Following the Assembly vote in July on the Governor’s bill extending the California Cap and Trade program, Assembly Republican Leader Chad Mayes participated in a “bipartisan” press conference with Governor Brown and Democrats. During his time at the podium, he announced his pleasure at being there since Republicans don’t get many chances to stand with the Governor in his press room.

In response to questions about why he and his fellow Republicans “jumped ship” to give the Governor his needed 2/3rds vote, thereby protecting Cap and Trade from further legal challenges, Leader Mayes reportedly said, “California Republicans are different than national Republicans.”

While Mr. Mayes may have had a point at that moment in time, it wasn’t long until Republicans in Washington proved that turning into useful idiots of the Democrats was far from just a “California thing.” A couple of weeks after Mayes serenaded a third of his caucus over the regulatory/taxation cliff in support of an unelected bureaucracy, Republicans in the U.S. Senate voting on Obamacare repeal also proved to be as feckless as the Mayes posse in California.

These events,… Read More

Progressives are quite defensive about businesses fleeing California, and understandably so. One lame excuse that they pull out of their “We’re all right, Jack” playbook is to blame the departures on the taxpayer subsidies provided by states courting these California businesses.

Poppycock. A number of states DO offer such subsidies, but that’s not why California businesses flee the Golden State. Not ONE company moves out of California because of these subsidies. But such windfalls can indeed be a factor in the decision concerning WHICH state to move to.

The decision to move a California business is really a two step process:

1.Should we leave California?

2.Which state (or occasionally which COUNTRY) should we move to?

Truth is, almost no one in a California business is enthusiastic about leaving the state — from the company CEO down to the lowest paid employee. California is blessed with the nation’s best climate, terrific beaches and wonderful mountain recreation options. The lack of humidity and bugs is a huge reason to stay in California. Just not huge enough, when it comes to… Read More

The following is a press release from California Republican Party County Chairmen on the Cap and Trade Debacle. Several Republican Party County Chairmen are disgusted with the betrayal by 8 Republicans in Sacramento. Republican State Assembly leader Chad Mayes (R-Yucca Valley) and seven other Republican legislators have deeply angered grassroots activists across the state with their vote to join Democrats in extending the faulty cap-and-trade scheme.

“We campaign for you, we give you money, we make phone calls and walk precincts, and then what do we get in return? No wonder the GOP in California is lacking in enthusiasm and registrations. You take our goodwill and toss it overboard for your own careers and agendas,” stated County Republican Party Chairmen.

Governor Jerry Brown was aided by the Republicans in receiving the two-thirds majority he needs to shield the law’s extension from legal challenges and extend cap-and-trade to 2030. Ignoring the damage to jobs and the economy and with no proof of a positive environmental effect by cap-and-trade, the Republicans have stuck their thumb in the eye of county Republican Central Committees and… Read More

In November 1996, California voters passed Prop 209 “to prohibit public institutions from discriminating on the basis of race, sex, or ethnicity.” It passed with a 54.6% vote, and has stood up well against constitutional challenge in court. https://ballotpedia.org/California_Affirmative_Action,_Proposition_209_(1996)

Sadly, if today a measure were put on the California ballot to REPEAL Prop 209, I suspect it would pass equally as easily. I’m sure that many are surprised that Democrats haven’tput just such a measure on the ballot.

The ONE reason I think the Democrat leaders choose not do it is that it would cost them most of the CA Asian vote in the foreseeable future. Asians constitute about 15% of the California population. Our state has by far the highest percent of Asians — except, of course, for Hawaii. The national average (including California which has a disproportionate effect on the average) is 5.6%. https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/CA and… Read More

Last week, the ostensibly nonpartisan California Fair Political Practices Commission agreed to remove a long-standing campaign contribution limit so that Democrats could better fight an upcoming recall election against one of their own. And you thought things were bad in Venezuela.

Earlier this year, frustrated taxpayers in Senate District 29 initiated a recall of state Sen. Josh Newman because of his vote to impose over $5 billion annually in new taxes on cars and gasoline. Within months, over 100,000 signatures were submitted in support of ousting Newman.

In a move to bolster Newman’s chances of surviving the impending recall, the Senate Democrats last month requested that the FPPC allow elected officials to contribute more than $4,400 — the legal limit — to Sen. Newman’s recall committee. Since 2003, the FPPC has maintained that the contribution limits that apply to candidate committees during regularly scheduled elections also apply to recall elections. In fact, back in 2008, that rule was applied against a Republican legislator, Jeff Denham, when he was fighting his own recall challenge. The justification for the limit is to prevent legislative… Read More

An icon of California Democrats, Jess Unruh coined the phrase, “Money is the mother’s milk of politics.” Over the last six decades, Mr. Unruh’s political progeny have been dedicated to the principle of working hand in glove with labor unions, a myriad of hyphenated “justice” groups, and a broad spectrum of others desiring to put their noses in the governmental trough in return for large amounts of monetary “support.”

This symbiotic relationship is the source of massive campaign “contributions” to a broad array of liberal (read Democrat) legislative policy initiatives, ballot measures, and political campaigns. In fact, when faced with a series of propositions supported by a newly elected Governor Schwarzenegger, the California Teachers Association “went to the mat” by refinancing its San Francisco headquarters building for a mere $60 million. The “guarantee” of repayment was the CTA’s ability to get an “advance” against the dues of its members over the next three years.

Following decades of triumph bringing down opposing issues, ideas, and candidates liberals responsible for the financial successes, to paraphrase Plutarch, seeing… Read More

The purpose of the political process is to persuade people to entrust you with power. Once those involved in politics realize this truth, they realize that, if they want to achieve power, they have to work. Persuasion is a full time, active process. It is accomplished by actually leaving their home, their work, or the Capitol buildings, and going and talking to people. In the process of doing this, those of us who do engage in the political process have to be mindful of certain “laws” of politics.

LAW NO. 1

Republicans lose power because they break the promises they made when they asked the voters for power. Democrats lose power because they keep the promises they made when they were asking for power.

EXPLANATION

We are watching this in action in Washington right now. Republicans think people elected them because they “like” Republicans. Not true, Republicans made promises, people believed them, and now they are breaking the promises. If they keep the promises before the next election, they will win, no matter what the press says. If they break the promises, they will lose. The only… Read More

As I’ve mentioned before, perhaps the single most valuable attribute a politician can have is SKEPTICISM. It’s a trait separate from one’s political persuasion. And as rare as hen’s teeth.

Here’s a “tell” that skeptical politicians can use to easily spot bad policy. Like any tell, it’s not infallible, but darn close.

At a legislative meeting, look at how many people in the room favor a proposed law or policy. The more lopsided — and the more populous and boisterous —that side is, the more likely it is special interest legislation that is at odds with the interests of the general public.

EXHIBIT A: When a law involving “bike lanes” (or a similar pro-biking proposal) comes up, the room is FILLED with “bikers.” Some dressed in their spandex uniforms. Most politicians are so impressed with such a turnout that they mistakenly think that… Read More