State Senator Tom Harman has to be feeling a little crowded about now. Heck, just a few days ago there was nothing standing between him and the Republican nomination for Attorney General except the technical need to be nominated by GOP voters in the June primary. A few days ago I reported that Dean John Eastman of Chapman University’s Law School had started making calls and will be formally announcing his candidacy very soon.

Today brings the (anticipated) formal entry into the race of Los Angeles County’s 9-year top prosecutor, District Attorney Steve Cooley. In a prepared statement announcing the formation of his Exploratory Committee, Cooley had this to say: "Many people from law enforcement and throughout the political spectrum are urging me to run for Attorney General. I am proud of my crime fighting record as District Attorney. As a career prosecutor and District Attorney of Los Angeles County I have the experience and drive to be California’s top law enforcement… Read More

I am so grateful to Senators Feinstein and Boxer for quickly attacking Governor’s Schwarzenegger’s plan to get increased federal aid. They killed it; it is dead. My concern was that the entire special session on the budget would be spent wasting time asking our federal representatives for help. Now that will not be necessary. The Governor proposed a Plan B if the federal aid did not appear, and it is now time to implement Plan B. It entails a great dismantling of the welfare state and would actually balance the state’s budget by real, permanent cuts in spending.

Feinstein and Boxer declared that California made its own troubles while totally ignoring their own poor immigration policy and the numerous federal mandates they created. I would be curious to know what they think the California trouble is. Do they support cutting excessive spending? Or do they think that California taxes are not yet high enough?

In any event, thanks for such a speedy response so that the Governor can now focus on cutting spending.… Read More

This just came in as I am out the door… So my apologies as we usually don’t reprint press releases. Good news for this candidate I suppose, they get their "exact" spin.. Take it for what it is, Fiorina’s take on her own finances… Carly Fiorina Kicks Off 2010 With More Than $2.7 Million In The Bank For Senate Bid Banks $232,000 in online donations Sacramento, CA – U.S. Senate candidate Carly Fiorina today announced that, after a strong first 60 days as a declared candidate, her campaign enters the 2010 election year with more than $2.7 million cash on hand. … Read More

We talk about how 2010 is going to be the "It Year" for politics — and it’s already started. Between the policy changes facing Sacramento including a projected $20 billion shortfall (and those predictions always seem to be low), and what will be a staggering year for politics – what, with Gubernatorial, U.S. Senate and down ticket races, and an expectation of a few thousand ballot measures qualifying for November, there will be no shortage of material to write about here on FR.

But not to be missed as a critical happening in 2010 will be the outcome of legislative elections up and down California. Right now Democrats enjoy a 25-15 majority in the Senate, just two shy of the 2/3 vote necessary to pass taxes increases, and in the Assembly Democrats sit at 51 seats, just three shy of the 2/3 mark.

There is no doubt that Senate President Darrell Steinberg, and Assembly Speakers Bass and Perez, along with their public employee union allies will be working overtime to try and pick up those five critical seats.

**There is more – click the… Read More

This just in from conservative Los Angeles County Supervisor Mike Antonovich…

Governor’s Budget Rearranges Deck Chairs On The Titanic Michael D. Antonovich, Los Angeles County Supervisor Without structural reform to fix California’s broken budget system, this budget is a mix of tax schemes and band aids that only delays the inevitable. Our state currently has some of the highest gasoline, sales… Read More

We talk about how 2010 is going to be the "It Year" for politics — and it’s already started. Between the policy changes facing Sacramento including a projected $20 billion shortfall (and those predictions always seem to be low), and what will be a staggering year for politics – what, with Gubernatorial, U.S. Senate and down ticket races, and an expectation of a few thousand ballot measures qualifying for November, there will be no shortage of material to write about here on FR.

But not to be missed as a critical happening in 2010 will be the outcome of legislative elections up and down California. Right now Democrats enjoy a 25-15 majority in the Senate, just two shy of the 2/3 vote necessary to pass taxes increases, and in the Assembly Democrats sit at 51 seats, just three shy of the 2/3 mark.

There is no doubt that Senate President Darrell Steinberg, and Assembly Speakers Bass and Perez, along with their public employee union allies will be working overtime to try and pick up those five critical seats.

… Read More

We received this short testimonial from Assemblywoman Connie Conway in support of her chosen candidate for Governor of California, Meg Whitman… We Need Proven Results Assemblywoman Connie Conway The new year has brought new encouragement to me: We can get California back on track. Our challenges are immense, our budget deficit is jaw-dropping and our red tape is out of control. But as I listened to the State of the State address last week, I heard a clear and prudent message. Republicans are going… Read More

The whole issue of providing water stations or at least strategically placed water bottles in the desert for illegal border crossers from Mexico is an interesting dichotomy. Some view the effort as akin to abetting an illegal activity, others as simply keeping people from dying from dehydration in the hot and rough terrain north of the border.

Realistically, it’s a bit of both.

Many are more focused on what they view as the compassion side of the question than they are the unlawful activity. Former Congressman Duncan L. Hunter, he and his family certainly not known for a stance in support of open borders, even has a brother involved in providing water for border crossers. John Hunter is often quoted in news stories on the issue.

Similar to debates over needle exchange programs — philosophically, at least — it’s no different than apologizing for any illegal activity within the context of "settling" for what many believe will take place anyway, like it or not. The message seems to be clear:People will break the law in a particular arena, so as long as they will be doing so, they might as well not die in the… Read More