PLEASE TAKE IMMEDIATE ACTION! Please contact your members of the State Legislature and tell them you oppose a budget agreement that includes tax increases of any kind. Click this link to contact them.

WHEN:

Now! A budget with tax increases could be taken up as early as next week, and our taxpayer allies in the Legislature are taking severe abuse from the tax and spend lobby. They need your help and support to stand firm.

WHY:

California has the highest income tax, sales tax and gas tax in the United States, and the highest corporation tax in the Western United States.… Read More

In the latest breaking news surrounding the bizarre politics of San Bernardino County, Assessor Bill Postmus has resigned. Postmus has recently been arrested on narcotics possession charges. I don't have enough finger power to type the whole drama from my Blackberry. I will say that this is a sad end of a political career of someone I have known for a long time — but clearly never really knew.… Read More

As someone who has been questioned from time to time by "less diverse" conservatives and GOPers about my musical tastes — such as "How can you possibly listen to liberals like Dylan, The Clash, John Lennon, The Ramones, etc, etc?" — well, I just have to share the following.

And, let’s not forget the founding fathers were punks as well.

http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/dtennapel/2009/01/31/republican-is-the-new-punk/

As a small group of great philosophers once said, "Hey ho, let’s go!"… Read More

I read yesterday’s Flashreport with all of the stories in the mainstream media about laying off, and furloughing, state employees, and the negative impact that is having on state employee morale.

But look what is happening in the private sector. Thousands of private sector workers are losing their job, which is having a negative effect on state income and sales tax revenue, and that drop in revenue is resulting in state deficits. These deficits leave the state with the options of cutting spending, raising taxes, or both. Raising taxes will reduce private sector spending, costing more private sector jobs, further reducing income and sales tax revenues, and quite frankly, reducing the effectiveness that any tax increase may have toward increasing state revenue. Quite frankly, raising taxes will make the short term revenue problems worse.

Cutting spending will cost government jobs, for sure, but lots of people are losing their jobs right now. Government workers, and government worker unions, think that somehow they ought to be immune from these economic ups and downs. They always want more spending when revenues are up, and they never want to cut… Read More

Recently in the FlashReport my friend Jon Fleischman wrote to urge the Constitutional elected officers to bend to the will of the Governor on the issue of employee furloughs. I disagree. Actually, I oppose furloughs on both constitutional and pragmatic grounds. First, the Constitution. If it means anything (and these days, that seems open to question) the Constitution of California set up a divided executive branch. Unlike the Federal government, California has 11 officials elected independently of the governor. The drafters in both 1850 and 1879 had concerns about an all-powerful executive and wanted to add checks and balances beyond the three separate branches of government.

The Board of Equalization, where I serve, and the other Constitutional officers, do not answer to the Governor. He cannot order us to give a taxpayer a break, nor can he order us to audit a taxpayer who has crossed him. In other states and in the Federal government, I believe that both have happened. (Think of Nixon’s infamous Saturday Night Massacre as an example of an executive wielding inappropriate power of the employees of another agency.) It is a… Read More

Since the old saw goes – "Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery" – I’m flattered that it appears my weekly Waste Watch posts are going to be continued on FR.

As you all know, the top-notch staff in the Republican Senate Caucusactually write the Waste Watch – as they always did for me. They do a great job of highlighting the never ending waste of government.

I always felt is was important to constantly demonstrate government’s inability to spend taxpayer’s dollars efficiently even while my Democrat colleagues continued their call for higher and higher taxes. Apparently my successor, Senator John Benoit does too – he’s started posting his version today. You can find it below.

John, I’m flattered you want to keep this great tradtion alive. Thanks.… Read More

I am pleased to offer this guest commentary from Senator Abel Maldonado, who represents California’s 15th District along the Central Coast…

John Chiang: A Controller Out of Control By State Senator Abel Maldonado

If your tax refund check is delayed, blame State Controller John Chiang’s irresponsible spending. While you’re trying to find a way to do more with less, the state controller is continuing to do less with more.

**There is more – click the link**… Read More

I am pleased to offer this guest commentary from Senator Abel Maldonado, who represents California’s 15th District along the Central Coast…

John Chiang: A Controller Out of Control By State Senator Abel Maldonado

If your tax refund check is delayed, blame State Controller John Chiang’s irresponsible spending. While you’re trying to find a way to do more with less, the state controller is continuing to do less with more.

On January 6, the governor vetoed the Democrats’ illegal budget. Phrases like… Read More