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

At lunch, I went to fill up the gas tank. I usually go to this one 76 station around work because it’s almost always fifty cents cheaper than any station around my home (and it’s even cheaper than Costco). I usually purchase 87-octane, though I know it’s rubbish for the car.

Upon my arrival at the station today, I noticed someone – presumably the owner or manager – hadtaped white papers with"NO 87" over the 87-octane price on every pump. Dejected and suspicious, I went into the station office to ask what was wrong. There was a long line ofprospective customersin the office waiting to get an answer to the same question. Theattendent repetitiously notified each one of us that the "NO 87" message wasn’t about the station’s supply, rather it was a message to each one of us to vote "No" on Proposition 87 on Election Day. I smiled.

Clever, no?… Read More

The Wal-Mart in Rosemead is open. See here. The real question is will voters oust pro-Wal-Mart council members next week, eventhough the Wal-Mart is open. See previous posts here.… Read More

I write today to add to the words of Publisher Jon Fleischman in today’s commentary.

Senator "Linc" Chafee’s primary win over conservative Steve Laffey is no cause for celebration in any quarter of the country, and is another reason why I hang up on RNC telemarketers and have contempt forthe national Republican Party.RNC Chairman Ken Mehlman says we need to keep our "majority" in the US Senate. Really? I didn’t know we had a "majority" in the Senate. Isn’t the Senate where all good legislation goes to die? How many bills have passed out of the House and died in the Senate? What has our Senate "majority" accomplished?

Part of the problem is how we now define the word "moderate". I’m always told that I need to support "moderates". Moderate in the GOP used to mean "pro – choice" on abortion and a general avoidance of social issues in politics. Now it means raising the minimum wage, opposing the war on terrorism, failing make tax cuts permanent, signing an ominousgreenhouse gas bill, giving special rights to transvestites, running deficits,… Read More