Looks like the Governor is going to issue an Executive Order on Monday to reduce the pay of 200,000 state employees temporary down to the federal minimum wage. Once a state budget is approved, these folks will be issued back-pay for the difference. It’s all about preserving cash flow says this breaking story at the SacBee website.

This will jack up the anxiety of public employee unions who should think about this — they have very little cache with legislative Republicans since, for the most part, they work to defeat every Republican that they can. So the question is what kind of pressure can these unions bring to bear on legislative Democrats? Perhaps it’s time for the unions to roll up their sleeves and figure out how to give state government a healthy haircut — which will then allow for a budget to pass, and their members can once again get their full pay.… Read More

After reading over the Governor’s draft Executive Order to reduce the salaries of around 200,000 existing state employees to federal minimum wage (see my post below this one – also see the draft order here) — it dawned on me that perhaps the bigger news is the part that says, "take immediate action to terminate the services of the following five catagories of employees and individuals: (1) Retired Annuitants, (2) Permanent Intermittent Employees, (3) Seasonal Employees, (4) Temporary Help Workers, (5) Individuals Providing Services Under Contract…"

According to press accounts, this is nearly 20,000 people who will be terminated.

This is huge. Perhaps it is the "lemonade" of the lemon that is our state budget crisis. We always see the size of state government grow larger and larger. Seldom do we see actual reductions, Unfortunately, when the budget is approved, it is likely that most if not all of those… Read More

This Governor is in the habit of rolling out Judicial appointments in big batches. Until this week, his last batch of new Judges was announced back in May — twenty of them. I have made no bones about that fact that it is galling to me that the Governor, who was elected with all of the support of the Republican Party, loves to appoint registrants of the party of Barack Obama to the bench. In that May batch, it was 9 Republicans and 8 Democrats. It is a very sad situation for GOP donors and activists that we have to settle with a bare majority of Judicial appointments from our Republican Governor. It truly makes you scratch your head..

Well, actually, we have now set a new low for GOP appointments — less than 50%. Monday the Governor announced 30 new appointees to Judicial posts around Californian. You can see all of them here.

We think that it is fair to assume that someone’s party registration is a good way to generalize their beliefs about the proper… Read More

This Governor is in the habit of rolling out Judicial appointments in big batches. Until this week, his last batch of new Judges was announced back in May — twenty of them. I have made no bones about that fact that it is galling to me that the Governor, who was elected with all of the support of the Republican Party, loves to appoint registrants of the party of Barack Obama to the bench. In that May batch, it was 9 Republicans and 8 Democrats. It is a very sad situation for GOP donors and activists that we have to settle with a bare majority of Judicial appointments from our Republican Governor. It truly makes you scratch your head..

Well, actually, we have now set a new low for GOP appointments — less than 50%. Monday the Governor announced 30 new appointees to Judicial posts around Californian. You can see all of them here.

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

Know of a liberal college student needing summer work? At U.C. Santa Cruz , my daughter’s school this Fall, i found this announcement posted throughout the campus.

Wow, for helping kicking out the GOP of the White House, any student can get up to $8000 as a summer campaigner. After observing politics a while I’ve never seen such a deal. This year the Dems are swimming in money. Barak just announced his take in June was over $50 million, outdistancing McCain 2-1. Even the hapless DNC, forever broke under Chairman Dean is matching nicely against the RNC, just a few weeks after the Obama takeover of those operations.

And that money doesn’t even includethe fabulous 527s, those underground secretive money laundering operations, which are overwhelmingly in the dem camp. Strange ironies for McCain-Feingold. Billionairesfor Obama, re their donating history includesEli Broad, real estate [93% for dems], Ron Burkle, supermakets and FOB [ 98%]; Charles Kushner, real estate and felon, [98%]; George… Read More

The City of Newport Beach has one of the most threatening and unconstitutional campaign ordinances on its books I have ever seen. And by golly, they just might repeal it tonight!

I blogged about the law here last February and provided four detailed reasons why it was unconstitutional. The lawis Municipal Code section 1.30, which criminalizes all "writings," direct-mail and flyers distributed to 200 or more people in Newport Beach within 14 days of an election, unless copies are filed with the City Clerk within 2 hours of distribution, and supported by evidence of how they were distributed. The penalty is six months in jail, a $500 fine, or both.

The law is aimed atlast minute "hit pieces" and is specifically intended to force public disclosure of such mailings, and all late mailings, to give opponents the opportunity to "respond to statements" that are "untrue, or believed to be untrue." The law became an issue in the February municipal election in Newport Beach when supporters of Measure B, the successful "City Hall in the Park" initiative, which was opposed by the majority of… Read More

Know a college student needing summer work? At U.C. Santa Cruz , my daughter’s school this Fall, i found this announcement posted throughout the campus.

Wow, for helping kicking out the GOP of the White House, a student can get up to $8000 as a summer campaigner. After observing politics a while I’ve never seen such a deal. This year the Dems are swimming in money. Barak just announced his take in June was over $50 million, outdistancing McCain 2-1. Even the hapless DNC, forever broke under Chairman Dean. is matching nicely against the RNC, just a few weeks after the Obama takeover of those operations.

And that money doesn’t even includethe fabulous 527s, those underground secretive money laundering operations, which are overwhelmingly in the dem camp. Strange ironies for McCain-Feingold. Billionairesfor Obama, re their donating history includesEli Broad, real estate [93% for dems], Ron Burkle, supermakets and FOB [ 98%]; Charles Kushner, real estate and felon, [98%]; George Soros,… Read More

Back in January, when the McCain campaign was going around soliciting supporters to serve as potential delegates to a Republican Convention nearly 8 months, and a competitive primary later, it was a challenge, I’m sure. Especially since back then, McCain was not on the top of the polls.

As the rubber now meets the road, and those who agreed to be submitted as delegates have to actually figure out of they can go (you know, take a week of off work, and come up with a bunch of money for lodging, delegation fees, etcetra), there have been plenty of changes and substitutions from the original list of delegates and alternates.

Attached you will find (as a .pdf file) an updated list (as of 7/11) of California’s McCain Delegation* to the Republican National Convention.

Senator Ackerman – we see you’ve made the list. If the Democrats in Sacramento are willing to accept more significant cuts in state spending, perhaps you’ll even get to go! … Read More