The Institute for Justice in Washington, DC is one of the best non-profit organizations in the nation. With a motto “litigating for liberty,” this public interest law firm has taken on some of the most interest legal fights ever, including defending school choice, economic liberties and private property rights. Wal-Mart should be calling the Institute for Justice today.

Tomorrow, the Hercules city council will consider a proposal to use the city’s eminent domain powers to take private property owned by Wal-Mart as a way to stop the retail giant from developing the land. Hercules is in the East Bay and, according to the San Francisco Chronicle, city leaders envision it becoming the East… Read More

As an eight term elected central committee member, I know how important these committees are. This is the place where activists conspire to help the party. I’m sure many of you are wondering why Milton Friedman or George Shultz wants to be on the Central Committee?

Well, they don’t. James Bognet is using that ballot designation in his bid to become a member of the Los Angeles County Central Committee representing the 53rd District. James is the former Chief Deputyin Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Office of the Special Advisor for Jobs and Economic Growth. Which goes way beyond the three word limit for ballot designations.

He is now on the Re-elect campaign. James is a pretty decent guy having worked for Santorum and getting his MBA at UCLA.

Central Committee elections are funny things. Ballot titles, ballot placement, slates and name all make a difference. There are eleven candidates for seven slots, so look for an interesting outcome. Does this become a referendum on the Gov. in the 53rd?… Read More

Interesting development in the 66th Assembly District. Riverside Councilman Steve Adams and another minor Republican candidate both claim on their signs and mail that they are the choice of firefighters, as opposed to real firefighter, former Riverside County GOP Chairman Kevin Jeffries ( who I am supporting). The thing that is interesting is that the California State Fire Fighters Association (CSFA) has voted no endorsement of anyone in the 66th.… Read More

There is much that I love about living in the Bay Area. On a warm September day, I don’t think there is any place that is more beautiful than the San Francisco Bay. If you consider yourself a “foodie” there is no area that offers quite as many eating and shopping options. Those who count people by race and ethnicity love to point to the area’s diversity as a bonus feature of the region. But diversity stops at political thought. As a Republican, I’m a fish out of water in the Bay Area. Take the race for Assembly District 16 that the San Francisco Chronicle profiles today. I live in AD16, but but my vote really doesn’t matter at all in this district. The race for this open seat is between four liberal Democrats and one Peace and Freedom candidate. Three of the Democrats have said that they want to raise taxes on businesses to help send more money to…you… Read More

California Representative John Doolittle was ‘called out’ by the Wall Street Journal for his vote against the Republican Study Committee’s proposed alternative budget, which had it been adopted, would have called for a modest 5% cut in discretionary spending in Washington, D.C. I’m playing phone tag with Congressman Doolittle, and am also waiting to hear from Congressman Richard Pombo (who also voted no) before I pen my own piece on this. But I am amazed that any amount of ‘politics’ would have placed the conservative Doolittle (a founder of the RSC) and the equally conservative Pombo on the wrong side of this vote, upon which their credentials as budget-hawks will be judged. I was sorely disappointed.

This is from today’s WSJ Political Diary:

Fiscal Conservatives: AWOL, As Usual

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Once upon a time, as a member of the California Republican Party State Central Committee, I would enjoy spending time at the hospitality suite of the California Teachers Association at State GOP Conventions. Why? Because they always hosted the most sumptious of tasty treats – an ice-cream sundae bar with all of the fixins. All convention-goers know that the most popular suites are the ones with the best taste treats!

One day though, I along with many, many others woke up to the fact that while we were eating this particular union’s ice cream, they were spending over 95% of their political dollars to elect DEMOCRATS. Suddenly those of us who had partaken of their high-calorie give-aways became resentful of this group that would come into state GOP conventions and feed our faces, yet were fundamentally opposed to our party and its candidates and causes. Their liberal giving policy was especially aggregious since they would market themselves at conventions by talking about how something like 40% of… Read More

Once upon a time, as a member of the California Republican Party State Central Committee, I would enjoy spending time at the hospitality suite of the California Teachers Association at State GOP Conventions. Why? Because they always hosted the most sumptious of tasty treats – an ice-cream sundae bar with all of the fixins. All convention-goers know that the most popular suites are the ones with the best taste treats!

One day though, I along with many, many others woke up to the fact that while we were eating this particular union’s ice cream, they were spending over 95% of their political dollars to elect DEMOCRATS. Suddenly those of us who had partaken of their high-calorie give-aways became resentful of this group that would come into state GOP conventions and feed our faces, yet were fundamentally opposed to our party and its candidates and causes. Their liberal giving policy was especially aggregious since they would market themselves at conventions by talking about how something like 40% of… Read More

It’s a beautiful Sunday, and I am going to go visit my parents today. So we’ll dispense with a Sunday Commentary. What? You want a little something? Well, here are some factoids to mull over, when you think about WHY conservatives are disallusioned with GOP ‘progress’ in Washington, D.C. It will also set the state for a discussion about whether a California based "What can government do for you with your tax dollars" campaign centered around bond measures will further depress conservative turnout in the Golden State:

Total federal spending has grown 67 percent since the Republican revolution of 1994 — from $1.5 trillion in 1995 to almost $2.5 trillion last year. Over the last 10 years discretionary spending — the 40 percent of the budget the Congress and the president control — has increased 65 percent. Since Mr. Bush became president, it has jumped 49 percent. Even excluding spending related to Katrina, defense and homeland security, discretionary expenditures jumped 22 percent. Pork-barrel projects in the federal budget grew from 1,439 in fiscal … Read More