Toyota’s recent announcement that it is moving thousands of jobs from Torrance, California, to Plano, Texas, sums up the failed policies and political coalitions of California’s liberals led by Governor Jerry Brown. To survive, California must change direction, and the best way to do that is to start at the top.

That’s why it’s so urgent that Californians select wisely when they fill out their vote-by-mail ballots or head to the polls on June 3. It is high time voters replace career politician Jerry Brown with Neel Kashkari, a man of vision for California’s future.

When politicians in Sacramento greedily raid the pockets of taxpayers, the very people they claim to be helping are the ones who suffer the most. The middle class has fallen victim to the never-ending cycle of tax-and-spend policies by the Democratic establishment. Millions of hard-working families are… Read More

“CalSTRS has a $70-plus-billion unfunded liability – even with assumed investment earnings that Brown deems ‘highly unlikely’ – and says it needs about $5 billion more a year to regain solvency.”

– Dan Walters column, “Brown budget reflects state’s massive debt,” May 25, 2014, Sacramento Bee

Those “investment earnings” that Walters quotes Brown as finding “highly unlikely,” refer to the long-term annual return on investment projection of 7.5% used by CalPERS (ref.FYE 6-30-2013 CalSTRS Annual Report, page 29).

So what happens if investment earnings generated by CalSTRS are destined to, as even California’s union-friendly Governor Brown attests, achieve more “likely,” lower returns? In November 2013, using data from CalSTRS FYE 6-30-2012 Annual Report, the California Policy Center released a study “Are Annual Contributions Into… Read More

Gerawan Farming worker Silvia Lopez recently sent a letter to members of the California Legislative Latino Caucus, asking for help in her two-year fight with the Agricultural Labor Relations Boardand the United Farm WorkersUnion.

The ALRB has refused to count the thousands of ballots Lopez collected and her co-workers cast six months ago to decertify the UFWlabor union to end its representation.

But so far, the only sound coming from Latino legislators is the distinctive, quiet sound of nothing. Nada. Crickets.

Lopez, who is leading the effort for the workers, sent Sen. Ricardo Lara, D-Los Angeles, Latino Caucus chairman, and each member of the Latino Caucus, a letter in English and Spanish. But Lopez got no response.

“Mr. Chavez once said, that it is ‘never about grapes or lettuce, it is always about people,’” Lopez wrote. “I believe that is true, and that is why I write to you.”

“I am writing on behalf… Read More

I told you in my last missive that I would next write you about income inequality. I pulled an Obama…..and lied. I will get to the income inequality issue in a future edition. But, I’m taking an operational pause in my “Farewell Series” to address a couple of important issues that bubbled up last week in Washington on which I feel compelled to opine. So, here are my thoughts on two current hot topics:

NSA/ FISA (Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act): Last Thursday, the USA Freedom Act, a bill to reform some of the now well-known practices the NSA has employed to intercept our personal communications, passed the House by a vote of 303-121. I was one of the 51 Republicans and 70 Democrats voting against this bill. This is one of those times when people on the right and people on the left unite to stop what we believe to be an unconstitutional invasion of privacy. However, in my view, those in the middle have proven to be somewhat less passionate about this duty. Don’t get me wrong, this bill is better than current law. But, it does not stop the practices of the NSA in question and does not limit future action to what I… Read More

The Primary fight in SD 28 has been one ugly mess. Candidate Jeff Stone knew he couldn’t win on what he’s done in office (tax increases, repeated FPPC fines and other sordid messes – from enriching his sister to a recent scathing Grand Jury report showing his wasteful use of a “Slush Fund” — their words — to try to enhance his name ID and paying off a family friend with a $100k road to a private artist retreat).

So, to overcome his deficiencies he has waged an almost slanderous, ugly campaign against former Assemblywoman Bonnie Garcia – that is, to this longtime political professional, the most over-the-top and outrageous smear I’ve… Read More

Let me explain why I will vote for Tim Donnelly for Governor on June 3.

I’m not a paid campaign worker. I’m not a political consultant. I’m not a member of the Republican establishment. I am a constitutional, conservative volunteer and activist who cares about our communities, our state, our country and our children’s future.

Tim Donnelly, gubernatorial candidate of our great, and yet dysfunctional State of California, earned my vote by his actions and his beliefs.

California’s high unemployment rate worries me. Extreme environmental regulations, heavy taxes and fees that kill California jobs concerns me. Business and entertainment production… Read More

California is known as the world capital of the car culture. The automobile played a central role in creating the California Dream, giving people the freedom to travel, to live where they choose and to experience the exhilaration of the open road.

Now, if Senator Mark DeSaulnier gets his way, you’ll have to pay a new tax for every mile you drive. His Senate Bill 1077 would begin with a “pilot program” in one unfortunate yet-to-be-determined city where motorists would pay taxes based on… Read More

After New York City’s close call with bankruptcy in 1975. the state required the city to balance its budget in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles rather than continuing to use “creative-accounting practices.” According to Richard Ravitch, writing in the Wall Street Journal last week, the city has not had a fiscal crisis since.

The city’s new mayor,Bill de Blasio, released his first budget last week, beginning the slippery slide back into questionable accounting: Many are questioning whether the deferral of payments contractually due city employees was properly accounted for.

Ravitch’s article describesexactly what most California cities are doing: usingdeceptive cash-basisaccounting to hide real costs and… Read More