MEMORANDUM

To: Governor Schwarzenegger at the State Capitol From: Jon over at the FlashReport RE: Massive Democrat-Created State Deficit Governor, there is no doubt that the liberal Democrats who largely control the budget process have taken California down a path of severe over-spending. As we all know, state spending has massively out-paced state tax revenues, increasing a staggering $25 billion since 2003. Out of the gate this year, you correctly identified this problem for what it is, too much red ink. Too much overspending. You made it clear that California families, taxpayers, would not be saddled with higher taxes in order to address this chronic overspending issue. You rightly introduces a budget that represents a 10% across-the-board cut to what would have been the ’07-’08 amounts (from our perspective, a modest proposal). As a companion to… Read More

MEMORANDUM

To: Governor Schwarzenegger at the State Capitol From: Jon over at the FlashReport RE: Massive Democrat-Created State Deficit Governor, there is no doubt that the liberal Democrats who largely control the budget process have taken California down a path of severe over-spending. As we all know, state spending has massively out-paced state tax revenues, increasing a staggering $25 billion since 2003. Out of the gate this year, you correctly identified this problem for what it is, too much red ink. Too much overspending. You made it clear that California families, taxpayers, would not be saddled with higher taxes in order to address this chronic overspending issue. You rightly introduces a budget that represents a 10% across-the-board cut to what would have been the ’07-’08 amounts (from our perspective, a modest proposal). As a companion to… Read More

Governor Arnold, heard at a town hall meeting in Northern California this week:

"’The way we are taxing. I mean, we are missing a lot out there,’ the governor said. ‘There’s whole new economies that are developing, service-oriented economies. Manufacturing is going down.’"

Wow. That is deep stuff. I mean, there is lot’s of stuff out there we can tax.

Milton Friedman, where are you when we need you?… Read More

It seems like only yesterday Jon Fleischman posted a series of news updates on potential candidates to replace termed-out Board of Equalization Second District Member Bill Leonard.Read it here. Today, there is even more news on the progress on one of the candidate’s campaign.

Assemblymember Alan Nakanishi (AD 10) is already off to a lightning-quick start. The conservative Republican BOE hopeful has already locked up key endorsements from several of his GOP legislative colleagues. BOE Third District member Michelle Steel is serving as Dr. Nakanishi’s campaign chair. The Lodi lawmaker has assembled an impressive campaign team that includes the very talented Mike Richman. Richman is fresh off his successful stint of leading RNC National Committeeman candidate (and Flashreport blogger) Shawn Steel to an impressive victory over a twelve-year incumbent at the most recent California Republican Party convention.

Campaign finance reports now indicate that Alan… Read More

AB 1940, Assemblyman Chuck DeVore’s bill to grant pregnant women temporary disabled parking passes, failed to make it out of the Assembly Transportation Committee this afternoon. In an unusual move, every member of the committee abstained from the vote with the exception of Cathleen Galgiani (Yes) and Betty Karnette (No), the final vote being 1 to 1 (there are 14 committee members).

Assemblyman DeVore had offered an amendment to the bill that would have prevented use of the permits in paid municipal meters, which already have high usage in urban locations. The National Organization for Women testified in opposition to the bill, once again proving the hypocrisy of their group’s title. Responding to their allegations that AB 1940 classified pregnant women as disabled, DeVore stated that pregnancy is a temporary state, not a permanent disability, much like when an athlete is injured and needs some assistance for a few months.

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists argued that such permits would discourage women from getting exercise. DeVore countered that many of the stories coming in to his office were from mothers who actually turn… Read More

When you are going into a fight for your life, you want to make sure that everyone in your fox hole is at the top of their game — and it looks like State Senator Jeff Denham, who is the subject of a frivolous and political recall effort but can take nothing for granted, has put together quite a team. Fresh off the "No on 93" team are lead consultants Wayne Johnson and Tim Clark of JohnsonClark Associates, consultant and media strategist par excellence Kevin Spillane, and uber-research specialist Mark Bogetich of MB Associates. They’ve already kicked Don Perata’s porky butt once, and I am sure relish the opportunity to do it again… Rounding out the team: Veteran pollster Steve Kinney of Public Opinion Strategies, Capitol fundraiser John Bovee of the Bovee Company, district fundraiser Jane Clark of the JLC Group — and on the ground: tapped as the on-site campaign manager is John Franklin (from Darrell Issa’s political team, he recently managed the successful election campaign of Brian Bilbray in the very high profile 2006 special election to fill Duke Cunningham’s seat). Franklin’s Deputy… Read More

From today’s Wall Street Journal Political Diary E-mail…

What Did They Expect from the ‘Terminator’?

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is not much one for sentiment. He has bounced both his brother-in-law Bobby Shriver and his fellow actor and friend Clint Eastwood from the State Park and Recreation Commission.

Mr. Shriver, who chaired the commission, and Mr. Eastwood, who was his deputy, both opposed the Governator’s plan to build a toll road between Orange County and San Diego that would have cut through a corner of a state park.

"It shows you how strong these developers were that [they] were able to… Read More

In the wake of incumbent school board Trustee Luis Acle’s failure to qualify for the ballot in San Diego Unified (the FlashReport broke the story two Sundays ago and your extremely humble blogger alerted the “mainstream” media to the development), folks were scrambling in the days to follow for analternative candidate.

Last week, it was confirmed what I already knew. Charles Wesley Kim, Jr. had filed his nominating papers by the extended deadline, but even he guessed he didn’t get enough valid signatures submitted. The resulting U-T story even caused Jon Fleischmanto ask on the FR mainpage, "Keystone Cops?," given the fact thatboth an incumbent and a new candidate had failed to qualify, thus leaving labor organizer Richard Barrera as the lone, unopposed heir to Acle’s seat.

Please bear with me on this one.

The 200 signature requirement in the City of San Diego is… Read More