Battle-hardened from his post as Communications Director for Congressman John Doolittle, Gordon Hinkle has a new position – courtesy of a Gubernatorial appointment announced today (see the details below). Perhaps the Congressman will be recruiting a replacement for Hinkle from a crisis-communications firm? Hinkle will be hard to replace – a consummate professional with the work ethic of the Energizer Bunny…

From the Gov’s release: “Gordon Hinkle, 34, of Roseville, has been appointed deputy press secretary for the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. He has served as communications director and senior field representative for Congressmember John Doolittle since February 2007. From 2006 to 2007, Hinkle was senior consultant to the California Assembly Republican Caucus. Previously, he served as communications director for State Senator Jim Battin from 2001 to 2006. Prior to that, Hinkle worked for Hewlett Packard as a logistics process analyst from 2000 to 2001. He is a member of the Roseville Planning Commission. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $87,132. Hinkle is a… Read More

In 2006, California voters passed transportation bonds to fund our woefully inadequate infrastructure. One of the bonds dealt with goods movement – the corridors upon which railroads and trucks travel through our state from the ports to points east and north. The bonds were voted out of the legislature with the understanding that the bulk of the funds would go to the areas with the bulk of the goods movement impact, in a proportionate manner.

In a rare show of solidarity, the Ports of Los Angeles andLong Beach; and the Counties of Los Angeles, Orange County, Riverside, San Bernardino, and Ventura formed a group to work together. The rationale was, since these 5 counties represented 85% of the goods movement impact, they should receive 85% of the bond monies. The significance of working together, for the Inland Empire particularly,was an opportunity to have funding for projects flow "down line" from the ports and make it out to our region – paramount among them, badly needed railroad grade seperations.

The California Transportation Commissionwas to mete out$2 Billionin funding. What transpired was an increase, to $3… Read More

Candidates always struggle over the holidays to make progress in their campaigns. The California Resource Family Impact has launched a referendum against SB 777, the homosexual and other gender bending preferences in our schools bill.

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FEBRUARY WATER BOND EVAPORATING… I spoke with Senate Repubican Leader subsequent to yesterday’s "Big 5" meeting — and he reported that there was no resolution on moving forward with a water bond package for the February ballot. Of course we are right on the timing cusp where soon there would be no ability to place something on the February ballot at all…

FABIAN NUNEZ – MR. CONGENIALITY – NOT! When Fabian "Louis Vuitton" Nunez pushed back this week’s planned Assembly Floor Session (to presumably put up Democrat votes for a terrible government-health care plan) — he moved it to next week. Apparently session is now scheduled to overlap with the joint Senate/Assembly GOP Retreat in San Diego. According to Shane Goldmacher at the Sacramento Bee, Nunez isn’t planning to move the session. Then again,… Read More

I got a call this morning from a radio reporter asking me what I thought about the UCLA study saying illegals don’t use the emergency room that much, because they are afraid of identifying themselves. I read the story.

The last part was interesting. They used a randomized phone survey to get this info. There you have it. Illegals won’t get medical care because they are afraid of identifying themselves, but to strangers calling to ask questions over the phone they always, I mean always tell them they are here illegally breaking the law. That seems like USC thinking to me.… Read More

Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez is already trying to use the massive financial shortfall of revenues against budgeted expenditures to make the case for why we have to look at tax increases. His Deputy Chief of Staff, Steve Maviglio, reposted on his blog an article that talks about how taxes need to be increased, and targets the 1978 passage of Proposition 13, lamenting the protection it afforded to homeowners.

One of the more credible voices in Sacramento on state finance is Assemblyman Roger Niello. As the lead Republican on budget issues, he lays out the case for why we do, indeed, have an over-spending problem in California State Government…

Revenues Are Not The Problem… Read More

We here at the FlashReport would like to extend our sincere congratulations to the new Mr. and Mrs. Jim Brulte! Last Saturday, in a small private ceremony in Hawaii, Jim and his bride declared their vows for one another, and became husband and wife. As most FR readers know, Jim Brulte is a former State Senate and State Assembly Republican Leader. If you’d care to drop a congratulatory note to the newlyweds, you can do so here. Of course, if Mrs. Brulte becomes a handful for the Senator, there is someone he can consult for relationship advice. Oh yes, if you are a little curious about who it is that captured Jim’s heart… You’ll have to find out elsewhere – although if you have $99 bucks to spare, you can buy her what she has always wanted mounted on the wall of her home. :-) … Read More

Want a little post-Thanksgiving stomach ache? Visit EdVoice’s ‘Carbon Free Voting’ website at www.carbonfreevoting.com. In short, Carbon Free Voting is a campaign absentee voter program disguised as a ‘green’ activity you and yours can do to help save the environment. What is the pitch? Signup through carbon free voting for an absentee ballot, which allows “voters to vote by mail, rather than by car, reducing emissions that contribute to global warming.” Doesn’t that warm the heart?

But it gets better: it’s actually also an advocacy and GOTV effort:… Read More