High marks go to Bill Bradley, creator and sole proprietor of the New West Notes, for catching CMR "reporter" and Angelides campaign aide Bill Carrick and Huffington Post contributor Donnie Fowler spewing the exact same spin under their own names on different websites.

Here’s are some of the opening lines of Carrick’s missive:

Exhibition season is over. Next week marks the start of the real post-Labor Day campaign.

And here’s Fowler’s opening salvo:

Exhibition season is over in the California gubernatorial race. Next week marks the start of the real post Labor Day Campaign between Arnold Schwarzenegger and State Treasurer Phil Angelides.

Hmmm.

Neither Carrick nor… Read More

First the Governor, then the Republican leaders in both the Assembly and the Senate.Assembly Republican Leader George Plescia and Senate Republican Leader Dick Ackerman have sent a letter on Joint Republican Caucus letterhead (attached below) to Speaker Nunez and Senate President Pro Tem Perata asking for the legislature to be immediately reconvened under Joint Rule 52 (a).

While this likely won’t happen (staffers would go nuts, among other reasons), it is a terrific display of grit by Republicans. After a week of all day voting, to come back after it’s over, after they’ve taken a pounding,and ask for more is something. It shows that Republicans continue to work toward the state achieving fiscal solvency, while Democrats skip town… Read More

SB 1185 (authored by George Runner) would whave prevented School Districts from paying teachers arrested for drug use back pay. The Bill died in the Assembly , three votes shy of passage. It had passed the Senate with only 2 no votes.

The CTA and labor unions fought the bill because the liked money going to duggie teachers rather than getting into the classroom.See article here. Hit piece Alert. Nicole Parra voted against the bill. This is a top race for Republicans .You can donate to her opponent here.… Read More

Next week, the FlashReport will be publishing our annual "Top 20 Bill That The Governor Should Veto" — and we need YOUR HELP to make sure we have picked out the worst of the worst. The more the bill constrains freedom and liberty, then more it shifts the balance of power from the individual to the government, the more it grows the "nanny state" — well the more we want to hear about it!

RATING THE GOVERNOR We’ll be taking these twenty bills and we will use them to give Governor Schwarzenegger at FlashReport Veto "Batting Average" — so this will be an indicator to all of our readers on how the Governor is doing at batting down the worst of the worst. STATE LEGISLATOR AND STAFFERS We really could use the help of conservative legislators and their staff members as helping us out — so send along your suggestions!

WHAT DO WE NEED? A bill number, a… Read More

Cristina Uribe, a "reporter" for the California Majority Report, that "Democratic consultant insiders" website with which Kos has problems, posted this today on their website. Here arethree paragraphs:

So, back to the issue of our mojo…it has everything to do with California politics, because despite the end of season bill signing-victory laps-high five-ing (see poll at right) that seems to have engulfed Sacramento (and this blog) lately, it all still feels a little uninspired. It feels choreographed. Yes, meaningful legislation finally got passed and we hope that it lives up to its hype, but for some reason it seems to be missing … soul.

When the Governor’s ratings go up, but a Democratic-controlled legislature sits at 27% job approval ratings–then we should be concerned. As practioners, hacks, operatives (insert pejorative term here),… Read More

Although he doesn’t mention me by name, John Kerry responds to me in the Wall Street Journal…..

Lamont Has the Courage To Defy Bush and the War August 25, 2006; Page A15

The sentiments expressed in "The Lamont Wing Is a Threat to Security" (Letters to the Editor, Aug. 22) will do nothing to make America safer. If the neoconservatives were half as good at fighting the war on terror as they are at misleading the American public, we’d be a lot safer than we are today.

The disastrous policy in Iraq has made America less safe. We were misled into a war which has become a dangerous distraction, and a profound drain on our financial and military resources. Nearly five years after the attacks of 9/11, it’s clear that this administration hasn’t learned the real lessons of 9/11 and failed to take the steps to make us as safe as we must be. Osama bin Laden is still on the loose. The 9/11 Commission’s recommendations to secure our most vulnerable infrastructure remain virtually ignored. Homeland security funding has been cut for cities… Read More

Here was my Thursday: two kids with fevers, the water heater went out, my husband is out of town and I nearly got a concussion when I knocked my head on a header board in our basement. I’ve been grumpy all day (I’m writing Friday’s commentary on Thursday night) but it is not because of these personal problems…it’s a Sacramento problem and his name is Arnold Schwarzenegger.

The rap on the governor has always been that he’s a Chamber of Commerce Republican: socially more liberal than the rank-and-file party members, but rock solid on the economy and job-killing legislation.

Well, here’s what the Chamber of Commerce had to say about the governor’s deal with the Democrats on the global warming bill:

"The California-only, mandatory climate change regulations that… Read More

Diane Harkey was supposed to be my state senator but some 200 voters who voted for Tom Harman ended that dream. However, we are all lucky that Diane is a strong woman and a committed conservative Republican and local elected official. Diane is one of the smartest local electeds we have in Orange County and she commands respect from all who know her.

So when I saw her email newsletter had a logical approach to choosing who should be you your next councilmember or school board trustee, I knew right away I needed to pass it on

Diane’s thoughts are as good a criteria as any I have seen:

… Read More