As a consultant I take great pride in seeing my clients win. It sure is fun to win, especially in the face of huge opposition. OC Supervisor-Elect Pat Bates is a great example. She won in the face of a four-to-one fund raising advantage (Gilliard Blanning Wysocki ran her campaign, my firm did the polling).

Pat is also a great example of the gracious winner.

Since Election Day candidates like Bates who pulled off victories have fielded congratulatory calls, many from people who were not as supportive as they could have been during the election. Some from people who were no where to be found, but now want to be a father of their success.

The nature of many candidates is to question the intentions of those well wishers and ask "Where the hell were you last month when i needed another $10,000 to pay for that last piece of mail?"

But the gracious winner never says that. They smile, thank the caller for their kind words and do a little silent victory dance in their head.

We can all learn a lesson from candidates like Anaheim Councilwoman-Elect Lucille Kring. She is another gracious winner. Having taken out an incumbent… Read More

Proving they are more beholden to their union backers than they are their own constituents, a majority of the San Diego City Council on Tuesday told their fellowcitizens they shouldn’t be allowed to save money when grocery shopping.

Some are calling the council’s proposed law a “Big Box Ordinance,” as it bans large retailers that devote more than 10 percent of their floor space to non-taxable sales, such as groceries (i.e., no Wal-Mart Super Centers).

Let’s call it what it is, a “Big Brother Ordinance." Regardless of any other San Diego reforms being championed by Mayor Jerry Sanders, Big Brother is alive and well at City Hall.

We can’t besure if this Big Brother is embodied more by the city council majority or by those unions that have forced the issue, driving the council to do its bidding while ignoring anything akin to free market economics. Instead of trying to decide which is Big Brother, let’s just call the council majority and the unions “Big Brothers in… Read More

Our ‘revamping’ of the FlashReport Weblog continues in full-force, and I am exceptionally pleased to introduce to you another new addition to the great cadre of contributors we have for site! Please welcome Jill Buck to the FlashReport. Jill will be joining us as a new blogger from the San Francisco Bay Area region. California is a big state, and the Bay Area, despite being so overwhelingly liberal, is an important part

This last election cycle, Jill ran a spirited campaign for the State Assembly as the Republican nominee in the 18th District, in the East Bay Area.

Jill has established herself as a smart, savvy and principled Republican who has a lot to offer us, as she observes and analyses the political goings-on in her region, and well as joining with our other site authors in sharing observations about California state politics.

You can read about Jill’s background here, and look forward to seeing her regular contributions to our site!

Welcome Jill!… Read More

I dedicate my first post on the FR to the media sage who first introduced me to the Flash Report over a year ago. Reading his piece comparing union campaign donations to cassette tape clubs has led to my own hopeless addiction to the Flash Report, and I am in awe each time he shares his keen wit and side-splitting humor with us. I’m very grateful…so there. “For the Strength of the Wolf is the Pack, and the Strength of the Pack is the Wolf” – Kipling It’s going to be a tough couple of years for Republicans. It will be more important than ever to nurture and develop the next wave of candidates and Party leaders – the leaders of the “Pack”. After the election cycle of 2006, it will not be easy to coax candidates back into the fray for ’08 without some tweaking of the current support structure of “safe … Read More

Proving they are more beholden to their union backers than they are their own constituents, a majority of the San Diego City Council on Tuesday told their fellowcitizens they shouldn’t be allowed to save money when grocery shopping.

Some are calling the council’s proposed law a “Big Box Ordinance,” as it bans large retailers that devote more than 10 percent of their floor space to non-taxable sales, such as groceries (i.e., no Wal-Mart Super Centers).

Let’s call it what it is, a “Big Brother Ordinance." Regardless of any other San Diego reforms being championed by Mayor Jerry Sanders, Big Brother is alive and well at City Hall.

We can’t besure if this Big Brother is embodied more by the city council majority or by those unions that have forced the issue, driving the council to do its bidding while ignoring anything akin to free market economics. Instead of trying to decide which is Big Brother, let’s just call the council majority and the unions “Big Brothers in… Read More

The crowd is racaus here in Newport Beach. Members-elect, current members, and a handful of 3rd house institutions are mingling and sipping wine. A very nice cap to the end of the first day of our conference. Leader Villines has set the tone for a productive retreat; a term newly elected member Paul Cook finds highly objectionable. Out of respect for his service (once a Marine Colonel, always a Marine Colonel!), we are “conferencing”. Tomorow proves to be a most enjoyable and invigorating experience as we begin to really delve into the meat of our conference. Tonight, we raise our glasses to unity.… Read More

I really couldn’t be more proud to live in Oakland than I am today. Not only do I have to look forward to seeing Jerry Brown hands the reins of power over to Ron Dellums, but we get a hand-holding ceremony around Lake Merritt to celebrate the new mayor to boot! The Chronicle’s Matier & Ross write today about Dellums’ and Schwarzenegger’s planned festivities. One can’t fault Schwarzenegger for throwing a big party this time around. He rightly held off when he was first elected, rolling up his sleeves and telling the voters that he understood he was sent to Sacramento to get work done that the recalled Gov. Gray Davis was unable to accomplish. But under normal situations, it is customary for governors to throw inaugural parties and there’s no doubt that… Read More

In the coming days, newly minted Assembly Republican Leader Mike Villines will be announcing key leadership team members, the most prominent of which will be his selection for Chairman of the Assembly Republican Caucus.

We have verified that Villines’ pick for this important post is conservative leader Bob Huff. Huff has quickly risen in prominence in GOP circles because of his understanding of politics, his commitment to core Republican principles, and his ammiable personality.

Congratulations (in advance) Assemblyman Huff – our expectations are appropriatly high! And a nod of respect to Leader Villines – a superb pick!

(Note: I’ve had this intel for a little while, choosing to hold it in confidence. I’m only posting it now because so many folks have told me, that it will be common knowledge by noon. I guess make that eleven now!)… Read More