Before I get started on the FR Blog, I would like to thank Jon for continuing to show great respect for young people in politics. He doesn’t provide lip service like others. He creates opportunities for those of us just getting starting (relatively speaking) to get our feet wet. I was honored that he asked me, of all people, to join him compiling and editing the site. I am honored further to be in the company of some truly great political professionalsin the FR Blogpen.

Now on to this first post. It takes me back to earlier, sunnier days.

In my morning reading, I came across a sad story in the Orange County Register about a young boy who drowned yesterdayoff ofHuntington State Beach between towers 6 and 7. He and another boy were brought in from 150 to 200 yards off shore (1 and 1/2 to 2 football fields), a considerable distance in ocean terms (in a pool, that’s nothing), indicative of the conditions (South to Southwest swell, strong winds out of the West to Northwest). Two to four foot surf, as it was reported, is, again, nothing on a calm… Read More

Last Thursday the Lincoln Club of Orange County hosted a fundraiser for Lynn Swann, the Republican candidate for Governor of Pennsylvania. The All-Pro wide receiver of the Pittsburgh Steelers, USC All-American and T.V. sports commentator was greeted by 175 Lincoln Club members and USC alumni invitees for a lunch in Newport Beach. The guest list included a number of USC‘s athletic hall of… Read More

I just saw this story on the Orange County Register website and wanted to share the good news:

By JIM RADCLIFFE The Orange County Register… Read More

Long-time readers will recognize this as the third installment of my timetable for driving from here to there in California. Statewide race handlers take note! This trip started on a Friday around 10:10 in downtown San Diego, and ended up in downtown Sacramento around 5:50. To keep this series fresh, I have decided to also add temperature.

As mentioned me, my wife Valerie, and our 2 year old daughter Oncy (Ella) left downtown San Diego at 10:10am, driving north on the 5. It was a comfortable and overcast 68 degrees.

At 11:10 we drove through Irvine, jumping on the 405 for a change of pace. No traffic to speak of. 68 degrees. SAN DIEGO TO IRVINE 1 HOUR.

Around 12:10 we passed the Getty Museum. We did run into traffic around LAX, but nothing to cut your head off over. 75 degrees. IRVINE TO WEST LA 1 HOUR.

It was 1:30 by the time we got to Bakersfield via the 99 (the 5 may be a couple minutes faster, but it’s so boring I’d rather take the 99), and a dreadfully hot 95 degrees. We stopped for a bit to fill up the gas tank (heretofore we’d used half a tank), and to pick up some food at Carl’s Jr. Combined I estimate we… Read More

Issue Poses a Challenge For Schwarzenegger, Who Seeks Inroads With Latinos By CHRISTOPHER COOPER Wall Street Journal – June 12, 2006;PageA4

REDDING, Calif. — Pacing before a circle of supporters in this northern California city, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger trotted out a slightly romanticized story of a young Austrian who arrived… Read More

As most FR readers know, I am not one to post press releases sent to me verbatim. Usually the releases aren’t too notable, or if they are, the downside of printing a release is it seems to exponentially increase the number of press releases SPAMed to me. But that said, if anyone needed a reminder of exactly how much PHIL ANGELIDES LOVES TAX INCREASES, you have to take a read on this info (yes, courtesy of a Schwarzenegger Campaign press release). At least Angelides is consistent — he wants to raise taxes on everything and on everyone! Angelides Promises $10 Billion Tax Increase

Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association: Angelides’ "Promises Would Necessitate Tax Increases Exceeding $10 Billion And Even That Figure Is Probably Low." "We have a real problem with the fact that Mr. Angelides’ promises… Read More

I can’t tell you how many time I heard from politicos the following scenarioregarding the race between Ray Haynes and Michelle Steel for BOE 3, which includes a portion of LA County.

"I know Ray is lagging behind in fundraising, but ___Fill in the blank________ is so mad at Shawn Steel, there is going to be a big IE effort to crush Michelle." (Most people would use Shawn’s name instead of Michelle’s)

The ‘Fill in the black" part would change–New Majority, Jim Brulte, Gerry Parsky etc.. all these people allegedly wanted to make Shawn pay for his misdeeds as Chairman of the California Republican Party.

The reality is the IE’s never happened. I can identify only one IE that was in the $50,000 range to pay for the Prop. 13 slate. That’s it. Some of these "enemies’ maxed out to Ray. That was it.

Was Michelle lucky that the sins of her husband didn’t land on her,or does time heal all wounds? Either way, bad news for… Read More

The makeup of the Assembly Republican Caucus, which has already been fairly conservative, will be taking a slight shift even more to the right after the new 11-member Freshman class is sworn in this December. Thanks to theatrocious ‘incumbent protection plan’ adopted by the legislature earlier in the decade, almost all of California’s 80 Assembly Districts are not competitive – drawn to either elect a Democrat (which is most of the districts) or a Republican. There are 32 members of the Assembly that are GOPers right now. And if we look at the Republicans who one the party nomination in the 11 seats where the incumbents either did not or could not run for re-election, it isn’t hard to see where I am coming from: Conservatives being replaced by conservatives – in these five districts, the ideology of the new nominee virtually mirrors that of the retiring legislator.