FR readers should be very pleased to learn that yesterday Governor Schwarzenegger appointed conservative leader Chuck Poochigian to serve as a judge on the Fifth District Court of Appeal! This is great news.

As most know, Poochigian served for many many years in the California legislature, distinguishing himself as a legislator who understood and respected the limited role for government that was envisioned by our Founding Fathers. Prior to serving in the State Senate and State Assembly, Poochigian served in the administration of Governor Pete Wilson — he served as Judicial Appointments Secretary (a small world, indeed).

We always add that it is a mixed blessing when conservative leaders are appointed to the bench. Of course it is great for the state, and for those who believe that we should have judges who enforce the laws of the land, as opposed to making the laws. But this also takes Pooch off of the "political field of play" as it is traditional and expected for judges to be… Read More

After a long day of waiting, the Assembly just adjourned without taking up any new business.

This is a major victory for Californians. My colleagues from across the aisle pulled back from a public safety disaster at the very last minute. With more than a handful of Democrats having issues with the Senate bill, the sentencing commission (along with its absurd requirement of one ex-felon member) and early release of prisonersare bothdead for the time being.

So even though waiting for absolutely nothing today may have been a big waste of time, I am very happy to say that California scored a major victory tonight.… Read More

On a vote of 21-19, the State Senate has approved the "Get Out Of Jail Free" legislation that you can read about below in commentaries from myself and George Runner. It’s now off to the Assembly where it’s outcome, according to Capitol Weekly, is in some doubt as a number of Democrats are running for office (and would have to defend a whacky sentencing commission that includes, as one of its members, a seat for a convicted felon — you can’t make this stuff up).

Senate Republican Leader Dennis Hollingsworth (R – Murrieta) responded to the Democrats passing this bill:

“Senate Republicans believe government’s first and foremost role is to protect its citizens. Unfortunately, this proposal exploits a fiscal crisis in order to advance a dangerous liberal agenda that seeks to undo successful anti-crime laws. … Read More

Today, I offeredsix common-sense amendments to the dangerous prison bill proposed by the Democrats and the Governor. Sadly, and to the detriment of California’s safety, allsix were rejected by the Democrat Senators.

The amendments would have done the following:

* Close three juvenile facilities(read more about this proposal here) * Suspend all rehabilitation programs * Required CDCR to use Medi-Cal rate for prison health care instead of the current rate * Require CDCR to post online a soon-to-be released inmate’s criminal history 10 days prior to release * Require CDCR to post online all arrests and convictions 18 months after arrest * Remove ex-felon requirement form the Sentencing Commission (Read more about the Sentencing Committee here)… Read More

Today, the Legislature will vote on the Democrats’ prison budget proposal, which includes several dangerous elements, such as releasing inmates early from prison, rewarding thieves for stealing vehicles valued under $2,500, and creating a public safety commission that would allow membership by an ex-felon.

This measure is offensive to law-abiding Californians and an affront to crime victims. Making matters worse, this is an all-or-nothing bill – meaning the Democrats put several ideas into one bill and snuck in things like a sentencing commission that has nothing to do with reducing prison costs and everything to do with an elitist political agenda.

Specifically, Assembly Bill X3-14 creates the California Public Safety Commission, composed of 16 members one of whom will be an ex-felon appointed by the Speaker of the Assembly. Allowing an ex-con to sit on a public safety commission sounds like a parody out of Mad Magazine. Unfortunately it’s a real proposal, which means one of the commissioners could potentially be Lynette ‘Squeaky’ Fromme, the recently released felon who attempted to assassinate President Ford and an avid follower of Charles… Read More

It seems to us that the politics of the State Capitol couldn’t be more dysfunctional even if you tried to make it so — and the policy quasi-debate and votes that are scheduled to take place today on the issue of reducing the budget of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation by over a billion dollars are a prime example.

First and foremost, let’s set the table thusly… Liberal Democrats in Sacramento have for decades been applying the brakes to laws that seek to hold individual criminals accountable for their actions. The collectivist mindset of ideologues on the left is that every criminal should actually be looked at as a "victim of society" — after all, no one would actually want to violate the life, liberty or property of another — only a breakdown in the social fabric of our society, for which we are all partially responsible, could result in a person resorting to a life of crime. Right? WRONG. This failed idea completely ignores the important principle that every… Read More

It seems to us that the politics of the State Capitol couldn’t be more dysfunctional even if you tried to make it so — and the policy quasi-debate and votes that are scheduled to take place today on the issue of reducing the budget of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation by over a billion dollars are a prime example.

First and foremost, let’s set the table thusly… Liberal Democrats in Sacramento have for decades been applying the brakes to laws that seek to hold individual criminals accountable for their actions. The collectivist mindset of ideologues on the left is that every criminal should actually be looked at as a "victim of society" — after all, no one would actually want to violate the life, liberty or property of another — only a breakdown in the social fabric of our society, for which we are all partially responsible, could result in a person resorting to a life of crime. Right? WRONG. This failed idea completely ignores the important principle that every… Read More

You can reading Chris Cillizza’s Morning Fix column here.… Read More