With so much going on in California politics, I try to focus my commentaries on those items that I think have some significance. But today I will exhaust a few paragraphs of text talking about what I consider to be a non-issue that has been raised in the campaign for Governor – at least it is not an issue that should impact the candidates for office. The ABC affiliate in San Francisco in recent days ran a piece on the news that drew attention to the high costs to taxpayers for the California Highway Patrol to provide law enforcement protection for the state’s constitutional officeholders.

Obviously there is a very high price tag on protecting our celebrity Governor. But according to ABC7 reporter Dan Noyes, in the last fiscal year alone, the CHP spent just over a million dollars guarding the five constitutional officers — $224,193 for Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O’Connell, $139,954 for Treasurer Bill Lockyer, $172,225 for Secretary of State Debra Bowen, $309,436 for Controller John Chiang, and $214,335 for Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner.… Read More

We have written before about the meteoric fundraising taking place by attorney Andy Pugno, who is a Republican running for Assembly in the 5th District. Andy continues to impress everyone I know with his ability to raise funds from grassroots donors.

Pugno’s campaign for Assembly has reached a new milestone — he now has over 4,000 separate donors who have now contibuted an aggregate of more than $400,000! I think those numbers are straggering, and clearly establish Andy as the frontrunner for the GOP nomination.

Since announcing his candidacy, Pugno has continued to add hundreds of new supporters to his campaign each month. Many of these individuals have crossed party lines to support Pugno, who has centered his campaign on a message of bringing fiscal responsibility to California state government.

“I am deeply humbled by the… Read More

Yesterday the Governor spent time with the Fresno Bee Editorial Board. The live-streamed it, and now you can watch the archived video… The best moment of the entire interview takes place just after the eight minute mark — the Governor is talking about how you can’t really call the so-called Peripheral Canal a canal, because it may very well be an underground tunnel. He then says that they have advanced tunneling machines, and references a machine that they had similar to these, but much smaller, in the film Total Recall. Check out this video click from Total Recall. Schwarzenegger actually destroys the boring machine — wonder if Alyson Huber will try out that maneuver.

… Read More

I just got the call and am listening in on a Tom Campbell Teletown Hall. It seems like most of the questions are coming from seniors.

If you are not familiar with Teletown Halls, they function like talk radio but works over the phone lines. They call out to thousands of households at one time and they can all listen in and some people can ask questions, the operator can take polls of people on the call and people can leave messages for call back or follow-up.

Based on the people and the talk, it seems that the call is largely including Orange County voters.… Read More

Earlier today the Carly Fiorina for U.S. Senate campaign launched a new web-based splash page, CallMeBarbara.com, where visitors can be reminded about the disrespectful manner in which Senator Boxer berated Brigadier General Michael Walsh from on-high at a Senate Committee hearing. What’s that, you don’t remember that? Here is the video…

Clearly Carly Fiorina wants everyone to remember how the shrill, leftist Junior Senator from California carries herself.

“Barbara Boxer, who by any measure has a failed record as a U.S. Senator, disrespectfully demanded a Brigadier General refer to her as ‘Senator’ instead of ’ma’am’ during a recent Senate hearing. Boxer’s arrogance and disrespect for our nation’s military leaders is way out of line,” said Carly for… Read More

Senator Jeff Denham, who cast his vote against the $11 billion dollar bond and regulatory package that has been billed as a "comprehensive solution" to our state’s water infrastructure needs, just sent this over… IT’S A DAM SHAME Senator Jeff Denham

It’s a dam shame that the water package doesn’t address the current crisis of breadlines and devastating unemployment. It’s a dam shame the water bond does nothing to guarantee water for next year so that farmers can plant crops and put people back to work. … Read More

I would like to give a "Friend of the FlashReport" shout to newly appointed Riverside County Supervisor John Benoit. He was appointed late last week by Governor Schwarzenegger, and had tendered his resignation from the State Senate effective yesterday, and was all set to be sworn in today…

It turns out, though, that if Benoit delays his resignation from the Senate for just a little while, it will likely allow one of the two special elections (the "general") to fill his vacant Senate seat to be held in conjunction with the June primary, saving taxpayers the expense of an extra election.

Knowing how John is ready and anxious to roll up his sleeves and start "Supervising" at the County, I think it speaks volumes about his advocacy for taxpayers that he has decided to wait a few more weeks before leaving the Senate.

Kudos!… Read More

On Saturday, the San Jose Mercury News reported that Meg Whitman’s personal foundation has donated thousands of dollars to protect the delta smelt – a revelation that seriously calls into question Whitman’s credibility on water issues and her credibility with voters in the Central Valley.

In 2007, Whitman donated $100,000 to the Environmental Defense Fund’s Center for California Rivers and Deltas. The Environmental Defense Fund is a liberal group that proudly advocates for the rights of the Delta Smelt over the rights of our farmers in the Central Valley.

A donation to the Environmental Defense Fund is bad enough, but directly contributing to the EDF’s main… Read More