There is a lot to digest in terms of California political news today – you might find yourself spending more time than usual perusing the news. WILL JAN SCULLY PUT ROB REINER IN FRONT OF A GRAND JURY? I have featured on the main page today the lead editorial from today’s San Diego Union Tribune because it highlights an important criminal investigation taking place that has managed to slide off of the ‘public radar screen’ – the investigation of Rob Reiner and his role with the state’s First Five Commission. You’ll recall that a lot of controversy swirled around this issue – eventually leading to Reiner stepping off of the commission. There was a lot of monkey business going on (things like Reiner’s Commission spending taxpayer dollars to run pro-preschool advertising on TV at the same time that Reiner was gathering signatures for his preschool ballot measure). Ultimately the criminal investigation into Reiner’s activities ended up in the lap of tough prosecutor Jan Scully,… Read More

Update 5:15 pm…..Senate Passes Soledad Bill:

Statement by Majority Leader Bill Frist WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, M.D., (R-Tenn.) made the following statement on legislation to protect the Mt. Soledad Veterans Memorial Cross, which passed today by unanimous consent:

“I am proud that the Senate chose to protect an important memorial honoring our nation’s fallen veterans. With the passage of this legislation, the Mt. Soledad Veterans Memorial in San Diego, California, will be controlled by the federal government who will ensure that the men and women it memorializes will continue to be honored.”

Since 1954, a 29-foot cross has stood atop Mt. Soledad in San Diego, California memorializing the American war dead of World War I, World War II and the Korean conflict. Over the years, the Memorial has grown and now includes six large, concentric walls covered with granite plaques commemorating individual servicemen and women, bollards, pavers and a flagpole proudly flying the American flag. The Mt. Soledad Memorial, in its entirety, is a world class war… Read More

Keep this one in your back pocket and feel free to pull it out later in this campaign cycle and use it liberally: Code Pink sides with Hezbollah against Israel.

Like the predictable nags they are, the all-girl, post-menopausal busy bodies who call themselves Code Pink will no doubt regroup after they’re done protesting Israel’s right to defend itself against Islamic terrorism, and protest Governor Schwarzenegger, as they have done so many times in the past.

So when Code Pink organizes against Arnold later in the campaign, be sure to tell your friends, reporters, book club companions and IM buddies that this is the same group of women who supported a terrorist organization that seeks to eliminate Jews from the face of the earth.

And oh, by they way, don’t expect the same amount of media scrutiny for Code Pink Anti-Semites as Mel Gibson is receiving. No, Code Pink isn’t screaming out obscenities about the Jews at their protests of Israel (that we know of), but their rhetoric is every bit as fowl.

"Close to 400 protesters showed up for a spirited… Read More

Jeffers Dodge is the Republican Nominee in the 47th AD. The 47th is a Dem dictrict represented by Karen Bass. It takes in big parts of LA, Culver City and Westwood. It actually takes in the apartment Ilived in when at UCLA. Jeffers Dodge comes out of the entertainment industy, which is a big part of that district.

Jeffers is more than a candidate fillinng a slot. To prove it he has Ann Coulter coming out to headline a fundraiser for him this Friday.. See information here.

This is the kind of candidate the party should get behind and make a run at growing the party in this area. I know it has bad registration etc… But if not when we have a candidate that can put stuff together, when will we try to become a majority.… Read More

For almost as long as there has been a Congress, there has been an August recess. It’s origins can be traced to everything from a desire to go home and farm to a distaste for Washington’s oppressive summer heat in a era before air conditioning. Abraham Lincoln professed a particular loathing for the capital’s summer weather. In the 21st Century, the August recess is largely a time for members of Congress to meet face to face with the people we represent. Although Congress meets in Washington, the people are not. Spending longer periods of time at home reminds us of the needs and wants of those people in California or Texas or Ohio, rather than only the wants of those inside the beltway. We recessed just before 2:00am on Saturday morning after a rather frantic and productive week. Here are the two most significant pieces of legislation that passed during the days and nights that preceded that recess: Death Tax/Minimum Wage: Last year the House passed a full repeal of the death tax which failed to garner the requisite 60 votes in the Senate. Last month, I wrote about a compromise passed by the House to… Read More

In planning to increase student capacity by nearly one-third, San Diego State University has all the while contended that the public and private impacts of such an expansion must be borne by the City of San Diego, the adjacent neighborhoods and nearby Alvarado Hospital.

This “king of the hill” approach by SDSU has resulted in several lawsuits, not to mention a bunch of teed-off neighbors. SDSU’s attitude has seemingly been one of ignoring goodwill…and a “we are more important and powerful than anyone else” approach to community concerns.

Yesterday the State Supreme Court appeared to have dealt a serious blow to the SDSU plans by ruling in a similar Monterey Bay case that the CSU system must pay for public improvements when undertaking such an expansion.

Here is this morning’s SDUT story, on the local fallout from a ruling that has statewide implications.

Councilman Jim Madaffer (pictured), who represents the 7th city council district including SDSU and the nearby neighborhoods, has this to say:… Read More

FIELD POLL SHOWS GOP CHALLENGE There is a new Field Poll out showing that early-on, the down ticket races for statewide office favor Democrats. Not surprising in a state where the party of Hillary enjoys a significant margin of plurality. It’s still early, and so we will have to wait and see how things develop. Clearly the biggest challenges lie in the quest for Attorney General where Senator Chuck Poochigian, a fine conservative who is in a battle with Jerry ‘Mayor of the Murder Capitol’ Brown, who enjoys a huge name I.D. advantage as a former Governor — and Claude Parrish faces almost insurmountable odds in a battle with State Attorney General Bill Lockyer for the office of Treasurer. Parish is an odd, political gadfly. So it is not clear how he would even begin to raise political dollars. Democrat Lt. Governor Cruz Bustamante continues to be disliked by many Democrats, giving GOPer Steve Poizner a great opportunity to pick up the State Insurance Commissioner’s post. Clearly a key for down-ticket… Read More

FIELD POLL SHOWS GOP CHALLENGE There is a new Field Poll out showing that early-on, the down ticket races for statewide office favor Democrats. Not surprising in a state where the party of Hillary enjoys a significant margin of plurality. It’s still early, and so we will have to wait and see how things develop. Clearly the biggest challenges lie in the quest for Attorney General where Senator Chuck Poochigian, a fine conservative who is in a battle with Jerry ‘Mayor of the Murder Capitol’ Brown, who enjoys a huge name I.D. advantage as a former Governor — and Claude Parrish faces almost insurmountable odds in a battle with State Attorney General Bill Lockyer for the office of Treasurer. Parish is an odd, political gadfly. So it is not clear how he would even begin to raise political dollars. Democrat Lt. Governor Cruz Bustamante continues to be disliked by many Democrats, giving GOPer Steve Poizner a great opportunity to pick up the State Insurance Commissioner’s post. Clearly a key for down-ticket… Read More