This is a tale of coattails. The coattails of an 800 pound gorilla known as Proposition 13.

In 1978, support for Proposition 13 swept 17 new legislators – nicknamed “Prop 13 Babies” – into office. It was clear, at the time, that Proposition 13 had very long coattails.

Over the years, the professional political class has tried to downplay the influence of Proposition 13 on electoral politics, even though polls show that it would pass by the same two-thirds margin as it did in 1978. Political consultants have advised candidates, in all but the most left leaning districts, to pay lip service to Proposition 13 but then to move on to other issues. Few candidates have been willing to make the defense of Proposition 13 the centerpiece of their campaigns.

The thinking that Proposition 13 really doesn’t matter to today’s voters has been turned on its head by the recent results from the Special Election in 45th Assembly district, located in the Los Angeles suburbs in the southwest San Fernando Valley,

When Representative Bob Blumenfield resigned in the middle of his term to take a seat on the Los Angeles City Council, voters chose as the top two… Read More

Former Gov. George Deukmejian, alternately animated and emotional, offered a simple, arresting thought at the dedication of the impressive new Long Beach Superior Court complex that carries his name:

“I’m not sure what all the fuss is about,” California’s 35th governor told a bipartisan gathering of 500 jurists, elected officials, friends, family, and alumni from his 28 years of public service. “I just did my job.”

Typical Duke. Humble, self-effacing, and reflective. No bragging. The voice of a man who viewed himself, first and foremost, as a public servant. Well into his fourth quarter, he seems almost disbelieving that his life journey… Read More

The California Department of Water Resources announced this week that the Central Valley may only get five percent of the water it needs next year.

The Central Valley, the heart of California,is the state’s top agricultural producing region, often called “the nation’s salad bowl” for the great array of fruits and vegetables grown in its rich soil.

Samuel Taylor Coleridge, author of theRime of the Ancient Mariner, wasn’t thinking about California’s Central Valley when he wrote:

However, if the water resources department gets its way, the Central Valley may as well get used to this poem.

I talked with… Read More

[Publisher’s Note: We are pleased to offer this original column submitted to the FlashReport by Mark Vafiades, Chairman of the Republican Party of Los Angeles County.– Flash]

The San Fernando Valley is used to feeling a shifting of the ground and tremors that arrive without warning. That’s why the final results of this week’s special election for a vacant seat in the State Assembly’s 45th District – no matter the winner – should be seen in their proper context.

From the beginning of this contest, conventional wisdom held that Republican Susan Shelley didn’t have a chance and repeated a pessimistic drumbeat: Registration is against her. She will be heavily outspent. And the issues favor Democrats.

And yet, something extraordinary happened: An energetic Shelley campaign that stressed common sense issues, challenged outdated political assumptions and reached out to diverse voters brought about a virtual dead heat.

Less than 200 votes out of more than 26,000 cast separate Shelley and her Democrat opponent. We are eager to have all the votes counted, and we are closely monitoring the… Read More

This holiday season, nothing says Happy Holidays like health insurance. And nothing says health insurance like government health care, according to the Obama administration.

“This holiday season, millions of Americans have a chance to get quality, affordable health insurance—many for the first time,”barackobama.comsays.

“If you have family members who are uninsured, you can play a big part in helping them find coverage that works for them. It might not always seem like it, but your family listens to you. So have the talk.”

To help you “have the talk,” Barackobama.com has put out a new video called, “… Read More

Shame on You! I am appalled to see your “quick facts” focus almost exclusively on public pensions. This is not the stuff of an independent, non-profit think tank. It is clear to me that you are pursuing an “agenda [that] includes opposing … [universal] health-care and climate-change regulations, reducing union protections and minimum wages, cutting taxes and business regulations, tightening voting restrictions, and privatizing education.” As Tracie Sharp, the president of the SPN, noted, your collective goal is apparently to “win in your state.” Californians will not accept your push back to the 1920’s (and look what happened then); we are on to your partisan goals and funders.

Submitted via the CPPC “Contact Us” form by a University of California professor on 11-16-2013

There are myriad ways to respond to these accusations. For starters, they don’t question whether or not our “Quick Facts” are factual. That’s too bad, because they are.… Read More

Some random thoughts on the passing political scene…

— Anyone who thinks millions upon millions of American losing their existing health care insurance coverage isn’t on purpose is in need of their own medical care. This article in the Los Angeles Times tells you everything you need to know. In order for Obamacare to actually work, they have to force you out of your plan and into the exchange.

— Today is election day in the San Diego Mayor’s race. Publicly released polling has made two things clear — no single candidate will achieve a majority of total votes cast and be elected today, and Republican Kevin Faulconer will definitely be in the run-off election. The only question that remains is whether progressive Democrat Councilman David Alvarez or Republican turned Independent turned Democrat Nathan Fletcher will grab the number two spot.

— Of course virtually no one who currently has healthcare wants to be in an Obamacare exchange health care plan. Did you know that the list of medical… Read More

At last week’s City Council meeting in Orange the Mayor, Tita Smith, took a former Planning Commissioner’s service in the military as an opportunity to deny him his spot back on the Commission. Mike Merino, a Republican and former candidate for City Council, vacated his post on the Planning Commission while serving our nation in the Navy at the US Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay. Upon Captain Merino’s return home was greeted by the news that he was no longer welcome to serve on the city’s Planning Commission. Mayor Tita Smith, a Democrat, blocked his appointment and offered little reasoning beyond saying she thinks he’s served on the Commission long enough. It’s absurd that the Mayor would suggest that it’s okay for Mr. Merino to serve his country on a military base that borders a Communist adversary and houses some of the world’s most violent terrorists, yet she doesn’t grant him the courtesy to return to a post he vacated to defend her way of life.

This is not the first time this issue has come up in Orange County, the Rancho Santa Margarita City Council sought to replace Councilman Jesse Petrilla, albeit… Read More