Las Vegas in July. Not exactly the “coolest” place to be during the summer. But last weekend it was definitely the place to be for political Internet activists. The two biggest conferences for the Left and the Right were held on opposing sides of the Vegas Strip: the conservative RightOnline Conference at the Venetian and Netroots Nation at the Rio.

Founded five years ago, Netroots Nation heralded the Left’s investment in new and social media. Their investment paid off, with an unprecedented new/social media campaign that propelled Barack Obama’s 2008 candidacy towards victory. But conservatives weren’t too far behind and RightOnline was launched three years ago by Americans for Prosperity. In the three years it has gone head-to-head with Netroots … Read More

This just in…

Justice Cantil-Sakauye Interprets The Law, As It Is Written By Ret. Justice Joanne Parrilli Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has nominated Tani Cantil-Sakauye as chief justice of the California Supreme Court. It is a choice that is as wise as it is groundbreaking. Justice Cantil-Sakauye is an excellent jurist and is at all times mindful of the public trust. And because of that, Flash Report readers should be clear about… Read More

I found it to be very ironic that the news that Governor’s Schwarzenegger’s pick to replace retiring California Supreme Court Justice Ron George had officiated over a same sex marriage was tucked in a Los Angeles Times story (by Maura Dolan) with the innocuous headline, Chief Justice Nominee Avoids Hot-Button Issues. Appellate Court Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye (pictured, right) actually, and probably unwittingly, has plowed robes-first into what a great many would consider to be California’s most high-profile “hot button issue” – gay marriage.

Californians are very polarized on this issue, which has been the subject of a couple of high-profile statewide votes. In a split decision, the very court to which Cantil-Sakauye has been nominated issued a 4-3 split decision, throwing out voter-approved Proposition 22… Read More

I found it to be very ironic that the news that Governor’s Schwarzenegger’s pick to replace retiring California Supreme Court Justice Ron George had officiated over a same sex marriage was tucked in a Los Angeles Times story (by Maura Dolan) with the innocuous headline, Chief Justice Nominee Avoids Hot-Button Issues. Appellate Court Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye (pictured, right) actually, and probably unwittingly, has plowed robes-first into what a great many would consider to be California’s most high-profile “hot button issue” – gay marriage.

Californians are very polarized on this issue, which has been the subject of a couple of high-profile statewide votes. In a split decision, the very court to which Cantil-Sakauye has been nominated issued a 4-3 split decision, throwing out voter-approved Proposition 22… Read More

Because of false, misleading and unfair ballot language submitted by Attorney General Jerry Brown, today the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association has gone to court, as a leader in the effort to pass Proposition 23, filing a petition to compel amendments to the official label, title and summary that will be provided to voters by the State.

HJTA has taken this legal step because it certainly looks as though the Attorney General has crafted a description intended to sway voters to vote “no” on Prop. 23.

As the sitting Attorney General, and in his campaign for Governor, Jerry Brown should avoid even the appearance of impropriety. But he crossed a clear legal line when he presented official ballot language that fails to meet the test of impartiality in describing the initiative to voters.

Specifically, the petition for Writ of Mandate we filed contends, “that the Attorney General is attempting to influence the election with a misleading and clearly biased ballot label, title and summary in violation of the elections code” and “has used biased words and phrases that advocate for [Prop. 23’s] defeat rather than merely informing voters of its chief… Read More

This is great…

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A couple of weeks ago I wrote about the "ghost" pages in the Sunday edition of The San Diego Union-Tribune. Alas, I didn’t seem to spark an interest; few others seemed to be curious that the paper claimed 136 pages, when I could only find 98.

So, let me throw out a challenge today, to readers of the actual non-online newspaper…

On page A-1 of today’s U-T, in the lower left-hand corner, the paper claims 162 pages. So, readers: find them. Count the regular pages, including the classifieds (pretty simple math, considering each section lists the page numbers in the upper corner). Go ahead and count the Real Estate advertisement section. Include Parade Magazine and the Comics in your tally. Heck, even go ahead and total the ad "sections" for Big Five, Harbor Freight Tools, and Ortho Mattress…count that as a gimme (even though they really are inserts).

No fair counting the regular advertising inserts, clearly not sections or pages of the… Read More

Did you know that just a couple of weeks ago, the largest jury-granted award for damages in America took place, right here in California? The award was for $613 million in statutory damages, and $58 million in restitutionary damages (so this award doesn’t even include any punitive damages, though as you will read on, that would be a moot point).

The case was a class-action lawsuit filed by trial lawyers on behalf of wronged nursing home residents against Orange County based Skilled Healthcare, which operates nursing homes right here in the Golden State.

As a columnist who writes on a myriad of California’s public policy and political issues, I am hardly an expert when it comes to the specific issues of nursing homes and the regulations that govern their activities. I will say that like in just about every legal case I know, the plaintiff’s made accusations of wrong-doing, and the defendants staked out their ground, that they did nothing wrong. After a lengthy trial, a jury found for the plaintiffs.

My issue is not with the finding of the jury, I admit that I have not… Read More