The state constitution requires that the legislature pass a budget by June 15, which is today. Will our well-paid, full-time legislature fulfill to its constitutional duty? Not according to the Democrat’s fearless leader, Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez. What’s holding up the budget? According to Nunez, it’s the Republicans’ darned obsession with illegal immigration. The Assembly Reps have said that they won’t vote for the Democrats’ effort to expand the state-funded children’s health programs to include illegal immigrant children.

In the Governor’s revised budget proposal, he added an additional $23 million in general funds and personnel to expand coverage to 24,000 uninsured children of the working poor. According to the Assembly Republican Caucus, the Democrats, in negotiations leading up to a legislative vote, expanded the Healthy Families program to cover illegal immigrants and families of four with annual incomes of about… Read More

What do Phil Angelides, Gerry Parsky, public employee retirement pensions and the Cayman Islands have in common? Good question. And one that someone might want to ask the state’s treasurer turned gubernatorial hopeful.

In his bitterly self-righteous and antagonistic style, Angelides has been railing against corporate tax loopholes as part of his campaign for governor of California. The Phil for Guv campaign website encourages supporters to sign a petition to Schwarzenegger with the following language:

"Did you know there is a California tax loophole that lets some corporations do business in California and elsewhere without being taxed?

"That’s right. Because of one loophole, some companies can do business in California and avoid paying taxes anywhere!"

The petition suggests that by closing these loopholes, the state (or more to the point, Phil if only you elect him governor) could use the money to “offer a… Read More

The state constitution requires that the legislature pass a budget by June 15, which is today. Will our well-paid, full-time legislature fulfill to its constitutional duty? Not according to the Democrat’s fearless leader, Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez. What’s holding up the budget? According to Nunez, it’s the Republicans’ darned obsession with illegal immigration. The Assembly Reps have said that they won’t vote for the Democrats’ effort to expand the state-funded children’s health programs to include illegal immigrant children.

In the Governor’s revised budget proposal, he added an additional $23 million in general funds and personnel to expand coverage to 24,000 uninsured children of the working poor. According to the Assembly Republican Caucus, the Democrats, in negotiations leading up to a legislative vote, expanded the Healthy Families program to cover illegal immigrants and families of four with annual incomes of about… Read More

Congratulations to my Young Americans for Freedom compatriot Brandon Powers for having Martin Wisckol’s favorite quote from the Flag Day Dinner. There were a lot of good quotes from which to choose. It is up on Total Buzz, the Register’s political (non-editorial) blog.

Powers said this of Governor Schwarzenegger:

"He’s a Republican and he happens to be governor, but he’s not a Republican governor."

And I’m sureit will spark discussion.… Read More

You know you’re getting serious in a relationship when you meet the parents. So I guess you could say my relationship with The FlashReport has gotten serious. I have, in a way, met Bob and Linda Fleischman. They were both thrilled by last night’s Flag Day festivities. They gave me a short recounting of how they met the Governor and Dennis Prager.

Jon’s fatherremembers, "When I was introduced to the Governor, I told him I was Jon Fleischman’s father. At first it didn’t register. But then I turned around and I was about to leave and the Governor said to me, ‘Mr. Fleischman, Mr. Fleischman, I’m sorry. Now I know who you are. You have a wonderful son and he does a great job for California. You should be very proud of him.’ Then he shook my hand and said, "Would you like to take a picture with me?’"

The Governor also made an impression on Jon’s mother. She told me, "When the Governor was walking… Read More

Last night I had the pleasure of sharing thoughts on the Governor’s impromptu speech on the American flag with a few of my friends (?) in the print media business. I gathered from our short discussions that the one lasting image they came away from the speech with was: teenage Arnold Schwarzenegger in American flag posing trunks.We had a good chuckleover it.

The Governor spoke about how a fellow professional body building aspirant counseled him to wear black posing trunks in competitions because they appeared to reduce the size of one’s waste while accentuating one’s musculature. Arnold had a hunch that because America stands for victory and power, that American flag posing trunks would make him appear victorious and powerful and – surprise! – he won his competition.

It was a humorous, if not a little inappropriate right before dinner,anecdote that went along with Arnold’s speech theme of his history with the American flag and how he,even coming from a foreign country, has alwaysappreciated it. The room and I laughed and clapped.

But after hearing… Read More

How Reagan Won By Losing (From WSJ’s Political Diary)

Ever since the Young America’s Foundation bought Ronald Reagan’s old ranch near Santa Barbara, it has become almost a shrine to old friends and admirers of the Gipper. History was made there, as visitors can still see the tree stump on which Mr. Reagan signed the 1981 supply-side tax cuts that helped set off a generation of largely uninterrupted economic growth.

History was on the mind of many of the foot soldiers in the Reagan Revolution this past weekend as about 70 of them gathered at the Reagan Ranch for a conference marking the 30th anniversary of Reagan’s 1976 primary challenge of President Jerry Ford. The conference took its inspiration from the recent book by Craig Shirley entitled… Read More

Willie Brown on Angelides (in today’s Sac Bee):

“…Phil is a smart guy. But he doesn’t look good on TV and doesn’t sound good on radio. They need to keep him in places like Dinuba and Chico, where they don’t have modern communications with the rest of the state and no one can see or hear him."

Phil Angelides campaign button: $1.40 "Phil Angelides for Governor" water bottle: $9.17 "Phil Angelides for Governor" hoodie: $56.07 Willie Brown’s campaign advice for the Angelides campaign: priceless!… Read More