This just in from Mark Standriff, Communications Director over at the California Republican Party…

(Alternative working title: There’s nothing very funny about THIS Leno) During last summer’s budget debate on the state Senate floor, it was particularly disturbing to hear Senate Budget Chairwoman Denise Ducheny (D-San Diego) attempt to equate tax cuts with spending increases. I suppose from a balancing-the-books-on-a-squeaky-unicycle point of view, it makes some sense to look at tax cuts and government spending increases in the same light. Setting aside the fact that tax cuts actually spur economic growth while spending increases only increase spending, each makes it difficult to immediately balance a complex budget. That’s the problem with confusing the never was with the already has. But our lawmakers are supposed to be fiscally savvy. They are our public servants. When… Read More

The new Assembly Republican Leader Connie Conway just announced the members of her leadership team:

Assembly Republican Caucus Chair:Brian Nestande Assistant Republican Floor Leader:Curt Hagman Assistant Republican Leaders: Steve Knight andCameron Smyth Chief Republican Whips: Bill Berryhill andDan Logue Republican Whips: Nathan Fletcher, Kristin Olsen Deputy Floor Manager:Brian Jones

Read the press release here.Republicans willface huge challenges this year, especially considering Democrats dominate the legislature and hold every statewide office. This leadership team will be taxpayers’ advocates as Governor Brown and his legislative cohorts try to raise taxes to cover the $25+ billion dollar deficit. Congrats to all nine of these lawmakers who will be serving in leadership–taxpayers are counting on you to hold the line and represent our interests in a very hostile environment.… Read More

Senate President Darrell Steinberg has been pushing the idea that as part of a retooling of our government. Specifically, he would like to offload some current responsibilities of state government onto local governments — presumably counties and cities. Needless to say, taxpayers should be very wary of Steinberg’s plan, because on its face it looks like a rather naked attempt to take more money out of your pocket to feed the always-hungry appetite of government.

Hmmm. It’s time to play a new game, "Are you smarter than a State Senate President?"

If the state offloads to local governments things for which it is currently responsible for paying, but does not also move revenue streams from state government to local governments to pay for them, who will pay that bill? Well, the answer to this is pretty straightforward. Part of Steinberg’s plan, as he will tell you, is to conjointly saddle local governments with new mandates, and also lower the vote threshold needed for local governments to raise taxes.

Or to put it more simply, Steinberg would like to balance the state’s budget… Read More

Unless aliens abducted you to their planet this week, you are probably aware of the "deal" struck between the President and Congressional Republicans and Democrats to extend the 2001/2003 tax cuts for 2 years for everyone. However, it is not just an agreement to extend current tax rates. The plan pegs the death tax (currently at zero) at 35% for estates over $5 million. It also includes a one year reduction in the employee’s share of the social security tax by 2%; a 13 month renewal of unemployment benefits, which maintains the 99 week total cap; a 2 year extension of most of the tax provisions from the 2009 stimulus bill, including the earned income tax credit which gives people a "tax rebate" when they have not paid any taxes; and various other provisions, like a 100% write-off for business equipment for one year.

As I write this, the bill to reflect this agreement has just come out. But, of course, no one has read it yet. So, all analysis of this bill must necessarily be an estimate. It appears, though, that the "cost" of this bill will be close to $1 trillion over the next 2 years. Some of this is the "cost" of letting… Read More

The recent "budget forum" of Governor-elect Brown (speaking of fodder for a Monty Python skit, didn’t they do one about him in the 1970’s?) reminded me of that famous line from the old Monty Python television show, when they could think of no easy way to transition from one skit to another, they just punted with the line "And now-for something completely different" and of course, it wasn’t.

So looking for a way to distinguish himself from Governor Schwarzenegger, Brown held a summit, like that hasn’t been done before, about budget issues, as if no one has ever had a discussion about that before, where he suggested that voters should choose between higher taxes or less services, like no one has ever used that line before. It was the same ol’, same ol’, packaged by the old packager who created most of these problems when he was Governor the first time around.

Did you know that 80% of California residents could afford a median priced home in 1974? That number down to 17% by 1982 (after the once and future Governor was done with his first two terms), and has stayed there ever since. Do you… Read More

Since the late 1980’s Kevin McCarthy has been involved in California GOP youth politics. Even with his election to the Assembly, and now to Congress, his interest in trying to maintain control over a California Young Republicans group could be characterized as an obsession. McCarthy (pictured, right), rather notoriously strong-armed State GOP Chairman Ron Nehring with a threatening phone call during the last state party convention, unhappy with a decision of the CRP Rules Committee on an obscure YR issue.

To the surprise of many observers, the handpicked leaders of the McCarthy/Abernathy (Mark Abernathy is a Bakersfield-based political consultant who, along with McCarthy, continues to be very engaged in YR politics) operation — Jenniffer Rodriguez and Rohit Joy — rebelled against them. The new California Young Republican leaders supported someone other than the McCarthy/Abernathy pick for the national chair… Read More

On Monday of this week, I stood in the back of the State Senate Chambers and watched, in somewhat stunned disbelief, as I watched the leadership election for President Pro-Tem of the Chamber — not happen. Ultra-left-wing Democrat Darrell Steinberg’s name was placed into nomination by some of his Democrat colleagues, as he should have been as he is the elected leader of State Senate Democrats…

But not one Republican legislator rose to place into nomination the name of Bob Dutton, the Senate Republican Leader, into nomination. On the contrary, not only was Steinberg the only name placed into nomination, but he was elected on a unanimous voice-vote of the entire Senate. Not an objection was sounded by any of the Republicans in the Chamber. So, effectively, the first vote this session by Republicans was to put their stamp of approval on Darrell Steinberg (the five new freshman Republicans can put that in their inaugural newsletters).

This didn’t just happen in the Senate by the way, I am told that over in the Assembly, John Perez was re-elected Speaker on a voice vote as well, with not one GOPer asking to have a vote of… Read More

When the Los Angeles Board of Supervisors voted last month to ban plastic bags in unincorporated areas of the county, it was forced at the last moment to deal with an unfolding controversy about toxic levels of lead contained in reusable bags recommended as an environmentally-friendly alternative.

Experts warn that exposure to lead in reusable bags could harm the intellectual and neurological development in children and infertility in adults, among other serious health issues. Senator Chuck Schumer has called for investigations of the bags and according to a press release from the Senator’s office, “When disposed of in landfills, these bags can leak toxins into the soil and water and have the potential to create even more environmental problems.

”Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas introduced an amendment to address the potential health crisis regarding exposure to toxic lead in reusable bags: “Reusable bags should not contain levels of lead, cadmium or heavy metals in toxic amounts, as defined by applicable State and Federal standards and regulations for packaging or reusable bags.”

In their quest to appease environmentalists… Read More