This morning I helped the USO stuff care packages for our troops. Here is a behind the scenes look:

Click here to watch video.

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Dana Point’s recent actions threatening to foreclose on four homeowners at The Strands beach development for failure to pay Mello-Roos taxes was predicted. By me! And that prediction and my opposition to those taxes in the first place probably cost me re-election to Dana Point’s City Council in 2006.

Howard Jarvis once told me that Mello-Roos fees were nothing more than a fancy legislative trick to get around the taxpayer protections of Proposition 13. I had worked for Jarvis as a young staff member during the passage of Prop. 13, a campaign where the politicians and the wealthy establishment pulled out all the stops to defeat the property tax reduction measure that has protected California homeowners from high taxation since 1978. But when Prop. 13 passed, the establishment didn’t just roll over. They sued all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. And the Legislature started coming up with all sorts of cute illegalities to collect tax revenue otherwise lost. One of those cute deals was to start collecting “fees” rather than taxes. Another was to empower so-called “Mello-Roos” districts to collect money from homeowners right… Read More

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The Taxpayer Protection Pledge was created by Americans for Tax Reform in 1986, with the blessings and endorsement of then President Ronald Reagan, as a way to provide clarity and unity as to which candidates for the United States Senate and House of Representatives were committing to opposing tax increases and any efforts to raise taxes. As of March of this year, 41 U.S. Senators and 231 Members of Congress (a solid majority) have signed the pledge, including every Republican on the large California delegation. Over the last quarter century, the pledge has spread broadly at the local level — much of it a dynamic process as candidates for non-federal offices wanted to sign the pledge as well. At the state level, there are over 1100 pledge signers that include many Governors and a vast array of state legislators. There is no doubt that the existence of the Pledge has been positive and constructive — and has helped to do what it says in its title — protect taxpayers.

Yesterday I had the good fortune to go up to Sacramento (I’m still here, actually) and… Read More

About 10 days ago, I wrote you all about the Housing Finance Reform Bill (H.R. 1859) that I have written and am sponsoring along with Gary Peters (D-MI). I mentioned in that missive that this is an important bill that will consume a great deal of my time and energy over the coming months. Based on the numerous responses from all of you, you seem to agree. I appreciate all those who responded offering your support and assistance in moving this bill forward. I will be separately contacting those of you who did soon.

Reading your responses last week, I noticed there were questions on this fairly complex issue that came up several times. So, I have decided to include the “most asked” questions into this edition and am answering them to give you an even better idea of what this bill is, how it works and why I wrote it:

1. John, isn’t your bill just recreating the Government Sponsored Enterprises (GSEs) Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac again? It looks like you are just going to have 5 of them instead of two.

No. The whole point of this bill is to kill the old GSE system and replace it with something completely different that will provide… Read More

Today, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed a joint session of Congress. Here’s a look behind the scenes as I serve on the Escort Committee to welcome Prime Minister Netanyahu.

Click here to watch the behind the scenes video.

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There is a worse legislature than the California Legislature. At least California legislators stay on task working on the many intractable problems, but America’s federal court system are wannabe legislators of the worst kind. The newest court order is basically intent language with no substance other than an order. In the recent Supreme Court decision ordering the release of tens of thousands prisoners the Court has legislated the standards for state prisons and has taken the executive authority on how to do it. Except they could not even do that. Once the slender majority determined that it is cruel to be overcrowded they could not find a path on how to get there. So they have simply ordered California to do release prisoners and if California does it wrong the courts will come back in with a heavy hand.

Now that the court has ruled they are off on other battlefields where they can shoot the wounded and rob the dead. Under their interpretation of the Eight Amendment against cruel and unusual punishment many low rent dwellings, hospitals, and even military installations would fail. Nearly every family in American history can tell a story of overcrowded… Read More

We’re all familiar with the expression, “snatching victory out of jaws of defeat” — well, on March 16th of this year, I was in shock as I watched Republicans legislators in the State Assembly amazingly do the opposite as they, “snatched defeat out of the jaws of victory.”

On March 16, the Democrats brought up their preferred state budget, including a bill to place billions in tax increases onto what would have been a June ballot, Republicans unified to oppose both the budget and the attendant attempt to hike taxes. That’s the good news — and GOP legislators continue to deserve praise for staying unified against punitive levies on California taxpayers in the midst of a recession.

That said, amidst the many bills brought up for a vote that night was Senate Bill 77 — legislation that would, if passed, effectively end local Redevelopment Agencies (RDAs). This legislation was not “tied” to any other bills, and thus if Republicans voted for it (which they should have overwhelmingly), we would have grabbed a significant public policy victory for the evening — picking the flower out of the bouquet of stinky… Read More

As the lead legislative intervenor challenging an August 2009 federal court order reducing California’s prison population, I am dismayed by the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision today in Brown v. Plata.

The decision to force California’s prisons to release 46,000 convicted felons is a historic attack on the constitutional rights of states and the liberty of all Californians.

By flooding our neighborhoods with criminals, the Court will make one of highest taxed states in the nation among the most dangerous as well, further tarnishing the California dream.

At a time when law-abiding Californians cannot find jobs, it’s hard to imagine how convicted felons will do anything other than return to a life of crime.

But at least Justice Kennedy can sleep easier at night knowing that none of these dangerous felons will be released in his neighborhood.… Read More