I am looking to create a FlashReport/Twitter users list, specifically because we’re in the process of doing some exciting new programming integrating Twitter into the FlashReport, and I want to get input and advice from Twittering Politicos. If you are interested in helping out (not much time involved – mainly contributing ideas and such) — just drop me an email here. We’ll probably cut off the group fairly quickly since I don’t need thousands of helpers, maybe a dozen or two.… Read More

The session has ended. The vote on the Democratic budget failed to get a 2/3rds vote. The vote was 48-29. Of course today was political theater. The Governor had promised to veto the bills. For those interested, Democrat turned Independent Juan Arambuladid not vote.… Read More

You just can’t make this stuff up. Another one bites the dust. … Read More

This morning the Democrats implemented their budget drill — and I am happy to report that all of the Republicans in the State Capitol, whether in the Senate or the Assembly, voted against it (well, with what we call the "Maldonado Exception" — which means he doesn’t play well in the sandbox with fellow Republicans so he was on the Senate Floor, but abstained. The held the bill "open" so I suppose he can drop in a vote later. Unfortunately we don’t have an FR psychiatrist to help us understand the inner-workings of that guy).

Senate President Darrell Steinberg has challenged Republicans, saying that we don’t have a plan. To this, I would say, as I have said before, let’s put Governor Schwarzenegger’s proposed fixes up for a vote. Of course there are some items in there that I don’t like — but on balance, it is vastly better than what the Democrats put forward today. Put up Arnold’s proposal, and let’s have a vote!… Read More

2 for 2. June’s school tax elections in Los Angeles County continues. Palos Verdes Peninsula’s Parcel tax passed with 68% of the vote. Los AngelesCounty voters love passing bonds and taxes for localschools. Only one of the four scheduled for June may fail. Locals feel they get value eventhough they reject taxes at the state level.… Read More

I’m watching the Senate and Assembly Floor sessions at www.calchannel.com. Assemblyman Jim Nielsen just delivered a powerful speech on the Assembly Floor highlighting the flawed process that has the legislature considering a major policy proposal that no one has been able to even read. Over on the Senate side, Republican Bob Dutton is dicing up the content of the proposal — noting at this moment the gimmick financing of sliding the state’s June 30 payroll by one day, into the new fiscal year, in order to paper-over well over a billion of the shortfall.… Read More

This photo, taken by one of FR’s state legislator friends in the Capitol, clearly shows a sign for a committee meeting that was canceled by the Democrats. The lost words make the sign VERY appropriate indeed, and more correct. If you don’t think that liberal policies coming out of Sacramento are "canceling jobs, economic development and the economy" — click here.… Read More

At a time that common-sense legislators and a philosophy of full accountability are calling for opening up the budget process to the eyes of the public, the powers that be still can’t even find a way to open it up to those being asked to vote.

If you haven’t read Assemblyman Kevin Jeffries’ press release about the lack of openness, it pretty much provides a dose of reality on the subject (see Jon’s commentary this morning, four posts below, for the Jeffries release).

An update from Jeffries’ office this morning:

"Assembly just got the information on the 2009-10 State Budget at 10:25 am; almost an hour and a half after floor session started."

It would be comical, if it weren’t so typically status-quo.… Read More