I spent last night on the web, doing some research for a forthcoming column on how the left abuses the California Environmental Quality Act to promote an ardent anti-progress agenda. After an hour of browsing the web, I discovered a reason to feel very bad for Mary Kimball, Jeb Burton, Leroy Bertolero, Jeff Merwin, Don Winters, Richard Reed, and Keith Williams. Who are these seven people, you might ask? Why do I feel bad for them? I will tell you now that it really has nothing directly to do with CEQA, but with the fact that they are all victims of a CEQA abuser.

Let me back up just a little bit, and say that in reading about CEQA, I came upon this column from FR friend Lew Uhler of the National Tax Limitation Committee in the Sacramento Business Journal. In it, Lew specifically references a situation over in Yolo County of which I have been aware, but haven’t written about before. A reputable company, Clark Pacific, is trying to build a cement plant in Woodland on the site of a former sugar plant. The plan got all of its requisite approvals from local government,… Read More

Last week lame duck Assembly Republican Leader Mike Villines appeared on the low-profile internet television program Central Valley Talk hosted by former GOP Assemblyman Mike Briggs.

There seems something poetic about this appearance. By way of a little history lesson for FlashReport leaders, in 2001, Briggs rather infamously broke ranks with Republican legislators to vote with Democrats for a Gray Davis penned budget that increased taxes on Californians, according to then-Senate Republican Leader Jim Brulte. As reported in the Los Angeles Times, Briggs broke rank with his Republican colleagues after securing “millions in goodies” for his district.

Since articles about the departure of Villines as leader have hinted that the GOPer who orchestrated a terrible budget deal at the center of which were massive sales, income and car tax increases may look to running for public office again in the future. In fact, the… Read More

Last week lame duck Assembly Republican Leader Mike Villines appeared on the low-profile internet television program Central Valley Talk hosted by former GOP Assemblyman Mike Briggs.

There seems something poetic about this appearance. By way of a little history lesson for FlashReport leaders, in 2001, Briggs rather infamously broke ranks with Republican legislators to vote with Democrats for a Gray Davis penned budget that increased taxes on Californians, according to then-Senate Republican Leader Jim Brulte. As reported in the Los Angeles Times, Briggs broke rank with his Republican colleagues after securing “millions in goodies” for his district.

Since articles about the departure of Villines as leader have hinted that the GOPer who orchestrated a terrible budget deal at the center of which were massive sales, income and car tax increases may look to running for public office again in the future. In fact, the… Read More

From today’s Wall Street Journal Political Diary E-mail…

The Banana Republic of California

… Read More

While the Whitman for Governor campaign has brought a Florida politico out to California, former Florida Statehouse Speaker Marco Rubio has brought a California politico to Florida, snatched from the Poizner campaign. Former Poizner political director Brian Seitchik has left the Golden State for the Sunshine State. Rubio and his new hire, Seitchik, will have a big hurdle to clear the GOP primary for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by the retiring Mel Martinez — this morning Florida Governor Charlie Crist announced that he is running for that seat as well. Rubio will be the conservative, and Crist the moderate, in that GOP match up.… Read More

Publisher’s Note: Both of the leading candidates for the Republican nomination for Governor next year are in the process of putting together their campaign structure to carry them through to the primary, and each campaign would tell you, through the general election. Today we are putting the spotlight on Jillian Hasner, who was recently hired as campaign operations manager by Meg Whitman’s campaign.

FR readers should understand that a campaign manager is typically not a campaign “strategist” or a consultant (which is not to say that a CM wouldn’t have a seat at the campaign strategy table). This position is usually the senior staff spot on a campaign, and typically it falls to this person to ensure that all of the aspects of a campaign are being executed upon and are moving forward. Needless to say, this role with a Gubernatorial level campaign is quite complex and time consuming, and requires a top notch operative… Flash

Publisher’s Note: Both of the leading candidates for the Republican nomination for Governor next year are in the process of putting together their campaign structure to carry them through to the primary, and each campaign would tell you, through the general election. Today we are putting the spotlight on Jillian Hasner, who was recently hired as campaign operations manager by Meg Whitman’s campaign. FR readers should understand that a campaign manager is typically not a campaign “strategist” or a consultant (which is not to say that a CM wouldn’t have a seat at the campaign strategy table). This position is usually the senior staff spot on a campaign, and typically it falls to this person to ensure that all of the aspects of a campaign are being executed upon and are moving forward. Needless to say, this role with a Gubernatorial level campaign is quite complex and time consuming, and requires a top notch operative… Flash… Read More

From today’s Wall Street Journal Political Diary E-mail…

California’s Never-ending Crisis

… Read More