One thing that amazes me about opponents of completing the 241 Toll Road in Orange County is how they lie, and the boldness with which they do it.

Take this press release from "Save San Onofre" containing a statement from Elizabeth Goldstein, the president of the California State Parks Foundation. It was given to me by an anti-241 activist at yesterday’s pro-241 press conference by Rep. Ken Calvert and Assemblyman Van Tran.

In it, Goldstein claims:

That is an untrue statement. Just a flat-out lie. Yet it slips so effortlessly from Ms. Goldstein’s tongue.

Context is needed here and in anyone interested in more background can read my 241 toll road posts on FR Blog and on… Read More

This may be my favorite update yet from Anthony York over at Capitol Weekly… He has put his hands on a copy of an e-mail sent out by the Los Angeles County Registrar. The last paragraph is my favorite. As a hack for the unions, I am sure that Labor Day weekend is supposed to be like Christmas for Fabian Nunez. Yeah, not so much this weekend. He may have to spend it working on his resume…

From York:

Just off the transom from the Doolittle for Congress campaign, in response to Assemblyman Ted Gaines opening an exploratory committee to look at a run against Doolittle in the upcoming GOP primary…: LOYALTY MATTERS By former State Senator and Assemblyman Tim Leslie As Benjamin Franklin said so well, so long ago, "a friend in need is a friend indeed". Our friend John Doolittle is under attack from the liberal left and now from those to whom he has shown true friendship. … Read More

The latest from the man with the numbers in the drama of whether the end-run on term limits will make the February ballot… From CapWeekly’s Anthony York:

LA City Attorney has finally made the big time. Following Paris Hilton and disclosures about his family’s run ins with the law; he has been recognized… as one of the 10 worst prosecutors in the country.

Congrats Rocky ! You deserve it. See story here.… Read More

The timing of when the Perata-Nunez Career Politician Term Limits Weakining Initiative will appear on the ballot is now in question (it’s looking very likely like Nunez will fail to garner the necessary percentage of valid signatures in a random count, necessitating a manual count in the 58 counties which very well might not be complete before a late-September cut-off to qualify for the February ballot). This certainly becomes a very interesting development as discussions are underway in earnest to place a redistricting reform measure on the February ballot. The Governor, to his credit, has made this a top priority, witholding any potential support for a term-limits modification until this demand is met. Assembly Democrats have given lip-service about supporting redistricting reform, but have been slow to proffer any support for a plan that passes the smell-test for being meaningful reform. Let’s start with an important premise that is important to consider when looking at redistricting reform. A bad plan… Read More

The FlashReport gets a shout-out from the Wall Street Journal (sorry Spence, you got written out!):

Terms Unlimited?

Talk about election officials being hoisted by their own political petard.

Facing a forced career change next year under the state’s term-limits law, California Senate President Don Perata and Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez have fast-tracked a ballot initiative that would allow them to stay in office. While the measure would ostensibly toughen the term limits law, it would also create a special "transition period" that would let 80% of today’s sitting legislators delay their departure. "The practical effect of the measure would be to allow more lawmakers… to stay in office longer," concluded a San Francisco Chronicle analysis.

Armed with a highly favorable ballot summary crafted by… Read More

The timing of when the Perata-Nunez Career Politician Term Limits Weakining Initiative will appear on the ballot is now in question (it’s looking very likely like Nunez will fail to garner the necessary percentage of valid signatures in a random count, necessitating a manual count in the 58 counties which very well might not be complete before a late-September cut-off to qualify for the February ballot). This certainly becomes a very interesting development as discussions are underway in earnest to place a redistricting reform measure on the February ballot. The Governor, to his credit, has made this a top priority, witholding any potential support for a term-limits modification until this demand is met. Assembly Democrats have given lip-service about supporting redistricting reform, but have been slow to proffer any support for a plan that passes the smell-test for being meaningful reform. Let’s start with an important premise that is important to consider when looking at redistricting reform. A bad plan… Read More