A lot of activity and politicking has been taking place amongst the 25 Republican members of the California State Assembly since the legislature reconvened on Monday. But from talking to a number of sources in the Capitol, including some of the GOP Assemblymembers, it is clear that embattled Assembly Republican Leader Chad Mayes has conveyed to his colleagues that he will not be standing for re-election next Tuesday. On Monday when the caucus gathered after the break Mayes’ colleagues declined to dump him on the spot (though it was a close vote) but instead called for a new election for leader in a week – an unprecedented blow to an incumbent leader. Mayes at that meeting had said he would run for re-election. And every caucus member being talked about to replace him voted against the “Cap and Trade” tax increase.

As word of this news has spread within the caucus, it has mostly been met with relief. Mayes, as it has been well publicized, led a group of six other Assembly Republicans to vote for a terrible “Cap and Trade” bill that will sock the the private sector for upwards of $25 billion over ten years, raise gas prices significantly (as well as… Read More

The Assembly Republican Caucus failed on Monday to vote to oust its weak-kneed turncoat leader Chad Mayes. His failure to lead on the disastrous cap and trade manipulations and vote, allowed the cap and trade program to be voted on prematurely by two years, saved and extended a decade.

A leader would have demanded an audit and hearings on the program, and never allowed cover to Democrats in targeted districts fearful of the disastrous vote.As Flash Report publisher Jon Fleischman explained:

“…the ten-year extension of the draconian “cap-and-trade” program (AB 398), passed by the legislature with the votes of virtually every Democrat (of course) and the votes of eight ideologically challenged Republicans. The latter includeAssembly Minority Leader Chad Mayes (R-Yucca Valley), as well as State Sen.Tom Berryhill (R-Ceres), and Assemblymembers Catherine Baker (R-Walnut… Read More

The historical figure that led to the fights in Charlottesville, VA General Robert E. Lee, was a Democrat. His statue was built by Democrats. Now Democrat office holders in Charlottesville want to tear down his statue because he was a racist.

Andrew Jackson, the father of the Democrat party and for whom many Democrat party fundraising functions are named, owned over 300 slaves at Hermitage, and ordered them to be whipped to maintain control of them. To compound his racial sins, he ordered the forcible removal of Native Americans from Georgia to Oklahoma. To this day, the Cherokee mourn the dead in the Trail of Tears.

John C. Calhoun, a Democrat, led the fight in the US Senate for more than 30 years in the mid 19th Century to protect the institution of slavery. However, the racism, hatred and bigotry of the Democrat party did not end with the civil war.

Following the Civil War, Republicans ran the country for over 60 years, but in 1884, Democrat Grover Cleveland won the presidency with the promise to end reconstruction in the South. Reconstruction was an effort by Republicans to eliminate the vestiges of slavery in the South, and so angered Southern… Read More

Yesterday the California legislature reconvened after a weeks-long recess. After their floor session in a closed-door meeting Assembly Republicans refused to toss embattled Assembly Republican Leader Chad Mayes (“R” – Yucca Valley) out on the spot, but did decide to hold an open election for Leader a week from today.

But it didn’t take Mayes long to log another entry into his “I am going to be disingenuous and disrespectful to the grassroots activists in my party” log book.

With nothing else more pressing to do the State Assembly brought up a resolution on climate change, authored by liberal Democrat Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez-Fletcher (D-San Diego), and co-authored (by among others) Mayes.

You can read the entire resolution here, but let me pull a few excerpts from it for you that are especially relevant for my commentary that continues below:

…

WHEREAS, California has been a leader on climate change for more than a decade through the enactment of landmark legislation, such as the… Read More

Members of the Assembly Republican Caucus will soon gather to decide whether or not to remove Chad Mayes as their leader. Enough has been written elsewhere about why Mayes should go, but even though there haas been a truly unified statewide movement within Republican donors and activists around California calling for his resignation or removal, Mayes has signaled that he has no plans of leaving of his own accord. He is unrepentant with regards to his deeds.

If Mayes is removed or resigns as the GOP Leader in the Assembly then healing can begin. It will start with a dialogue, led by a new leader, about how we can be sure we won’t end up back in this same situation in the future.

But if Mayes refuses to resign and a majority of the caucus will not remove him — then it is an indication that the problem is a much broader, and deeper one. It means that at least a majority of Assembly Republicans endorse what he did. It means that there is a cavernous and perhaps catastrophic difference of opinion that will likely manifest itself in the elections next June. At a minimum Mayes’ continued service as Leader will mean a California GOP that will sink… Read More

For California Republicans, very few litmus tests remain.

Issues like abortion andtraditional marriage, even the second amendment and property rights, in many cases no longer define the credentials of many Republican politicians in this state; certainly they aren’t issues upon which GOP legislators have any influence.

In California, where it’s been over two decades since Republicans controlled even one house of the state legislature (and then only for a few months), and in more recent years where Democrats have controlled roughly 2/3 of both houses, those traditional “red meat” issues are often either off limits or a luxury for even the most socially-conservative politician.

Yet, most assuredly, the one issue that could easily be described as a remaining core litmus test for California Republicans is that of higher taxes.

The basic reason GOP activists throughout the state, even more moderate ones, feel so strongly about that one issue is because taxation is philosophically far more significant than simplythe level of taxes we all pay.… Read More

“Temporarily” exempting “veteran” teachers (more than 5 years working as a teacher) from paying the CA state income tax is the logical extension of our state’s treatment of government workers as aristocracy. In CA the public employee pay is far higher than what public employees make in the other states, the underfunded opulent pensions are unsustainable, and now the legislature is considering removing “public servants” from the tax rolls.

Once one public employee group is removed from the tax rolls, the other CA state and local government workers will yell “unfair”– insisting on a “level playing field” (among CA state and local employees). First to insist on “equal treatment” will be police and firefighters, and the rest will shortly thereafter get the same subsidy.

A “temporary” exemption from paying taxes? We all know what happens with such “temporary” taxes and tax breaks. Later it will become permanent. And guess which unions will be tirelessly campaigning to again raise the income tax — this time on the under-$100,000 taxpayers foolish enough to… Read More

Much has been said already about the betrayal by Assembly Republican leader Chad Mayes, pushing for enough republican members to pass Jerry Brown’s cap and trade extension. He’s been trying to justify the vote and coercion of fellow republicans ever since, mostly with a ‘it could have been worse; it’s insurance; California needs to lead’ theme. Mayes claims he’s just doing the right thing, but fails with doing the thing right. Most of the recent debate is centered on the existential threat to the Republican brand in California. Calls are increasing for Mayes to resign his Assembly leadership slot or face removal, up to calls for him to resign his Assembly seat. In deciding which side is right, I looked to see what Mayes did and why. Was there any logic to reneging on his campaign promises and Republican principles?

First is Mayes lie that “things would be worse”, under an inevitable… Read More