In the face of the state’s perpetual budget crisis, some Californians are beginning to regret their votes in favor of the $9.9 billion high-speed rail bond last year. Even though proponents of the train have now admitted the bond was only a down payment on the actual cost to build the system, the numbers that were projected are changing—and all in the wrong direction.

The business plan released by the train’s advocates last month show the dramatic differences in what the voters were told and what reality is. For example, the price of a ticket from San Francisco to Los Angeles is now projected at $105, up from the previous $55 estimate. That new number changed the ridership predictions: now 41 million annual riders by 2035, down from last year’s prediction of 55 million passengers by 2030. The cost for building the train system has also grown. The proponents had been thinking $33.6 billion (2008 dollars) but have revised upward to $42.6 billion. Recently, the Obama administration announced $2.25 billion in funding for the project. Proponents said federal money would be used to close the gap between the voter-approved bond and the ultimate… Read More

Here is the statewide ballot measure lineup for the June, 2010 primary election in California, with minimal commentary: Proposition 13

Drawing an iconic proposition number for sure, this Constitutional Amendment was put on the ballot by the Legislature and was sponsored by Republican State Senator Ray Ashburn. It would ensure that new construction projects to comply with seismic safety requirements imposed by government will not result in an unwelcome higher property tax bill on the property, which is a pretty good idea.

Proposition 14

Another Constitutional Amendment measure put on the ballot by the Legislature, this amendment, sponsored by Republican State Senator Abel Maldonado, would change the manner in which political parties choose their nominees in partisan races. Instead of the current system, which is known as a "closed primary,"… Read More

The Oceanside Analysis… Voters in the City of Oceanside recently turned back a labor-fed attempt to recall Councilmember Jerry Kern, who fueled the contempt of the unions for touting fiscal responsibility. Now, the San Diego County Taxpayers Association has released an analysis of the fiscal problems in the city, concluding, "Generous increases in employee pension benefits coupled with lower than projected revenues are at the heart of the City of Oceanside’s municipal budget quandary." Read all the details and download the reports (link to the Oceanside item under News and Highlights)…

Taxpayers Association Analysis Pinpoints Cause of Oceanside Municipal Budget Deficit Napping in the 77th Assembly District… A few readers didn’t agree with my "ridicule" the other day of the lackluster fundraising by the field in… Read More

This just in from U.S. Senate candidate Carly Fiorina…

“Today we remember the birth of President Ronald Reagan, a leader whom I admire most because he was clear, because he was an optimist and because he knew that big government is the problem, not the solution. He led our nation through stormy economic times with policies that encouraged the growth of small businesses and allowed entrepreneurs and innovators to do what they do best – create jobs. His leadership and vision also expanded the reach of democracy in the world and made Americans more secure.

President Reagan was truly a pragmatic leader with a common-sense approach to politics who brought people together to carry the nation through difficult times. He held strongly to the values of limited government and individual responsibility. He was a great optimist who believed in the strength of the American people. He understood that the American Dream was something worth protecting.

As conservative leaders we must look to the approach to leadership that President Reagan so strongly demonstrated as a guidepost for our own solutions to the challenges we face today. We can do… Read More

Having been around politics my entire adult life, I know that it is a business that produces winners and losers. On occasion, those who lose are sore. And on even fewer occasions, some reporter eager to highlight division in the party gives the sore losers a platform. That’s what I see here.

This morning in the Sacramento Bee is such a story that I frankly would not link to this morning, finding it that lacking it news worthiness, but for the fact that having seen the full statement provided to the Bee reporter by CRP Chairman Ron Nehring, and how key parts of it never were included in the story, I thought it important for Nehring’s complete statement to be available for public consumption.

If you read the story, take note of Ron Nehring’s full statement below…

— Flash … Read More

The Sacramento Bee is reporting the California Teachers Association is busy qualifying a measure to repeal about $1.7 billion dollars in tax benefits for corporations currently in place, or about to go into effect in the next budget year. First and foremost, for the record, repealing these benefits is a bad idea. Right now we need to be freeing up the capital of corporations so that they can grow, thrive, and create private sector jobs.

Now, that having been said, the bulk of the tax benefits that are targeted by the CTA are, in my opinion, ill-gotten gains from the February 2009 budget deal where taxpayers got slammed with $16 billion dollars of income, sales and car taxes, as well as loss of some of the dependent tax credit, and also the same deal spawned a ballot measure that would have doubled the length of those tax increases. Somehow as part of the deal, while taxes went up on the people of California, big-business got a bunch a tax breaks. And, go figure, the "business community" rallied around the deal, which in my opinion, stunk. It was… Read More

Just received word that Ethie Radanovich, the wife of U.S. Representative George Radanovich, passed away last night. She had been fighting cancer for some time. Our prayers go out to the Congressman, his family and their close friends. Very sad news, indeed.… Read More

News reports today informed us that Mission Viejo City Councilman Lance MacLean, the current appointed Mayor, was recalled by the very narrow margin of just 19 votes in the city recall election held last Tuesday. After spending the extraordinary amount of $105,000 to oppose the recall (or about $15 a vote) (one wonders who did the union’s polling!) and lose by just 19 votes, the Orange County Deputy Sheriff’s union might want to demand a "recount" just to satisfy any doubts individual union members might have about the results, or the wisdom, of dumping such a large amount of precious PAC funds down the drain on just this small part of the County.

If union members want a recount, however, they will have to pay for it, adding insult to injury. Under the law, a County Registrar may initiate a recount where he/she believes there has been a miscount of the vote. However, today’s news reports make it clear that the County Registrar’s office, through their spokesperson, has full confidence in their election count. Where the government does not initiate a recount, the law allows any "voter" in the district to request… Read More