The Sacramento Bee today (and Jon’s post here on FR earlier this morning) brought back the wonderful memory of how I spent my Valentine’s Day this year. Instead of taking Sharon to a nice dinner, I was locked in on the Senate floor with 39 of my closest friends fighting to keep get California’s spending in line with revenues. This is not how I would recommend anyone spending their Valentine’s Day and it highlights an ever growing problem in the Legislature – all night sessions that yield poor public policy.

The ink on the page isn’t even dry before we are called by the Pro Tem to vote on legislation that has dramatic implications for the entire state. These policies are negotiated in backroom deals that have no public input and are never debated through the proper legislative process. Members aren’t afforded time to read the bills let alone given enough time for our policy experts to scrutinize the legislation and draft complete and accurate analyses. This unfortunately leads… Read More

In today’s Sacramento Bee, Steve Wiegand has an important article that every FlashReport reader should take in, entitled Long Hours In Capitol Mean Lousy Lawmaking, Critics Say. There’s a great photo of a worn-out Senator George Runner accompanying the piece.

Weigands piece takes note of the fact that four times this year alone, the State Legislature has engaged in the practice of having long, late-night marathon sessions where our elected representatives are forced to fight exhaustion and sleep deprivation as "deals" are put together.

We saw this happen first with the February budget debacle that brought us the largest tax increase in the history of any state. In July, another long time dealing with budget gets and an early morning gauging of taxpayers by adjusting withholding timelines, then there was the end of session with adjourned at 6am — and finally last week the embarrassing water-torture exercize that went to the wee hours.

It’s no wonder the legislature has such a low approval rating — this is no way to run state government!… Read More

In today’s Sacramento Bee, Steve Wiegand has an important article that every FlashReport reader should take in, entitled Long Hours In Capitol Mean Lousy Lawmaking, Critics Say. There’s a great photo of a worn-out Senator George Runner accompanying the piece.

Weigands piece takes note of the fact that four times this year alone, the State Legislature has engaged in the practice of having long, late-night marathon sessions where our elected representatives are forced to fight exhaustion and sleep deprivation as "deals" are put together.

We saw this happen first with the February budget debacle that brought us the largest tax increase in the history of any state. In July, another long time dealing with budget gets and an early morning gauging of taxpayers by adjusting withholding timelines, then there was the end of session with adjourned at 6am — and finally last week the embarrassing water-torture exercize that went to the wee hours.

**There is more – click the… Read More

Following yesterday’s breaking news by Andrew Breitbard’s BigGovernment.comthat a San Diego ACORN official was recently caught on tape claiming a whitewash by Attorney General Jerry Brown’s office of the ongoing investigation of the organization (also hilited on today’s FR mainpage), the Republican Party of San Diego County today demanded answers.

Chairman Tony Krvaric shot off a letter to Brown, as well as hand delivered a letter to the local ACORN office in National City. The KGTV Channel 10 video of today’s GOP activities sums up the entire story very nicely (make sure you click on the video to the right of the linked page)…

http://www.10news.com/news/21588591/detail.html

Krvaric had the following to say…

We can recall the appalling videos from the National City office of ACORN, where an employee was caught on tape… Read More

Chris Norby will finish first in the special election scheduled for Tuesday, November 17th, for the 72nd Assembly District, and here are the reasons why:

1. A big base of the district is in Fullerton and Norby polls very well there, having been a City Councilman and Supervisor therefor several terms. While former State Senator Dick Ackerman, the husband of candidate Linda Ackerman, also served on the council, a transfer of Dick’s local experience and qualifications to Linda isn’t happening, according to polls.

2. There is a significant anti-incumbent fervor capturing voters attention across the nation. In New Jersey, an incumbent Democrat Governor was thrown out of office by an upstart Republican pledging cleaner government. The Democrats were also thrown out of the Governor’s mansion in Virginia. This fervor is best tapped in the Orange County race by Norby, who is perceived as a party "outsider" in Orange County, unlike Linda Ackerman, who is saddled with her position as National Committeewoman of the Republican Party, the party that brought us President Barack Obama,and could be perceived by just… Read More

I’m a little concerned…… we have a Governor today that, in order to prove his environmental "credentials", signed AB 32 into law, "greenhouse emissions" legislation that will slam another nail into our faltering economy and drive away industry.

Now, we have yet another "Republican" running for Governor with the same close ties to radical environmental interests. I am really, really puzzled by this.

On Monday, I blogged on Meg Whitman’s personal foundation donating thousands of dollars to the Environmental Defense Fund in 2007 to protect the delta smelt and that Whitman personally embarked on a climate change cruise in 2008 with Jimmy Carter and Van Jones.

Yesterday on the Capitol Hour with Eric Hogue, Meg… Read More

Check out the latest from ReasonTV…

… Read More

California Republican Lawyers Association Demands Attorney General Allow for an Independent Investigation Calls on the District Attorneys of Alameda and San Francisco to Conduct the Investigation

In response to the office of Attorney General Jerry Brown attempts to close an internal investigation surrounding the resignation of his Communications Director Scott Gerber, the following letter was sent to the Attorney General today by Steven Baric, President of the California Republican Lawyers Association and former prosecutor.

Furthermore, given the need for an unbiased and transparent handling of this matter to ensure the integrity of the Office of the Attorney General to California’s taxpayers and voters, Mr. Baric sent the following letters to the District Attorneys of Alameda County and the City… Read More