[Publisher’s Note: We are pleased to offer this original commentary from Riverside County Supervisor Jeff Stone. Stone is also candidate for State Senate. — Flash]

As the immigration crisis at our border continues to grow, the President and Congress need to consider the short and long-term impact on local communities of their inability to enforce our laws and control our borders.

As the County Supervisor who represents Murrieta, California, I am deeply concerned about the lack of enforcement of the U.S. border. Mexican Cartels are now involved in human trafficking and… Read More

Last week the Secretary of State’s office gave a name and number to the trial lawyers’ “sue anyone in a white coat” ballot measure — Proposition 46. This measure, of course, is a measure that I strongly oppose because while more lawsuits and bigger payouts may be good for the lawyers, it will be bad and costly for everyone else. As if Obamacare and California’s rush to insert the government into the healthcare field wasn’t driving up costs… Read More

In a dubious deal between the Service Employees International Union and the Los Angeles Unified School District, minimum-wage workers will receive pay increases to $15 an hour, nearly doubling some workers’ salaries.

The contract agreement will significantly boost the wages of 33,000 bus drivers, janitors, school security, cafeteria workers, and teacher’s aids,… Read More

It’s election season and finally there’s a bit of good news for California politicians seeking reelection. A recent Field poll shows that, for the first time in 7 years, there are more California voters that think they are financially better off than those who believe they are worse off.

However, for the political elite, that is the end of the good news. The poll also reveals that more than half of voters, 53%, see the state being in economic bad times while only 25% see these as good times. And to top it… Read More

[Publisher’s Note: We are pleased to offer this original commentary from Matt Peterson of Americans for Tax Reform – Flash]

Fresno Farm Workers Exploited By Big Labor

By Matt Patterson, Americans for Tax Reform

My how the tables have turned.

In California, the legendary Cesar Chavez helped to form the United Farm Workers (UFW) in 1962 to help protect the rights of workers laboring in America’s agricultural community.

Today, the organization Chavez founded has become the oppressor of workers, actively seeking to suppress their rights and shut out their voices in pursuit of their own political power: Workers at a farm in the Central Valley are being forced into an organization they do not wish to join — the United Farm Workers.

How did it come to this?

In 1990 the UFW won an election at Gerawan Farming, Inc., a grower of peaches, apricots and other tree fruits in the Fresno area. The election was certified in 1992, but then something strange happened: After an initial negotiating session in… Read More

The crisis resulting from tens of thousands of Central American children traversing dangerous territory to cross our porous border is one that demands leadership. But don’t look for it from those who currently occupy California’s highest offices.

In a Friday story, the Los Angeles Times discovered that for governor aspirants Gavin Newsom (D) and Kamala Harris (D), politics trumps all.

While most of the crossings are not taking place along the California-Mexico border, there is an obvious impact on our state as federal agencies use California-based facilities to process the children.

The protests and counter-protests taking place outside of the Murietta Border Patrol facility symbolize the strong emotions evoked by this crisis. It was difficult enough to have a reasonable discussion about immigration before the current crisis. That is made even worse by today’s chaotic atmosphere. Some semblance of order must be restored, and that requires some leadership.

It seems that Lt. Governor Gavin Newsom and Attorney General Kamala Harris are not… Read More

The Fourth of July is a time when we celebrate America’s independence and remember that this privilege came at a great cost.

For most of us, we first learned the story of our country’s independence in school, where we learned about legends such as George Washington and Thomas Jefferson and places such as Lexington and Yorktown. We learned that many lost their lives in the Revolutionary War that raged after the signing of the Declaration of Independence, and that the effects of that Declaration have rippled throughout history.

The simple truth is that our country is free today because patriots past and present risked their lives, fortunes, and their sacred honor to ensure America’s independence from Great Britain. Much blood was shed on both sides, but the result of the Revolutionary War was clear – the fledging country known as the United States of America survived its first crucial test of freedom.

Independence Day carries a very special significance for me not only because I am proud to be an American, but because I can trace my family roots back to the Founding Fathers. In fact, I can count four of them as my direct descendents. Three were in… Read More

I have lived in California for 52 years, save a few when the Army stationed me elsewhere.

I could fill pages and pages with lists of things I love about California, including the incredible natural beauty up and down the state, cool history, awesome ethnic enclaves of every type, fun cities and peaceful mountains.

But, on July 1, I am moving out of California, with regrets but without second thoughts. This state is simply no longer a desirable place to live for my family.

Part of the problem is that the state government has run amok. It’s high spending has meant ever-increasing taxes and stringent regulations that lead to higher prices on everything from food to gasoline. And I am tired of how state government is negatively impacting my life and my family.

Let’s start with the cost of university for my oldest daughter, who will start college in a year. California has some world-class universities, but they are also expensive.

Despite significant increases in state spending on higher education, the total cost to send my oldest daughter to a University in California is much, much higher than it is in, say, Texas, Virginia, and… Read More