As an elected officer of the California Republican Party, my least favorite part of the job (by far) is that under the party’s rules I am obliged to “sit out” contested Republican primaries for partisan office. That having been said, with the election taking place tomorrow, I would not be able to live with myself if I did not take at least a few minutes to talk about a candidate running for State Senate. Let me preface my brief comments by making it clear that this is not a formal endorsement – consider it more of an “informational item” – as it were.

Joel Anderson, who is currently serving in the State Assembly, is seeking the GOP nomination for the State Senate tomorrow – in the 36th District, where Dennis Hollingsworth is retiring due to term limits.

It is has been my good fortune to know Joel Anderson for over twenty years – and to call him a friend. When I think about Joel in terms of his attributes, the thoughts that come to mind are integrity, conservatism, courage, activism,… Read More

The race to watch for Republicans in tomorrow’s statewide primary election is actually the Democrat primary for Lt. Governor. San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom is battling it out with Los Angeles City Councilwoman Janice Hahn. Hahn has great name identification from years of her family’s public service in the county, a far bigger media market than San Francisco. But Newsom is spending money and can probably do more to light up the core Democratic Left voters in the primary than Hahn.

The race is now very important because it will define some of the more obvious differences for voters in the Democrat and Republican statewide tickets in November. The odds are that Jerry Brown will win his primary for Governor in the Democrat party, and Meg Whitman and Abel Maldonado will most likely win theirs for Governor and Lt. Governor in the Republican primary. A “Whitman/Maldonado” ticket will look a lot different to California voters than a “Brown/Newsom” ticket from the standpoint of pure winnability. “Whitman/Maldonado” will look more like California to statewide voters, while “Brown/Newsom” will look more… Read More

Horrible Arizona has passed a horrible law that allows cops to ask about immigration status if someone horrible is busted doing something wrong and has no identification.Did I say how horrible?

Somehow critics of the law think Arizona peace officers will take time from busting smugglers on the border and increased violence in their cities to check identification cards at local theaters and somehow violate everyone’s rights. Well not everyone’s.

Needless to say such an outrage must be met harshly. My county and several cities have decided that they will boycott Arizona and its companies. Martin Luther King and Ceaser Chavez are held up as great examples of the success of boycotts.

Truly though today’s boycotters are nothing like their heroes. Today’s boycotters are wimps. They will only boycott unless it is "necessary”. Some sacrifice. We will not do business with you unless we need too. What a great… Read More

Sometimes I wonder if agencies like the Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD) make it past their own headlines and read the rest of the newspaper. The above-the-fold front page headline in Thursday’s Tri Valley Herald reads, “Air board gets jump on pollutants,” and goes on to explain a new set of thresholds requiring builders to conduct pollution reduction studies before developing projects that fall within the typical range of what cities call “infill development.”Infill development has helped many cities replace blighted areas in their downtown areas with new, affordable housing for residents who want to work in the cities and enjoy short, often public transportation-enabled, commutes. While the executive director of the BAAQMD, Jack Broadbent, was patting himself and the agency on the back for being the first to adopt such guidelines, business leaders and advocates of affordable housing were not so enthusiastic. Adding additional legal hurdles to the development of badly needed urban housing in California only … Read More

FlashReport readers are very familiar with Peter Foy. You’ll recall that in addition to being Chairman of the Americans for Prosperity California chapter, Peter is an elected Ventura County Supervisor. What you may not know is that Peter was elected to the Board of Supes four years ago by taking on and defeating an incumbent RINO (Republican In Name Only). Since then, Foy has been a solid conservative leader in Ventura County, and he is coasting towards a big re-election this Tuesday night.

Foy does have an opponent, however nominal, who would not even be worth writing about, except for his big-time blunder in for all I know is his only mail piece. Foy’s opponent is a Moorpark School Board Trustee by the name of Bruce Thomas. A mail piece just dropped for Thomas (the entire piece is viewable through the link below) but check out the clip from… Read More

It’s that time again. Stop what you are doing and take a stab. Send your picks to me here. (do not post them as a comment).

Deadline is 7:55 p.m. on June 8 (or anytime before).

Winners will be announced after the election, when I can get to it, or later in the case of any hand counts or other chads-like determinations by the Registrar, especially if followed by protracted lawsuits and court battles.

The contest victors get the ultimate prize – their fellow hacks’ amazement at their prowess.

On yes, in the past, some FR readers have complained that this contest is too "San Diego oriented." Well, yes, I do write about San Diego area politics. It is your choice to participate. Or not.

So, here we go, eleven questions and a couple of tie-breakers, if needed…

1. Chula Vista Fair and Open Competition Initiative: Will Measure G win or lose?

2. Oceanside Charter City question: Will Measure K win or lose?

3. Poway (two part question, must get them both correct):

a) Will Betty Rexford… Read More

Last call. If you are a Republican Assemblymember, don’t assume that you are on the record in opposition Proposition 14, Schwarzenegger and Maldonado’s scheme to make it easier to raise taxes by driving conservatives out of the State Capitol.

You can get ON THE RECORD with your opposition by simply clicking here and sending an email.

On the State Senate side, EVERY Senate Republican is on the record opposing 14 with the exception of Dave Cox.

Note: This might be especially critical if you were a vote to place 14 on the ballot. In the Senate, three GOP Senators who voted to put it on the ballot – Cogdill, Denham and Ashburn – have all come out against it.… Read More

With the latest Survey USA poll showing Jim Patterson with a 4 point lead over Jeff Denham, the Chukchansi Tribe in Madera County is funding a six figure IE against Mr. Patterson – a negative barrage of mail, radio and TV designed as one final assault on Mr. Patterson’s record.

The Fresno Bee carries a story on this today – make no mistake about it – there are several FEC complaints pending, and a huge mess to sort out with regard to the tribe’s coordinated "fundraising" event feating $150,000 in ads funded by Denham’s State account and featuring Denham himself.

If I were the Tribe I’d start the shredders and wipe the email servers. They’ve already fired 12 people connected with the "fundraiser" and they’ll get rid of anyone with a story to tell about this "independent" expenditure as well. And I have news for them – we aren’t letting this go.

In… Read More