California’s water crisis continues to grow worse.

We are currently in the midst of one of the driest winters on record. Hardly any measurable rain fell in December and January, which are usually among the wettest months of the year, and there is no relief in sight. The National Weather Service’s Climate Prediction Center recently forecast that this dry weather pattern is expected to last for at least the next three months.

Meanwhile, real people are suffering under mandatory water rationing orders. There is not enough water for farmers to grow crops. Restaurants, hotels and equipment rental companies that rely upon water for tourism like skiing and water sports have seen their business drop sharply. Californians are demanding action from Sacramento to address the immediate crisis and solve our water challenges once and for all.

Ironically, one of the primary reasons why this year’s drought is so bad has nothing to do with Mother Nature. It is a lack of forward thinking from Sacramento.

California’s current water infrastructure is outdated and overwhelmed. It was built more than a half century ago to meet the needs of 1960’s California for… Read More

Is it possible that the California Legislature is finally coming to grips with the public employee pension crisis? We certainly hope so.

For years, our political leadership has behaved more like ostriches with their heads buried in the sand regarding the many billions of dollars of “unfunded liabilities” in California’s pension funds. Unlike most retirement plans in the private sector, government workers get “defined benefit” plans that guarantee fixed payments to retirees, no… Read More

A poignant reminder to all of my friends with whom I am working hard to maintain our Republican majority in the House, build a Republican majority in the Senate, and capture the White House with a Republican in 2016…

From 2002 – 2006 we, as a party, had achieved all of those political goals — the “triple crown” was achieved. Yet, we did not achieve our end-goal as a party. After all, the purpose of a political party is not merely accumulating power — it is expending that power to achieve your goals (as articulated in your platform). During those four years when the GOP ran the table in DC, federal spending increased, regulations increased, and entitlements expanded. It was a horrible chapter in our party’s history, from my perspective.

I bring this up as a reminder to all of those out there who wonder why there seems to be such a strong effort, by conservatives in the party, to make sure we have more strong Constitutional conservatives in our House and Senate GOP Conferences, and likewise with our GOP nominee for President. Because we’ve been to this dance before.

That is why I will back a Constitutional… Read More

San Diego is losing a(nother) good employer to Texas. Websense is leaving, moving to Austin. See the article below (and the many comments after — many of my comments are also posted on my Facebook blog on this).

445 San Diego jobs — GOOD jobs — are about to disappear into the Lone Star State. 445 of our local friends and neighbors are about to join the ranks of the unemployed — unless they move to Texas with Websense, which I suspect a fair number will.

The press and public are putting too much importance on the $4.5 million the state of Texas is paying to entice Website to come to Austin. That money was NOT nearly enough to entice a company of that size to decide to disrupt operations, pull up stakes and leave sunny San Diego.

The money probably DID help Austin get the nod — but only in preference to the many OTHER states more business friendly than California. In other words, the company owners had correctly deduced that San Diego and California were no longer “bottom line” friendly governments. The Texas subsidy only helped them decide WHICH state to move to — and probably was not the… Read More

Later this year California’s 34th State Senate District, in the heart of Orange County, will be ground zero in a statewide battle between Republicans and Democrats — hanging on the outcome will likely be whether or not Democrats will go into the next legislative session with our without the super-majority in the upper house. For those trying to envision where this seat is located, the cities within the district include Fountain Valley, Garden Grove, Los Alamitos, Santa Ana, and portions of Anaheim, Huntington Beach, and Orange.

The field is pretty much set — representing the Democrats will be termed-out Assembly, now Community College Trustee Jose Solario. Representing Republicans will be Orange County Supervisor Janet… Read More

Yesterday three GOP State Senators — Joel Anderson, Steve Knight, and Andy Vidak — called for an immediate vote to remove Senator Rod Wright from the Senate. Early last week Wright was convicted on eight felony counts related to the fact that he did not actually live in the district he ran in and represented. Wright faces up to eight years in state prison.

I just received a call from State Senator Mark Wyland — followed up with an email. He wanted to let me (and FlashReport readers) know that he has read the letter that was sent in from his three colleagues (you can read it here) and fully supports every word of it. In fact had he known about the letter (he was in his district) he would have signed it with the others. Wyland said that he will personally communicate his wishes for an immediate vote on the removal of Rod Wright directly to Senate President Darrell Steinberg tomorrow.… Read More

This morning I posted up a commentary on the ongoing, depressing situation where State Senator Rod Wright has been convicted on eight felony charges including voter fraud and perjury, and yet continues to serve in the State Senate. Senate President Darrell Steinberg has not called for a vote of the Senate (it takes a two-thirds vote to remove Wright). In fact he has said he intends to wait well into next month (or longer). Apparently he feels that the legislature doesn’t just make the laws, but is above the law. Rod Wright no longer has a presumption of innocence — he was found guilty.

But it’s not just Senate President Steinberg who bears responsibility for Wright continuing to serve — the rank and file members of the Senate have been overwhelmingly silent on this issue, save for three Republican Senators — Anderson, Knight and Vidak.

In my commentary this morning I posted up a mock up of a fictitious mailer that could be prepared by someone, going after a Senator who is silent on Wright’s… Read More

There are 39 members of the California State Senate who are not convicted felons. Only one — Senator Rod Wright (D-Inglewood?) was convicted over a week ago by a jury of his peers in Los Angeles Superior Court. He was found guilty of 8 felonies and awaits sentencing in March for his crimes. He faces a maximum penalty of eight years in prison (or where ever you actually end up spending your time under this new “realignment” scheme). Senate President Darrell Steinberg has imperiously announced that he has no intention of forcing Wright out the door until at least his mid-March sentencing, and who knows what happens if Wright appeals and is told that this sentencing will be delayed pending it’s outcome?

… Read More