In California, exceptionally high firefighter pay and benefits makes “firehouse” firefighter positions coveted slots, with few openings and huge applicant interest. Couple that with a strong desire by existing firefighters to get their offspring and relatives hired (a.k.a. nepotism), and it’s a scenario ripe for corruption.Here’s one of the more amazing examples. In 2007 the Oakland Fire Department unwisely had all the applicants show up on ONE day. They started lining up 3 days ahead of time.

They were astonished when 8,000 applicants showed up for 23 firefighter openings. Chaos reigned as the fire officials swooped down on the crowd and picked the people they wanted to be firefighters, including the fire chief reputedly picking his son. The article below is an amazing read.

There have been numerous other stories of insider help to get preferred (mostly family) candidates selected. This would not be as big a problem if the CA cities and counties paid closer to market wages — comparable to what most other states pay (ignoring the volunteers). But as long as this job (a job many want even without the high… Read More

“[T]he one thing that the federal government must do . . . is keep us safe.”

Senator Marco Rubio spoke those words during the last Republican Presidential debate, and the focus of his campaign could not be more timely. In this era of rising crime and failing schools, of international terrorism and nuclear proliferation, of staggering national debt and low economic growth, we need leaders who know how to keep Americans safe and how to put our country back on the path to prosperity. Marco Rubio is the leader we need in these perilous times, and I am proud to endorse him and pledge my full support for his election as the next President of the United… Read More

Governor Brown has foolishly decided to poke a hornets’ nest with his signing of Assembly Bill 401. While AB 401 itself isn’t particularly controversial, as it merely authorizes a couple of state agencies to devise a plan by 2018 to assist low income individuals with paying their water bills, the problem is what Brown wrote in the letter approving the bill.

Although not common, Governors occasionally issue a statement when they approve a bill passed by the Legislature. In signing AB 401, Governor Brown exposed his disdain for the taxpayer and ratepayer protections set forth in Proposition 218, a Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association initiative approved by voters in 1996. Brown stated that, “Proposition 218 . . . serves as an obstacle to thoughtful, sustainable water conservation pricing and necessary flood and stormwater system improvements.”

The Governor could not be more wrong. Proposition 218 mandates that water rates be based on “cost of service” principles. Simply stated, “cost of service” means that you should not pay more for water, sewer or refuse collection than it costs to provide you with that service. The reason voters… Read More

Good news! California’s unemployment rate dropped significantly in September, from 6.1% to 5.9% — while the nation’s unemployment rate remained stable at 5.1%. The bad news? No increase in the number of CA jobs.

Okay, okay — I exaggerated a bit to make a point. Actually the number of CA jobs DID increase in September — but by only 8,200 jobs. That’s a lot of jobs — until you consider that we have a whopping 39,000,000 people in the Golden State. That’s FAR less job growth than the number needed to handle our modestly increasing state population. http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/2015/oct/16/sandiego-job-growth-unemployment-falls/

By now my readers should know how this drop comes to pass. It’s not from significantly increasing employment — it’s from people dropping… Read More

CAUTION: The following commentary will trigger intense feelings of hatred (of me) among some firefighters. My apologies in advance.

Firefighting has always been an honorable profession. It’s a job that, from time to time, definitely can be more dangerous than most occupations. But the “problem” for the California Fire Foundation (CFF) and other boosters of firefighters is that — these days — toofewfirefighters are dying on the job.

Now, MOST of us think fewer firefighter deaths is a good thing. I suspect most firefighters strongly agree. Better equipment, safer procedures, better exercise programs, less firefighter cigarette smoking and — MOST IMPORTANT — significantly fewer fires have all contributed to this drop in the firefighter mortality rate.

But the problem that trend presents is that — for those groups trying to justify high pay and benefits for firefighters — lower mortality experience doesn’t help the cause. So they have been getting — shall we say — “innovative.”

It… Read More

Recently, the Orange County Board of Supervisors considered two competing proposals to establish an ethics commission to oversee campaigns and elections for county offices. Of course, there was no dispute for the need to ensure that our County elected officials and candidates conduct their campaigns with the highest level of integrity and ethical standards.

The issue at hand was whether the county actually needs an ethics commission at all, and if so, how much would it cost. For those of us living in Orange County, not only do we demand to know that our elected officials are honest in how they conduct themselves; but equally important, we also need to know that elected officials are honest and ethical in how they spend and manage our hard-earned tax dollars.

A primary concern about creating a new government bureaucracy to oversee campaigns and elections is that it would only affect a relatively few number of candidates running for the 12 county offices – Supervisor (5 districts), District Attorney, Sheriff-Coroner, Auditor-Controller, Treasurer-Tax Collector, Assessor, Clerk-Recorder and the County Superintendent of Schools.

Many people incorrectly… Read More

California Gov. Jerry Brown just signed a bill to authorize medical aid-in-dying in the Golden State. Those in their ‘Golden Years’ should be very worried.

It is often said a society will be judged on the basis of how it treats its weakest members. The disabled, the terminally ill, the elderly, infants and the unborn are among the most vulnerable in our society. The weakest among us deserve the most attention and care, and not doctors helping to end their lives — or by removing a fetus from the mother’s womb before it can survive on its own.

Assisted Suicide: Your Dying Is… Read More

At the conclusion of the 2015 Session, Senator Joel Anderson and I selected the twenty worst bills on the Governor’s desk, with a little help from publisher Jon Fleischman (see

http://www.flashreport.org/blog/2015/09/22/flashreports-top-twenty-bills-to-veto-2015-edition/).

By the end of this last weekend, Governor Brown vetoed 40 percent of the bills we thought were the best candidates for veto.

Bill

Summary

Status… Read More