The State budget debate is supposed to be tonight, as floor sessions for both houses are scheduled for 4 PM. Our Assembly Republican caucus meets a little earlier as I expect the others from both house and parties will too. Floor session doesn’t usualy actuualy start on time so I expect the debate will be well into the night as the fine points are brought up, contemplated and hammered out. Importantly, much can go on with the budget trailer bills, of which there are several. They need close scrutiny. All in all, one way or the other, it appears we will have this done and on its way to the Governor within 24 hours. But anything can happen between houses or the respective parties to cause a hiccup in this time line.… Read More

OC/Riverside Congressman Ken Calvert lead the effort among the nineteen CA Republican Members of Congress last week to push Nancy Pelosi to allow a vote on an energy bill that includes domestic oil drilling off the Outer Continental Shelf as part of an all-of-the-above solution.

Seventeen of the nineteen CA GOP lawmakers joined Calvert and signed the letter (below).

Calvert who has shown leadership on the issue of energy independence also launched a web page www.alloftheaboveenergy.org that urges voters to sign a petition to Speaker Pelosi.

California State Legislators should pay attention to this too because the letter also highlights the prospects for the State of California to see a big windfall from the sale of this newly pumped oil off our coast. I bet there are a few Democrat legislators who would ‘sell out the environment’ for another couple billion in state revenues to play with.… Read More

A bit of buzz resulted last week from the news that Republican members of the Assembly wore name tags in a caucus budget discussion with the Governor. It may have been off-handedly amusing to those who devised the idea, knowing full well the Governor himself would find it as such, especially after his apparent recent admission that he has little contact with GOP legislators.

Yet, the name tag idea wouldn’t have been conceived at all, had the reality of the matter not existed. It’s likely the Governor doesn’t know all of the GOP legislators by name or by face. Or, at least, not their interests and concerns.

The episode is ironic, given this Governor’s start.

Hark back to mid-November 2003, a couple of days after Arnold Schwarzenegger was sworn in as the 38th Governor of California. A Republican legislator stopped in with a request for the chief executive’s receptionist. The lawmaker explained that when some of his Sacramento guests… Read More

A bit of buzz resulted last week from the news that Republican members of the Assembly wore name tags in a caucus budget discussion with the Governor. It may have been off-handedly amusing to those who devised the idea, knowing full well the Governor himself would find it as such, especially after his apparent recent admission that he has little contact with GOP legislators.

Yet, the name tag idea wouldn’t have been conceived at all, had the reality of the matter not existed. It’s likely the Governor doesn’t know all of the GOP legislators by name or by face. Or, at least, not their interests and concerns.

The episode is ironic, given this Governor’s start.

**There is more – click the link**

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Energy: As I have told you before, I do not expect much action on anything in Washington prior to the election unless it is something with a looming deadline. Well, the big looming deadline on the energy front is the Sept. 30th expiration of the Congressional ban on offshore oil and gas drilling. The President has already removed his executive order ban so if the Congressional one expires, offshore drilling will be allowed nationwide on October 1st.

The way things work back here is that the majority party, whichever one that happens to be, does not like to let the minority party decide the fate of major issues. After all, the benefit of having the majority is that you get to decide those things and not the other guys. But sometimes, the majority is split on an issue and the minority is united. When that happens, the majority is in trouble because a floor vote will mean that the minority party breaks the tie amongst the majority and the "losers" within the majority will be very mad that their leadership let the other side push this issue away from their desire. This happened when Republicans were in charge and it is happening now with Democrats… Read More

Years of wasteful spending finally caught up with the Sacramento Library Director—. So, what does she do? She hires a high profile public relations firm with $11,000 taxpayer dollars in order to put a positive spin on a very scandalous situation. According to the Sacramento Bee, August 14, 2008, “[w]hen reporters and grand jury members began scrutinizing Sacramento Public Library last year, it became clear that [the director’s] job could be in trouble. This was underscored when, “The Bee revealed an apparent library maintenance over-billing and kickback scheme that operated under [the director’s] watch.” “The grand jury got involved, issuing…a scathing report citing [the director’s]… Read More

So I have been told that a framework of agreement on a budget has been agreed to by the four legislative leaders. There are apparently no new taxes in this agreed-upon framework. We here at the FR are anxious to see the details.… Read More

San Diego County Board of Ed candidate Rose Urdahl on yesterday’s Union-Trib story…

Dear Friends and Supporters:

In yesterday’s Union Tribune an article " Candidate acknowledges she lacks listed credentials" can be found in the local section. I owe each and everyone of you an explanation. I have spent my entire life trying to be a good hard working honest person.

First, lets set the record straight. I have taught many seniors and children arts and crafts throughout my life-time. In the 70’s I was a GPN and worked at the local hospital in the emergency room and delivery room in a tiny town in Kansas where I grew up. The hospital gave me training and I took courses at the hospital. Upon completion of these courses I was given a certificate that enabled myself to be employed at the hospital. A license was not required. I worked in this position for three years. I attended two years of college at Kansas State at Colby Community College. I lack… Read More