The Los Angeles City Council is trying to squeeze outa third term for themselves by linking a change in term limits with so-called ethics reforms.

Of course it begs the question. If they are so corrupt they need ethics reforms than why should they get a third term?

Now some of the neighborhood council members are attacking the process. See article here. That is good. The process was horrible as is linking these two different issues, but the debate over term limits shouldn’t be clouded by process.

Is it good or bad. Period.… Read More

From the Wall Street Journal’s Political Diary:

Mel Who?

A parlor game among Republican activists in California for years has been to ask, "What would it take to convince Mel Gibson to run for statewide office as a Republican?" Given the success of Arnold Schwarzenegger and the box-office receipts of 2002’s "Passion of the Christ," interest in Mr. Gibson, a staunch conservative, has long been high. Last year, after Governor Schwarzenegger disappointed conservatives by tacking left on budget issues, California Republican Assembly head Mike Spence openly speculated about Mr. Gibson mounting a primary challenge to him.

That was then. Following Mr.… Read More

[The last month of legislative session is rife with behind-the-scenes action as many pieces of legislation are passed by the Senate and Assembly that should not become law. The FlashReport will be looking at a few bills this month that are poor public policy, and should be rejected…like this one that is a direct assault on private property rights!]

You decide you want to put a pool in your backyard. It wasn’t an easy decision. You and your family have been saving for years, but money doesn’t grow on trees. Still, you finally have enough money and you draw up plans and finally the big day has arrived. The work crews arrive en masse as the plan is to complete the whole project in just a couple of days — the most expensive part of this new addition to the home is the labor for these workers, who get paid for every day they show up. You watch as the hole in your backyard gets deeper, as the workers dig out what will soon be your new… Read More

"But the Emporer has nothing on at all," exclaims the little boy in the famous child’s story, The Emperor’s Clothes, by Hans Christian Anderson. The tale refers to a ruler who has no clothes on, but no one is willing to say anything except a small innocent boy.

That tale makes me think very much of former California Governor, now Oakland Mayor Jerry Brown. He comes from a ‘Royal" family as the scion of the late great Governor Pat Brown, but his own time on the thrown was market by lunacy and liberalism gone awry. Years later, "Emperor Brown" is now the Mayor of one of the most crime-ridden cities in California. Yet he campaigns for office as if he has some sort of tough-on-crime record of which to be proud (as opposed to his real legacy, the appointment of anti-death penalty advocate Rose Bird to the California Supreme Court).

Everyone around Jerry Brown wants to be enamored with his family pedigree,… Read More

[The last month of legislative session is rife with behind-the-scenes action as many pieces of legislation are passed by the Senate and Assembly that should not become law. The FlashReport will be looking at a few bills this month that are poor public policy, and should be rejected…like this one that is a direct assault on private property rights!]

You decide you want to put a pool in your backyard. It wasn’t an easy decision. You and your family have been saving for years, but money doesn’t grow on trees. Still, you finally have enough money and you draw up plans and finally the big day has arrived. The work crews arrive en masse as the plan is to complete the whole project in just a couple of days — the most expensive part of this new addition to the home is the labor for these workers, who get paid for every day they show up. You watch as the hole in your backyard gets deeper, as the workers dig out what will soon be your new… Read More

In a federal government "taking" that even a conservative can support, President Bush today signed the legislation to save the Mt. Soledad War Memorial and its hilltop cross. This may not be news to most readers, but thought you might want to see the photo, compliments of Congressman Brian Bilbray’s office…..

L to R, William Kellogg, Phil Thalheimer, Brian Bilbray, Darrell Issa, GW, Duncan Hunter, Charles LiMandri. (Attached below is the larger photo….great shot!) Here ismy weekend post on the bill signing, if you missed it.

Below is Pastor Chris Clark’s 2:54 pm email:

Greetings!

Just a few minutes ago, President Bush signed into a law the bill that officially makes the Mount Soledad National War Memorial property of the federal government!

From the efforts nearly two years ago to make Soledad a… Read More

It’s been a tough year for U.S. Rep. Joe Baca (D-Rialto), who lost several skirmishes with fellow DemocratsculminatinginJune primary electiondefeat forhis two sons, Assemblyman Joe Baca Jr. in the 32nd Senate District primary and Jeremy Baca in the 62nd Assembly District.

It’s true that "Working Joe" has never beena favorite son of the Democrat party (he’s not considered liberal or effective enough, believe it or not). It’s also not unusual for a legislator, especially a congressman, to be accused of losing touch with the local political base. But Mr. Baca seems to take it a step further by demonstrating utter cluelessness about the goings on and operations of his own party.

For example, two days after Baca Junior’s Senate Primary defeat at the hands ofAssemblywoman Gloria Negrete-McLeod, Baca Senior told the Press Enterprise that Republicans were secretly backing the liberal Negrete-McLeodbecause she would be easier for the GOP nomineeto defeat in the November general election. Problem there was no Republican was running for the seat.

Another victorious candidate in the June… Read More

OK – this is worth a minute of your time today. As if Phil Angelides wasn’t already completed bracketed as the big taxer and spender that he is, the Schwarzenegger has prepared a short reminder of how many different taxes he has pledged to raise. Even more alarming (if possible) than his billions in proposed tax increases are that just some of his proposed spending increases that total close to $20 billion. Good grief. Check out the video here.

Below are some facts to chew on after watching it… (Sorry if it goes on awhile. Blame Phil Angelides for being so specific on so many occasions on how much he will tax and spend California’s economy into the gutter.) Phil Angelides Has Already Promised To Raise Taxes $5 Billion…… Read More