**With Updates**

How delicious! The LA Times today explores how SB 1437 — the bill to mandate the public school textbooks include the contributions of lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgenders — would be implemented in reality.

"Would the state of California ‘out’ Abe Lincoln, now that a controversial biography has suggested that he not only changed the course of a nation but also shared a bed with men?

"Would Eleanor Roosevelt be singled out not just for her seminal work pursuing the New Deal and fighting for human rights, but for her relationship with a woman?" (LA Times, 6/13/06)

Or how ’bout this one for all you California political gossips out there — Would the state of California speculate on the sexual preferences of former Governors Jerry Brown and Gray Davis?

After all, speculation about their ambiguous sexuality has existed for a couple decades. Don’t all the lesbian and gay students who struggle with their own sexual identity and who are at risk of higher rates of suicide (according to the supporters of SB 1437) deserve to have role models… Read More

A hearty congratulations from everyone here at Team FlashReport goes out to our friend Assemblyman Mike Villines of Fresno. Last week, Villines was tapped by Assembly Republicans (and their leader, George Plescia) to head up their elections and political efforts going into the fall elections. Villines, a strong conservative, is considered by many to be a rising star among Republican legislators in Sacramento because of his political acumen. Clearly this must be a sentiment shared by his colleagues as he has been tapped with a very important post. We’ll try to find out who will be serving on this important committee with Villines. In the meantime, I caught up to Mike this morning while he was driving across the Fresno County/Madera County line (I kid you not, on his way to a "Flatlanders Parade" — pretty funny). I spoke with him about his new role, and he is pretty excited about it.

"I am looking forward to rolling up my sleeves, and working with my colleagues to… Read More

A hearty congratulations from everyone here at Team FlashReport goes out to our friend Assemblyman Mike Villines of Fresno. Last week, Villines was tapped by Assembly Republicans (and their leader, George Plescia) to head up their elections and political efforts going into the fall elections. Villines, a strong conservative, is considered by many to be a rising star among Republican legislators in Sacramento because of his political acumen. Clearly this must be a sentiment shared by his colleagues as he has been tapped with a very important post. We’ll try to find out who will be serving on this important committee with Villines. In the meantime, I caught up to Mike this morning while he was driving across the Fresno County/Madera County line (I kid you not, on his way to a "Flatlanders Parade" — pretty funny). I spoke with him about his new role, and he is pretty excited about it.

"I am looking forward to rolling up my sleeves, and working with my colleagues to… Read More

Part of being the skinny Mid-western kid (ah …have you seen yourself in the mirror lately Mr. Justin? ) is not only am I driven by guilt, I don’t like being told I can’t do something….I told Fleischman that I was going to post on the 4th DistrictBoard of Sups race he told me …"sure you are". That’s the surest way to get me to post, even if it’s not well thought out (your’s rarely are baldie )

So here goes my half baked post just to spite Jon.

There are 5 folks running for the 4th district board of sups…1 current Modesto City Councilwoman — Janice Keating (of Barbara Keating decent), 2 former City Councilmen — Tim Fisher and Balvino Irizarry (known by politicos simply as Balvino), 1 former Mayor up for 10 charges of corruption— Carmen Sabatino, and 1 former State Senator — Dick Monteith. (Flash disclaimer: Steve Presson elected Dick Monteith, Monteith fired him because of Steve’s prickly personality, I elected… Read More

Ken Moser sends the attached Bilbray mailer along, providing a look at the urgency of the message the campaign is sending to Republican voters: "Due to the special election rules, Republican Brian Bilbray’s name will appear twice on your ballot…you MUST vote in both places in order to insure your congressional seat stays in Republican hands!"

No holds barred in a pretty decent mail piece, considering how convoluted the message has to be if one is concerned their base may not understand to vote twice. Another message: "Your Official Republican Nominee is Brian Bilbray." True, or half true, depending on whether a vote is being cast the first time or the second time on the ballot. Heck, I’d say the same thing if I were in Brian’s shoes.

Lastly, where the official ballot is mocked up in the piece, with Bilbray’s name circled in red (and this is why you have to view the attachment), look who is NOT on the list: Bill Hauf. Sure enough, there’s Busby listed right under Brian in the special run-off portion of the ballot, and Eric Roach and the handful of other… Read More

** WITH UPDATES **

Following is the transcript of a Q&A today at Gov. Schwarzenegger’s press conference regarding his opposition to President Bush’s proposal to put the National Guard along the Mexican border.

For more than a decade, Senators Feinstein and Boxer have been proponents of sending the National Guard to protect our borders from the constant flow of illegal immigration.

I’ll tell you that at first glance, it seems like a fine idea to me. But Gov. Schwarzenegger makes a good point by saying that many of our National Guardsmen have been serving in Iraq and it’s unreasonable to ask that they come home only to serve another mission along ourborders. They need to get back to work and back to their families.

I’ll be on Fox News Monday morning at 9:20 AM PST, probably talking about this very issue. So send me your comments because I’m curious to know your thoughts.

GOVERNOR ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER May Revise Border Issues May 12, 2006

Q. President Vicente Fox is in Austria today, and he will be in… Read More

"Arnold got his groove back yesterday when he announced his budget would give schools an additional $5 billion,” said GOP strategist Karen Hanretty. "He’s taken an issue away from the powerful teachers union … and he’s getting a significant amount of unanticipated revenue, which will pay down the structural deficit.” (San Francisco Chronicle, 6/12/06)

I don’t think it’s any coincidence that the minute Gov. Schwarzenegger agreed to give education an addition $5 billion (money the CTA says Arnoldowed and for which they spent tens of millions of dollar on political ads last year to convince voters thathe broke his promise) thatCTA turned around and sunk $1 million into an IE against gubernatorial hopeful Steve Westly (as blogged about today on www.NewWestNotes.com).

Of course I have no knowledge of any deal that may have been made, but by all accounts it appears to be an impressive piece of political maneuvering by the new Team Arnold. Very impressive,… Read More

Maybe I owe FlashReport’s readers an apology. Somehow I hadn’t noticed that San Jacinto Councilman Jim Ayres’ Assembly campaign website contained inaccurate information about the candidate’s military record. If I had noticed, I could have pointed it outbefore the L.A. Times came alongwith today’s headline: "Candidate’s Military Record Embellished".

I have to admit I had heard that thismight be coming. I get a lot of calls from opposing campaigns telling me this or that about one of the other candidates. The 65th Assembly District Republican Primary has been no exception.

Today’s L.A. Times makes this hand wringing irrelevant with the following statement: "…On his website … Ayres said he was awarded a Southwest Asia Service Medal for valor and a Cold War medal."

… Read More