I don’t know if I should be excited or disappointed that our main page April Fool’s joke has been so popular. It’s only been up three hours and I literally have OVER 200 emails from FR readers telling me "you got me" or "boy did I fall for that one" or some other variation on the theme.

I’m excited because it’s always fun to successfully execute an April Fools Day "Gotcha" — I’m disappointed because in order to pull that off, you need to throw out a scenario that is so plausable that people want to believe it.

It’s too bad that a joke about the Governor leaving the GOP is so believable to so many. Sigh.… Read More

I have always kept my hand in and paid attention to Inland Empire races. Without question, you’ve got to be tough to win Republican primaries down there. I stumbled across a website that continues that tradition, www.nonestande.com.

For Assembly race viewers, this battle between Brian Nestande and Kelly McCarty to succeed John Benoit should be highly entertaining.… Read More

Welcome Back Congress. Welcome back, welcome back, welcome back. And not a moment too soon. Lockheed and Boeing pull out the heavy artillery in the ongoing Air Force tanker spat. Lockheed runs full page ads in most DC papers today signed by more than a dozen former high-ranking Air Force general types, from the Politico, here.

A variety of immigration battles wages as high tech companies begin looking for much-needed workers allotted a limited number of H-1B so-called "highly skilled" visas, from NY Times, here.

The GAO issues a report on the cost of defense construction, here, from the Post. (subscription may be required)

Closer to home, relatively, Wonkette hails Cesar (Chavez) on his birthday and notes the candidates comments, here.

The Hill reports that an aide to frequent GOP-basher Rep. John Murtha used campaign funds to purchase a… Read More

What would you say if I told you that in the state’s current fiscal climate Assemblyman Albert Torrico (D-Newark) is carrying a bill, AB 1967 (see link to .pdf below) that if passed, would cost our state retirement funds (both Cal-STRS and Cal-PERS) billions of dollars?

AB 1967, in essence, puts some pretty huge prohibitions on where the billions of dollars in these retirement funds can be invested. Of course, right now, these funds are invested (presumably) to maximize rate of return. But under Torrico’s bill, these public funds who have to immediately and forever divest from any investments with what are called Sovereign Wealth Funds, which to put it simply are those funds that are affiliated with foreign countries. Torrico’s bill does exempt any SWF’s affiliated with a country (or countries) that have signed onto a bevy of various international human rights accords. Oh yeah, the United States, were it considered a foreign country under Torrico’s bill, would not meet the criteria as we have not… Read More

What would you say if I told you that in the state’s current fiscal climate Assemblyman Albert Torrico (D-Newark) is carrying a bill, AB 1967 (see link to .pdf below) that if passed, would cost our state retirement funds (both Cal-STRS and Cal-PERS) billions of dollars?

AB 1967, in essence, puts some pretty huge prohibitions on where the billions of dollars in these retirement funds can be invested. Of course, right now, these funds are invested (presumably) to maximize rate of return. But under Torrico’s bill, these public funds who have to immediately and forever divest from any investments with what are called Sovereign Wealth Funds, which to put it simply are those funds that are affiliated with foreign countries. Torrico’s bill does exempt any SWF’s affiliated with a country (or countries) that have signed onto a bevy of various international human rights accords. Oh yeah, the United States, were it considered a foreign country under Torrico’s bill, would not meet the criteria as we have not… Read More

Last month, I took Asm. Kevin Jeffries to task (in this Capitol Weekly column) for a bill to address California’s maze of sign ordinances. ACR 93 asks the League of California Cities, California State Association of Counties, and FPPC to develop a model campaign sign ordinance to be used by all of California’s local governments. As I explained in the piece, I never doubted the Assemblyman’s intentions. A California-wide guideline for sign ordinances might be helpful. Too often campaigns for State Assembly or Congress must deal with a dozen different city and county sign ordinances. However, I was deeply concerned that ACR 93 was asking the inmates to run the asylum. After all, local governments routinely pass the most restrictive and blatantly unconstitutional sign ordinances. Take a … Read More

In sports, a high five is internationally recognized as meaning "good job." It’s almost as popular as the symbol for "bad job," seen on roadways around the world. But,that’s the subject of another, more politically oriented blog.

Assemblyman Jeffries became a candidate for the Sports Hall of Fame with his introduction of AB 1852, Decriminalization of Sports Betting Pools. This bill will change the penalty for operating a low level, not for profit, sports betting pools, such as Super Bowl pools or March Madness Brackets, from a misdemeanor to an infraction. This bill was prompted by two constituents being prosecuted for operating a small betting pool inhis district.

That’s one of those slap-your-head and wonder, "Why didn’tI think of that?" ideas.

I urge everybody who reads this to give the Assemblyman a high five when you see him over the next couple of days. As a matter of fact, I will buy a brew for the first few to capture a picture of a good high five. We can toast at a sports bar over the NBA finals. I’ll bet theremight even be a pool… Read More

The Supreme Court is currently hearing and deciding on the Second Amendment’s Right to bear arms. It is a potential landmark decision as it seeks to overturn the 1970’s law passed in Washington DC that effectively disallows citizens to own handguns within the city limits. My boss, Assemblyman Benoit, has introduced AJR 46, urging the legislature to support overturning the ban. Resolution Supports Second Amendment Assemblyman John J. Benoit

I believe the most important function of government is public safety. Not much else matters in life if you feel afraid to walk through your own neighborhood, take your kids to school or the local park, or even leave your loved ones alone in your own home.

As your representative in the state Assembly, I am working hard every day to keep you and every Riverside County resident safe from dangerous criminals who would cause harm to you and your family. Prior to serving in the Assembly, I spent 31 years fighting crime as a law enforcement officer, retiring as the California Highway Patrol Commander in Indio. Clearly, maintaining the safety of every California… Read More