We here at the FlashReport would like to wish all of our readers a Happy Halloween, our third since the FR went "live" in October of 2005. Last Saturday night, I had a chance to stop by a couple of great Halloween parties — one of them actually had guests "transported toa Carribbean Island circa the 17th century for some priate fun.

A jolly, rum-filled time was had by all at the home of my long-time friends Jim and Kellie Bieber. I don’t have words to describe the ornate invitation that was mailed out, complete with an "treasure map" on parchment with burnt edges, and a couple of weighty gold doubloons to pay for entry. The invite pointed to a cool website. (Since Jim creates and sends out direct mail for a living, he was able to prepare it all in-house.) The theme? Pirates of the Caribbean! A lot of Orange County politicos "boarded" the Bieber family home in San Clemente (the only one on the block… Read More

A Big Pickup for Fred Thompson – McClintock signs on as California Chairman In a Republican primary in California, clearly the gold-standard in endorsements is State Senator Tom McClintock. For two decades now, McClintock has been so forceful and articulate in support of conservative principles and values that he has one the hearts of Republicans throughout the state. McClintock has also been the GOP standard bearer in several election cycles for various statewide offices, and one wide-spread accolades for the statesman-like approach he took as a candidate in the Recall election. In my campaign for Vice Chairman, South, of the State GOP, it was Tom McClintock whom I asked to speak on my behalf at the convention. Well, just moments ago, McClintock stood side-by-side with former United States Fred Thompson in Sacramento and announced his endorsement of Thompson’s bid for the Presidency. Thompson announced that McClintock would be serving as the California Chairman of his campaign. Clearly… Read More

Sources tell me that Senator McClintock will announce his endorsement of Fred Thompson for President this afternoon in Sacramento.

Back in May, McClintock alluded to his developing supportthat apparentlyhasstrengthenedover the past few months. He mentioned a Reagan like ability to carry the Republican priciples message to "audiences that never considered themselves Republican."That’s what we need.

This is a great boost for Thompson amongst the California Republican base vote and a sign his campaign is on track in the primary.… Read More

The Southern California wildfires will likely go down as the largest natural disaster in California in more than a decade — more than 500,000 acres burned, nearly 2,000 homes destroyed or damaged, and losses totaling at least $1 billion dollars in San Diego alone.

There is no doubt that disasters of this sort are a tragedy of epic proportions. And my heart goes out to all of the victims of these devastating wildfires.

At times like this, it is certainly the case that some of our elected officials have an opportunity — no, an obligation to step up and make a positive difference, both materially using the powers of their offices to help to deal with the crisis and its aftermath, as well as inspirationally, providing assurances to all of those touched by the terrible situation.

I have been extremely impressed with the job that Governor Schwarzenegger has been doing the last week. As is appropriate for the Governor of any state to be struck thusly, he has dropped everything else and… Read More

The conventional wisdom about Arnold Schwarzenegger is rarely correct, the inevitable result of using the words “conventional” and “Schwarzenegger” in the same sentence. But the Field Poll this morning shows him running slightly ahead of Barbara Boxer in a hypothetical campaign for the U.S. Senate in 2010. And the conventional wisdom that Arnold is not likely to be particularly interested in flying 3000 miles each week in order to be one of 100 Senators listening to Robert Byrd talk about Cicero is about to take a beating. As unlikely as a matchup against Boxer may be, there’s a gossip mill to be fed…

More interesting, though, than a hypothetical campaign for than three years away, is how California Republicans would react if this political improbability did become a reality. Since Pete Wilson was re-elected to the Senate nineteen short years ago, the GOP has run conservatives (Haynes, Mountjoy), moderates (Seymour, Campbell), establishment candidates (Jones, Fong) and outsiders (Herschenson, Huffington). The defenses and explanations from each of these candidates’ supporters for their defeats could fill the Internet, but the… Read More

The Southern California wildfires will likely go down as the largest natural disaster in California in more than a decade — more than 500,000 acres burned, nearly 2,000 homes destroyed or damaged, and losses totaling at least $1 billion dollars in San Diego alone.

There is no doubt that disasters of this sort are a tragedy of epic proportions. And my heart goes out to all of the victims of these devastating wildfires.

At times like this, it is certainly the case that some of our elected officials have an opportunity — no, an obligation to step up and make a positive difference, both materially using the powers of their offices to help to deal with the crisis and its aftermath, as well as inspirationally, providing assurances to all of those touched by the terrible situation.

I have been extremely impressed with the job that Governor Schwarzenegger has been doing the last week. As is appropriate for the Governor of any state to be struck thusly, he has dropped everything else and… Read More

The Federal Constitution states at Article II, Section 1 that states shall "appoint, in any manner as the Legislature therof may direct, a Number of Electors" for the purpose of electing the President and Vice-President of the United States.

The California Constitution empowers the people of the state at Article II with "all inherent political power" to act as the legislature through the initiative process to "propose statutes and amendments…" and to "adopt or reject them."

In California, the Legislature is not the exclusive source of legislative power; the constitution also includes the people’s powers of initiative and referendum. Professional Engineers in California Government v. Kempton (2007) 56 Cal.Rptr.3d 814, 40 Cal.4th 1016, 155 P.3d 226. The people’s reserved power of initiative is greater than power of the legislature. Rossi v. Brown (1995) 38 Cal.Rptr.2d 363, 9 Cal.4th 688, 889 P.2d 557. All presumptions favor the validity of initiative measures. California Family Bioethics Council v. California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (App. 1 Dist.… Read More

I have a confession to make. Ann Dunsmore once raised money for me, and no, the Giuliani campaign was not behind my run for state senate. Nor is my state senate campaign responsible for the Electoral College reform initiative. To hear the wacko Democrats and their shills in the press talk about it, however, the mere fact that Dunsmore is raising money for the initiative ties that initiative inextricably to the Giuliani campaign. These, of course, are the same Democrats who believe in the single bullet theory, and who found Area 51 just last month.

I don’t know. Maybe when I wrote, and introduced in the Senate in 2001, the Constitutional Amendment that would have distributed the Electoral College votes by Congressional District, I was a Giuliani operative, secretly plotting to make him President then. Or maybe, back in 1993, when Dunsmore was raising money for me, we were secretly plotting to make Giuliani President in 2008.

Or maybe, the distribution of Electoral College votes by Congressional District is good for California, and those of us who are working to bring the idea to fruition in California are doing the what we are doing because we… Read More