According to the latest Field poll released today, the race for Governor is all tied up. So much for Jerry Brown’s lead after having no primary challenge. Proves that vibrant primaries ultimately are helpful, at least in my mind. As we go into the November elections, nothing presents a more illuminating difference between candidates than ones that have signed the Americans for Tax Reform pledge, and those who have not. By the way, “I don’t sign pledges” is code for “I want to be able to keep tax increases on the table.” Have you signed up for the FlashReport Twitter feed? I very much dislike being chained to Twitter. That said, I push a lot of information out that way that doesn’t make the FlashReport’s website. It’s also where we break news first! Does anyone out there really think that you should get full-time benefits for part-time work? Every City Councilmember, School Board member and Water Board member out there (with the exception of big cities with full-time Councilmembers) who take health care benefits (or payment in lieu of) should be ashamed. If … Read More

I finally figured out that AB 32 is actually supposed to put people out of work. If you don’t drive to and from work, your carbon emissions are significantly reduced. I read an article where local “First 5” Commissions are reducing budgets because they are funded by taxes on cigarette sales, and less people are smoking. There is a lesson to be learned here – I’m still thinking about what it is. Senator Boxer is on what she calls a “jobs tour” of the state. Yet she is appearing where government spending is providing jobs. Boxer doesn’t understand that we need jobs that don’t come from deficit spending in Washington, D.C. I guess in some cases, no one is better than someone. It is very reassuring to not have Abel Maldonado in the State Senate during this coming budget show-down. Californian’s were unwise in passing a ballot measure to require that California chickens have larger cages, it means higher prices for eggs. The legislature and Governor have made it worse for consumers by applying this standard to imported eggs, too. Look for those McNuggets to get pricier! … Read More

Pacific Gas and Electric coming out against Prop 23 to suspend AB 32 doesn’t shock me. As a utility completely regulated by a government commissioner (the PUC) all of whose members have swallowed the Al Gore Kool-aid, did they have a choice? It seems like every July, I ponder the dysfunction of our state legislature. We had no budget – let me repeat, NO BUDGET – yet legislators are on recess instead of working collectively to get the job done. Shame on the Senate President and Assembly Speaker. Guess what? There is no way to solve the pension crisis without significantly reducing benefits for current employees of state and local government. Creating a “new tier” for new hires just won’t cut it. Any and all leverage to achieve these reductions is warranted. I don’t agree with the Fresno Bee Editorial Board all of the time. But today they ask why their local legislators aren’t in Sacramento trying to work out a budget. I agree with that. All 120 legislators should be chained to their desks, if need be – but they won’t be. My friends Phil Trounstine and Jerry Roberts at CalBuzz asked if FlashReport … Read More

The “Incredible Shrinking San Diego Union-Tribune” has been the topic of a blog or two of mine in the past, although not recently. The reasons for the newspaper’s reduction in size have become pretty well known, so no new news is not news…or something like that.

Yet, while relaxing over the holiday weekend, it did occur to me to take a look at the size of the Sunday edition of the U-T, just as a reference point, since the new management has now settled in, with another round of staff cuts following a few weeks ago. Picking it up, sans advertising inserts, it felt about the same weight as when I had noted several months ago the paper had dwindled to 66 pages or so from about twice that size, if one doesn’t count the classifieds.

But, there on the front page, under the index was the reference: 15 sections; 136 pages. Really?

I decided to count the pages myself, so proceeded to place the sections in orderand commenced…

Section A: World, National, State, Region News / Business – 16 pages

Section B: Our Region (Local) / Dialog (Opinion) – 8 pages

Section C: Uhhh, hmmm…there is no Section… Read More

The legislature, in its infinite and collective bi-partisan wisdom, pushed through onto the ballot a fat, bloated so-called "water" bond. With literally billions of dollars of wasteful spending inside of it, we have dubbed this $11 billion package the "Water Porkulus" — and feel strongly that it should be rejected by voters.

Apparently the proponents of the Porkulus are very concerned about how voters will receive this big Christmas Tree of legislative spending, because now they are advocating that it be moved off of the November ballot, and kicked to 2012. We say that the package should be pulled all together, as a menace to both taxpayers, and to real cost-effective solutions to our state’s water woes.

FR’s cartoonist, Eric Eishenhammer, has drawn up a great cartoon on the water porkulus, we hope you enjoy it…

… Read More

Over the Fourth of July one could not help think of the brave few men who took on the greatest empire on the Earth in order to be free. It is no coincidence that after gaining independence the Founders went about guaranteeing God given rights from a potentially tyrannical new government. The Second Amendment and the right to bear arms guaranteed the First amendment and all others. Recently over the last couple years and just last month the United State Supreme Court has struck down laws that infringed on that right.Unfortunately, the California State Legislature hasn’t gotten the message about protecting our freedoms. Below are three bills that passed the State Assembly (over my objections in committee and on the floor). These bills are now awaiting action in the State Senate. While the Senate is on a break,… Read More

It seems like every year I write this commentary, or something like it, which is a statement for both ongoing dysfunction in state government, and/or the ongoing ineffectiveness of my columns to impact human behavior.

Once again the legislature has let the Constitutional deadline for adopting a state budget pass by, with July 1st being a blip in the rear-view mirror. Once again, instead of staying in Sacramento, the Democrat leadership of both the State Senate and the State Assembly have sent home their respective members on "summer recess" subject to being able to return to the Capitol within 24 hours should some sort of ‘break through’ take place on the budget.

Let me first say that newly minted Assembly Speaker John Perez was apparently full of hot air when he publicly committed (see the video here) to an open and transparent budget process. I have been waiting for extensive, open budget hearings that are bipartisan in nature, and reflect the fact that if the legislature is going to actually produce a budget, there needs to be an understanding that the budget committee needs to… Read More

Flying through Vegas this weekendI noticed this hand dryer. It is a little blurry (people don’t like cameras in restrooms).A rebel in the spirit of 1776 placed a sticker on it that says.

"Please push button and listen to a short message from the President"

Made my day.… Read More