Late last week the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, which sits in San Francisco and is known as a liberal court, upheld the Arizona "Citizens Clean Election Act" which provides taxpayer dollars "matching funds" to candidates for state office to use for advertising of their campaigns. Since California is flirting with such a law, known as Proposition 15 on the next election ballot, the Court’s action is worth taking note of.

The conservative Goldwater Institute had been successful at the trial court level in knocking out the law on First Amendment grounds. Their solid argument in the trial court, along with a couple friendly PACs and candidates, was that the campaign law actually chilled or reduced speech rights. This is because under the law, if an opposing candidate fails to use only the taxpayer money for his/her campaign, and spends more than the candidate taking the state money, then the state automatically coughs up more taxpayer dollars for the candidate "on the dole." Thus, opposing candidates are discouraged to spend money on advertising, for fear that the government will respond by… Read More

I was more than a little upset to see the Orange County Taxpayers Association endorsement in a slate mailer of Webster Guillory, the long term incumbent tax assessor here in Orange County. Reed Royalty, the President of OCTA, and the producers of the guide, have not garnered much credibility for their organization and slate by these actions, and Supervisor John Moorlach, who has had more than one opportunity to support Guillory’s conservative opponent, ranks among them in getting a huge taxpayer black-eye by their failure to support Claude Parrish. Parrish is endorsed by the County Republican party, leading tax groups, and leading Republican elected officials. He served eight years on the Board of Equalization. He is absolutely the right candidate for Republicans in this race, but the "old boy" network of county wheeler-dealers can’t stand it.

But now ace researcher Jim Sills has offered a lot more grist for the mill on this point and during this current "tea party age," Royalty, Moorlach, and the consultants who are doing this awful deed against conservatism need to be called out as less than virtuous conservatives… Read More

On Saturday I also got STEVE COOLEY FOR ATTORNEY GENERAL “A Prosecutor, Not A Politician”.… Read More

A Sunday potpourri from around the region… Kudos to SDCTA — and a Must Watch"Save the Chargers" Video… Thursday night’s San Diego County Taxpayers Association Golden Watchdog and Fleece Awards dinner was attended by over 800, who clearly see it as one of the best annual events in the region. SDCTA has an uncanny ability to get otherwise cautiously stodgyelected officials to loosen up on video with gems they normally wouldn’t be caught dead saying or doing anywhere — at leastnot on purpose — all for a good laugh and the spectacle of the evening. The "Chargers Stadium Disaster Relief Telethon" is an absolute classic:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RH78d2DEQbQ Here’s also a retrospective of past years’ video hi-lights:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5nNRygKUAMk Lastly, a press release announcing all the winning taxpayer watchdogs and fleecers for the… Read More

A longtime FlashReport reader (from the beginning!) and frequent commented Tom Kaptain, a friend of many years, has been a political operative and producer of targeted slate mail since 1995. Tom’s slate cards promote candidates on both sides of the aisle — you’ll see a profile of his work when his slate’s drop, as we’ve done and will do with other prominent slate cards. While Tom is (gasp) a Democrat, I reached out to him for his thoughts on the GOP gubernatorial primary because I have always been impressed with the depth and clarity of his comments on this blog over the years… So, without any further introduction… MY TAKE ON POIZNER V. WHITMAN IN THE CLOSING DAYS By Tom Kaptain Groucho Marx once said, "outside of a dog, a book is man’s best friend.… Read More

I was on the road yesterday, so today’s mail post is for Friday and Saturday.

KENNEDY FOR SACRAMENTO CITY COUNCIL “Firefighter Letter” with a very clever magnet that features a fire dog (TODAY’S WINNER), JAY SCHENIRER FOR SACRAMENTO CITY COUNCIL “Jump Ball” I have no idea what this mailer is all about, YES ON 16 “The Eagle” boy eagles are popular symbols for Republican mail, SLATEMAILER “Attention Republican” this is the second drop of the Tim Carey California Voter Guide and featured Cooley for Attorney General and Villines for Insurance Commissioner, SLATEMAILER “COPS” featuring Cooley again.… Read More

Apparently Los Angeles City Council members and Mayor Anthony Villaraigosa believe their type of governance is a model by which other states should follow – if last week’s vote to ban LA from doing business with Arizona is any indication. What an arrogant move considering the council and mayor’s woeful neglect of LA’s immigration problems. Specifically, LA leaders embrace a sanctuary policy known as “Special Order 40,” which prohibits LA peace officers from questioning suspects about their immigration status. It’s the same policy that slain teenager Jamiel Shaw’s parents tried to have overturned a few years ago. When Shaw, a 17-year-old LA-area high school football star, was murdered by an illegal alien gang member in 2008, questions arose about the city’s sanctuary policy and the opportunities law enforcement had to deport the killer. Sadly, the grieving parents were blocked by the Left Wing contingency that is the LA City Council, and Special Order 40 stands as the law of the land, making life in LA easy for illegal aliens; unfair for legal immigrants and in some cases, dangerous for LA families like the Shaw’s.… Read More

The Orange County Taxpayers Association Voter Guide, Reed Royalty, President, just put out an expensive voter guide in Orange County. What a laugh! I pity the poor consultant (John Lewis) who had to produce it for Royalty.

It lists among many Republican candidates for Orange County nonpartisan office, liberal Democrat Webster Guillory for Orange County Assessor. Guillory, a long term and aged, post Social Security retirement incumbent who has never been competently challenged, and who is an African American, is the only Countywide administrative candidate whose picture the Orange County Taxpayers Association does not include in the mailing. Very sad. Guillory’s opponent, Claude Parrish, is endorsed by the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association, the National Tax Limitation Committee, the Orange County Republican Party Central Committee and former Republican Governor George Dukemejian. There is no question that the Orange County Taxpayers Assocation endorsement of Guillory is a complete bunch of B.S. and must be a part of the "old boy" network that movements such as the Tea… Read More