The California Legislature ended the 2013 legislative session Thursday by passing hundreds of new bills. Most of the controversial bills were passed along party lines. However a bill from Sen. Pres. Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg, D-Sacramento, granting a Sacramento arena development an exemption from the state’s strict environmental laws, had plenty of help from state Republicans.

Reform or worsen?

Steinberg insists he’s only trying to reform the California Environmental Quality Act. SB 743, is a gut-and-amend bill by Steinberg is titled, “Environmental quality: transit oriented infill projects, judicial review streamlining for environmental leadership development projects, and entertainment and sports center in the City of Sacramento.”

That’s the long way of saying this is not really a CEQA reform bill. It’s a face-saving way out for Steinberg who has been awkwardly intertwined for more than 13 years with the haphazard development of a new sports arena in downtown Sacramento.

On its way to the Gov

This isn’t a one-off bill. Exemptions from the California Environmental Quality Act were granted… Read More

[Publisher’s Note: Last night the California legislature adjourned for the rest of the year. Below is a post-session column penned by Assembly Republican Leader Connie Conway – Flash]

Just after midnight on Friday, the Legislature adjourned for the year having completed its business for the 2013 legislative session.

Obviously, our job was more challenging this session facing the Democrat supermajority and their big government agenda. But as Republicans showed on the softball field a few weeks ago when we beat the Democrats in the annual legislative softball game, we can overcome long odds and achieve real victories when we stand united together.

Our most immediate victory will ensure that thousands of dangerous criminals remain locked up behind bars where they belong.

Since it was first enacted two years ago, Republicans have fought hard to protect Californians from the dangers of public safety realignment. But under a looming federal court order that will take effect at the end of the year, upwards of 10,000 inmates could be granted early release to comply with a court-ordered prison… Read More

It would literally be impossible to write about all of the bad bills that have coursed through the state legislature this year. But it is wonderful to be able to highlight one particularly onerous bill that crashed and burned.

Assembly Bill 976, by liberal Democrat Assemblymember Toni Atkins, empowers the California Coastal Commission (CCC) to be prosecutor, judge and jury when imposing penalties and fines without due process to the accused. Current law protects due process by requiring the CCC to use an independent judicial process to enforce penalties and fines. You can read more about AB 976 here.

Enter one motivated and enterprising State Senator, Joel Anderson of San Diego County. Senator Anderson demonstrated the kind of moxie that we need to make standard on all bad bills – Anderson, in a clever move, proposed four amendments to the bill, really highlighting problems with the legislation.

Prior to Senator Anderson’s floor drill, AB 976 sailed along through committees; it made it off the Assembly Floor the first time. Then it went… Read More

I’ve been advocating for 2 man fire/emergency response teams since the tragic 2003 San Diego “Cedar” brush fire, when I first became interested in firefighting operational reforms. It’s simple — two 2-man teams properly stationed apart in onefire station’s “district” = shorter response times than one 4-man team.

Lives are saved. Of that, there can be no doubt – and no one argues otherwise.

It’s great to see this idea finally gaining traction a decade later. But somehow this common sense reform was blocked – held hostage by the SFD labor union that demands more 4 man fire stations before it will allow the 2 man response setup to be implemented. The problem we face today is labor union featherbedding — a time-honored goal for ANY union.

The SD FD union’s (like all unions) #1 priority is employing as many union members as possible — more “boots on the ground” (but only highly paid union boots). For firefighter union bosses, public safety is important, but constitutes a secondary consideration. Building and manning more 4 man fire stations is the top priority for our… Read More

“What is this president thinking?” “Why is he trying to push American into a war in Syria?” “What exactly does a “red line” mean and who are we supposed to be helping?”

These are the kinds of questions I receive from all of you each day. They are the kind of questions you should be asking and, frankly, they are the questions the president has not answered. Instead, he has come to Congress asking for a blank check to entangle our precious military resources in one of the more tenuous, convoluted, and treacherous threat environments in the world without bothering to provide anything even remotely close to a plan.

I am firmly against any military intervention of any kind in Syria. Not only has the president failed to present a strategy with measurable objectives for success, his desire for authorization to use U.S. military force to intervene in the Syrian civil war represents misguided and dangerous foreign policy.

This morning, The Orange County Register published an op-ed I wrote explaining my position on U.S. intervention in Syria. I’m including it below for your review in hopes that it will help to begin to answer some of your… Read More

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[Publisher’s Note – We are pleased to offer this column from Linda Ackerman about the Marian Bergeson Series.– Flash]

The Marian Bergeson Excellence in Public Service Series is accepting applications for our 2014 Class. We have been providing a unique opportunity for the past ten years for Republican women to participate in this nationally recognized program. This program provides a superior leadership experience that mentors, educates and prepares these women to succeed in the political arena. It also provides an effective statewide political network for Republican women.

This executive training program for Republican women was first initiated in 1989 by a group of conservative businesswomen in Indiana who were looking for a way to increase the number of women involved in the political process, particularly in elected office.

Since it’s inception the program has been replicated in over 20 states.

Hundreds of Republican women have been trained through the Series and are actively engaged in the political process nation wide.

The Marian Bergeson Excellence in Public… Read More

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[Publisher’s Note – We are pleased to offer this column from Chris Norby. He argues that withAB 1266–and a host of other such bad laws—Republicans can regain relevancy in 2014.– Flash]

Now the law of our state, AB 1266 represents what comes from one-party domination in Sacramento when that party is controlled by an extremist fringe. When voters learn the truth of AB 1266–and a host of other such bad laws—Republicans can regain relevancy in 2014.

According to the bill by Tom Ammiano (D-San Francisco) a student’s gender in K-12 public schools will no longer be determined by biology but by identity. Access to restrooms, locker rooms and athletic teams will now be based not on actual boy/girl differences, but on gender identification.

While trying to protect kids who may be different, it creates whole new set of ethical and legal problems. How do you ask a 5-year old child their “gender identity”? Should parents decide for them? Do administrators have that… Read More

[Publisher’s Note – We are pleased to offer this column from Ed Ring, Executive Director of the California Public Policy Center. He is one of the state’s leading experts on public employee and public employee union finance issues – Flash]

Last week UnionWatch reported on new efforts underway in the northwest to implement right-to-work laws. In particular, we reported on a public sector right-to-work initiative proposed for the November 2014 Oregon state ballot, “Oregon ‘Public Employee Choice Act’ Aims for 2014 Ballot.” These efforts will trigger a union funded backlash that will intensify in direct proportion to the probability these reforms may have to be successful. What happened on Sept. 4th in Vancouver, Washington is a sobering, and mild, reminder to reformers of what they are in for if they ever gain real momentum with voters. Click on the links, especially the video.

From the Macinack Center website: Two people were arrested Thursday night as part of an anti-worker… Read More