A while back, rumors were circulating (though not on this website) about the imminent departure of the Governor’s Deputy Chief of Staff for Legislative Affairs, Richard Costigan. Costigan (pictured to the left with the Governor), a solid Republican who formerly was a legislative go-to guy for the California Chamber of Commerce, has been Arnold’s point man with legislators since his rise to office in the 2003 special election.

The rumors of his departure have returned in ‘full force’ the last couple of days, enough so that, this go-around, it is getting a mention right here on the FlashReport.

Word is that Costigan is going to be departing for a job with Ameriquest Mortage Company. Ameriquest, of course, is a juggernaut in this mortgage lending business, and… Read More

Tonight, New York Senator and former First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton is appearing at a fundraising event for the Bar Association of San Francisco at the Nob Hill Masonic Center. Anywhere else than San Francisco or Berkeley, any protesters to a Clinton appearance would be made up of conservatives — Young Americans for Freedom, maybe some pro-life activists, or maybe a taxpayers rights group.

When the assumed candidate for the 2008 Democrat nomination for President speaks in The City, the protests are actually coming from the left. The anti-war/peacenik group Code Pink is staging a demonstration against Clinton.

It really stretches the imagination to try to think of what major political figure could come into San Francisco and… Read More

There has been much angst within the GOP over the fact that Democratic Senator Dianne Feinstein is positioned so well in her re-election bid. She has benefited from her party’s voter registration advantage in this state, the power of incumbency, and the fact that there is not a well-financed Republican candidate looking at the race. While my good friend, retired State Senator Dick Mountjoy is revving up the motor for what will be a very grass-roots intensive challenge as a Republican, it will be a tall challenge for him to take out DiFi. Of course, the liberal Feinstein has managed to create a image of moderation, aided by the stridency of her colleague Barbara Boxer. That said, yesterday renowned peace/capitulation activist Cindy Sheehan, whose son was killed in Iraq, issued a statement (from Caracas, Venezuela no less) saying that she is seriously looking at a challenge to Feinstein.… Read More

My favorite Democratic State Senator, Gil Cedillo led a group of about 30 people from LA to study New York’s ability to deal with the homeless. See article here.In addition to Cedillo and bureaucrats that get paid to work"for" the homeless, they took LA Council Members Jan Perry and Bill Rosendahl, Assemblywoman Bass and Councilman Richard Bloom from Santa Monica.

If you have been to Santa Monica you know that there is no place in LA County more welcoming to the hard core homeless than Santa Monica. Wikepedia callsit the "Homeless Capitolof the West".A couple dozen programs, their police have a "Homeless Liaison Program" and get the idea. Santa Monica has about one homeless person for every 40 residents.

That brings me another NYC trip taker, Ramona Ripston of the ACLU.

This is how liberals think. Cedillo wants to pass a law that prohibits "dumping" of homeless people from other jurisdiction on "skid row". While I’m not sure how not dumping them will… Read More

Today is a very light day for California political news, as you can see on the main page. So it might be a good day for ‘exploring’ the vast depths of the FlashReport website.

First and foremost, I urge you to explore the many websites and blog to which we link. Each of them were selected because they either touch on California politics, or are a personal favorite of mine.

Then here are a few other good places to look on the site.

**There is more – click the link**

View Full Commentary… Read More

Today is a very light day for California political news, as you can see on the main page. So it might be a good day for ‘exploring’ the vast depths of the FlashReport website.

First and foremost, I urge you to explore the many websites and blog to which we link. Each of them were selected because they either touch on California politics, or are a personal favorite of mine.

Then here are a few other good places to look on the site.

To see any of the dozens of featured columns that have appeard on the site, click here.

To read any of my 100+ daily commentaries on California politics, click here.

To read the FR’s acclaimed weblog on California politics, click here. **You can now sign up and add your own comments to what you read on the blog!** GOVERNOR APPPOINTS DEMOCRAT AS CHIEF SPEECHWRITER Finally, the Governor made more… Read More

My first election cycle involved in politics was in 1988. It was a great year to be involved in politics – especially because the two campaigns on which I first volunteered were for two veterans of the Reagan White House who came home to California to run for Congress. One was former speechwriter Dana Rohrabacher, who won the GOP nomination and is now a high-ranking member of our GOP majority. The other was Reagan lawyer Chris Cox. I remember that Chris eeked out a primary win over the liberal Mayor of Irvine (Baker) and served a distinguished career in the House of Representatives. As a matter of fact, I was very proud when late last year President Bush nominated Chris to serve as Chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission. He is currently in that post, of which all California Republican can be proud.

It turns out that Chris is going to be having a surgical procedure done. Below is the Associated Press story. But I just want to encourage all who read this weblog… Read More

It was mention elsewhere in the blogosphere already, but this morning I was able to confirm that the arrival of Pat Clarey and Rob Stutzman to the payroll of the California Republican Party is a done deal.

Republican Clarey, who had been serving as Governor Schwarzenegger’s Chief of Staff until the end of last year, was replaced in that position by Democrat Public Utilities Commissioner Susan Kennedy. Stutzman had been serving as Arnold’s Communications Director, and he has been replaced inside of the administration by another stalwart GOPer, Adam Mendelsohn.

It is not unusual for these kinds of staff hires to take place at the GOP. I know from my perspective as having served as Executive Director that having folks who are working on… Read More