There is much to be said about the California Republican Party’s Fall Convention held in downtown Los Angeles last weekend. Presidential candidates and a straw poll, great workshops and townhalls, tributes, speeches and more. The better part of a thousand GOP activists, donors and leaders descended on the L.A. Live! Marriott-Ritz hotel, across from the Staples Center (we were the pre-show for the Emmy Awards, I guess).

This column, however, is devoted to only one aspect of the convention – the ongoing process of the quadrennial adoption of the California Republican Party’s platform. One step of that process occurred at the convention, but a very important one.

By way of background, once every four years the CRP adopts its platform. I have been a member of each platform committee going back to 1992 – so this will mark two decades of direct involvement in this process. It has been since 1992, I believe, since there was a bona fide fight over the platform with party conservatives and moderates battling it out. Conservatives won the day back then, and while the platform has gone through changes over this intervening years (it was much… Read More

Introduction from FR Publisher Jon Fleischman When we go through hundreds and hundreds of bills to find the ones that we consider to be the most egregious, harmful or inappropriate, it is our hope that a responsible Governor would veto all of them. Remember, we’re talking about the worst bills. If the Governor signs any of the bills listed below, it is bad news for the people of California… We published this column five times during the last Governor’s term, but this is our first time doing so since the return of Jerry Brown.

Earlier this month, Governor Brown vetoed a piece of legislation, SB 105, which would have imposed criminal penalties on a child under the age of 18 or his or her parents if the child skis or snowboards without a helmet. In his veto letter, Brown said that he was, “concerned about the continuing and seemingly inexorable transfer of authority from… Read More

Let’s begin with praise. The online news folks at Voice of San Diego deserve big props for diving in head first with a great concept – a political festival centered around the first San Diego 2012 mayoral debate or as they called it Politifest 2011.

However, due to no filtering of candidates, it felt more freak show than what they dubbed a “Lincoln – Douglas” style county fair debate.

Though top-tier candidates, Rep. Bob Filner and Assemblyman Nathan Fletcher, participated – they were not “the talk” of the debate.

The “It” kid of the event, Rob Harter, called himself “Girly Girly.”

He opened up with a diatribe about how men are evil, ruining the world with war and guns. Oh, did I happen to mention this event took place on the grounds of the old Naval Training Center, where sailors like my father, attended boot camp?

Yes, clearly the Lincoln candidate.

Meaning wacky retired teacher and magician Loch David… Read More

Four years ago, the California Republican Party conducted a unique process to strengthen its new platform. This 2008 – 2012 document is especially important now, since it was recommended for re-adoption by the full state committee at the next convention, bypassing the vague and ambiguous substitute that had been moved through the party’s drafting committee.

In drafting the current platform, we worked with the people at American Solutions, a 527 group founded by Newt Gingrich. Their team conducted extensive research on issues among Republicans, Democrats and independents, the purpose of which was to identify issues which had been traditionally considered “conservative,” but actually earned the support of a majority of Democrats and independents, in addition to Republicans.

The purpose was to maximize our ability to reach voters not by diluting or blurring the party’s positions on timely issues, but to do so by identifying issues consistent with our values that, when discussed properly, earn the support of Americans from differing partisan backgrounds. This was a unique and unprecedented process in the development of a party platform in… Read More

On Monday, September 19 the U.S. House of Representatives Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests, and Public Lands will hold a field hearing on “Restoring Public Access to the Public’s Lands: Issues Impacting Multiple-use on Our National Forests.” I requested this hearing because a growing number of citizen complaints protesting policies of the federal government that appear designed to radically limit the public’s use of our public lands.

The original mission of the U.S. Forest Service as defined by its creator, the legendary Gifford Pinchot, is to manage the forests “to provide for the greatest amount of good for the greatest number in the long run.” That has always meant welcoming recreation, hunting, fishing, camping, and riding in the forests, as well as the responsible and sustainable use of the public lands for the prosperity of the nation, including ranching, logging, energy development and other job-creating economic activities.

Nearly twenty percent of California’s lands and much of my District are managed by the U.S. Forest Service. These lands are the economic lifeblood for surrounding communities, supporting local jobs and… Read More

I was talking to renowned slate mail provider Tom Kaptain about the Kinde Durkee scandal(s). Durkee was arrested by the FBI and has looted money from clients she served as campaign treasurer for. Kaptain, a Democrat and We were amazed at the kind of money involved with on a few clients and many more to go. Over a million bucks and counting.

I am sure there have been lots of requests from candidates for bank statements the last week.

I pointed out something odd about her clients. And I don’t mean the Democrat ones. There was actually one Republican and one Independent Expenditure Committee for a Republican she had as clients.

Durke was campaign treasurer for Claude Parrish for Treasurer and his Orange County Assessor bid. I have known Claude for some thirty years and was elected to the Board of Equalization twice. Was he ripped off?

The IE was done by the association for Los Angeles Deputy Sheriffs for Attorney General Candidate an Los Angeles District Attorney Steve Cooley. He was the only statewide GOP candidate they endorsed, but can you image… Read More

The Merriam Webster dictionary defines a platform as a declaration of principles and policies adopted by a political party or a candidate. Once every four years the members of the California Republican Party Central Committee have an opportunity adopt our state party platform. Our Republican candidates, of course, each get to set out their own individual campaign platforms.

Different state parties have platforms that vary in length and specificity, to suit the desires of each of their state committees. The California Republican Party’s currently platform is relatively short at eight pages (in larger font), as opposed to say the platform of the Republican Party of Texas which weighs in at a strapping 32 pages (in pretty small font). The Platform adopted by the last Republican National Convention is more like a book, being 55 pages in length (link).

Generally a party platform is an expository document that allows someone to read it and understand… Read More

The latest Field poll news is a shocker. California voters actually have relatively low approval for President Obama. This to me is stunning news, because our State legislative majority, former Governor, and current Governor are so bad at their jobs, and yet, continue to get re-elected.

There are pain thresholds in politics, and every so often, California voters have a tantrum. The 2003 recall election, the rare but exciting moments when bonds are actually voted down, and the punishing defeat of Arnold clone Meg Whitman would all be recent examples.

Now, we’ve got low approval for President Obama. This proves that we need to have a horrendous economy and depression for Californians to get angry. Will this translate into votes for Democrat alternatives? Probably not. Not unless Republicans quit pussy footing around and campaign stridently – bold lines and colors, against Democrat incompetence, both in Sacramento and Washington DC.… Read More