Here are some news links from yesterday and today. Preceded, of course, by a Golden Pen selection (and in this case, a bonus column as well)… THE GOLDEN PEN: PROFESSOR STEVEN HORWITZ CONSUMERISM IS KEYNESIANISM – Foundation for Economic Education This relatively short, thoughtful column from Steven Horwitz is an excellent reminder that those who support free market solutions should be focused on getting government out of the way the private sector creating an environment for production. It has been an egregious and fallacious focus by those in government on spurring consumption that is making our situation worse. A brief excerpt:… Read More

A few links from stories that ran today, Christmas Day…

THE GOLDEN PEN: PAUL JACOBS Productive Politicians Ignore Voters… Townhall

More links…

Earlier this week, the California Court of Appeals for the 4th District, which sits in Orange County, issued a decision which threw out the long standing criminal charges against former Capistrano Unified School District superintendent James Fleming, whose criminal trial was pending, for using taxpayer funds to set up an “enemies list” of district residents unhappy with his policies, and to help incumbent trustees ward off a recall attempt. Justice Dave Sills, a Republican by the way, ruled that maintaining such a list, and Fleming’s help for the incumbents, was just part of the job. As a potential witness in the case who was on the list because of my Public Records Act requests and assistance to the original Capo recall team, I was very disappointed in Justice Sills opinion, not just because I was on the list, but mostly because now the lawyers who make hundreds of millions annually off of advising California’s out of control school systems will be advising incumbent trustees and superintendents all across the state that it’s OK to use our tax dollars to fulfill political agendas rather that spend it in the classroom. I note that Richard… Read More

As time permits (which it did today) a few highlights…

THE GOLDEN PEN: KATY GRIMES San Francisco’s Fiona Ma wants to ban parties in public buildings, and regulate how you can have them on your property… Cal Watchdog’s Katy Grimes pens today’s Golden Pen on the subject… CalWatchDog

More links…

We would like to wish our readers a Merry Christmas or a Happy Hannukah, and a great New Years. The FlashReport is currently in our "holiday break" mode, where we offer much more limited coverage. This takes place annually from the Friday before Christmas through New Years. Traditionally the political news coverage is very slow, and it gives the elves here a chance to recharge their batteries before we return full steam ahead on Monday, January 3rd. The FlashReport Weblog on California Politics will be up and running during our seasonal break, and so we encourage you to keep an eye on it. Some of our bloggers will still be posting, and if there is breaking news or a particularly "yummy" political story or column, that’s where we’ll point it out to you! Thank you so much for making 2010 the most successful year yet, by any measurable standard, for the FlashReport. We had more blog posts and more featured columns than any other year. We’ve had more readers (by far) than we’ve had since we began as an e-mail… Read More

It is no accident that with a pool of literally millions of Californians from which to choose, the composition of the California Unemployment Insurance Appeals Board is made up entirely of former, termed-out legislators. The current members of the CUIAB include former GOP Assembly Leader George Plescia, former GOP Assemblywoman Bonnie Garcia, former Democrat Senator Liz Figueroa, and former Democrat Assemblywoman Cindy Montañez. Until yesterday, the Board’s fifth member was former Republican Assemblywoman Sharon Runner. She resigned and has announced a run for the State Senate seat just vacated by her husband, George, who will be sworn in as a new member of the State Board of Equalization in early January. Runner’s term on the CUIAB was set to expire at year’s end.

The appointments, three made by the Governor, and one each by the Senate President and Assembly Speaker, do NOT require confirmation… Read More

This just in from FR Friend Laer Pearce…

Thank God for California’s Public Employee Unions By Laer Pearce I’m looking sadly at the family refrigerator, imagining it as barren white slab, stripped of all the children’s artwork that makes it such an emotional focus of our home. And I’m thanking God for California’s public employees, because they made it possible for the Pearce clan, and all California clans, to enjoy the best of Crayola art while we put away the milk and cold cuts. And it’s not just that. Without the fine folks whose paychecks are signed by John Chiang, we would be… Read More

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Redistricting can produce some strange outcomes.

For example, after a court drawn redistricting map took effect in 1992 three sitting members of the Assembly ended up running against each other in Orange County.

In a closed Republican primary in June 1992 sitting Republican Assemblymembers Tom Mays (Huntington Beach), Doris Allen (Cypress) and Nolan Frizzelle (Fountain Valley) all ran against each other for the 67th Assembly District.

After public employee unions spent more than $70,000 in the race, the people of California were stuck with Doris Allen as the winner. That alone could be the subject of a book.

So 20 years latter, why is this story relevant today? Because it is likely to happen again.

Section 2d6e of Article XXI of… Read More