With the Sacramento County Supervisors set to cast their first of two votes today on putting the arena tax on the ballot, I thought I’d share a personal story about how basketball teams add value to communities other than what can be counted in the cash register.

I attended a small Jesuit university that very few people had heard of until about 8 years ago. I would meet with people, go to job interviews out of college and I would always have to explain where it was and yes it was accredited.

The learning environment was one of the best in the nation and anybody who knows the Jesuits will attest to the rigors they like to impose on their students — heavy on philosophy, ethics and of course religion.

About 8 years ago when my little university "made a run" in the NCAA basketball tournament — Gonzaga (pronounced like zig-zag) became a household name throughout the country. Since their repeated success in the tournament (dont get me started on our loss to UCLA this year), the value of my diploma has increased dramatically — not because I learned more in my 4 years there but because… Read More

I’ll take Henretty’s bait….on the whole Field Poll thing…..if youlook at the numbers… rather than Bad Moon Rising….it look more like Fire on the Mountain to me….and if Anne Coulter can come out of the closet as a Deadhead…then I think we should encourage the Pastor’s daughter to as well.

Mickey Hart’s song and Robert Hunter’s lyrics, Long distance runner, what you holdin out for? Caught in slow motion in a dash for the door …capture Angelides problem. It’s almost like I’m watching what the unions did to the Gov a while back…remember last year….they were just beating him about the head senselessly…and no response from his team?….well we all know how that story ended….Dazed and Confused would have been a perfect analogy for the Dream Team.

I spoke to Schmidt yesterday and during the usual “How you doing?, he answered, “Just trying to keep this thing air born”. I’m sure he meant the 200 plus staff behemoth he’s flying,… Read More

I am honored to have been named the newest member of the faculty for the Project for California’s Future.

The Project was founded in 2001 by Sam Hardage (who I first met back in the early 90s) and Ron Nehring (chairman of the SD GOP and Vice Chairman of the CA GOP). It is the only organization dedicated to providing campaign training to conservatives in California.

Having trained hundreds of activists and candidates and elected officials, the the Project continues to hold training seminars throughout the state.

Upcoming seminars include: Campaign Communications School in Fresno and Campaign Management School in Redding. Please visit www.californiasfuture.org for more information.

In my capacity as a member of the faculty, I will certainly speak on public opinion, targeting and media. But I also hope to inject some vigor into training about fund raising, a subject with which conservatives often have a hard time.… Read More

If you haven’t already, I suggest that you look at the post by the FlashReport’s Los Angeles Area Correspondent, Mike Spence, who has posted something very disturbing. Last week, Congressman Brian Bilbray voted to override President Bush’s veto on using government funds to finance stem cell research. We can have a whole debate about whether that was a good or bad vote on policy grounds. But that is NOT the disturbing part.

Apparently, as Bilbray was in the battle of his life to win election to the House in the special election in CD 50, Bilbray filled out a questionnaire for the National Right to Life Committee. Not only did he check a box saying he would not vote to override a stem-cell veto, but, well – here is an excerpt from Spence’s piece: Big deal except, Bilbray promised that he would support the President’s policy IN WRITING. Again, attached is the questionnaire.

Look at question number four.… Read More

If you haven’t already, I suggest that you look at the post by the FlashReport’s Los Angeles Area Correspondent, Mike Spence, who has posted something very disturbing. Last week, Congressman Brian Bilbray voted to override President Bush’s veto on using government funds to finance stem cell research. We can have a whole debate about whether that was a good or bad vote on policy grounds. But that is NOT the disturbing part.

Apparently, as Bilbray was in the battle of his life to win election to the House in the special election in CD 50, Bilbray filled out a questionnaire for the National Right to Life Committee. Not only did he check a box saying he would not vote to override a stem-cell veto, but, well – here is an excerpt from Spence’s piece: Big deal except, Bilbray promised that he would support the President’s policy IN WRITING. Again, attached is the questionnaire.

Look at question… Read More

Kudos to the folks at the California Democrat Party for making me giggle. A friend sent me a link to their website, where you see this graphic, linked to the now-infamous LA Times article where Maldo bashes the Governor. Classic.… Read More

It’s a little past 9:30 PM in Sacramento. The temperature outside, according to www.weather.com is 88 degrees. The temperature inside my house, according to the Hanretty thermostat, is 82 degrees. So it’s nearly as hot inside as it is outside. I’ll be placing a call to Perfection Heating and Air in the morning. If you live in Sacramento, ask for Eric.

In the meantime, here’s the official list of remedies from Gov. Schwarzenegger’s office to beat the heat.

Dress in lightweight loose fitting clothing. Keep well hydrated with a particular attention to dependent residents. Physical activities should be kept to a minimum during the hottest parts of the day. Keep indoors and out of the sun during the hottest parts of the day. Use fans as appropriate. Open windows where feasible and if screens are intact, to allow fresh air to circulate. Use cool compresses, misting, showers and baths. Avoid hot foods and heavy meals. Encourage frozen treats such as "Popsicles" between … Read More

Soon-to-be Lt. Gov. Tom McClintock announced his campaign team today. It’s an impressive list of conservative talent. Here’s a rundown:

John Feliz is campaign director and chief political strategist for the campaign. Feliz served in a similar capacity for McClintock during the Recall election and most recently was lead consultant in the Eric Roach for Congress campaign (CD 50). Feliz owns his own political consulting firm. Ron Rogers is campaign manager, responsible for day to day operations. Rogers is a principal in the Sacramento political consulting firm of Russo, Marsh + Rogers. Rogers managed statewide volunteer efforts for the California… Read More