A h/t to the Romney Campaign for uploading this footage… (With Romney are two of his prominent California supporters — State Senator Mark Wyland, and former Assemblyman Tony Strickland. The latter wins the "best positioning behind Romney while the cameras are rolling" award.) … Read More

How bout some quick math here: 54+27+1=Budget

2/3 vote minimum required to pass a budget in both houses, 54 in the Assembly, 27 in the Senate and the Guv’s signature once the blue pencil has been put away.

In the Assembly are: 48 Dems, 32 Reps.

In the Senate are: 25 Dems, 15 Republicans.

Senate Republicans call for improvements to the budget document that came from the Assembly $700 mill [or more] upside down, that it be truly balanced on a "non-election year, non-get-out-of- town" excuse basis…a goal that many columnists, editors and opinion leaders have shared publicly.

So, what do we get?

The same tired, lazy math equation every year that says, in the Assembly,54 equals 48 Dems plus callingout 6 Reps to hold their noses and vote it out with mostly Dem priorities and spending habits.

That formula in the Senate: 25 Dems, plus catcalls from the Left all over the state to get 2 Reps to capitulate on a budget,to ‘kick the can down the road’ one more year and watch the ’08-’09 budget blow up big time in all our faces.… Read More

Arnold was in town yesterday upbraiding our good conservative State Senator Dave Cogdill for holding out for a balanced budget. The event was your classic "sky is falling" nonsense.

Yes, the health clinic the Governor visited is in danger of not being funded. A late budget has nothing to do with this issue. Senator Denham, as has been widely reported, offered a spending bill to fund healthcare during the impasse and Senate Democrats said no.

The Governor should look in the mirror as he assigns blame for this "crisis". Hardly a fiscal conservative, he has spent all of the record increase in State tax revenues and then some. With all the new bonds being sold for infrastructure, and with spending baselines raised so dramatically under Arnold, only a slight downtick in tax revenue will create a real fiscal crisis.

The Governor has only himself to blame for this. I add my voice to those urging Senate Republicans to hold firm. It’s a game of chicken we should have been playing and winning every year since 1999.… Read More

HOW DID YOUR LOCAL MEMBER OF CONGRESS CAST THEIR VOTES ON FIFTY SEPARATE OPPORTUNITIES TO STRIP EGREGIOUS PORK OUT OF FEDERAL SPENDING BILLS?

Perhaps one of the most influential and important groups in Washington that is dedicated to market-based economic principles, and cutting government spending, is the Club for Growth. Of the handful of key websites that our FR team goes to every morning when we compile news of interest, the CfG’s site is one of the best.

The Club for Growth has compiled a RePORK Card on how all of the members of the United States House of Representatives voted on 50 anti-pork amendments that were introduced on the floor of Congress. Over the past many weeks, Democrats were moving out all of the mammoth appropriations (spending) bills that provide the annual funding to pay for the costs of the federal… Read More

HOW DID YOUR LOCAL MEMBER OF CONGRESS CAST THEIR VOTES ON FIFTY SEPARATE OPPORTUNITIES TO STRIP EGREGIOUS PORK OUT OF FEDERAL SPENDING BILLS? Perhaps one of the most influential and important groups in Washington that is dedicated to market-based economic principles, and cutting government spending, is the Club for Growth. Of the handful of key websites that our FR team goes to every morning when we compile news of interest, the CfG’s site is one of the best.

The Club for Growth has compiled a RePORK Card on how all of the members of the United States House of Representatives voted on 50 anti-pork amendments that were introduced on the floor of Congress. Over the past many weeks, Democrats were moving out all of the mammoth appropriations (spending) bills that provide… Read More

This just in exclusively for FR readers from GOP Assemblyman Ted Gaines:

Senate Republicans are standing firm, demanding that state spending be reduced even further in the budget plan currently being debated, so our fiscal problems don’t grow worse. I commend them for defending taxpayers and wish them well as they advocate for lower spending. This summer’s budget stalemate – and the divide between Democrats and Republicans on increasing spending – reinforces the need to pass common-sense legislation I have introduced to end runaway spending once and for all. … Read More

The e-mail below was forwarded on to me by two different State Senate staffers. It is the text of an "open" e-mail sent by Jim Kjol, Chief of Staff to State Senator Jeff Denham, to Mike Genest, the Governor’s Finance Director (it was cc’d to a plethora of others, including my two sources). I should note it was sent from Kjol’s personal e-mail. The e-mail speaks for itself…

Mike, I’ve got to tell you that your intentional support or unwitting assistance to the crackpots and deadbeats pushing a recall against Senator Jeff Denham is unconscionable. You walked precincts for Jeff in 2002 but now have crossed-over to join sore loser Wiley Nickel, liberal magpies Steven Maviglio and Bob Mullholland, and a washed-up Art Torres, in giving them fodder to try to remove Jeff from office . . . all because he won’t support a… Read More

In the great profile piece on the FlashReport in the Contra Costa Times yesterday, there was a factual error. While we did cover extensively the unfortunate and ill-advised appointment by the Governor of former Democratic Party Executive Director Susan Kennedy to be his Chief of Staff, that story first broke a few hours before we reported on it over at New West Notes. I have been told that this error will be fixed in other NewsMedia papers that run the profile piece, and that a correction will run in the CC Times. My sincere apology to any offended parties.

Oh yes, this is a good time to ask again for the Governor replace his Chief of Staff with a Republican. Susan Kennedy is charming, smart, and witty — and a Democrat. We believe a Republican Governor should have a Republican Chief of Staff.… Read More