GIVE ME A BREAK There is an article today in the Los Angeles Times injecting some controversy into the hiring of Susan Kennedy. It is easy to find the whole thing on the main page. I will say that I know Governor Schwarzenegger to be an honorable and ethical person, and so I think any implication of being ‘for sale’ is without merit.. I don’t know Susan Kennedy, though I am troubled with the central role that she played in the Gray Davis administration. Especially when you factor in her close friendship with uber-slick lobbyist/developer Darius Anderson, who was widely known to be the fundraiser-in-chief for the recalled and disgraced former Governor.

That said, if you look at the volume of contributions that come into a Gubernatorial-level campaign, the money comes from all over the place — and especially from interests that do business with or are regulated by the… Read More

GIVE ME A BREAK There is an article today in the Los Angeles Times injecting some controversy into the hiring of Susan Kennedy. It is easy to find the whole thing on the main page. I will say that I know Governor Schwarzenegger to be an honorable and ethical person, and so I think any implication of being ‘for sale’ is without merit.. I don’t know Susan Kennedy, though I am troubled with the central role that she played in the Gray Davis administration. Especially when you factor in her close friendship with uber-slick lobbyist/developer Darius Anderson, who was widely known to be the fundraiser-in-chief for the recalled and disgraced former Governor.

That said, if you look at the volume of contributions that come into a Gubernatorial-level campaign, the money comes from all over the place — and especially from interests that do business with or are regulated by the… Read More

Nobody blogs about it. Nobody talks about it. Yet, if you want to know the real engine behind California’s economy, you have to acknowledge its central role. If you see improving financial health in school districts and other government institutions, its at the center of the reasons why. The answer is SB 899. This bill, signed April 14th, 2004, by a Governor with a 72% approval rating, has unleashed the largest single tax cut in California history. The author of the legislation, Senator Chuck Poochigian, has put more money in the pockets of business, and saved government entities more money than any elected official – ever. The Fresno Unified School District, facing a takeover by the State due to a $31 million dollar deficit, closed the gap and balanced its books with the help of this legislation.

What was SB 899? Simply, Workers’ Compensation reform.

Workers’ Compensation is a payroll tax, a mandatory form of insurance designed to protect workers from industrial and work related injuries. In California, it became, with the help of liberal Democrats, public employee unions, and Gray Davis, one of the most significant job killing… Read More

Looks like a new entry in the 50th Congressional… V. Eric Roach of E-Trade fame. Large cable and broadcast buy scheduled to start Monday February 6. I hear he’s a Vietnam vet… but lots of rumors are flying around North San Diego County right now… red hot phones…

[From Forbes.com: Mr. Roach has served as a director of Altiris, Inc. since February 2002. Mr. Roach served as Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board of eLance, a professional services marketplace, from May 2000 to October 2001, and he is currently a member of the board of directors of eLance. Prior to joining eLance, Mr. Roach served from September 1997 to January 2000 as Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer for the Direct Business division of Morgan Stanley Dean Witter, an investment bank. Prior to joining Morgan Stanley Dean Witter, Mr. Roach founded Lombard Brokerage, a brokerage company, and served as its Chairman and Chief Executive Officer from May 1992 to September 1997. – Flash]… Read More

For years the majority of evangelicals have identified themselves as either “conservative,” “Republican,” or both. It was no surprise that after Election Day in 2004 much of Bush’s success was attributed to “values voters” who turned out in droves.

However, in recent months I’ve noticed a cultural shift in the evangelical church—especially here in California. Younger evangelical Christians are trending Left, and it is happening fast. Evangelicals are no longer basing their political decisions on gay marriage and abortion alone, but also on the issues of social justice, environmental stewardship and care of the poor.

Books such as Donald Miller’s Blue Like Jazz and Jim Wallis’ God’s Politics are extremely popular within the evangelical subculture and while radically different in their core messages, both challenge evangelicals to look beyond the structure of the Republican Party to match their faith and politics. There is a group of young, fairly liberal theologians known as the Emergent Church who are, among other things, discussing the role faith… Read More

FlashReport friend John Feliz, a senior strategist with the Liuetenant Gubernatorial campaign of State Senator Tom McClintock put together some very interesting numbers that are worth sharing.

At the risk of telling you how this book ends before you read it — Tom McClintock is clearly demonstrating an ability to raise funds, and that his base of support is wide and grass-roots driven. That said, please read this briefing, then applaud Tom for his accomplishments thus far, and then – most importantly – click here to get involved with his campaign!

Here is an excerpt from Capitol Weekly’s digest (by ace CW reporter Shane Goldmacher) today on the down-ticket campaigns for statewide office:

… Read More

Does this guy (who is an Irish citizen) even pay US taxes?

Bono pushes to increase aid to poor By NEDRA PICKLER, Associated Press Writer Thursday, February 2, 2006

WASHINGTON (AP) – Quoting from Islamic, Jewish and Christian texts, rock star Bono called Thursday for the government to give an additional 1 percent of the federal budget to the world’s poor.

Speaking to President Bush and members of Congress at the National Prayer Breakfast, the U2 front man said it’s unjust to keep… Read More

Two years ago today, Mayor Gavin Newsom unveiled a "financial justice" program for the city of San Francisco: the Working Families Tax Credit. Modeled after the federal Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), San Francisco’s WFTC was designed to give working poor people several hundred dollars in additional income per year. (The federal EITC is a program which effectively gives cash grants to working poor people. Although it was designed to help offset taxes for the working poor, it has morphed into a federal welfare program, giving more money back than some people actually paid in taxes.) At the time the program was announced, Newsom said he believed the WFTC would stimulate the local economy and "reduce tax inequity by providing… Read More