It’s no surprise that members of the Oceanside City Council don’t like the idea of their city being labeled a “predatory community.” Yet, that’s the reference George Skelton used in a February Los Angeles Times column to describe Oceanside and other California cities that have imposed “crash tax” ordinances, including Carpinteria, Costa Mesa, Fullerton, Garden Grove, Hemet, Petaluma, Redlands, Ripon, Roseville, Sacramento, San Bernardino, Stockton, Tracy, Woodland and several others.

The crash tax is generally defined as a fee imposed on those getting in an accident that results in the dispatch of paramedics, firefighters or other emergency responders. Some cities impose it only on visitors or those “traveling through,” not their own residents.

Very inviting.

Many are calling it double taxation. State Senator Tony Strickland has introduced legislation, SB 49, that would ban the… Read More

Last night I received an email from Celeste Greig, President of the California Republican Assembly (dubbed the conscience of the GOP) — who informed me that on behalf of the CRA, she has introduced two resolutions for consideration at next weekend’s California Republican Party Convention.

The first one, immediately below, is pretty self-expla

natory. This is a resolution that would seek to condemn and censure GOP legislators that vote to put taxes on a June special election ballot. Greig actually leaves blank spaces in this resolution so that, if necessary, the names can be added in…

California Republican Party… Read More

I was almost amused to read over at the Sacramento Bee’s Capitol Alert Blog that Governor Brown has apparently rolled up his sleeves and is working on a public employee pension reform plan with his staff. Especially when he was asked by the media about the specifics that would be included, and he apparently responded, "As much as we can include that will not set at loggerheads all the opposing parties."

As I have often said on this blog, public employee unions (all employee unions) are creatures that live for two purposes only — to increase their size, and to increase the salary, benefits and regulatory environment to the benefit of their members. That’s it.

This is why unions like the California Teachers Association look ridiculous saying that they are about "the kids" when, for example, they don’t want to lay off the worst teachers first, but the most recently hired teachers first. In fact, they go so far as to say that you should not be able to rank teaches based on outcomes… Read More

Public employee unions are going to kill themselves and our state with their greed. This classic scene from Monty Python’s The Meaning Of Life is a great visual of what is going to happen as the unions keep pigging out at taxpayer expense…

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From today’s Wall Street Journal Political Diary E-mail… … Read More

Uncontested in his bid for Chairman of the California Republican Party, Tom Del Beccaro is still waging a very aggressive campaign… He’s been traveling around the state as a pace that would make a gubernatorial candidate look lazy. Now he has released two new web-videos. Below I have embedded them both, and beneath them his campaign release which gives production credits.

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The news of the announcement of the candidacy of Ray Haynes for Treasurer coursed through the political circles of the California Republican Party yesterday. Overwhelmingly the news was met with much excitement and enthusiasm. Current party Treasurer Keith Carlson is term-limited out (and running for the State Assembly in 2012) and there was a potential void in strong leadership in this critical party post.

Ray Haynes of course enjoys broad support in the party as a longtime respected leader. He is well known and well regarded by grassroots activists, county party leaders, volunteer organizations, party donors and of course is well known in the State Capitol (Haynes served for six years in the State Assembly and eight years in the State Senate where he was known as a conservative leader in both caucuses).

I penned the following letter to CRP members that I sent out last night…… Read More

My latest op-ed as seen in the Mountain Democrat and Fox & Hounds Daily

They’re at it again.

Lawmakers in California, in a desperate attempt to generate revenues are again seeking to force out-of-state retailers to collect taxes for online purchases made by California shoppers. If they are successful in passing this legislation, not only will they fail to raise even one more nickel in tax revenue, they will cost the state thousands of… Read More