Well, it’s been almost seven long years since the voters of California placed their economic and political future into the hands of Arnold Schwarzenegger. With the State in far worse shape than when he inherited the Davis mess, one could make the case, easily, that when he declared himself to be "post partisan" his chance at becoming effective as Governor ended.

We can all have a romantic vision of post partisanship, but it doesn’t work, and never will. Politics is bloodsport. We are never, ever all just going to "get along". My chief complaint with this Governor is that a man with business experience and a supposedly center right disposition could get his ass handed to him over and over again by leftist legislators with nary a clue on how to run an economy or a government. Arnold had truly been a girly man during his term. He’s got one chance left now to make amends and not leave California hanging over a cliff.

This is the year to shut the State government down in order to make the budget work. There’s no revenue, and there has been no reform of State spending. Taxes can’t be raised unless the… Read More

*Note, this post has been updated to include a statement from Senator Walters (below). For those looking for responses to the State of the State Address from particular legislators, I provide links to releases with that information below.

I pulled the quotes from the other Republican women so that I can say we gave attention to all six. : Senator Mimi Walters, Laguna Niguel At a time when our state, and our nation, is suffering from a severe recession, it is critical that we implement policies that will encourage business to remain in California. The economic foundation of our state is… Read More

The first place anyone heard there was a new successor GOP Senate Leader was on our Twitter feed. If you aren't following us, you're missing out on lots of tidbits and insights!

If you're on Twitter, search for FlashReport!… Read More

One of our loyal FlashReport Blog readers is apparently Ana Matosantos, Governor Schwarzenegger’s Director of Finance (who has a featured column on our main page today). After perusing the blog, she sent this submission over for your reading pleasure… Setting the Record Straight Ana Matosantos – Director of Finance In the debate over California’s spending on prison versus higher education, the following facts may be helpful.… Read More

From Judy Lloyd, Vice Chairman of Lincoln Club of Northern CA and a client of Jane Clark in AD 15 in 2008 –

Bay Area Republicans are saddened at the loss of one of our most dynamic Republican fundraisers, Jane Clark this New Year’s Day. Reports are that Jane had been diagnosed with ovarian cancer just a week before. At first the prognosis was for aggressive chemotherapy then the tragic news that Jane only had one week to live. Sadly, Jane passed on New Year’s Day, with Bruce McPherson, the former Secretary of State, her friend and former client, at her side as well as her dear friend Anne Appleman. Jane had been a great friend and colleague of mine for many years. She helped many national, Bay Area and Central Valley Republicans including McPherson, Jeff Denham, Rudy Giuliani, John McCain, Jim Cunneen, Dick Rainey, and most recently Carly Fiorina. She also had several non-profit clients who adored working with her and for whom she showed great passion. Everyone who knew Jane appreciated her sense of humor, honesty and loyalty. Jane was a popular speaker for the Lincoln Club of Northern California and other Republican organizations. I talked… Read More

In response to the announcement from Senator Bob Dutton that he has secured commitments from his colleagues to be the next Senate Republican Leader, the current Leader, Dennis Hollingsworth, provided the FlashReport with this statement:

"In order to ensure an orderly succession of leadership, it is necessary that our caucus be thinking about a new leader. I am happy that Senator Dutton appears to have the support of the caucus to be the next leader. With that in mind, we will hold an election and provide for a smooth transition later this year."… Read More

*UPDATE: 4:57: To make it abundantly clear, Dutton has the signatures of all of his colleagues except one who is out of town who has pledged his support over the phone. I wanted to clarify so that everyone understands what I have been told.*

I just got off of the phone with State Senator Bob Dutton who confirmed for me that he will be the next Senate Republican Leader, having obtained the unanimous support of members the Senate Caucus.

While the details of the transition are not yet ironed out, our sources say that Dutton is not likely to take over the Senate GOP’s top spot at least until after the 2010-2011 budget is adopted this Summer.

The formal vote for Dutton by his colleagues could happen at any time.

This is great news as Dutton is a solid conservative who will provide strong leadership for his caucus. Dutton has been the point Republican on many budget negotiations and has been the lead Senate GOP critic of AB 32.

Congratulations Senate Republican Leader-Elect (almost) Dutton!… Read More

Today, during the annual State of the State speech, the Governor claimed that California spends 45 percent more on prisons than on higher education.

That’s not true.

In fact, the 2009-10 budget spends 7.3 percent on prisons and 9.7 percent on higher education – and that doesn’t include the billions of private dollars that are invested in our public colleges, universities and junior colleges.

Not only were the Governor’s numbers incorrect, his ideas for reducing prison spending are off the mark. Don’t get me wrong; I strongly champion trimming government spending, but let’s discuss real solutions not feel-good ideas that will never gain traction.

So what should California do to spend less on prisons?

Let’s begin by removing the federal receiver who has been instrumental in costing taxpayers $17,000 per inmate per year for just for health care. This could result inan approximate$2 billion savings per year. It’s a genuine solution that deserves the Legislature and Governor’s attention.… Read More