In the shadow of the partisan splits on the budget is an interesting bipartisan campaign to go after federal education dollars. The Obama Administration has set aside $4.3 billion to distribute to states that adopt most of its recommended reforms. The California State Senate has already passed a reform bill that would constitute California’s application and the Assembly is scheduled to meet in special session (hard to remember there ever was a regular session) in December to consider the Senate bill.

I say "consider the Senate bill" because, while the money has been the focus of the headlines, it is the reforms that should have a greater impact on education in California. First, note the politics: the bill is jointly authored by Democrat Senators Gloria Romero and Elaine Alquist, as well as Republican Senators Bob Huff and Mark Wyland. Their collaboration is a testament that politicians can work together. The bill proposes several major changes in education. One of the most controversial is that the bill would permit, for the first time, student test data to be used in helping to evaluate the job performance of teachers and administrators. It… Read More

California’s Global Warming Solutions Act, aka AB32, is predicated on the assertion by Governor Schwarzenegger and Mary Nichols, his appointee as Chairman of the California Air Resources Board (CARB) and others that the “the science of global climate change is unequivocal and there is consensus among credible scientists.” Evidence of such usually and typically point to the various studies by the United Nations’ International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) group of self-appointed experts. Just over a week ago, however, internal communications from part of the IPCC support network came to light that questions their honesty and integrity, and most certainly raises questions about the very “settled science” that lies (pun intended) at the heart of AB32.

As a quick reminder to those not closely familiar with California’s “landmark” global warming legislation, AB 32 added the following to the Health and Safety Code 38501.… Read More

California’s Global Warming Solutions Act, aka AB32, is predicated on the assertion by Governor Schwarzenegger and Mary Nichols, his appointee as Chairman of the California Air Resources Board (CARB) and others that the “the science of global climate change is unequivocal and there is consensus among credible scientists.” Evidence of such usually and typically point to the various studies by the United Nations’ International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) group of self-appointed experts. Just over a week ago, however, internal communications from part of the IPCC support network came to light that questions their honesty and integrity, and most certainly raises questions about the very “settled science” that lies (pun intended) at the heart of AB32.

As a quick reminder to those not closely familiar with California’s “landmark” global warming legislation, AB 32 added the following to the Health and Safety Code 38501.… Read More

My assignment to the Joint Legislative Audit Committee has given me the unique opportunity to delve into the inner workings of California state government. Recently an investigation completed by the California State Auditors Office crossed my desk or inbox as the case may be. This report concluded that poor internal controls in the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation facilities are responsible for several instances of overpayment to employees for inmate supervision.

From March 2008 through February 2009 the State Auditor found five of the six facilities examined overpaid employees who did not meet the requirement for extra pay totaling a lost to the state of $34,512. Using this data it was concluded by the State Auditor as much as $588,512 was overpaid statewide during the same twelve-month period.

This is exactly the kind of waste the state cannot afford right now. Occurrences like these in previous years were a nuisance but could be considered budget dust, money not amounting enough to be concerned about, but now when we are cutting deeply into the Healthcare and… Read More

Democrat election lawyer Bob Bauer has left private practice and now works for the taxpayers as the Obama White House Counsel, and already there are discussions on the Left-wing blogs, encouraged by Bauer’s appointment, that statements such as "ACORN stole the election" for Obama in 2008 could be considered a form of harassment and voter intimidation in and of themselves and that to restrict such mistruths from further circulation they might best be criminalized. Because, even though ACORN engaged in massive, coordinated vote illegalities in the last Presidential election, it didn’t really "steal" the election for Obama. The drift on the Left is that Obama would have won the election without all the help, legal or illegal, ACORN provided anyway, so for people to say that Obama "stole" the election is near criminal slander, and it should be suppressed. Lori Minnite, associated with Columbia University, states that tales of ACORN "stealing" the election for Obama are "ubiquitous" in the "rightwing blogosphere," and that rightwingers also believe that ACORN "stole" the election for… Read More

This Thanksgiving morning, as I review some of the news, I find the rhetoric aroundthis little Lt. Governor replacement issue quite entertaining as well as disturbing. In the news, there is annoyance over: A) the mere existence ofan LG B) thecandidate chosen to fill the vacancy C) the "horrendous" cost ofpossible special elections to replace the domino’d open seat[s] caused by appointing a current legislator as Lt Governor

My, ahem, ‘favorite’ line may beabout the governor, by movingto fill the vacancy "has chosen politics over seniors and children." [It was uttered by someone seeking statewide office]

As a duly elected Constitutional officer, the Lt. Governor does have certain responsibilities. A key one is a vote on the State Lands Commission, which would have jurisdiction over key oil drilling policy. The bottom line should be is that if the people of California through their Constitution have provided or allowed for the existence of a Lt Guv, and thus vote one into office, then it’s the obligation of the Governor and the Legislature to appoint and confirm a replacement as a… Read More

This Thanksgiving morning, as I review some of the news, I find the rhetoric aroundthis little Lt. Governor replacement issue quite entertaining as well as disturbing. In the news, there is annoyance over: A) the mere existence ofan LG B) thecandidate chosen to fill the vacancy C) the "horrendous" cost ofpossible special elections to replace the domino’d open seat[s] caused by appointing a current legislator as Lt Governor

My, ahem, ‘favorite’ line may beabout the governor, by movingto fill the vacancy "has chosen politics over seniors and children." [It was uttered by someone seeking statewide office]

As a duly elected Constitutional officer, the Lt. Governor does have certain responsibilities. A key one is a vote on the State Lands Commission, which would have jurisdiction over key oil drilling policy. The bottom line should be is that if the people of California through their Constitution have provided or allowed for the existence of a Lt Guv, and thus vote one into office, then it’s the obligation of the Governor and the Legislature to appoint and confirm a replacement as a… Read More

Today I am truly thankful for my wife and family; for my friends; for God’s blessings in my life; and to live in a great, free country that offers me and all people opportunity, civil rights, and the right to speak my mind.

Other things I am thankful for today are that: my parents didn’t name me Lester Lacy; that the Angels made it to the American League championship series and that baseball is just a few months away; that I was able to get rid of low profile tires on my car, which explode too much; that my German-born and titled 121 pound German Shepherd, Ibo Vom Steigerhof, BH, hasn’t been able to figure out how to start my car, yet; that my lemon tree hasn’t died; and that our publisher has only permanently deleted one of my posts herein in the last year. Happy Thanksgiving everybody!… Read More