So yesterday the House of Representatives passed a new “farm bill” that provides for $200 billion in spending in direct and indirect financial support for privately owned farming interests, large and small. In addition the legislation put into permanent law a number of entitlements, with the idea that in future years Congress is leveraged to do more of the same. Now the legislation passed Congress on a party-line vote, with 216 Republicans voting for it. A chunk of Republicans and all Democrats either opposed the legislation or did not vote. Which is to say Republicans completely “own” this bill.

So I am (still) waiting for any one of my Republican friends in… Read More

San Diego political observers have known of Mayor Bob Filner’s tawdry behavior for many years. A not-so-well-kept secret in San Diego or Washington, but dismissed by what one San Diego paper reported was characterized as “Bob being Bob.”

Yesterday was extraordinary for any city. The morning started with a press conference convened by three prominent Democrats, including former City Councilwoman Donna Frye, a populist-liberal-surfer-environmentalist and former candidate for mayor; and Marco Gonzalez, environmental activist attorney and brother of former Labor Council Boss Lorena Gonzalez, now Assemblywoman Gonzalez. They called on Filner to resign in light of unspecified accusations of sexual harassment in an emotional, if vague, press conference. They said they spoke for several women who were victims of his unwanted – and handsy – advances and went so far as to acknowledge that they had long been aware of the behavior but never had the “proof” to act on it. Instead, Donna Frye just went to work in the Filner Administration and unsuccessfully attempted to collect her city pension and a full-time salary while serving as Director of Open… Read More

The four day BART strike that ended on July 5th provided ample evidence of how public sector union power can inflate wages – and expectations – far beyond what the rest of us may consider normal or fair. In a July 1st editorial entitled “Striking BART workers out of touch with financial reality,” the Contra Costa Times wrote:

“They’re already the top-paid transit system employees in the region and among the best in the nation. They also have free pensions, health care coverage for their entire family for just $92 a month and the same sweet medical insurance deal when they retire after just five years on the job.They work only 37½ hours a week. They can call in sick during the workweek and then volunteer for overtime shifts on their days off. The rules exacerbate out-of-control overtime that added in 2012 an average 19 percent to base pay for station agents and 33 percent for train operators.”

According to the San Jose Mercury, who has published BART payroll and benefits per employee as part of… Read More

Since 2009, the City of San Diego has been planning a major expansion of its downtown convention center. It is expected to cost $520 million, or more than $1 billion if interest payments to bond investors are included in the total cost.

The city’s downtown business and civic leaders are eager to expand the convention center to maintain trade shows such as Comic-Con and attract new trade shows.

That eagerness presented the devious union leaders of the San Diego-Imperial Counties Labor Council with an opportunity to establish themselves as the chief opponents and obstacles to the proposed project. Opposition could be withdrawn – for a price.

After exploiting the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and filing a lawsuit to challenge the financing plan, unions were able to obtain several economic and political benefits through the office of former Mayor Jerry Sanders. In exchange for these payoffs, the unions withdraw their obstacles and committed to end their opposition and support the convention center expansion.

… Read More

[Publisher’s Note: As part of an ongoing effort to bring original, thoughtful commentary to you here at the FlashReport, I am pleased to present this column from Fred Wszolek – Flash]

Truck drivers who service the twin ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles, California are under pressure. After nearly six years of quietly laying the groundwork for a massive campaign, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters has a message for port drivers – it’s time to join the labor movement and pay union dues.

Organized labor already looms large at the twin ports. The International Longshore Warehouse Union represents the dockworkers and was the driving force behind the eight-day strike at this labor stronghold last December.

If the Teamsters have their way, they will soon be adding the truck drivers who handle the transportation of goods to and from port terminals, rail yards and storage facilities in the Inland Empire. Because these individuals are independent contractors and not company employees, federal law currently prohibits them… Read More

The Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association is excited to welcome Bobbie Ross to its expanding legal department.

Ross, who graduated Chapman University in 2009, will assist the Association with its legal efforts on behalf of California taxpayers, including the defense of Propositions 13 and 218, the integrity of the initiative process and government accountability. She joins HJTA’s litigation team headed by Director of Legal Affairs, Timothy Bittle.

With the escalating assault on taxpayer rights by the political elite, we’ve actually had to turn down worthwhile cases. The addition of Bobbie to our staff will enable the Association to respond to these attacks with the spirited defense of taxpayer rights our legal team has become known for.”

Ross, who is relocating to Sacramento from southern California, is a highly regarded litigator with a record of community involvement. She has served on the American Bar Association’s Civil Rights Committee, Pro Bono & Public Interest Committee and Minority Trial Lawyer Committee and held leadership positions in the Black Women Lawyers Association of Los Angeles.

She also has volunteered her legal… Read More

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I am very pleased to announce that my long time friend and colleague in the battle for individual liberty and freedom, Steve Greenhut, will be starting a new position on July 22 as a Sacramento-based California columnist for the Union Tribune San Diego. This latest “pick up” for the UT represents an ongoing, substantial effort by San Diego’s flagship newspaper to expand the scope and depth of their political coverage and commentary.

Steve excitedly told me, “I can’t wait to spend my full days keeping a watchful eye on the Capitol and the state government in general. I’ll be producing three columns a week in the A section as well as a daily blog. U-T San Diego is a great newspaper and I’m honored to be part of the team.”

For the past few years Greenhut has served as a Vice President with the Franklin Center, an outstanding organization dedicated to ferreting out waste, fraud and abuse through strong reporting in the nation’s state capitols. While there, Greenhut continued to write prolifically for the Orange County Register (that will discontinue I’m sure), as well as for many other publications.… Read More

[Publisher’s Note: As part of an ongoing effort to bring original, thoughtful commentary to you here at the FlashReport, I am pleased to present this column from Ward Connerly – Flash]

It is often said that the Constitution of the United States of America is “colorblind.” While it is true that this precious document makes no reference to “race” or skin color, the institution whose mission it is to interpret the Constitution – the Supreme Court – has generally not exercised colorblindness in its constitutional interpretations over the years.

The most serious attack on the colorblind principle is what is commonly called “affirmative action.” A creation of the 1960s, this program, or concept, relies on the classification of American citizens into separate demographic groups. Once classified, some of the groups are targeted for special treatment if they are deemed “underrepresented” or viewed as potential contributors to… Read More