The following piece with my thoughts on urban runoff ran today in the Orange County Register:

Putting urban runoff on the run Ocean-bound water can be cleaned without Draconian measures The ocean water quality off Orange County’s beaches needs to be improved. There isn’t much debate about that. Whether you are a surfer who has experienced sickness after catching rights on a Saturday morning; or a businessperson suffering losses after another summer day with the beach closed by high bacteria levels in the ocean; or someone who just believes it’s the right thing to do, there is agreement that our economic and environmental health is well-served by dealing with the problem of urban runoff polluting our beaches.

So, how do we do it?

My flights home to “The OC” from Sacramento always make for some interesting posts (well, to me anyways). Previous flights have been loaded with legislators and luminaries (not that I do not include legislators AS luminaries).

This flight is more subdued. I did have a chance to chat briefly with Bill Habermehl, who is Orange County’s elected Superintendent of Public Instruction. We took a few minutes to discuss the swirl of bad publicity around Capistrano Unified School District Superintendent Jim Fleming. If you need more info on this, you can ‘google’ it up. I did tell Bill that Fleming is close to a tipping point that would ultimately lead to his ouster. As for Habermehl’s take…well, he probably doesn’t want his take on the www…

This post is a good opportunity to praise President Bush for his veto of the controversial legislation on his desk having to do with stem cell research. His logic is sound – this is a controversial area of scientific exploration, with many millions of Americans being at least uncomfortable if not upset about the potential immorality of some of the research. Tax dollars should… Read More

Yesterday, I went to the opening of the Victory 06 HQ in Whittier. This is one big building. It is in the first floor of the building that previously housed Richard Nixon’s Law office. (I hear there are no more wires).

Most interesting the previous occupant was cited by the city for running a strip joint and lost the liqour license. When cleaning the building they found a box of feather boas used by well you know.

25,000 sqaure feat. Arnold should be visiting this site soon, they can pack them in. Read about it here.

Of cousre they have to staff it with volunteers for the 40 phone stations. That is the real challenge.… Read More

Awkward moments in history… “[Senator Don] Perata, one of California’s most powerful elected officials, will host a private meeting today of 40 public officials and community leaders in which he hopes to produce a to-do list for the state to help combat recent violence in Richmond and Oakland. Seventy-three people have been killed this year in Oakland, compared to 40 at this time in 2005, police said Tuesday. At least 19 people have been killed in Richmond this year.”

What’s that? You say you think Perata is just trying to make Democrats look tough-on-crime, since gubernatorial candidate Phil Angelides has such an anemic record to run on? Nice theory… I like it.

But wait, how does that theory apply to the Democratic candidate for Attorney General, Jerry Brown? Surely, Brown will be at Perata’s meeting, since he’s still the Mayor of Oakland. I mean, not inviting Da Mayor would be so…awkward.

Doh!

“The list of invitees is missing two prominent names: current Oakland Mayor… Read More

Just when I thought Republicans in congress couldn’t screw up more than they already have on federal spending, illegal immigration and ethics, they vote overwhelmingly in favor of spending taxpayer money on embryonic stem cell research. Fortunately, the White House janitorial staff (after a long and arduous fact-finding mission) were able to locate President George W. Bush’s veto pen (rumored to have been buried under a stack of Weekly Standard magazines that have been piling up in the closet). This will be the President’s virgin veto mission, and I for one anxiously await the long prophesied veto of H.R. 810.

Congressional Republicans have developed a warped notion that they can buy their way to victory this November by spending more and more (taxpayer) money, not just on pork barrel projects like swimming pools for their districts, but also on experimental medical research (embryonic stem cell research).

Talk to any Republican volunteer organization and you’ll hear the echo of frustration that our leaders in DC have betrayed the smaller-is-better approach to government. Now, adding insult to injury, our leaders in DC have tossed aside moral… Read More

Just when I thought Republicans in congress couldn’t screw up more than they already have on federal spending, illegal immigration and ethics, they vote overwhelmingly in favor of spending taxpayer money on embryonic stem cell research. Fortunately, the White House janitorial staff (after a long and arduous fact-finding mission) were able to locate President George W. Bush’s veto pen (rumored to have been buried under a stack of Weekly Standard magazines that have been piling up in the closet). This will be the President’s virgin veto mission, and I for one anxiously await the long prophesied veto of H.R. 810.

Congressional Republicans have developed a warped notion that they can buy their way to victory this November by spending more and more (taxpayer) money, not just on pork barrel projects like swimming pools for their districts, but also on experimental medical research (embryonic stem cell research).

Talk to any Republican volunteer organization and you’ll hear the echo of frustration that our leaders in DC have betrayed the smaller-is-better approach to government. Now, adding insult to injury, our leaders in DC have tossed aside moral… Read More

This blog entry falls squarely into the category of, "You’ve GOT to be kidding me, right?

A great resource on the internet to find out what is really going on Inside the Beltway is Human Events Online (I actually subscribe to the print edition). There are a lot of great feature columns on the site, one of which is the Taxpayer Rip-Off Of The Week.

Well, this week’s highlighted rip-off is yet another example of the "Earmarker in Chief" Congressman Jerry Lewis (so dubbed by the Wall Street Journal), who is Chairman of the House Appropriations Committee. Lewis is a California Republican, and a moderate who clearly has a difference of opinion from this publisher on the proper scope and role of the federal government, as demonstrated by this column below…

After you read it, you’ll be scratching your head, and asking how a Republican could support such a boondoggle earmark. But before you throw all of… Read More

Phil Angelides must have blacked out today in the stifling heat of the Sacramento Valley. Only temporary unconsciousness would explain why he sent a press release to reporters announcing blackouts in Los Angeles.

“With reports of blackouts in Los Angeles, emergency energy cutbacks by state agencies, and Stage One alerts being sounded by state energy officials, Democratic gubernatorial candidate Phil Angelides today criticized Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger for failing to attract any significant new power plant generation in California and mismanaging the state’s energy policy.”

Now, this is news to me – particularly coming on the heels of my lunch this afternoon with an energy guru who surely would have told me if LA was experiencing – or even on the verge of – blackouts.

So I went to Google News and typed the words “blackout, Los Angeles.” Nothing. Next I went to KNBC’s website to check the headlines. Blackouts in LA would be major news in Lala Land. I turned up…nada.

So, what would cause Phil Angelides to issue a press release blaming Gov. Schwarzenegger for blackouts in LA? The most… Read More