Today is National Amber Alert Day — a day to reflect on the successes of this vital program, and a reminder to renew our dedication to providing safety for our children.

In California, law enforcement officials and citizens are responsible for the recovery of 176 abducted children since Amber Alert was activated in the state in 2002.

This is something all Californians can take pride in.

Amber Alert systems have been established in all 50 states. On a national level, Amber Alert has been responsible for hundreds of successful recoveries of abducted children. The Amber Alert Program originated in Texas in 1996 after 9-year-old Amber Hagerman was abducted and murdered.

Amber Alerts are now available to cell phone users via the www.Wirelessamberalerts.org website. Sign up for the service to receive Amber Alert notifications on your hand held devices. You just might save a child’s life.… Read More

Baldwin Park has a problem. Individuals surround various store sites like a Food 4 less and Home Depot asking for work. These day laborers are joined by other business, food trucks, CD sellers and the like that invade the private parking lots of local businesses.

Baldwin Park lost one lawsuit over day laborers and tried to pass an ordinance limiting the use of parking lots to like…. parking.

Who stopped them Hilda Solis, the Congresswomen designated to Barack Obama’s Secretary of Labor.

Are these the 3 million jobs government is going to save?

… Read More

Okay, it is time once and for all to make it very clear that when you have a budget crisis that is the result of massive overspending and utter failure to put state funds away in a "rainy day reserve" (it’s raining cats and dogs now), it is nonsense to try to make the case that resolving the crisis with a "compromise" of spending cuts and tax increases is, in fact, any kind of compromise. That is false logic that should be categorically rejected.

Let me make this as clear as I can possibly make it — this crisis is the result of a Governor and a State Legislature that have consistently spent more money than was even remotely prudent — a staggering increase of over 40% in just over four years (by the way, every one of those previous over-spending budgets required some Republican legislative votes, so while the lion’s share of the blame for this mess belongs with Capitol Democrats, there is blame to go around.

Let’s say we have someone who over eats – let’s call him… Fabian. So Fabian, who four years ago weighs… Read More

Okay, it is time once and for all to make it very clear that when you have a budget crisis that is the result of massive overspending and utter failure to put state funds away in a "rainy day reserve" (it’s raining cats and dogs now), it is nonsense to try to make the case that resolving the crisis with a "compromise" of spending cuts and tax increases is, in fact, any kind of compromise. That is false logic that should be categorically rejected.

Let me make this as clear as I can possibly make it — this crisis is the result of a Governor and a State Legislature that have consistently spent more money than was even remotely prudent — a staggering increase of over 40% in just over four years (by the way, every one of those previous over-spending budgets required some Republican legislative votes, so while the lion’s share of the blame for this mess belongs with Capitol Democrats, there is blame to go around.

Let’s say we have someone who over eats – let’s call him… Fabian. So Fabian, who four years ago weighs… Read More

Congratulations to Sue Blake, the new Chair of the Sacramento County Republican Party. Sue is a tax attorney on my BOE staff, and I have every confidence she will be able to accomplish great things asCounty Chair. Her unanimous election certainly signals her ability to promote unity, and as I have seen from her work for me (and her amazing ability to run very long distances), she has the engery, experience, intelligence and political acumen to lead Sacramento County forward. Sue says she will be focusing on voter registration, candidate recruitment, fundraising and outreach to area colleges. I wish her all the best and look forward to great things out of Sacramento County under her leadership.… Read More

On the first day of the 111th Congress, over 400 bills were introduced. I introduced House Resolution 17 which would effectively abolish the House Committee on Appropriations. This may seem like blasphemy in the tax and spend culture of Washington, D.C., but I believe it is just solution we need for a broken spending system.

This bill wholeheartedly acknowledges that an egregious amount of overspending, waste, fraud, and abuse exists within both parties throughout the spending process which is shepherded by the Appropriations Committee. The House of Representatives invests its spending power in the 25 individuals of this spending panel, whose sole purpose it is to spend the taxpayers’ money; and they do a damn good job at it, and if you ask me…too good. There is no doubt; many Members of Congress have been tempted by the enormous power of spending $3 trillion per year of someone else’s money.

By abolishing the Appropriations Committee, each committee within the House would appropriate money within their specific jurisdiction; take for instance the House Committee on Foreign Affairs. Under the new model, this committee would exercise authority over… Read More

On the first day of the 111th Congress, over 400 bills were introduced. I introduced House Resolution 17 which would effectively abolish the House Committee on Appropriations. This may seem like blasphemy in the tax and spend culture of Washington, D.C., but I believe it is just solution we need for a broken spending system.

This bill wholeheartedly acknowledges that an egregious amount of overspending, waste, fraud, and abuse exists within both parties throughout the spending process which is shepherded by the Appropriations Committee. The House of Representatives invests its spending power in the 25 individuals of this spending panel, whose sole purpose it is to spend the taxpayers’ money; and they do a damn good job at it, and if you ask me…too good. There is no doubt; many Members of Congress have been tempted by the enormous power of spending $3 trillion per year of someone else’s money.

By abolishing the Appropriations Committee, each committee within the House would appropriate money within their specific jurisdiction; take for instance the House Committee on Foreign Affairs. Under the new model, this committee would exercise authority over… Read More

Just in case there’s anyone in San Diego actually believing anything is more important today than the AFC Divisional Playoff Game, some tidbits and analysis from the past week… Municipal Fire Consolidation in the Works?… La Mesa Councilman Dave Allan gets a full-page Q&A in Saturday’s Union-Trib, regarding the apparently very early discussions by some cities to analyze a fire department consolidation. Allan, a friend, a one-time County GOP-selected Local Elected Official of the Year, and now a Democrat, is due some kudos for pursuing some outside-the-box thinking. “I believe not only for our communities in our East County, but for the region, regionalization in fire protection is the way to go,” said Allan in the article.

Along with the kudos, I’ll also toss out a caution to my former colleague. Often over the years, many government officials have confused the well-intended goal of efficiency through consolidation with the broader-meaning buzzword, regionalism. In some cases,… Read More