democrats – won by a margin nearly parallel to the RE v. DEM voter registration gap (against Republican Betty Chu). This leaves us with a vacancy on the State Board of Equalization upon Judy Chu’s resignation. The important question: Who will Governor Schwarzenegger appoint to replace her on the Board of Equalization?

Rumors have it that the Governor is “worried” about his legacy. So far, many of us have been impressed with his recent “about face” towards fighting on behalf of the taxpayers and promising to veto any budget that even hints of raising taxes or fees. Fighting for taxpayers on a responsible budget deal is a great place to start. However, it doesn’t end there. He has the opportunity to… Read More

Longtime FR friend Ward Connerly penned the following commentary to explain to FR readers why he endorsed Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner for Governor…

Why I Support Steve Poizner By Ward Connerly I love California, but if I were not already a resident of this state, I would not be tempted to relocate here. Taxes are too high. We have been unable to control unbridled immigration – legal and illegal, the result of which is a… Read More

Governor Schwarzenegger has unveiled a tough new 60 second television commercial in which he looks straight into the camera and makes it clear to Californians that the Governor is committed to rejecting any budget that includes tax increases, that does not curb waste fraud or abuse, or that "kicks the can" into the future. It’s a great commercial, and in sixty seconds provides and much stronger message to the public than the weak California Teachers Association ads that ran last week. You can see the Governor’s new commercial below.

I want to take the opportunity to thanks and commend Governor… Read More

Governor Schwarzenegger has unveiled a tough new 60 second television commercial in which he looks straight into the camera and makes it clear to Californians that the Governor is committed to rejecting any budget that includes tax increases, that does not curb waste fraud or abuse, or that "kicks the can" into the future. It’s a great commercial, and in sixty seconds provides and much stronger message to the public than the weak California Teachers Association ads that ran last week. You can see the Governor’s new commercial below.

I want to take the opportunity to thanks and commend Governor… Read More

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.

… 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