The Governor continues to stand firm on his demand that any budget must include real spending reform. That is outstanding.

While these days we need to take the Governor’s resolve on a day by day basis, it is heartening to see him continuing to advocate this needed reform of state government, to prevent future overspending.… Read More

When it comes to dealing with the impacts of illegal immigrants on cities and counties, there’s a right way and a wrong way. In San Francisco we see both a wrong-way city and a wrong-way county.

By way of example, San Bernardino County has discovered that San Francisco, a self-designated “sanctuary city”, was until recently dumping illegal-alien juvenile criminals into group homes in San Bernardino County. Read about it here.

Illegal immigrants are by definition law-breakers, but a significant number of them also break other laws of the United States. These offenders often find themselves in our jails.

Of course Congress hasn’t summoned the courage to lead on this issue – or at least lead in the right direction. So starting with the aftermath of the 2005 controversy over the McCain-Kennedy bill, the idea of local governments taking control of their own public safety relative to illegal-immigrant criminals began to resonate. Since the federal and state governments won’t send the right message – that illegal immigration (especially when committed by people who commit other crimes as well)… 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

Tom Kaptain operates two slates. One Democratic and one Republican. The Republican slate Citizens for the Common Good included a chance for people to pick their VP candidate. There were 2146 responses out of a million pieces mailed. And the winner was Romney by a landslide.

Here are the results:

Mitt Romney 1,186 Mike Huckabee 450 Joe Lieberman 192 Bobby Jindal 86 Chris Cox 66 Kay Bailey Hutchinson 56

Thanks to Peggy Mew for counting and compiling the returns.… Read More

Let me start by saying thanks to FR Publisher Jon Fleischman for welcoming me back to the Flash Report Blog. As Jon has mentioned previously, I was FR’s first San Bernardino County correspondent almost three years ago. After 14 months I left in order to focus on becoming a San Bernardino County Supervisor. Now that I’ve achieved that goal, I really appreciate this opportunity to return and pick right back up where I left off — almost two years later.

So what’s changed since we last talked?

One thing for certain has changed, I thought as I perused the latest news accounts of the Iraq situation vis-à-vis the Presidential candidates. And that is, how much things have changed in Iraq. And as Sen. Barack Obama arrived in Iraq today, it also strikes me how little his approach has changed during that same time. I’m pretty sure this is because his position is still the politically popular (albeit wrong) one.

Obama’s 2006 visit to Iraq (his first and only other visit besides today’s) was marked by the… Read More