I grew up in Arcadia – GO APACHES (for notable alums, see third row-middle – and see third row, second from left)! Anyways, Arcadia has proven fertile ground for the need for some sort of post-Kelo, eminent domain reform.

Last year, Rusnak (a Mercedes dealer) put a methophorical tax revenue gun to the City’s head, demanding that either the City find them more land, or they’d take their dealership elsewhere. Ignoring for a moment the fact that if their existing lot wasn’t sufficient, perhaps Rusnak shouldn’t have moved there in the first place, the City’s response was to very openly go to neighboring properties – a longtime restaurant, an Elks Lodge, etc – and threaten eminent domain action.

Now, a public outcry, a Council election which resulted in the seating of more property rights favoring Councilmembers, and a backing down by the City later, and… Read More

INTRODUCING TED GAINES! One of today’s exclusive FR column comes to you from future Assemblyman Ted Gaines of Roseville, in Placer County. Gaines looks to be a rising star who will bring solid conservative leadership to our Assembly Caucus when he arrives in December. If you blinked at all over the last two years, you probably missed the race to replace termed out Republican Assemblyman Tim Leslie in the 4th AD. That’s because for the last two years, conservative Placer County Supervisor Ted Gaines has been working tirelessly on his campaign for the Assembly. That hard work paid off, as Ted earned the endorsements of local Republican leaders like Congressman John Doolittle, Senator Dave Cox, former Senator Rico Oller, and incumbent Assemblyman Leslie, as well as the CRA, YRFC, and the local central committees in the district. As a result, Ted received a whopping 80.6% of the vote in the Republican primary this… Read More

INTRODUCING TED GAINES! One of today’s exclusive FR column comes to you from future Assemblyman Ted Gaines of Roseville, in Placer County. Gaines looks to be a rising star who will bring solid conservative leadership to our Assembly Caucus when he arrives in December. If you blinked at all over the last two years, you probably missed the race to replace termed out Republican Assemblyman Tim Leslie in the 4th AD. That’s because for the last two years, conservative Placer County Supervisor Ted Gaines has been working tirelessly on his campaign for the Assembly. That hard work paid off, as Ted earned the endorsements of local Republican leaders like Congressman John Doolittle, Senator Dave Cox, former Senator Rico Oller, and incumbent Assemblyman Leslie, as well as the CRA, YRFC, and the local central committees in the district. As a result, Ted received a whopping 80.6% of the vote in the Republican primary this… Read More

Do you have a spare dollar? Would you like to purchase your very own television station? Well, based on legislation that is sitting on Governor Schwarzenegger’s desk right now (Assembly Bill 523), the Coast Community College District Board of Trustees can literally sell this significant public asset for "less than market value" (this is pulled directly from the language of the bill). Current state law requires that if the district wants to sell off an asset, the must sell it to the highest bidder. This is to make sure that there are no gifts of public funds, and that taxpayers are always be well represented when such sales occur. I’ve already written quite a bit about this legislation, which you can read here. To sum up the situation in one paragraph: Coast Community College District owns the KOCE Public Television Station. Annually, the station is losing… Read More

MetNews is reporting that the LA City Council has won their appeal on ballot language in their scheme to extend terms.

Here is the artcile

Court of Appeal Reinstates Council’s Language for Term Limit Measure on November Ballot

By STEVEN CISCHKE, Staff Writer

The ballot title adopted by the Los Angeles City Council for Measure R—which will allow council members to serve three terms if approved in November—was not misleading or “partial” for failing to note that there is currently a two-term limit, this district’s Court of Appeal ruled yesterday.

Div. Eight issued a peremptory writ of mandate overturning an order by retired Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Robert H. O’Brien, who sits on assignment, directing the city clerk to amend the title to explicitly state that the measure would increase the number of allowed terms.

The measure will have a heading… Read More

I had to blink hard this morning before I could believe I was reading the San Bernardino County Sun, which editorializedthe following pronouncement:

"…let it be known that (Congressman Jerry) Lewis is an upstanding representative of the highest integrity…"

This from a paper whosereportersof late have detailedad nauseumLewis’ lifeand career(e.g. "Deconstructing Jerry,")in the wake ofquestionable investigationsand non-accusationsagainstthe Redlands Republican who chairs the House Appropriations Committee.

Today’s editorial seems a little late in coming:UNFAIR INQUIRY: Lewis, ESRI undeserving of witch hunt… Read More

There are just less than 8 weeks to go before Election Day. While the Governor has a comfortable lead in his race and is raising money hand over fist, the down-ticket GOP candidates aren’t exactly in the same boat. They could all benefit from a little “love”—money and attention—from the governor.

But who was getting the governor’s “love” today? Oakland Mayor Jerry Brown, GOP Senator Chuck Poochigian’s opponent in the race for Attorney General. Brown was invited to attend an event at the Capitol today with Maria Shriver and Henry Renteria, director of the governor’s Office of Emergency Services, to mark the 30th anniversary of the creation of the California Conservation Corps.

Now, I’m sure that the governor’s folks will defend the event as “non-political.” But that argument would either be naïve or disingenuous.… Read More

First the Governor campaigns for his bond debt with Jerry Brown. Today Jerry Brown got another boost for his campaign by appearing with the Governor and his wife at the celebration of the 30 years of California Conservation Corps. While the CCC may deserve recognition, does an event less than two months before the election with Jerry Brown help Chuck Poochigian?See it here.

UPDATE

The Governors highly paid staff has informed me that despite the information in the article, the Governor was not at the event.

They want me to change thepost title to"Governor disses California Conservation Corps".

Ok I’m kidding about the last part.… Read More