I’m off to Sacramento through Friday – working to maintain all of the contacts on which I depend to bring you news and commentary! On my SWA flight up from “The OC” are Assemblymen Van Tran and Todd Spitzer. Tran was down for a McCain cashectomy on major GOP donors hosted by George Argyros. I ran into Spitzer yesterday for the swearing-in of Orange County’s new Sheriff, Sandra Hutchens. Oh, gotta go! What’s that phrase? “Wheels up!”… Read More

The Fresno State Bulldogs – the only unseeded team in College World Series history to make the final three game series, will play a deciding third game for the NCAA Men’s Baseball Championship today at 4:00 pm PDT, on ESPN.

The Bulldogs, who struggled against teams such as Sacramento State just before the WAC tournament last month, have been on an absolute tear – knocking out nationally ranked Long Beach State, San Diego, 3rd ranked Arizona State, 6th ranked Rice and 2nd ranked Georgia last night. They face Georgia again tonight for the title.

If they win it will be the first national title for a men’s sports program at the University.… Read More

LA County Big Government Unions [BGU] thought they could double down. With Business strangely detached,BGU’scouldgrabthe 2nd Supervisorial sweepstakes. Originally, BGU’s promised to spend up to 2 million in January. After Ridley-Thomas was promised millions of dollars from unwilling union members, MRT announced inDecember, he was running for one of California’s most significant political posts. LA County Board of Supervisors.2 million constituents.

Of course, If Ridley-Thomas wasn’t guaranteed the I.E. support he never would have run. So much for liberals "clean money" campaigning.BGU’s did not merely "coordinate" the campaign with MRT, but created it.… Read More

LA County Big Government Unions [BGU] thought they could double down. With Business strangely detached,BGU’scouldgrabthe 2nd Supervisorial sweepstakes. Originally, BGU’s promised to spend up to 2 million in January. After Ridley-Thomas was promised millions of dollars from unwilling union members, MRT announced inDecember, he was running for one of California’s most significant political posts. LA County Board of Supervisors.2 million constituents.

Of course, If Ridley-Thomas wasn’t guaranteed the I.E. support he never would have run. So much for liberals "clean money" campaigning.BGU’s did not merely "coordinate" the campaign with MRT, but created it.… Read More

The San Diego Community College District offers yet another example of how government officials cost taxpayers millions of dollars unnecessarily. In this case, the district costs taxpayers more by simply not acting on decisions to purchase land in a timely manner.

According to the San Diego Union-Tribune (May 19, 2008), “The San Diego Community College District routinely paid more than its appraisals for property needed to expand campuses because it didn’t act quickly enough when real estate prices were skyrocketing. Officials spent about $81 million buying 25 properties across the city as part of a voter-approved effort in 2002 and 2006 to upgrade the state’s second-largest community college district.”

Unfortunately for taxpayers, the San Diego Union-Tribune found that purchase… Read More

This morning I attended the 47th Annual California Prayer Breakfast in Sacramento. Hosted by the Legislative Fellowship Group, the bipartisan event brings together legislators (Democrat and Republican), public policy experts, lobbyists and others wanting to lift up our state in prayer. With the current difficulties facing our state such as wildfires, budget shortfalls and an out-of-control judiciary, we certainly need to seek God’s guidance and protection. Several members of the Assembly and Senate Republican caucuses were in attendance, as were members of the Democratic caucuses. Notably absent was the elected official usually honored at the breakfast: the governor. Governor Schwarzenegger’s cancellation must have been last minute because, as the program noted, he was scheduled to speak.

The featured speaker for the morning was Mark Joseph, an influential film, music and TV producer, as well as a blogger for the Huffington Post. Mr. Joseph’s speech struck just the right note for a prayer breakfast: it was informative, humorous and… Read More

Whoops. It seems that I rather unfairly tarnished some Republican legislators in my commentary this morning. All is good in the world because apparently Republicans do NOT want to ban Teflon coating! I incorrectly looked up a reconsideration vote on SB 1313, and Assemblyman Bob Huff called me on it (literally). My apologies to all five GOPers on the committee, as it turns out NONE of them voted for the bill. Assemlymembers Emmerson, Gaines, and Huff voted against 4! 1313. Assemblymen Nakanishi and Silva were absent or abstained.… Read More

Trying to write about particularly stupid legislation that is moving forward in the State Legislature is a sport akin to shooting fish in a barrel (see the video). That is to say that the freedom and liberty of Californians are under assault from so many directions that it is literally impossible to follow it all. In the case of hundreds of terrible, terrible bills, the only thing that stands between them and becoming terrible laws will be the veto pen of Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Yesterday, our own Matt Cunningham blogged on a bill by Democrat Senator Ellen “free, unregulated people make me nervous” Corbett, SB 1313. In layman’s terms, this bill would seek to ban/severely increase the cost of the use of the “non-stick stuff” that is used… Read More