The FlashReport hasn’t taken any kind of a formal position on whether the State Assembly should ratify a group of gaming compacts negotiated between Governor Schwarzenegger and Indian Tribes with gaming casinos. These compacts have already been approved by the State Senate, so the Assembly is all that stands between these tribes and approval to add 5500 new slot machines to their casinos. Primary opposition to approving this compact (several other compacts have already been approved) comes from unions who object to the fact that tribal casinos are not union endeavors. Anyway, delving into a public policy debate about tribal gaming is an interesting idea, but not one for today’s commentary. But I do want to draw the attention of readers to an Associated Press article by Aaron Davis in which the accusation is made by Democrats that the Morongo Tribe (they are the ones with that big casino and hotel about twenty minutes this side of Palm Springs) is threatening to put money into the effort to thwart Speaker Nunez job-extending term-limits weakening measure that will appear on the February… Read More

As I ventured toward my mailbox yesterday, I was consumed by thoughts of what might be there waiting for me inside. Many questions swirled in my head as I opened the small metal door. Would today be that day where I would find something different? Would today finally be the day that would be forever etched on my mind when the phrase "Good Mail Day" is bandied about?

Despite this unbearable pressure I moved forward. Slowly I opened the door, the tension rising as the possibilities of a Mail Day approached that could end up in the highest highs or the lowest lows. As I worked through the handful of mail, I came across something that I never see: a fundraising mailer from Barack Obama for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee addressed specifically to yours truly. I must commend the crew over at the DSCC for picking me out as a likely donor to Chuck Schumer’s smear shop. The only thing more ridiculous would have been a request from the horrid Barbara Boxer. Maybe the Senate campaigns I have given to over the years tipped them off to my inner leftist liberal hidden deep down inside my cold cold heart. Here they are:

Rick… Read More

“Always vote for principle, though you may vote alone, and you may cherish the sweetest reflection that your vote is never lost.” — John Quincy Adams

Standing Alone: Following the crowd is not leading, and sometimes, leading can be quite a lonely experience. I did not seek this job in Congress just to have it, and to only take actions and votes that are "safe." I took it to be a force for moving America more towards the principles of personal freedom, less intrusive government, and to help preserve America’s role as the greatest source of liberty in the world.

This week, we in Congress voted on a bill called "10,000 Teachers, 10 Million Minds Science and Math Scholarship Act" (HR 362). This bill is not the tipping point upon which our freedoms rest. But, it is certainly not fiscally responsible. And if we don’t start to say "no" to new spending no matter how attractive it may seem, we will never control our deficit and further reduce tax rates.

The vote on this bill, though, ended up being 389-22, which means that the vast majority of both Democrats and Republicans… Read More

With a narrow margin in the Senate, AB 900 also passed out of the Senate today, 27-10, with 3 abstentionsand will now go to the Governor. The vote was on call for awhile with 22 "aye" votes before reaching the required 2/3vote of 27.

**UPDATE (from Jon Fleischman)**

Here is information on who the GOPers were who voted against the bonds:

State Senate GOP Noes: Aanestad, Cogdill, Denham, McClintock Not Voting: Battin, Maldonado

This passed the Senate with the bare minimum 2/3 – Final Vote: 27 ayes, 10 noes, 3 not votings Assembly GOP Noes: Strickland Not Voting: Garcia, Houston Absent: Devore, Anderson Final Vote: 70 ayes, 1 no, 8 not voting, 1 vacancy… Read More

AB 900, pulled together after months of discussions among the 4 leaders and many others, passes today by a vote of 70-1. This was a "between a rock and a hard place" decision for all of us under the ultimatespecter of unacceptablewholesaleearly releases of criminals by the federal judge because of the courts’ view of overcrowding. Thiscarried the most weight for Republicans, as our caucus believes that public safety is our duty and first obligation to the people of California. It provides for, via $7.4 billion in bonds, the building of 53,000 new spaces and for the expansion of the "pipeline" to train the personnel needed to staff the currently understaffed spaces andnew spaces to be built. Much will need to be done in the coming months to make this work with regard to recruiting the staff and building the new spaces needed in correlation with each other.

As our population increases by a million in this state every 2 years,many of us have realized for yearsthat we’ve needed to keep up with theseprison space needs. Instead, unfortunately, our reality is crisis-management instead oflong-term planning… Read More

Wisconsin Right to Life was argued before the U.S. Supreme Court earlier this week, an important case that will decide the constitutionality of the McCain-Feingold "electioneering comunications" restrictions on advocacy groups, at a minimum, as applied to Wisconsin Right to Life, an IRS Section 501(c)(4) pro-life advocacy organization. WRTL had published a communication critical of the two senators from Wisconsin for their pro-abortion votes in Congress, but because one of them wasrunning for re-election in the time period of the communication, the FEC argues the communication was an illegal electioneering communication, even though there was no mention of an election in the communication.

At issue in the case is whether a controversial provision in McCain-Feingold, that regulates ANY broadcast communications mentioning a Federal candidate’s names 30 days before before a primary and 60 days before a general election, whether or not the communication comes from a political committee and regardless of the lack of words of express advocacy, or the intention of the group to not intervene in an election.

Liberal election lawyers are… Read More

IMAGINE THIS SCENARIO You decide to invest your retirement savings and buy a home in Newport Beach, a couple of blocks from the beach. Your plan, someday, is to retire there. But for now, you can’t afford that, so you prepare your home to rent out for the upcoming summer. As a matter of fact, a heavy factor in deciding whether you could afford this home was the anticipated revenues from rental income in the lucrative summer rental market. You even timed the sale so that you’d own the property just in time. You go down to Newport Beach City Hall to file a permit to use the property as a rental and you told you are REJECTED.

Huh? Yes, rejected. You see, in their infinite wisdom, the Newport Beach City Council voted 6-0 to place a 45 day moratorium on the granting of any permits for short-term rental housing. That’s right, in the heart of America’s most Republican County, we have a City Council that is enacting policies that make the folks in Berkeley look conservative…… Read More

There are lots of jokes about politicians being less than honest. There are lots of jokes about politicians not being too bright. A councilman in Hawthorne has managed to combine them all in a real life drama. He lives in a house owned by a developer, and then votes to help the developer on a land issue. Duh! See the story here.… Read More