The United Farm Workers labor union and the state Agricultural Labor Relations Board have found themselves on the brink of ruination and even irrelevance.

The labor union boasted 50,000 members by the end of the 1970s. But according to the UFW’s last Labor Organization Annual Report filed with the U.S. Department of Labor, as of Dec. 31, 2012 the union had only 4,443 members. So it has declined by more than 90 percent. By contrast, today the California Teachers Association lists 325,000 members.

In order to breathe new life into the union, many in the farming community claim the ALRB and UFW appear to have joined forces to reverse their misfortune… Read More

“Well, I won’t back down. No, I won’t back down. You can stand me up at the gates of hell, but I won’t back down.” – Tom Petty

“I have always figured that half a loaf is better than none, and I know that in the democratic process you’re not always going to get everything you want.” – President Ronald Reagan, February 9, 1983.

Government Shutdown – Day 1: Back in March of 2010, I wrote a daily “Laptop Report” during the weeks leading up to the passage of ObamaCare through the House by the slimmest of margins. I recounted all of our attempts to convince enough Democrats of the folly of this miserable law. Not a single Republican voted for it and a number of Democrats opposed it – but, not enough.

Today, I will again begin a daily “Laptop Report” series for the length of this government shutdown. I have no idea how long this will last. No one does. But, I will give you a few of my thoughts and update you as this process moves along.

The two quotes at… Read More

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Editor’s Note: We are pleased to present this column fromRoger Hedgecock, who has endorsed former San Diego City Councilman Carl DeMaio. The San Diego Republican is challenging Rep. Scott Peters for the 52nd district.

Every once in a while, a candidate for Congress comes along that really impresses me – so much so that I personally do whatever I can to see them get into office.

It will probably come as no surprise to many Flash Report readers that I’m strongly supporting Carl DeMaio. Most of you already know about Carl – because for years he has been one of the strongest and best voices for fiscal and economic reform in the State of California.

Now Carl is running for U.S. Congress – against first-term Democrat Scott Peters – in one of the most watched and most important Congressional races in the country.

Carl DeMaio is truly exceptional in today’s political world because he has taken on the forces of big government and won – several times over!

Carl DeMaio: Taxpayer… Read More

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I just paid $90 for basic registration for the California Republican Convention in Anaheim, Oct. 4-6. I tend to be conservative with money…ok frugal…ok I’m cheap, so I don’t spend $90 without some thought. In this case I figured, “Well, if I don’t go to the convention, how am I going to know what’s happening or not happening in the state GOP?” Also I checked with my wife, who gave her blessings (in all honesty I think she’s just happy to get me out of the house).

So what will I encounter at the convention? I’ve read the online agenda, to see if any of the issues I care most about will be discussed. These include:

1. A forceful statement against Obama’s acceptance of the end of communication privacy in America. 2. A forceful statement against Obama’s ill-conceived proposal to attack Syria. 3. A forceful statement against Obama’s signature education initiative, Race to the Top, which includes the Common Core Standards (CCS), costing $10 billion nationwide in pork for publishers.

Granted these are national issues (although in California- where we already have excellent… Read More

A few months ago Steve Baric announced his candidacy for the open 73rd Assembly District in South Orange County. The popular Rancho Santa Margarita City Councilman and former Vice Chairman of the California Republican Party made a big splash, coming out of the gate with prominent endorsements from his former boss, District Attorney Tony Rackauckas, and Sheriff Sandra Hutchens. In a five way GOP donnybrook in a seat destined to elect a Republican as a “red” seat, Baric ended the June 30th fundraising period with the most cash in the bank. While his victory was far from assured, Baric’s odds of going to Sacramento, in my opinion, were the greatest of any other candidate in the field.

… Read More

I am pleased to announce Senate Bill 582, a joint effort between my office and Senator Steve Knight, has passed both houses of the Legislature and reached the Governor’s desk.

SB 582 will make life simpler for taxpayers by requiring the Board of Equalization, Franchise Tax Board and Employment Development Department to consider integrating their websites to better serve taxpayers. The idea is to create a one-stop shop for taxpayers to visit for all of their tax services. This will streamline filing requirements by providing taxpayers with up-to-date integrated access to accounts with all three tax agencies.

In a 2005 report the non-partisan Legislative Analyst’s Office urged the creation of a portal that would allow a taxpayer to “log onto a single website and through a series of menus, be directed to the proper form which would allow them to file their taxes or remit a payment.” As you can see, this reform is long overdue.

It’s not easy doing business in California. One of many challenges for a business owner is the confusing… Read More

Efforts to increase taxes on business property put homeowners in peril; here’s why.

Sacramento can never get enough tax money to satisfy the political class. Although California has the highest state sales tax, highest marginal income tax rates, and highest gas tax in all 50 states, we rank only 14th highest in per capital property taxes. The politicians, government employee unions, and the special interest pleaders see this as an area of potential revenue growth — higher taxes, that is.

Several years ago, Senate leader Darrell Steinberg outlined a plan to incrementally diminish taxpayer protections to allow for the ratcheting up of taxes. The first step was be to eliminate the two-thirds vote to pass a state budget – a law that dated back to 1933 – and then move on to targeting Proposition 13’s two-thirds vote requirement for increases in state taxes as well as for the passage of local per-parcel property taxes on homeowners. Steinberg’s step one was accomplished in 2010, with the passage of Proposition 25.

In addition to their efforts to destroy Proposition 13’s two-thirds vote protections for taxpayers, tax raisers have opened up a… Read More

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Pearce onCadiz, water and theburied treasure in the Mojave Desert.

One would think that if a huge underground lake existed less than 100 miles from Southern California water users who live continually on the edge of a water supply crisis, there would be a rush to get that water into Southern California’s water system. One would also think, since this is California, that an extraordinarily challenging level of environmental review would be required before a single drop of that water could head toward users, and that a round of lawsuits would challenge the environmental review’s conclusions.

As it turns out, there is an aquifer holding as much water as Lake Mead, America’s largest reservoir, at Cadiz in the Mojave Desert, about 100 miles from Southern California’s population centers. There also has been a rigorous environmental review of Cadiz, Inc.’s proposal to move 50,000 acre feet of that water (enough for 100,000 families) each year to water users from Ventura County to Imperial County. And, of course, there are lawsuits aplenty that ultimately should verify the thoroughness and correctness… Read More