Assemblyman Chuck DeVore, a leader in California’s conservative movement, continues to charge ahead in his bid for the GOP nomination to challenge ultra-liberal Senator Barbara Boxer’s re-election next year.

The Devore for Senate campaign has rolled out an impressive augmentation to its already weighty list of GOP officials. 26 new endorsements from Republican elected officials include: State Senators Jeff Denham, Bob Dutton, Bob Huff and Mimi Walters and Assemblymembers Anthony Adams, Joel Anderson, Bill Berryhill, Tom Berryhill, Sam Blakeslee, Connie Conway, Paul Cook, Mike Duvall, Bill Emmerson, Jean Fuller, Ted Gaines, Danny Gilmore, Curt Hagman, Kevin Jeffries, Stephen Knight, Jeff Miller, Brian Nestande, Jim Nielsen, Cameron Smyth, Audra Strickland, Van Tran, and Mike Villines, the Assembly Republican Leader.

The campaign had previously announced the endorsements of 16 Republicans, including Congressman Tom McClintock and State Board of… Read More

Now that the rescue/bail out of the big 3 automakers has been completed by President Bush, the Fed and the Treasury Department (with the support of President-Elect Obama), I would like to give you all some of my views on what has been said and is still being said, about this industry, it’s problems and it’s prospects. Because of my 25 years experience in this industry, I know a few things that many of those talking heads on TV don’t. It drives me crazy when someone pontificates with such surety about what went wrong and what is needed to go right, while their only experience with the car business is that they bought a car once. Please find my observations and comments below.

First, the Myths:

Myth #1: Domestic automakers are in trouble because they build poor quality cars – They used to. But so did the Japanese manufacturers in the 60s. But now quality in the car business is a price of admission and there is near quality parity among all manufacturers selling cars in the US market. While JD Power always ranks a first place and a last place, the difference between that first and last is much less than it used to be and in… Read More

Yesterday’s commentary by Dan Schnur regarding the budget situation seemed to suggest that a tax increase as a solution to the current budget crisis isa foregone conclusion. I guess my question is this: why?

The present budget disaster, which isn’t fixable anyway, is as a result of five years Republican compromise with clueless, and very liberal, Democrats. Why, after a 100% increase in spending, we should go back to hard working small business and other taxpayers with a tax increase is beyond my comprehension. Any tax increase will send this economy, already headed over a cliff, into the depths of depression. Even Obama delayed a tax increase – admitting in the process that there is an inverse relationship between taxes and the strenght of the economy.

Let me lay it on the table, for all to see: taxes are our last issue. We’ve thrown away ever other issue wehave. We’ve caved, compromised and been railroaded by absolute morons on the left and look where the GOP is at as a result.

I don’t know whether my friend, Assembly GOP Leader Mike Villines, is going to take this budget fight but I can assure… Read More

The DC based Dem public affairs firm of Conklin Scott has compiled the unofficial list of events in the DC Metro Area surrounding the history making Inaugural on January 20th.

Some of the more interesting events include the Hip Hop Caucus pre-Inaugural concert on Saturday, the17th. On Sunday the 18th the Political Action Committee by Latinas for Latinas celebration at Rosa Mexican Restaurant.

Also on Sunday at Ohev Shalom, the National Synagogue will hold the Jewish Ball. I don’t think the President-elect will be there but they are going to have "Paul Shapiro’s Ribs & Brisket".

On Monday the 19th the Arab American Institute will host a ball that will feature "famous comedians". Are there any Arab comedians?

The Busboy and Poets & the National Postal Museum ball is also Monday where they claim they will have the largest group of peace activists gathering on Inauguration Day without a protest. Does that mean they will be wearing deodorant?

Click here to… Read More

I have known George Plescia and Bonnie Garcia (pictured below to the right, with the Governor) for many years. Both are great people and both are very capable. Both of them, during their six years in the State Assembly, were quite articulate about the need to cut state spending (rather prescient given our current woes, don’t you think?). I recall Plescia (pictured below, left), when he was Assembly Republican Leader, calling for the Governor to "dust off" the recommendations of the California Performance Review and to start implementing them.

Earlier this week I read on the Sacramento Bee’s Capitol Alert blog that George and Bonnie had taken appointments from the Governor to serve as members of the Unemployment Insurance Appeals Board. This is one of those low-profile commissions where the appointees (hand picked by the Governor, Speaker and Senate… Read More

As many FR readers know one of my hats is as Chair of the CRP Initiatives Committee. I got a call yesterday, after I explained the rumors floating about a referendum should the Democrats and Governor agree on an extra-constitutional majority vote that raises taxes by calling them fees.

I was officially asked by State Senator George Runner to add this item to the CRP Initiatives Committee agenda at the Feb. CRP Convention should such a fee bill be passed. Runner has been working closely with taxpayer groups including the California arm of Americans For Prosperity to lay the groundwork should a referendum be needed.

There is also a Facebook page about stopping the car tax increase part of the proposed deal.

This clearly is a line in the sand. Failure would mean no business, no service and literally no ones pocketbook will be safe. We would live in fear wondering if we were next to be taxed, I mean feeed to death.

For those who emailed me, my kids… Read More

When it comes to this year’s California state budget, there’s really only one question that matters: what’s going to be the price for a tax increase?

Let’s pretend that we can fast-forward past the next few weeks — or several months — of budget foreplay. Let’s assume that the Democratic scheme to pass a tax increase by majority vote doesn’t work, which means that some Republican legislative support will be necessary. Let’s look into the future toward that day when the California state legislature passes a budget by a two-thirds margin for Governor Schwarzenegger to sign.

Assembly Republican Leader Mike Villines has hinted that a package of tax and regulatory incentives that could improve the state’s business climate could be part of a tradeoff for some revenue increases. Because he was careful not to promise such an exchange, Villines was roasted by the state’s mainstream media for intransigence. But while he was not willing to negotiate against himself by offering up absolute assurances of Republican support before any serious discussions had occurred, he was effectively sending a message to… Read More

Politics is not like business. Making a deal in business makes sense if everybody makes money on it. Most of the negotiation in business is an attempt to maximize the benefit of a business deal to those trying to negotiate the deal, but in the end, if everyone makes money, the object is to make the deal. A business deal is a win/win deal (or at least perceived to be) or there is no deal

That is not so in government and politics. Political deals are by definition win/lose, or they would be business deals. You don’t have to force someone to do something that will make them money. Force is necessary only when one party or the other perceives that a deal is a loser. Politics involves winners and losers by definition.

That is why this coming year’s budget fight is a critical fight. The winners and losers are easy to define. If taxes are increased the winner is the government, i.e., the government unions and the permanent bureaucracy (the leaders of which actually drafted the budget). The losers are the taxpayers. It is just that simple.

Democrats get it. They want the government unions and the permanent bureaucracy to win.… Read More