As I mentioned on Monday when we started a process of figuring out where California’s 45 Republican State Legislators stand on Proposition1A, we would be keeping you updated. Since Monday, we’ve heard from Assemblyman Steve Knight’s office that he has been an opponent of 1A for some time, and also from Connie Conway that she opposes the measure. Assemblyman Sam Blakeslee’s office has said that he does not take positions on ballot measures.

Currently two-thirds of Senate GOPers oppose 1A. On the Assembly side, it’s three short of that mark — with six unknowns…

Below is the current tally:

Ten State Senate Republicans are publicly opposed to Proposition 1A: Sam Aanestad, John Benoit, Jeff Denham, Bob Dutton, Tom Harman, Dennis Hollingsworth, George Runner, Tony Strickland, Mimi Walters, and Mark Wyland.

Four Republican Senators are publicly supporting Proposition 1A: Roy Ashburn, Dave Cogdill, Bob Huff, and Abel Maldonado.

One Republican Senator has… Read More

This just in… According to GOP sources, representatives of the Republican Party of San Diego County recently inquired about booth space at the April 19 Earth Fair in Balboa Park,with organizers responding that the GOP wasn’t invited to join the dozens of other exhibitors at the annual event on the City of San Diego-owned property.

Not, mind you, that partisan or political groups aren’t allowed (it IS an Earth Fair), or there wasn’t any space left.No, I am told it was more along the lines of the GOP not being "environmental," so the party was unwelcome to join in the festivities.

I assume that means the half a million or so registered Republicans in the area can stay home as well. I’d love to see how theLibertarians and AIPers fare in nailing down booth space.

In the meantime, I am further told that fair organizers are being contacted again as I write by a qualified individualto be told that the GOP will indeed be an exhibitor.

More to follow, especially if there is more to the story or someone has a differing take on what has transpired between the… Read More

The following commentary was submitted for publication by the proponents of Proposition 1A. It’s author, Loren Kaye, is the President of the California Foundation for Commerce and Education, which is a research and policy foundation associated with the California Chamber of Commerce. Kaye’s piece references an interview that FR conduced with economist Benjamin Zycher, which can be found here.

Taking Issue with Economist Ben Zycher’s Analysis of Proposition 1A By Loren Kaye

FlashReport recently published an interview with Ben Zycher of the Pacific Research… Read More

The following commentary was submitted for publication by the proponents of Proposition 1A. It’s author, Loren Kaye, is the President of the California Foundation for Commerce and Education, which is a research and policy foundation associated with the California Chamber of Commerce. Kaye’s piece references an interview that FR conduced with economist Benjamin Zycher, which can be found here.

Taking Issue with Economist Ben Zycher’s Analysis of Proposition 1A By Loren Kaye FlashReport recently published an… Read More

It’s rather infamous that February’s “big budget/big taxes/open primary” deal which spawned a series of a half-dozen ballot measures, Proposition 1A – 1F, was crafted in order to co-opt the state’s most aggressive public employee union – the California Teachers Association – and get them on board with the deal. Some of the signs of this accommodations include the questionable language surrounding Proposition 1A cap (there is no doubt that the language could have been much tighter and stronger), the presence of $16 billion in additional taxes that are triggered with the passage of 1A, and then there is Proposition 1B – a measure that, if it and 1A were to pass, would restore billions and billions in cuts that education took in the budget deal.

It would appear, at least preliminarily, that to the extent that all of this accommodation was designed to keep the CTA from nuking the budget deal and supporting the ballot measures, that the first part was definitely achieved (too many Democrat “union tools” of the CTA in the legislature voted for the budget deal, which would only happen with their sign… Read More

The following is just in from the Poizner for Governor Campaign…

California Insurance Commissioner and Republican gubernatorial candidate Steve Poizner today sent the following letter today to California Republican Party Chairman Ron Nehring calling on the CRP to formally oppose Proposition 1A on the May 19 ballot. A copy of the letter follows:

March 24, 2009 Mr. Ron Nehring Chairman, California Republican Party 1903 W. Magnolia Blvd.… Read More

This morning California Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner has an exclusive column in the FlashReport, The $16 Billion Tax Trick: We Need to Stop the Legislature from Trying to Fool Voters – Again. The column is worth a read. It’s especially notable that in the very first paragraph, Poizner compares Proposition 1A to last year’s failed Proposition 93 (The Fabian Nunez Term Limits Weakening Act, as we must have called it a hundred times). When you consider the lead role that Poizner played in the defeat of 93, which included not only political leadership, but a healthy contribution from Poizner’s personal fortune, it begs the question of whether Poizner will "93" Proposition 1A…

Of course, Meg Whitman has also been quite vocal in her opposition to 1A. While she doesn’t have a specific story like that of Poizner’s role with 93 to draw… Read More

We are pleased to present this exclusive commentary from Republican State Senator John Benoit…

1A – A Taxing Proposition By Senator John Benoit I have long been an outspoken advocate of a real state spending cap that would firmly limit the growth of state spending to the sum of inflation and population growth. I proudly co-authored Assembly Constitutional Amendment 19, a fiscally-responsible measure that would have capped state spending while diverting any extra revenue into reserves and repayment of outstanding debt. Sadly, that measure died during atypical party line vote in the Budget Committee in August 2008. As with several other similar past proposals, the tax-and-spend controlling majority wanted nothing to do with anything that… Read More