The State Republican Party Board of Directors has passed a resolution calling for Governor Schwarzenegger to rescind his call for any tax increase to meet current budget obligations. This is a long overdue, and crucial step for the State’s Republicans.

A little history lesson is in order here. The first two years of Arnold’s term, star-struck Republican Legislators and party members gave the Governor a free pass on about everything. In 2006, after a sharp turn to the far left, the governor ran a re-election campaign that completely ignored his downticket running mates. During the 2006 and 2007 legislative sessions he alienated Republican legislators and put no effort into forming the type of relationships he now needs to navigate the State’s budget crisis.

Arnold wasn’t done, though. He ran the State Party into the red in 2006 by millions, and then reneged on helping the Party repay its debt and reload for the 2008 cycle. All of these circumstances have created the current situation: an unpopular Governor, politically isolated, with nowhere to turn. Instead, he runs around mindlessly… Read More

Speaker Bass wrote a column in the Sacramento Bee today calling for a "stimulus package" for California. Her solution? Give the state more federal welfare. Since the state’s financial problems have been caused by overspending, poor fiscal management of the tax dollars entrusted to them, and a complete lack of self control, you would expect the President and Congress to say no to this outlandish demand. However, since neither the President nor Congress have said no to the completely self indulgent behavior of the private sector, the Speaker’s request might actually be considered.

The Speaker claims that the state has "cut" spending by $15 billion. Only in budget la-la land doublespeak can one claim that a $2 billion increase in spending is a $15 billion cut. The fact is this problem was caused by overspending and will only be solved by real spending reductions. Not reductions to the baseline, not reductions on projected spending increases, not "we want to spend $120 billion, but we only have enough revenue to justify $105 billion so we have to cut $15 billion in… Read More

The Leadership of the California Republican Party has sent a strong message to House Republicans — stop facilitating the growth of the federal government! The Board of Directors of the California Republican Party, which met yesterday in San Diego, passed the resolution below after a lengthy debate. Authored by yours truly (as the Vice Chairman, South, of the State GOP), this resolution expressed the California Republican Party’s concern with House Republicans re-electing the same leader, John Boehner of Ohio, who has presided over our losses and shown little ability to lead House Republicans into a cohesive group that sticks together on the issues, big and small. The resolution also questions the pending re-election of Kentucky Senator Mitch McConnell as the leader of Senate Republicans — McConnell having famously won a narrow re-election this month on a campaign promoting earmarking.

The ability of the fifty state political parties (and their subdivisions) to do our job — registering voters and getting out the vote — has been severely damaged because the American people no longer see the Republican Party as standing for lower taxes,… Read More

In my conversations with Republican Leaders in the State Legislature, there has always been one caveat to the line in the sand drawn against raising taxes, at least temporarily. They have consistently told me that they would at least entertain the thought if Democrats would put on the table placing a real spending limit measure on the ballot that, if passed, would place a modest and real hard limit on the annual allowable growth rate of state government.

In other words, Republicans have little interest in punishing taxpayers for overspending, and at the very minimum, the system that allows the overspending needs to be fixed.

Today there is an article in the Los Angeles Times that talks about a potential deal in the works (though the reporter notes that the deal may be falling apart as the specifics leak out) involving a substantial hike in the state car tax in return for placing a spending cap measure on the ballot.

**There is more… Read More

In my conversations with Republican Leaders in the State Legislature, there has always been one caveat to the line in the sand drawn against raising taxes, at least temporarily. They have consistently told me that they would at least entertain the thought if Democrats would put on the table placing a real spending limit measure on the ballot that, if passed, would place a modest and real hard limit on the annual allowable growth rate of state government.

In other words, Republicans have little interest in punishing taxpayers for overspending, and at the very minimum, the system that allows the overspending needs to be fixed.

Today there is an article in the Los Angeles Times that talks about a potential deal in the works (though the reporter notes that the deal may be falling apart as the specifics leak out) involving a substantial hike in the state car tax in return for placing a spending cap measure on the ballot.

We caution our Republican leaders not to be lured into any… Read More

I am at a State GOP Board meeting, and here is some information worth sharing…

The California Republican Party raised over $33 million in the last eight months alone, which which allowed us to fully fund out Victory Program here in California, send $3 million out to the battleground states of Nevada and Colorado, and retain enough cash on hand to stay in the black and continue to operate a permanent campaign structure.

On what was a very bad election day nationally for Republicans, I can only imagine the losses we would have suffered in California without these resources.… Read More

Almost all the votes have been calculated in the 4th CD race and with the major counties finally reporting, Tom McClintock has won. The largest county in the district, Placer, finished tabulating today, adding 1,464 votes to McClintock’s lead. McClintock now leads overall with 1,793 votes. In a press release issued this evening, the campaign announced that the vote tally “mathematically ensures” McClintock’s victory. The most unfriendly county to the McClintock campaign, Nevada, finished their counting today, thus ensuring the Republican victory. An official victory declaration from the campaign will be announced in just a matter of days.

Congratulations to the McClintock campaign, especially the outstanding staff. Also, many volunteers helped with the post-election ballot count watching—it’s not glamorous work and their dedication is commendable. Although it was delayed a few weeks, the inevitable has been realized and Tom McClintock is now our congressman-elect.… Read More

In thewake of the Obama economy and a 30% decline in the Dow Jones Industrial Average since Barack Obama’s election, and in contrast to neighboring Mission Viejo’s recent city council vote to grant lifetime medical benefits to Councilmembers who have served three terms, the Dana Point City Council voted down last Tuesday night, by a close 3-2 vote, a 30% council pay increase and a 100% spike in health benefits for councilmembers. Under the plan advanced by Mayor Joel Bishop, a former member of the Orange County Democrat Central Committee, and Democrat Steven Weinberg, councilmembers in small Dana Point would receive over $24,000 a year in pay and benefits.

Assemblymember-elect Diane Harkey, at her last council meeting before her swearing-into the Legislature, did the right thing and moved to deny the benefits to her allies on the Council, after missing two prior votes on the issue. Newly re-elected councilmember Lara Anderson (who received the largest vote in Dana Point history earlier this month) and Lisa Bartlett, all Republicans, made the council majority against the pay spike. Good for all of them, and the taxpayers.… Read More