This last Friday evening and Saturday was the third annual Western Conservative Political Action Conference held in Newport Beach, California. The event, which drew as many as 350 people at its peak, represented a third straight year of growth for the event. While the event was relatively short in length, starting with a sunset reception on Friday and concluding with a dinner Saturday evening – Western CPAC was jammed pack with a great program that included a whole slew of great speakers.

For my part, as a Co-Chairman of the event, I wanted to see this event get high-level exposure through-out the conservative blogosphere, with a top-notch bloggers row. I reached out to my friend Elizabeth Crum, Vice President of the Nevada-based Citizen Outreach and Editor of the Nevada News Bureau, who… Read More

I’m finding it very difficult to believe that Anita Dunn, who said on film on June 5 that communist mass murderer Chairman Mao was one of her philosophical heroes, still has a job. Can you imagine the ramifications of a Republican in her position saying something even mildly similar? For folks who don’t pay attention, under Mao nearly 34 million people were murdered, many in concentration camps. Think North Korea. Disgusting. This woman has no place in any responsible administration.… Read More

U.S. Rep. Devin Nunes is fired up about so-called "leaders" of the Ag Community who are thwarting efforts to get the water pumps turned on.… Read More

Senate pro Tempore Darrell Steinberg (D-Sacramento) had a press event last week to argue the Governor’s furlough of state workers is not saving as much as advertised.A huge number of state workers live in his district.Steinberg and a group from UC Berkeley gave compelling arguments.If they and others are successful in convincing the public and the Governor that the furloughs are not producing enough savings, the Governor’s only viable alternative is to exercise his executive power to unilaterally layoff tens of thousands of state workers with a single stroke of his pen. http://www.ibabuzz.com/politics/2009/10/14/steinberg-seeks-a-one-two-punch-on-furloughs/ … Read More

Today, I announced I was endorsing Chris Norby for the 72nd Assembly District.

Iwanted to briefly let people know why. I think Chris Norby will be a fighter for Republican principles. During this breakfrom the legislature I hear more and more how people are mad. While they are mad at Obamacare and tax increases, they are also mad at the Republican Party.

Norby understands that frustration and I will never have to worry about him voting for big government or a tax increase. He gets that. Chris Norby is a grassroots Republican. I may not agree with him on every issue, but we need more fighters from the grassroots in Sacramento.… Read More

From today’s Wall Street Journal Political Diary E-mail:

A Left Coast Bellwether

The New Jersey and Virginia governor’s races aren’t the only contests in which Democrats are feeling pressure from the growing unpopularity of President Obama’s policies. A GOP upset may also be in the making in a California House special election on November 3. Democratic Lt. Governor John Garamendi and Republican attorney David Harmer are battling for the Bay Area congressional seat vacated by Democrat Ellen Tauscher, who left to join the Obama state department. Normally a staunch Democratic seat, there is a growing chance it could swing to the GOP given the state’s latest budget collapse and the 13% approval… Read More

Over the weekend the Western Conservative Political Action Conference was held in Newport Beach. We’ll be penning and overview of the conference later today, which will run down the great program and participants — including great speeches from Tim Pawlenty, Ralph Reed, Chuck DeVore, Tom Fuentes, Steve Poizner and many others. We’ll also look at a couple of more controversial moments of the conference including a show-down between former talk radio show host John Ziegler and American Conservative Union President David Keene, and a dust up between one of board members of WCPAC and one of the prominent bloggers that flew in to cover the event. All in all, what could be more fun that conservatives and controversy? A full weekend indeed.

Look for my write up to appear tomorrow morning on FR.

If you attended the conference and have any feedback or insights, drop me a line here.… Read More

Death Tax: When I am home in California, I get many questions about legislation relating to the Death Tax. As many of you know, the Death Tax currently kicks in at a 45% rate for estates over $3.5 million. But under current law, the tax will go away on January 1st, 2010 for 1 year. Then, it comes back on January 1st, 2011 at a 55% rate for estates over $1 million. This strange vacillation in the tax and the exemption has occurred in order to comply with arcane House rules calling for no increase in the deficit more than 10 years out from when the reduction in the death tax was passed. Obviously, the idea that the tax would go away and then come back 12 months later at its highest level in a decade is ridiculous public policy. There is universal agreement that this has to be changed.

But that’s where the agreement ends. Most Republicans, including this one, believe that the tax should be permanently eliminated. This wealth has already been taxed at least once when it was earned. Furthermore, this is a very inefficient tax. The direct costs of collection are actually over 50% of the tax collected. And many studies show that the government… Read More