These days, it’s hard to talk about Sacramento without bringing up the ethics challenges confronting the State Senate. Criminal charges that include everything from perjury to bribery to influence peddling have been leveled against three Democratic members of this body. Faced with those facts, facts that have triggered their indefinite suspensions, legislators on both sides are busy figuring out what steps to take in response.

Throughout all of this, however, one thing has been crystal clear: it is not enough… Read More

On June 6th, many across the globe will be remembering the sacrifices made by thousands of American, British and Canadian young men who hit the beaches at Normandy to free Europe from Nazi tyranny. Californians will also be celebrating this date because it marks the 36th birthday of the landmark tax limiting measure, Proposition 13.

Howard Jarvis, Paul Gann and the tens of thousands of volunteers who made Proposition 13 possible would be proud to see that Proposition 13’s protections… Read More

“California is definitely back,” Governor Jerry Brown recently trumpeted. Brown then proclaimed the state a “job creation engine.” But the magical California job creation engine has shifted from a healthy manufacturing economy, to a service economy – from high-paying jobs with benefits and growth potential, to low-wage, nowhere minimum wage jobs.

Rather than creating policies to make California a healthy business state once again to incentivize businesses, politicians are instead focused on these low-paying jobs, and treating the symptoms instead of curing the disease.

The winter of our discontent

The growing discontent between politics, politicians, and the hard-working electorate could turn into anguish, misery and rebellion with the latest minimum wage increase proposal.

Before the last… Read More

The results are almost all in – and the 2014 primary results are exactly why I fought against Prop 14 when I was Chairman of the California Republican Party. The new format pits just the Top 2 finishers in each race on the Fall ballot. As a result, voters will have less choices and hear less discussion because of the Top 2 format – with no discernable gain.

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and then Senator Abel Maldonado sold Prop 14 to the California voters. They claimed it was an answer to gridlock in Sacramento that would produce more moderate candidates. In practice, that is not true. Instead, Prop 14 means that only 2 people will be on the Fall ballot… Read More

Spokespersons for California’s government employee unions perpetuate a myth of staggering absurdity and tragic consequences – that they are protecting working Californians from wealthy corporations and wealthy individuals.

The reality is that government employee unions are focused on one thing: Expanding government employee pay, benefits and privileges. This requires expanding government, and that priority comes in front of everything else, including the cost to society at large.Expansive environmentalist regulations have made prices in California for housing and utilities the highest in the nation.Expansive compensation packages for unionized government workers have resulted in chronic deficits and accumulating state and local government debt that by some measures already exceeds $1.0 trillion. Expansive taxes and regulation have made California consistently rank as the most inhospitable place in the nation to run a small business.

Exactly how does any of this protect the poor from the wealthy?

It doesn’t, of course. But the deeper story is how government employee unions are not only failing to “protect” California’s… Read More

I’ve finally got the hard proof I need demonstrating that an IQ test should be administered prior to being granted the privilege to vote.

In Tuesday’s election, 287,590California voters cast ballots for Sen. Leland Yee of San Francisco, in the Secretary of State race. Yee isunder indictment by the FBI since April, for arms trafficking and bribery. Yeewithdrew from the race, but it was too late for his name to be removed from the ballot.

Yee ended the night with nearly 10 percent of the votes. Of the top two winners, Sen. Alex Padilla, got only 884,857votes, 30 percent of the votes. Republican Pete Peterson… Read More

There is a disturbing trend happening in California, with cities trying to place sales and property tax increase initiatives on the ballot, often without a petition drive of the voters. Ostensibly these tax revenues are earmarked for “public safety,” or 
road maintenance, and improvements.

But that’s complete hooey; this money will be undoubtedly be used to pay for CalPERS pension and retiree health benefit payments. It has to be used for pensions and benefit payments, because most cities are so deep in debt, they can’t afford to fix sewer systems, maintain roads, or even maintain… Read More

[Below is part two of a wide-ranging interview that I conducted with my longtime friend Dan Schnur, who is running for Secretary of State. Part 1 can be found here. An this interview we discussed a variety of issues. For me, the highlights included hearing about Dan’s start in politics on the Reagan campaign, his candidness on the need to have real ethical reforms in the State Capitol, and why he disagrees with Pete Peterson on the critical question of voter ID laws. — Flash]

Flash: I want to chat a little bit about your thoughts about what’s been going on in Sacramento lately relative to now we have not one, not two, but three state senators that are facing criminal charges or convictions. And then, we’ll close by talking a little bit about how people reading this interview can get ahold of you and your campaign. So talk to use about Sacramento. We’ve got Senator Rod Wright convicted of eight felony counts of election fraud and… Read More