Like it or not, there is something distinctly, even "raw"-ly capitalistic about shopping at Whole Foods. If you believe my friends in the ag business, it’s darned hard to prove that organic food has any better nutritional value than conventionally-grown products. But that doesn’t stop Whole Foods from making money in a sector long thought to operate on razor thin margins with very little consumer loyality. And today I learn that the company’s CEO is really a living, breathing capitalist.

John Mackey, CEO of Whole Foods penned an op ed column in today’s Wall Street Journal. To wit, on health care reform proposals:

"While we clearly need health care reform, the last thing our country needs is a massive new health care entitlement that will create hundreds of billions of dollars of new unfunded deficits and move us much closer to a government takeover of our health care system."

"While all of us empathize with those who are sick, how can we say that all people have more of an intrinsic right to health care… Read More

UPDATE:

This just in from ProtectMarriage.com – a statement from Ron Prentice:

Original Post (1130am): Just a few minutes ago, the folks over at Equality California, the umbrella group… Read More

FlashReport readers will recall that I recently bestowed the “honor” of our Golden Trashcan Award to policy being put forward by the California Energy Commission (CEC) to ban big screen televisions in the name of Orwellian efforts to reduce energy consumption by – you!

Since I wrote that commentary, I noted that a new coalition has formed to fight this lame-brained idea, and others like it – Californians for Smart Energy. Today members of this coalition held a news conference outside of the CEC’s offices to oppose the big screen ban, and it arbitrary energy limits on televisions.

That’s right, a bunch of unaccountable, unelected bureaucrats now want to control what TVs we can or cannot buy here in the “Golden State.”

Californians for Smart Energy is a… Read More

FlashReport readers will recall that I recently bestowed the “honor” of our Golden Trashcan Award to policy being put forward by the California Energy Commission (CEC) to ban big screen televisions in the name of Orwellian efforts to reduce energy consumption by – you!

Since I wrote that commentary, I noted that a new coalition has formed to fight this lame-brained idea, and others like it – Californians for Smart Energy. Today members of this coalition held a news conference outside of the CEC’s offices to oppose the big screen ban, and it arbitrary energy limits on televisions.

That’s right, a bunch of unaccountable, unelected bureaucrats now want to control what TVs we can or cannot buy here in the “Golden State.”

Californians for Smart Energy is a… Read More

Those who have any question about why Texas is becoming an attractive place to which Californians are moving, check out this study by the American Legislative Exchange Council (this isn’t new, it’s a few months old).

Just to see if U-Haul is still having to pay its employees to drive empty trucks back to California, I checked to see if it is still vastly more expensive to rent a truck going FROM California to Texas than visa versa.

To rent a 26′ truck from West Los Angeles to Austin – $2,151. To rent that same truck from Austin to West LA – $678.

That should be very telling…… Read More

Confirming the breaking news presented here on the FlashReport by San Diego County Correspondent Barry Jantz, the following release just came over the transom…

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: John Wainio John@TheSanDiegoGroup.com

David Bejarano to be next Chula Vista Chief of Police

Campaign for Sheriff Ends

Chula Vista, CA. August 11, 2009 – David Bejarano today announced that he has accepted the opportunity to serve as Chief of Police for the City of Chula Vista. "The decision was based on the ‘once in a lifetime’ opportunity to return to my passion of being a local municipal Police Chief for the community that my family and I have ‘called home’ for almost thirty years," said Bejarano.

Bejarano is excited about making a public safety contribution for the Chula Vista Police Department and the community where he is active through various non-profit organizations, a community bank, and as a Trustee for the Chula Vista Elementary School District.

Today’s announcement also means… Read More

***Exclusive to the FlashReport***

The item on today’s Chula Vista City Council meeting agenda is simple:

22. PUBLIC EMPLOYEE APPOINTMENT PURSUANT TO GOVERNMENT CODE SECTION 54957 Title: Police Chief

That could mean a lot of things. However I have it from an impeccable source that David Bejarano, the leading fundraiser in next year’s San Diego County Sheriff’s election, will be appointed as chief of police in Chula Vista, to be followed by his announcement that he will drop his bid for sheriff.

The obvious impact on the sheriff’s campaign may be more significant news for some than the police chief announcement itself. For Bejarano, I’m guessing not!

The source is "vaunted" enough, that I am calling the news now.

More to follow.

9:10 am Update: The news is confirmed. See follow-up post.

2:00 am Update: The Union-Trib has … Read More

There seems to be something particularly egregious about something I read about in today’s Los Angeles Times, DWP proposes hiring former Assembly speaker Nuñez to help lobbyists.

Apparently the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, a public agency, is looking to spend big bucks to hire former Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez to provide "strategic advice" on how the agency should be navigating through the regulatory maze that has come about with the passage of AB 32, the legislation that requires state government to enact rules limiting people-caused actions that produce carbon emissions.

The irony hear, which should make FR readers cringe, is that Nunez himself was an absolutely critical player, while Assembly Speaker, in the passage of AB 32 in the first place.

Or to put it another way — are we creating a new "industry" in California — which is where… Read More