First and foremost, thank you for being a ‘customer’ of the FlashReport website on California politics! While starting as an e-newsletter, it has now been over two years since we made the shift to being a web-based publication. The response has been overwhelming, and I just wanted to say THANK YOU on behalf of myself, and the team of folks who are contributors to the site!

THE MAIN PAGE, COMMENTARY PAGE and E-MAIL NOTICE features of this site will be DOWN until Thursday, January 3rd. It has been an annual tradition since the FR started in 2001 for the Publisher (me) to take this time off. However, the FLASHREPORT WEBLOG WILL BE UP AND RUNNING throughout the holidays, where many of our contributors will still be posting tidbits and thoughts. I’ll be pitching in my ten cents, too. … Read More

First and foremost, thank you for being a ‘customer’ of the FlashReport website on California politics! While starting as an e-newsletter, it has now been over two years since we made the shift to being a web-based publication. The response has been overwhelming, and I just wanted to say THANK YOU on behalf of myself, and the team of folks who are contributors to the site! THE MAIN PAGE, COMMENTARY PAGE and E-MAIL NOTICE features of this site will be DOWN until Thursday, January 3rd. It has been an annual tradition since the FR started in 2001 for the Publisher (me) to take this time off. However, the FLASHREPORT WEBLOG WILL BE UP AND RUNNING throughout the holidays, where many of our contributors will still be posting tidbits and thoughts. I’ll be pitching in my ten cents, too.

As always, I would love any… Read More

Governor Schwarzenegger is framing California’s budget crisis ($15 BILLION and growing) as a spending problem. In conjunction with the release of his draft budget on January 10, he is calling a special session of the legislature (under the auspices of a “state of fiscal emergency”) where he will introduce cuts to deal with the growing funding gap problem for the current fiscal year.

If you go back to before Gray Davis was recalled, and Arnold Schwarzenegger rose from his ashes (hiring much of Davis’ staff in the process), Republican legislators have been decrying the steady and rapid increase in state spending that has occured in budget after budget after budget. As such, GOP legislators are resolute that California taxpayers not pay the price for the Democrat-led fiscal insanity.

That said, you watch the liberal Democrats scramble and scream at any proposed cuts in spending. As for me, it may sound simplistic, but why don’t we just adopt the budget of five years ago, and acknowledge that our spending increases since then were, in retrospect, unaffordable and unsustainable!

In the meantime, I guess… Read More

Have you ever qualified a referendum without huge amounts of money? CRFI is on their way. Having been involved in referendums before I know how hard this is. The time is short and unless you have a big special interest money it is very hard. Today is the last day to request petitions. You have to get plenty out there and the campaign has almost 400,000 petitions out there. That is huge. If only 15% come back full it qualifies. That is part one Then they have to get them back. To date they have over 161,000 signatures. That number doesn’t include the over 100 people or churches that promised 1000 signatures and … Read More

Demonstrating support from across the California GOP spectrum, today the Presidential campaign of Governor Mitt Romney announced two prominent California endorsers, that we’ll call the "book-ends" of the party. On the right end of the shelf, Romney has been endorsed by popular, conservative Congressman Wally Herger (pictured right), who makes his home up in the northern end of the state. On the "other" end of the GOP bookshelf, Romney has earned the endorsement of moderate former Republican Assemblyman Brooks Firestone… Read More

The latest from State Senator Tom McClintock:

I have to wonder if the Schwarzenegger early prison release proposal isn’t a way to force the GOP into voting for tax increases. Certainly, if the Democrats had their way, the only cuts that would be made to the state budget to solve this budget deficit would be to release prisoners. With the deficit as large as it is, the ONLY way the hole is closed is with massive cuts to health and social services, education and prison spending. It is no wonder that the governor’s office—run, at this point, mostly by Gray Davis staffers—is looking at prison spending first. How about forcing the schools to run efficiently? How about cutting chiropractor and acupuncture from the list of benefits Medi-Cal recipients receive? There is no arguing that the cuts needed in health and welfare will go far deeper than just these extras Medi-Cal currently pays for—and the cuts will be tough to sell—but the spending didn’t magically get this high. We’ve drastically added more programs and increased eligibility over the time the… Read More

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

Mitt Hitt

Much of Barack Obama’s sales pitch to voters is that he will "be a uniter, not a divider," a subtle slab at the polarizing figure many believe Hillary Clinton to be. As evidence for his claim, Mr. Obama touts his commitment to include Republicans in his cabinet. He often throws out names like Indiana Senator Dick Lugar and Nebraska Senator Chuck Hagel, both moderate Republicans.

But now Mr. Obama has added a new name to the mix: none other than California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who will be forced to leave office due to term limits in 2010, midway through the next presidential term.

At a town hall meeting… Read More