[Publisher’s Note: Below is a commentary from Kirk Jorgensen, who is running against Carl DeMaio for Congress.– Flash]

Through the prism of the civil war in Syria, history is asking this generation of Americans to decide what level of violence we find acceptable.

Chemical weapons were used in Syria, resulting in the deaths of 1,400 civilians, including 400 children.

Chemical weapons are taboo to those of us who’ve served on the battlefield. They are simply barbaric, and innocent civilians are usually the victims of these weapons of mass destruction.

As a U.S. Marine, I spent years living in the Middle East and in other countries where chaos and violence were often the norm. The more time I spent away from home, the more I realized America is a special place. And, we as Americans have a special responsibility in the world.

Before the September 11th attacks, I worked with a unique group of men and women from our U.S. Intelligence Community who served in clandestine operations across Europe. We identified and apprehended those accused of war crimes and… Read More

Some years ago, at a meeting of the California State Council on Developmental Disabilities, a controversial suggestion by one of the council members resulted in startled murmurs from the audience. Annoyed by this unsolicited feedback, the council member blurted out “No comments from the Peanut Gallery.”

For those younger than the baby boom generation, it should probably be mentioned that the “Peanut Gallery” was what the audience of preschoolers was called on the 1950s Howdy Doody TV show. This was a disrespectful and demeaning comment by a public official, and no doubt the perpetrator quickly regretted his honesty because it confirmed what anyone who has spent time around government insiders know: This is precisely how most bureaucrats and elected officials regard the public. Citizens are like children and thus “should be seen and not heard.”

This attitude of superiority and disdain for the public helps explain politicians’ extreme hostility to the initiative process. As I have written before, government insiders find it annoying that average citizens have the option to place measures on the ballot which can run counter to their plans.

It… Read More

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