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

Many FlashReport readers that closely follow California policy are familiar with the California Budget Project. Hiding behind a rather innocent-sounding name, this group is staffed with hard-left ideologues who are passionately committed to the idea that bigger government is better government (right on their website’s splash-page is an article entitled, "Why Tax Cuts Don’t Work.").

While we respect them for being passionate ideologues, we think it is important when possible to provide counter-point to their advocacy for the modern welfare state.

Proposition 24, which will appear on the November ballot (courtesy of major funding from the California Teachers Association) seeks to undo changes in the state tax code implemented last year that, for all practical purposes, would make Californian a costlier place to do business for a good number of the state’s larger employers. While we here at FR were very unhappy about the 2009 budget deal, and its massive tax increases, these tax code changes were a positive by-product.

The No on 24 campaign released a University of Southern California study on how the passage of 24, repealing… Read More

Back before the June primary, I penned this commentary in which I strongly endorsed my friend and conservative colleague Janice Rutherford (pictured) in her campaign to unseat incumbent San Bernardino County Supervisor Paul Biane.

While the main reason for my support for Janice comes from the fact that she is awesome, and I would be inclined to support her for any office (incumbent or no), I also have significant issues that Biane opposed having the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors go on record opposing the 2009 budget deal, and the largest tax increase in history of any state.

Anyways, Biane clearly and early identified that Janice, a popular councilwoman from Fontana, would be his main opponent. He spent down his campaign coffers, blasting Janice (undeservedly) with negative campaign mail — especially attacked her role as a steward of… Read More

The Meg Whitman for Governor campaign has released a new television ad… It is appropriately titled, "No Plan."

… Read More

A study released yesterday reveals that while California increased spending public schools in a five-year period, it spent less on classrooms.

“More of the funding increase went to administrators, clerks and technical staff and less to teachers, textbooks, materials and teacher aides,” according to this Associated Press article.

This is a slap in the face to teachers, students and taxpayers. But it’s not surprising.

Anyone who has dealt with public schools (which is most of us) knows that classrooms have been given the short shrift for years. School districts reward administrators with raises and job security while handing out pink slips to teachers. Furthermore, teachers must regularly dig into their own wallets to fund classroom supplies.

I’ve said it before and I will say it again: California’s public education system isn’t under-appropriated; it’s misappropriated.… Read More

Last night Mary Salas conceded the 40th State Senate District Democrat primary to Juan Vargas, in what some are calling a victory for the big-business community, who largely funded Vargas’ effort. At least until you look it up, and realize that in six years in the Assembly, Vargas scored between zero and five percent on the CalChamber’s legislative scorecard. Just when you think you’ve heard it all, you read about an effort to hold a “virtual convention” where people can rewrite the state’s constitution using Twitter. Really. I’ll miss the dry wit of State Senator Dave Cox, who recently passed away. He once told me that a lot of what I write makes a lot of sense to him, and that this fact scared him. His passion for public service was strong, and he will be missed. The Governor’s Chief of Staff, Susan Kennedy (formerly Executive Director of an abortion-rights organization) and Mike Spence (former CRA Prez and longtime Right To Life leader) have something in common – both celebrated birthday’s last Saturday. While they can’t agree on much, I’m sure that they will … Read More

Many of us are currently preparing ballot statements for legislative and local candidates.

For those candidates running for statewide office the deadline has passed and they are now available for public review here.

Some of the highlights….

Governor Neither Meg Whitman or Attorney General Brown accepted the limits under Prop 34. The ballot statement from Libertarian Dale Ogden is quite good.

Lt. Governor Peace and Freedom candidate says "Let the super rich pay their fair share." Lt. Governor Maldonado and Mayor Gavin Newsom both have statements that hit the key points.

Secretary of State Peace and Freedom Candidate Marylou Cabral has a good one. Here is the whole thing, "Strengthen democracy by lowering the voting age to 16, extending the right to vote to immigrants and prisoners,and making Election Day a holiday." Wow.

Controller Libertarian Andy Favor might have my favorite. "Pro-business, freedom. Frugal." Short and sweet.

Treasurer Debra Reiger is the Peace and… Read More

The voracious appetite of liberals in Sacramento to use government to manipulate our behavior, and steal more of our freedom has no greater poster child than Assembly Bill 1998. Sponsored by the “environuts” at Heal The Bay, the legislation would ban every grocery store (regardless of proximity to a bay, tributary or river) from being able to put your groceries into a plastic bag.

Heal The Bay’s bag ban bill amounts to a massive tax increase on Californians (well, assuming that you go into a grocery store). Those plastic bags you use now – the stores give you those. Under AB 1998, if stores put your groceries in a paper bag, they will charge you a per-bag tax of a minimum of a nickel. It could be a lot more.

AB 1998 is not the first attempt by Heal The Bay and their allies to ban infringe on your ability to use plastic bags to take home your groceries. But this year represents the first time that the lobbying arm of the large grocery store chains is supporting the bill. Why would they do that? The key is that the per-bag tax does not go into government coffers, that money goes into the pockets of – you guessed it – the grocery… Read More