Yesterday, California Republican Party Chairman Duf Sundheim sent out an e-mail , presumably to CRP Members, where he addressed the issue of the CRP’s debt, and specifically assured Party Members that there was a plan in place to retire this debt in the next few months. Based on what I have heard, the CRP ended the election with somewhere between $4.5 and $5 million in debt — $3 million being a loan taken out and the rest being various expenditures in the final weeks of the campaign that, when the dust cleared, exceeded what was in the bank. To be honest, my primary concern here is not the debt itself. It is actually fairly common for political parties and campaign committees to incur debt — albeit this is a very large one. I am more concerned about the process. Specifically, how we got into debt. Questions in my mind include who authorized the debt, and who knew we were spending funds beyond what was readily available to pay the bills. For example, a big piece of this debt is what I have heard is a $3 million dollar loan that was taken out by the… Read More

Though still not responding to any of Mike Spence’s questions, earlier today CRP Chairman Duf Sundheim did at least acknowledge the CRP’sdebt. Though not exactly the best kept secret in politics, even stating the obvious is refreshing as it represents a level of forthrightness that frankly I’m not accustomed to from this Chairman.In a letter which in words and in tone Duf claimed to want to "set the record straight,"he still managed toavoid ANY specificity as to how the Party’s financial status came to be.

However,Duf did at least saythat starting in the Spring, at least something is scheduled to be done aboutthe situation. A couple of fundraisers are set, with the Governor and Steve Poiznerhave signed on to help bring in the bucks…As perferable as action isto inaction,it still would’ve been nicehad those fundraisers been able to have been used to put the Partyactually into the black, rather than just back to ZERO, but oh well…

From our Mighty Leader:… Read More

The race to succeed termed-out Assemblyman Todd Spitzer is gearing up.

Over at Red County/Riverside, you can read about Corona Mayor Pro Tem Jeff Miller signing up GBWA to run his campaign, and about other potential contenders.

In OC, Rancho Santa Margarita Councilman Neil Blais has hired JohnsonClark & Associates to run his AD71 effort.… Read More

A friend just forwarded the following:

Welcome to Citizens for the California Republic! Dear E-Team Member:

Like you, I have been watching the disastrous turn to the Left thatis nowtaking place in Sacramento – and like you, I don’t intend to sit idly by.Spending is growing faster and the deficit is growing bigger than underGray Davis. The Governor who promised to "cut up the credit cards" hasdoubled our debt burden in just three years. And 72 hours after he tookthe oath of office, the Governor who promised never to raise taxesproposed the second biggest tax increase in California’s history to provide free health insurance to illegal aliens.

I have formed a committee called "Citizens for the CaliforniaRepublic."Its purpose is provide the 75,000 citizen politicians like you whosupported me in the recent elections with a steady stream of informationand practical suggestions to enable every one of us to make our voicesheard.

Our first project is completed: a new web site at… Read More

* It didn’t seem appropriate to take this post down, but apparently this rumor is not true. Vallante has made no such announcement. – FLASH

An excellent source just told me the California Republican Party’s Chief Operating Officer, Mike Vallante, is joining the Rudy Giuliani for President campaign and will be running his California operations.

This could be a leading indicator of a coming scramble for California talent by the major presidential contenders, spurred by the prospect of a February 5 presidential primary.

UPDATE (2-7-07): Vallante may not have made an announcement, but I stand by this post. Once the CRP convention is over and the new regime is elected, Vallante is going to go to work for the Giuliani for President campaign.… Read More

It is October 2005. FlashReport has launched and I need content to keep the publisher off my back. I write a column that says the 36th AD race will be decided by the outcome of the Palmdale City Council election that November. Steve Knight a LAPD officer and sone of State Senate and Prop. 22 author Pete Knight is running for City Council. If he wins, he will be a favorite for the Assembly race. See story here.

I get calls saying no way is Knight running.

Well, I get a couple calls that guess what Knight is running in 2008. It is a miracle.HE clearly becomes the front runner. He will face Palmdale’s union backed, car tax loving Mayor Jim Ledford. See here. God Speed

I’m wrong so often, it’s nice when I’m right… Read More

As most FR readers know, I have spent the last few months on the campaign trail as I seek election as Vice Chairman, South, of the California Republican Party. The region is vast — including Orange, Riverside, San Diego and Imperial Counties. This large region has meant a lot of driving to event like today’s meeting of the Lincoln Club of Palm Springs. (Not to reinforce any stereotypes, but we are gathered at a country club!).

The Chairman of the club is the very energetic and very Repubican Kim Glassman, who today is presiding over a meeting of nearly a hundred GOPers from all around the Coachella Valley. The main featured speaker today is newly elected Riverside County District Attorney Rod Pacheco (many of you may recall that for a time, then-Assemblyman Pacheco served as Assembly Republican Leader.

Also on hand are State Senator Jim Battin and freshman Assemblyman Paul Cook – both great legislators (and not just because they’ve endorsed me in my Party run).

Pacheco’s presentation was about 25 minutes long, and pretty comprehensive. He started off with a very sobering statistic that this county has well over… Read More

When Speaker Fabian Nunez held his press conference yesterday to announce that his "support" for a fair redistricting process, he didn’t count on the Mayor of San Francisco displacing all of his prime media coverage — yet that is exactly what happened. Nunez’ little tap-dance where he and his termed-out, self-interested legislative colleagues who desperately don’t want to have to return to life outside of the legislature was relegated to less optimal locations in state newspapers… We will be talking a lot here about this ‘deal’ where a weakening of California’s term-limits statute gets married up with a fair redistricting proposal, and the pros and cons. But since I am in a hurry this morning, I will jump straight to the big news of the day… San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom had an affair with his campaign manager’s wife… Joy. The good news for Newsom is that our nation is filled with examples of public… Read More