Yesterday Assemblyman Mike Feuer was the floor jockey for Jack Scott’s SB 1171. SB 1171 prohibits carrying a loaded firearm in a vehicle in unincorporated parts of California.

Several GOP Assemblyman (Keene, Benoit, Anderson, Berryhill and others) pointed out flaws in applying a city rule to very rural parts of California.

At the end of debate Mike Feuer complained about speakers talking about the lack of news stories about people driving around with loaded guns robbing banks, committing crimes in rural areas.

Mike Feuer than cited two cases of deputies, one from Yolo, the other Sacramento killed in the line of duty. Somehow this law would have protected them.

The truth is a little different. The Yolo County Sheriff was killed by a law-abiding citizen that was on parole for assault with a deadly weapon. I’m sure this new law would have factored into his thinking.

The Sacramento Sheriff pulled at 3:30 a.m. and was killed after a struggle with HIS OWN gun. The still haven’t caught the person responsible.

How would this law have saved them?… Read More

Grover Norquist is widely respected as one of the nation’s leading taxpayer advocates. As President of Americans for Tax Reform, he has been leading the charge in Washington, D.C., and in the states against new taxes. He has penned this exclusive column for FlashReport readers in light of the current over-spending crisis in Sacramento…

IN TAX TALK, TEMPORARY MEANS PERMANENT; BUT IN CALIFORNIA THE GOP CAN STOP ANY TAX INCREASE By Grover Norquist

The History of Americans for Tax Reform’s No Tax Hike Pledge In 1985 president Reagan asked me to run Americans for Tax Reform — to be the grassroots lobby for what became the Tax Reform Act of 1986 that lowered marginal tax rates… Read More

California Republican Party Chairman has "live blogged" from the chambers of the United States House of Representatives, sending in the following report…

House Republicans are recapturing the spirit of 1994 in their ongoing confrontation with Speaker Pelosi and her House Democrats for refusing to even allow a vote on a bill to bring some energy price relief to Americans. Instead, the Speaker is on a book tour and the House is in "recess" (or as we call it in the real world, on vacation). While in Washington today I wanted to support the House Republicans in their efforts to draw public attention to the issue by keeping active on the floor even while the Speaker is selling books (which isn’t going all that well either, according to the ranking on Amazon.).… Read More

Rumor has it that there are three Republican votes for a budget with a tax increase. Since only two are needed, why would three Republicans vote yes? Once again, according to rumors, one of these Republicans wants to protect Lou Correa, the only Democrat in a target district, from having to vote for a tax increase. If these rumors are true, we have three Republicans who wish to betray Republicans two ways, (1) by violating the basic principles upon which they all were elected, that is, the basic commitment to smaller government and less taxes; and (2) protecting the Democrat majority from the consequences of their spendthrift ways by protecting one of the targets.

Who are these three? Once again according to rumors they are Roy Ashburn, Jim Battin, and Abel Maldonado. All friends of mine, all Senators for whom I have great respect and all Senators that would break my heart if these rumors are true. Now I know my heart is unimportant in the scheme of things, who am I anyway? But I feel like that little boy who looked at Shoeless Joe Jackson after the Chicago Black Sox scandal and said "Say it aint so, Joe." Say it aint so, Jim, Roy, Abel. Say it… Read More

Let’s be clear here. A mega-billion dollar rail bond is a bad deal for California taxpayers. Not only because of the principle that an eneavor such as this should be financed via user fees, not on the backs of tens of millions of taxpayers (not counting the ones not yet born) — but California is already over-loaded with debt.

This “fix” legislatuon that appears to be up for a vote in the Assembly today has as a major purpose making this boondoggle more palatable to voters.

Conservatives should be committed to defeating this bond measure. This includes voting against legislation designed, in essence, to help it pass.

The FlashReport joins with the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association and others in strongly urging a NO on the bill.… Read More

The Sacramento Bee is reporting that Senate President Pro-Tem Don Perata has announced that Senate Democrats have negotiated a budget deal…with the Governor (not with Senate Republicans).

Before I go on, let me share that it is embarassing to me, as a Republican, that the Governor of my party would attempt to emasculate GOP legislators by not insisting that his party’s legislators be included in any negotiations.

That said, I suppose my expectations of Governor “Post Partisan” leave me disappointed, but not surprised.

The good news is that Republican legislative votes are still needed to pass a budget.

So… Now I say, what is this “deal” that has been reached? I call on the Governor and Senator Perata to unveil all of the details for scrutiny. Is there a tax increase? What kind? Are there spending cuts? What and where?

In short, I have little faith that without GOP legislative input, the interests of taxpayers are reflected in this “deal” — and look forward to hearing reaction from our Republican legislators about the deal-points and specifics. Once someone… Read More

You have to love politics. Perata tells the Bee he has a budget deal with the Governor (see the post below). The response from the Governor’s office is that there is no deal.

We’ll see how this plays out. It could be an “almost deal” to keep the details hidden from scrutiny, for now…

Sigh.… Read More

The "City Hall in the Park" initiative, which was passed by Newport Beach voters last February 5 as "Measure B," was upheld in a final and dispostive ruling by Orange County Superior Court Judge Peter Polos.

The city charter amendment, the brainchild of Newport activist and World Cup winner, architect Bill Ficker, preempted other plans of the Newport Beach City Council majority and requires the location of a needed new City Hall to be placed on city-owned property at Fashion Island next to theCentral Library. It was a very logical proposal to place the new City Hall in a central location and near the library, on a 12 acre parcel that will otherwise remain parkland.

Opponents threw out the usual extreme environmental and NIMBY type arguments that hamper rational decisionmaking throughout Orange County coastal jurisdictions. Led by local activist and 1968 VW beattle driver, Allan Beek, Measure B survived a pre-election legal challenge, won at the polls, survived a post-election challenge, and now the entire case has been dismissed on the City’s motion, joined in by Intervenors Bill Ficker, Jack Croul,… Read More