What if I told you that there is an effect underway by Democrats inside of the State Capitol to make it more difficult and expensive to qualify ballot measures? Would you be shocked? Would it really surprise you that a legislature that has its own ability to place measures on the ballot (like the taxes that were rejected by voters last May) doesn’t want the people to have that same power?

Senate Bill 34 actually makes it a crime to hire signature gatherers to circulate petitions and pay those gatherers for every signature that they obtain. That is very poor public policy. Understand that what petition gatherers do is create opportunities to sign petitions if they want to… Of course voters can elect not to sign a petition. Make no bones about it — there is only one reason why the Democrats have pushed this legislation out the Senate on a party-line vote, and into the Assembly where they will likely try to do the same — to stifle citizen-qualified ballot measures.

Longtime FlashReport friend Paul Jacob, President of Citizens In Charge, and one of the signors on a letter (below) to the State Legislature, had this to say:… Read More

The budget impasse has now become a full-fledged capitol circus. Even the Drudge Report had a link to a story reporting the situation has devolved into a “food fight,” metaphorically and somewhat literally after Governor Schwarzenegger criticized lawmakers for advancing legislation relating to blueberry commissions and pomegranate juice standards amidst the budget crisis.

Responsible legislators have been calling for the legislature to set aside non-budget related legislation until the state solves its $26 billion deficit. Considering the severity of the problem—the governor has declared a state of emergency—that would be the reasonable thing to do. Instead, Democrats are irresponsibly continuing with committee hearings and floor sessions, voting on bills that will further regulate citizens and spend their tax dollars. This leaves one wondering whether leadership truly understands just how precarious the situation is. As they debate whether to establish Harvey Milk Day, California’s… Read More

Team Poizner scored another point yesterday against Jerry Brown in the already hot campaign for Governor in 2010.

A month ago, when press reports surfaced that Brown had accepted campaign contributions from two men that his office was investigating, Steve Poizner stepped up and called Brown out on his questionable ethical compass. Poizner immediately called for Brown to do the responsible thing and return the campaign contributions.

In classic Jerry Brown fashion, Brown blatantly refused to return the money and even characterized Poizner’s suggestion that he do so as “the silliest thing I’ve ever heard” and “pathetic.” Yesterday, when Brown dropped the news that he would, in fact, return the money, Team Poizner was quick to make sure that Brown ate his words. The campaign’s rapid response operation sent around this YouTube of Brown refusing to return the money a month ago and noted that, “Jerry Brown seems to have changed his mind on… Read More

It’s amazing to me that it has been over fifteen years since I along with hundreds of conservative Republican activists left the internecine battles of California Young Republicans, and formed an activist-based organization for young Republicans, the Young Republican Federation of the California.

Since leaving the CYRs all of those years ago, I never regretted the decision. For many years now, the YRFC has continually proven themselves as a conservative group focused on sending Republicans into local, state and federal office that understand the principles of our founding fathers. I can’t keep track of the scores of YRFC activists who have gone on to public office or taken on other prominent leadership roles in state or national politics.

Occasional glances through the looking glass have quickly confirmed and reconfirmed to me that the CYR’s as an organization continues to be diminutive and fraught with inner-organizational battles that always end the same way – which is that the organization of former Congressman and Bill Thomas and his protégé-now-Congressman Kevin McCarthy, under the iron fist of Bakersfield political consultant Mark Abernathy,… Read More

There is something particularly offensive about charitable foundations established by those who made billions of dollars through their success in the private sector, when they then use that money to fund efforts to make it harder and harder for other people to own or use lands. In essence, they fund efforts to either expand government ownership or restrictions on land, or to create quasi-governmental “land trusts” for the purpose of taking lands and place them out of the realm of private ownership. When you look at a map of the United States, it’s stunning the percentage of raw land in our nation that is government owned, or is partially or totally restricted in its use by… people.

This background is important because it puts into context a power-play by the David and Lucille Packard Foundation to advance their agenda of restricting people-use of lands – or in this case, actually, the ocean. The Packard Foundation has invested countless millions of dollars into promoting the creation of “marine reserves” off the California coastline. The Packard Foundation… Read More

There is something particularly offensive about charitable foundations established by those who made billions of dollars through their success in the private sector, when they then use that money to fund efforts to make it harder and harder for other people to own or use lands. In essence, they fund efforts to either expand government ownership or restrictions on land, or to create quasi-governmental “land trusts” for the purpose of taking lands and place them out of the realm of private ownership. When you look at a map of the United States, it’s stunning the percentage of raw land in our nation that is government owned, or is partially or totally restricted in its use by… people.

This background is important because it puts into context a power-play by the David and Lucille Packard Foundation to advance their agenda of restricting people-use of lands – or in this case, actually, the ocean. The Packard Foundation has invested countless millions of dollars into promoting the creation of “marine reserves” off the California coastline. The Packard Foundation… Read More

I admit that even I’m growing a little numb to the mess in Sacramento these days. It takes a lot to get me to say "wow." But something that came out of Speaker Karen Bass’s office today literally made my jaw drop.

In a note to the news media from her spokesperson Shannon Murphy, Speaker Bass invoked both Rosa Parks and gender bias in explaining why she had chosen to no longer be part of the process of developing budget solutions. As they say on Saturday Night Live’s Weekend Update: "Really? Really?!?"

Let’s see what led up to this: Yesterday morning, Bass chose not to attend a meeting of the legislative leadership with the Governor. Then, she said to the collected press corps that she’d consider not attending additional meetings of the "Big 5." The LA Times rightly headlined their story this morning: "Speaker Boycotts California Budget Session."How then, does the top-ranking elected official in the state Assembly react? She invokes the memory of "staying off buses in Montgomery to bring down Jim Crow" and quibbles with the word "boycott." Then, she accuses the… Read More

The Senate Public Safety Committee today killed a measure(which I authored)that urges the President of the United States and Congress to ensure that no prisoner detained at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba is permitted to enter California.

Once again, those who are supposed to be the gatekeepers of California’s public safety have failed to make citizens a number one priority. This shameful politically-driven opposition is a slap in the face to the many Californians who have expressed a desire to keep terrorists out of our state.

I argued before the committee that Senate Joint Resolution 11 is necessary because the imminent closure of the U.S. detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba raises the inescapable conclusion that the terrorists who remain in the facility will be transferred to alternative prisons or released here in California.

The White House has not articulated a clear plan for the disposition of these terrorists but confirms that they will all be moved.

A lack of vigilance will result in the release of terrorists who may once again threaten the people of California, who were identified as potential targets for the September 11, 2001 attacks… Read More