You are probably going to have to look pretty far to find a Republican in the Capitol (well, with the exception of Abel "I’ll vote for anything to get confirmed" Maldonado, who is going to sign up for the latest proposal from newly minted Assembly Speaker John Perez to have the legislature pass budgets by majority vote.

Don’t get me wrong, from a philosophical perspective, it makes sense. Let the Democrats own the budget, and get out of this terrible system where Republicans are plied into voting for what is typically a terrible spending plan for California.

That said, the practical reality is that Republicans have very little leverage in the Capitol as it is, and the Democrats are doing such a, frankly, horrific job on the public policy front, that it would be almost criminal to give them even more unfettered and unchecked authority in the building.

In addition, I certainly didn’t hear Perez offering up anything concrete as a "trade off" as he asks his Republican colleagues to turn into Cheese-Eating Surrender… Read More

Coming as no surprise to many political watchers, while ending months of speculation for others, Assemblyman Joel Anderson (R-77) today made it official that he is seeking the San Diego-Riverside area Senate seat currently held by a term-limited Dennis Hollingsworth.

"I’m running for Senate because my work in the legislature is not done," Anderson said. "California is at a tipping point and our state needs a strong conservative voice to stand up against calls for higher taxes, one who will fight to bring jobs back to our Golden State."

Anderson’s recent legislation includesthe IOU Taxpayer Protection Act. The bill was recently praised as a model for bipartisanship by new Democratic Assembly Speaker John Perez in his inaugural address.

Anderson has earned Straight A’s from the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association and 100% ratings from the California Taxpayers Association. The California Republican Assembly has given him a perfect voting record for each year since 2006 he has served in the Assembly.

He has been endorsed for Senate by Congressman Duncan Hunter and the California Pro-Life Council.

Other… Read More

It is an honor to have been asked by Jon Fleischman to write for the FlashReport. I look forward to regularly contributing posts to this top news site covering national and state politics.

As I make frequent trips back and forth from Santa Clarita, CA to Washington, DC, I get to witness firsthand how the policies of Washington affect usback home. It is my hope this column will serve as a direct line from my computer to yours (or BlackBerry, iPhone…) to discuss these important policies and their impact on California. These posts will be unedited by Jon or FR editors and will be unaffiliated with the other regular contributors to this blog.

I continually speak with constituentsin the 25th Congressional District who share their views about health care, unemployment, the economy and national security, and are passionate about events and legislation in Congress. Sometimes news reports fail to cover the various complexities of these political issues, and the FlashReport is the perfect venue toopen that discussion online.

I look forward to writing and to hearing your feedback.

Buck McKeon… Read More

Below is the formal announcement for Governor from the candidate who would further erode the liberty and freedom of Californians, and grow the bureaucratic state… Not that you can tell by his rhetoric of not raising taxes and downsizing state government.

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This just off the transom from longtime FR friend Brian Johnston of the California Pro-Life Council… State’s Largest Pro-Life Organization Takes on Meg Whitman’s Reagan Posturing SACRAMENTO, CA — In response to Meg Whitman’s blanketing of the airwaves and posturing as a ‘Reagan conservative", Brian Johnston, the Director of the California ProLife Council, explained his organizations concerns. Meg Whitman is no Ronald… Read More

This morning on our main page, we featured two new ads released by the Steve Poizner for Governor campaign. We just received this web ad from the Meg Whitman campaign, that really needs no introduction… I can’t imagine that similar videos to this, from Poizner critiquing Whitman, are far behind… To quote my friend Eric Hogue from his column this morning, it’s "game on" for sure…

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Quotes of the week:

“Let me just make this point, John, because we’re not campaigning any more…the election’s over.” – President Obama to John McCain at the Health Care Summit. “I am reminded of that every day” – Response from Senator John McCain (R-AZ) “You’re right, there was an imbalance on the opening statements; because I’m the President…I didn’t count my time in terms of dividing it evenly.”– President Obama on why there was not an equal distribution of time for remarks at the Health Care Summit.

Command and Control: I have said before that the Obama/Pelosi/Reid cabal is more about ruling than leading and that their plans entail an oppressive government that runs everything and tells us what we can and can’t do.… Read More

The speculation has lasted for several months whether appointed incumbent San Diego County Assessor/Recorder/Clerk David Butler would seek election in his own right.

Appointed by the Board of Supervisors last year after 25-year office holder Greg Smith resigned in late 2008, Butler offficially announced today he will run for the seat. Very officially. After all, what better way to get the word out than by letting County employees know through use of the publicly-owned email system?

His first campaign missive has established Butler’s efficiency! Why develop your own campaign distribution list, when the taxpayers’ system is already in place?

Okay, some might say that the message below from Butler doesn’t actually say anything akin to "Vote for me," or direct anyone to a campaign website. It could be construed aspertinent information for the office. Yet, it does include items for which he is taking credit, while titling them "Critical Long Term Projects," the implication clearly being they are important enough that Butler needs to continue to serve.

After the recent Walt Ekard flap over his email… Read More