The race between incumbent San Diego Supervisor Bill Horn and the local media elite has really heated up again over the last week. In the last couple days local TV stations ‘broke’ the news that Bill Horn, an avocado rancher, had some of his employees living on the property in what sounded like a rather comfortable trailer. Well, I can honestly write now that every rumor I’ve ever heard from Horn detractors who’ve whispered for years ‘the story is going to break’ or ‘the paper is investigating’ has now been given more than its share of public light. When and if Horn pulls this off at least we’ll all be spared the endless rumors and speculation from the downtown types about when ‘the big story is gonna break.”

That being said, I haven’t seen much from the Thompson campaign, and I don’t think a string of what appear to be petty scandals is going to take down a conservative Republican San Diego Supervisor in a conservative Republican district. On the other hand, I have seen recent, well done Horn mailers. One issue in particular from those mailings is going to sting Thompson pretty hard: his… Read More

Here is a column I wrote for the Orange County Register about the need for more protections against eminent domain.It ran in today’s paper. Enjoy! An excerpt is below along with the link to the full content:

The Fifth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution says, in part: "[N]or shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation." Federalist Paper No. 10 says, in part: "The diversity in the faculties of men from which the rights of property originate, is not less an insuperable obstacle to a uniformity of interests. The protection of these faculties is the first object of government."

My Assemblyman, Chuck DeVore, has told me that he will be “elsewhere” tomorrow night, but NOT honoring ‘El Presidente de Mexico’ when he is in Sacramento.

Will others be joining in this silent protest of Fox?

If you hear of other legislators who won’t be there tonight, let me know or post a comment!

[Update: I have been told that Senator Tom McClintock will also be ABSENT from the Vincente Fox Speech… ]… Read More

Yesterday, the Hercules City Council voted to use its eminent domain powers to force Wal-Mart to sell property that the retailer intends to build a 100,000 square foot store.

Why? Because the residents of Hercules don’t want Wal-Mart’s type of customer (read “low-income”) coming to their community to shop. They see their city as the East Bay’s Sausalito or Tiburon (most East Bay residents are now saying, “Hercules?? Are you kidding me?”).

Here’s what the city’s vice mayor said just before the vote (as reported by the San Francisco Chronicle): "The city of… Read More

A big thing happening up here in Butte County is the long delayed and much needed expansion of Hwy 149 [or to those from south of Visalia, THE 149] It is a two lane connecting road that runs east-west between the north-south highways 70 and 99. In 1979 or so, while I was attending Butte College nearby, 149 was greatly improved, safety and traffic flow-wise. It went from a narrow windy rolling road to one that is now wide, straight and flat. In just a few years it became very clear that with a growing population, 2 more lanes were needed. Just add ’em next to the existing ones, right?

Not so fast.

The ‘endangered’ meadowfoam plant was discovered in Butte, in the path of the needed roadway expansion. And the ‘stop or I’ll sue’ enviro crowd was determined that this wasn’t going to be a project done timely or fiscally reasonable. So afterit was studied,workshopped and hearing’d to death over 15 years, the couple of dozen government agencies that quake… Read More

** Original Post 9:41 AM — With updates **

Vicente Fox had six years as President of Mexico to reform a broken system.

Overwhelmingly swept into office as the new hope of Mexico, ending 71 years of one-party rule, editorial pages like the Orange County Register delivered cautious optimism for a new day in Mexico.

"Based on his campaign statements, Mr. Fox seems to recognize the problem. And his market-oriented proposals offer more hope for addressing it than the same old approach taken by the same old antiquated government.

"It would be unwise to expect too much progress too soon, or to put too much stock in any particular politician. Individuals are bound to disappoint but there’s real reason for hope and celebration in Mexico. Which is more than we could say about most elections." (July 4, 2000)

Six years in politics can be a lifetime yet it passes like so many hours.

Six years after being elected, and a mere six months before his term in office comes to an end, the man who Mexico and the United States alike looked to… Read More

President Vicente Fox is going to Sacramento where he will address the State Legislature, and he will dine with Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. The Governor has a real opportunity here to make a point, privately and publicly, with President Fox that the United States, and California specifically resents the Mexican President’s steadfast opposition to our efforts to secure our borders. President Fox has called the proposed wall ‘shameful’ and has drawn analogies to a U.S./Mexico border wall to the Berlin wall – which makes no sense. But if you wanted to take his analogy and run with it, instead of Fox decrying a wall, why doesn’t he ask why so many of his citizens want to sneak into our country? Perhaps Fox and his fellow public policy leaders want to look into a mirror, they can ask themselves why they aren’t taking the actions to create a thriving economy in their own nation. That having been said, my personal opinion is that the Governor should just cancel his meeting… Read More

President Vicente Fox is going to Sacramento where he will address the State Legislature, and he will dine with Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. The Governor has a real opportunity here to make a point, privately and publicly, with President Fox that the United States, and California specifically resents the Mexican President’s steadfast opposition to our efforts to secure our borders. President Fox has called the proposed wall ‘shameful’ and has drawn analogies to a U.S./Mexico border wall to the Berlin wall – which makes no sense. But if you wanted to take his analogy and run with it, instead of Fox decrying a wall, why doesn’t he ask why so many of his citizens want to sneak into our country? Perhaps Fox and his fellow public policy leaders want to look into a mirror, they can ask themselves why they aren’t taking the actions to create a thriving economy in their own nation. That having been said, my personal opinion is that the Governor should just cancel his meeting… Read More