There is a situation brewing in the theme-park centered City of Anaheim that really deserves much more attention than it has been getting on the FlashReport. We’ll try to rectify that in the coming week, but let’s give FR readers the 30,000 foot view. Anaheim is one of Orange County’s largest cities, and is on the national map because it is the home to Walt Disney’s original theme part, Disneyland. It’s home to the Angels, the Mighty Ducks, and to former Assembly Speaker Curt Pringle, who is the city’s Republican Mayor — coasting to re-election next month. Trying to follow the politics of the Anaheim City Council isn’t too easy, and I am not really going to delve into that in this short summary. Suffice it to say that there is one candidate who is running for City Council that is being talked about not only in the coffee shops and around the water coolers of Anaheim — candidate Bill Dalati is quickly becoming a topic of conversation nationally. … Read More

Much has been made about the strength of the GOP team of statewide candidates this year.

Arnold has the star power. Tom and Tony and Pooch bring out the base. Poizner and McPherson give us strength and balance.

But as these last days approach, I’ve come to believe that the rest of the team brings significant benefit to the ticket as well, but in an unusual way…

About a year ago now if you recall, businessman and Redistricting Reform advocate Bill Mundell was talking about putting his millions up against Senator Feinstein. Bill Simon too was talking about making a run for the Treasurer’s post.

Neither ultimately decided to run, and in some ways, it’s a blessing.

Instead of the popular Senator and the deep-pocketed AG adding to the clutter on the airwaves and giving Democrats actual reasons to go vote, both are opting to sit comfortably atop their warchests, secure in the knowledge that their races don’t require vast expenditures.

An unintended consequence of those decisions though is the removal of a competative race for either post that could possibly pull the Democrats out of the downward spiral of… Read More

Governor Schwarzenegger stopped by the 2nd Assembly/4th Senate District with Senator Aanestad and myself on hand, as well as the City Council members of Colusa, 3 Colusa Supervisors, the Sheriff, andother local officials today to survey the progress on levee repairs. Back in April, he declared the emergency that set aside the usual red tape and years of surveys and studiesthat typically delay levee repairs and maintenance. Colusa County, along the Sacramento river about 50 miles northwest of Sacramento, contains 6 of the growing number [now at 103]of critical levee erosion sights that need immediate repair. This sight at Moon Bend [not known to be a hangout spotof your Democrat Attorney General nominee, JerryBrown] is nearing completion of its repairs, over 1/4 of a linear mile. [Here is local network television coverage… Read More

We can’t keep up with the cancellations fast enough. Here are more television stations where Cruz Bustamante has pulled his television ads. These are in additions to the ones listed below.

Tan Nguyen, the newly minted Republican who is running for Congress in central Orange County fresh on the heels of running for Congress as a Democrat in the neighboring House seat is having a bad day — actually — a bad few days. As a general rule you probably never want to be linked to the DrudgeReport – that is usually bad news. Looks like the Feds are all over him…Nguyen is, and the links are below…

GOP Calls for Withdrawal of Candidate After Letter...

Agents Search Office...… Read More

From today’s Wall Street Journal Political Diary E-mail (thanks John for the F/R ‘shout-out’):

California Goes Its Own Way

Washington D.C.’s conservative community is acting as if an invasion of barbarian liberals is at the city’s gates. But out in the nation, the picture is a bit more mixed. California conservatives aren’t depressed at all, despite their state’s reputation as a pure blue stronghold. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger isn’t a traditional conservative but his lengthy coattails may bring along some top-flight conservative candidates who are running for lesser statewide offices. Should State Senator Tom McClintock be elected lieutenant governor, for instance,… Read More

You may ask yourself, Why Measure Y? Measure Y was placed on November’s ballot in Santa Monica by the initiative process. If it passes it will make adult personal use of marijuana the lowest enforcement priority, unless the use occurs on public property or in conjunction with driving under the influence. So, puffing and driving is a no, no. Anyone taking a walk Friday night by the pier already knows that enforcement of pot laws is low. Along with vagrancy, public drinking etc…. Just don’t let your parking meter expire. Here is how one knows that this is a liberal city and not a libertarian city. While this is on ballot and may pass, the City Council voted to ban all tobacco related smoking around ATM’s movie line and mandated a 20 ft smoke free zone around non-governmental buildings. … Read More

I receivedan amusing Google Alert this morning from the Guardian.Ben Whitford, apolitical columnist for the online edition, links to and quotes from Dan Schnur‘s commentary on the "Schwarzenegger Coattail Index" for substance on the California gubernatorial contest. FlashReport is being read across the Pond.

(Unfortunately, a site glitch has my picture next to Schnur’s commentary. Hopefully, visitors will notice the author.)… Read More