There have been some news links posted on the Flash main page over the last few days about the legislature "expunging" (or never posting, I believe is the reality) from its websites the official Assembly July 24 vote tallies for Chuck DeVore’s AB 23, which would have allowed offshore oil drilling (it failed 28-43, with eight not voting): LAT: California Assembly expunges votes on oil drilling bill

SF Chron: Erase the cowardice

The articles are comical, when you read some of the stated reasons for hiding the votes of our representatives.

The 30,000 foot implication in the articles, of course, is that such a bill is too controversial for the public to fully understand the complex and personal reasons for each members’ respective vote on the matter. I like that one.

More specifically implied is that any Democrat demanding the U.S. rid itself of the necessity of foreign oil sources, would need to "splain" how they could be opposed to… Read More

This week, the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors unanimously voted not to allow marijuana dispensaries within unincorporated areas of the county for up to a year. That same day, the City of Victorville took a similar action.

These actions are taking place more and more as a result of Proposition 215, which, under state law, allows marijuana use if “recommended” (not prescribed) by a physician.

As part of his “hope and change” agenda, President Barack Obama, the country’s chief law enforcement officer, has vowed not to enforce federal laws in California pertaining to marijuana.

Earlier this year, the U.S. Supreme Court turned away an attempt by San Bernardino and San Diego counties to not be forced into issuing medical marijuana identification cards on the grounds that doing so could be in violation of federal law.

The laws being what they are, San Bernardino County is now forced to adhere to the state requirement to hand out medical marijuana cards on behalf of the state.

But now, the question of allowing medical marijuana dispensaries comes front and center.

Ventura County and cities like… Read More

Who are these three? An order to release 25% of felons from state prisons is one of the most mind boggling judicial orders ever issued in US history. The idea is so bizarre, strange and breathtaking we need to have a look into the background of each of the judges. Are they mere cranks or serious social policy reformers?

Here’s the first clue. All were appointed by Jimmy Carter. What are the odds? If you were forced to choose who among the three is the most exotic you would have endless shouting matches. Let’s begin with Stephen Reinhardt. … Read More

Who are these three? An order to release 25% of felons from state prisons is one of the most mind boggling judicial orders ever issued in US history. The idea is so bizarre, strange and breathtaking we need to have a look into the background of each of the judges. Are they mere cranks or serious social policy reformers?

Here’s the first clue. All were appointed by Jimmy Carter. What are the odds? If you were forced to choose who among the three is the most exotic you would have endless shouting matches. Let’s begin with Stephen Reinhardt. … Read More

With yesterday’s news that three federal judges have decided 44,000 California state inmates ought to be released, now is a good time to take a look at the facts about our state prison in this paper, "Who Is In Our State Prisons?" I’ve said it before and I will say it again: the folks at the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation desperately need to focus on the rehabilitation part if we are to quit the foolish practice of sending parolees back to prison on infractions. But California does not have the crowding and health care problems that some liberals would have you believe. As a matter of fact, when it comes to prison populations, California is about in the middle when compared to other states, according to the Pew Institute — a Left leaning think tank, as you will read in my paper.… Read More

Socialized Medicine: The final committee mark-up in the House for the socialized medicine bill finished late Friday evening with the bill passing by a vote of 31-28. Five of the "Blue Dog" Democrats (Gordon, Hill, Harman, Ross, and Space) who had previously opposed the bill, voted in favor of it, with the announcement of some minor modifications. Three other "Blue Dogs" (Matheson, Barrow, Melancon) voted ‘No.’ In essence, the bill is the same as it was before. What’s interesting here is that Committee Chairman Henry Waxman called for the vote on the bill when there were still 52 amendments pending that had neither been debated nor voted upon. The Chairman provided a vague promise that those amendments would be heard in September.

So why take a vote on a bill that supposedly isn’t done yet? This is pure speculation on my part, but I suspect that those who are pushing this mess (including the President and the Speaker) want to show momentum before the August recess. That’s to be expected, but the Republicans in Congress and the majority of Americans, who oppose this increase in taxes, costs, deficit, debt,… Read More

Federal judges have just told the state of California to release 43,000 prisoners due to prison overcrowding. Lets leave aside, for the moment, that the Democrats in the Legislature have caused this overcrowding because they have not allowed the construction of any new prisons in over 15 years (the Democrats have been waiting for this order for that entire time, since they dont think that criminals should be in prison). That is the real cause of this overcrowding. But this is a time to make lemonade out of this federally imposed lemon.

For years, the federal judiciary has been pushing itself more and more into the operations of state government. Tossing out the 1994 initiative prohibiting payment of welfare to illegals (and thus resulting in California having the largest welfare roles in thenation), telling how to spend our money, forcing us to provide better medical care to prisoners than most law abiding citizens receive, dictating spending, welfare and medical policies because some left wing interest group doesnt like the policy choices the state has made. The courts have turned the principle of federalism on its ear, intruding more and more into state… Read More

A recent email from Friends of the Earth caught my eye because of its involvement with interenational trade in Southern California and proposed regulations form So Cal’s air quality regulatory agency.

The California Air Resources Board (CARB) recently held public workshop sessions to explore the concept of a vessel speed limit as a means to address air quality and emissions from ships transiting Southern California waters to and from the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. You’d join me in being surprised to learn that the "Air Resources Board" might implement its mission through vessel speed limits in offshore and near shore waters.

And, you may also have heard that reducing vessel speed limits could help "save the whales."

Not long ago, a cruise ship impaled a fin whale in Pacific Northwest waters en route to the Port of Vancouver. The ship’s bulbous bow struck the whale in the soft underbelly and carried the animal on its hull into port, where the incident was discovered. It’s not… Read More