MYTH: Prop 6 will fill our jails and prisons.

FACT: While California’s prison system is certainly impacted, compared to other states California is about in the middle when it comes to prison population according to a study by the very liberal Pew Institute.

What’s great about Proposition 6 is that itincludes provisions to help the prison and county jail populations: It would allow counties that have population caps on jail populations – like LA, Fresno and Sacramento – to operate emergency jails for low-offending in-mates.

Proposition 6 takes great strides in providing meaningful prevention and intervention measures as well, such as funding GPS for gang members released from jail or prison.

Many counties are already using GPS – with great success – to monitor gang members. Not only does GPS allow law enforcement to know the whereabouts of gang members, it changes the behavior of the offender.

Napa County’s probation department is in the midst of testing GPS on a handful of juvenile offenders. Chief Probation Officer Mary Butler said the youths have now become law-abiding citizens; they are attending school and thus, have… Read More

8:30 to 9:00am broadcast tv, flipping to find commercials: Aguirre for City Attorney: 1 (saw several on Fox cable too) Liebham for Congress: 1 Bilbray for Congress: 2 McCann for Assembly: 7 Block for Assembly: 4 Evans/Jackson for school board: 3 Prop 2 Yes: 6 Prop 2 No: 2 Prop 3 Yes: 1 Prop 4 Yes: 1 Prp 4 No: 3 Prop 5 Yes: 1 Prop 7 Yes: 3 Prop 7 No: 3 Prop 8 Yes: 1 Prop 8 No: 2 Prop 11 Yes: 3 No on B: 1 Yes on S: 1 (this one is a school bond ad that stars a janitor talking about how much the school needs fixing then a bunch of rather unenthusiastic kids walk up behind him… one girl actually rolls her eyes as he is talking)… Read More

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

‘Election Deception,’ California-style

The profligate spending of California’s local governments means pols are going to extreme lengths to grab revenue. Voters in more than two dozen California jurisdictions, including Los Angeles and San Francisco, will be asked next week to approve telephone tax increases. Thanks to misleading summaries on local ballots, many will actually think they’re voting for tax cuts.

The California Taxpayers’ Association calls it "Deception 2008." Only two jurisdictions, Eureka and Seaside, appear to have legitimate phone tax repeals on the ballot.… Read More

Dear Senator McCain,

Sir, I know the chances of you seeing this note are slim, but I want to send you a public letter of encouragement. I am so proud of you, and feel fortunate for every single day I’ve had the privilege of supporting you. I read “Faith of My Fathers” in 1999, and since then I’ve been 100% in your camp. You’ve never let me down for a second, and I have been delighted to hold you up as a role model to my three kids who have been involved in both of your presidential campaigns. In 2000, they were just babies, and they rode in their car seats while I dropped off yard signs once a week, and in that same minivan they have traveled to McCain events during this campaign. As a family, we watch you speak on TV, and they respond to your leadership and positive attitude with the same gusto that my husband and I do. My husband and I are both Veterans – he’s a jarhead and I’m a squid – and we wish that we could have served under you as our Commander-in-Chief. You are brave, strong, wise and judicious, and that is why I believe you will undoubtedly be America’s choice on Tuesday.

Sir, I was part of your California campaign through Super… Read More

Nothing puts politics and the cost of public policy in perspective like the numbers–especially when reviewing the cold hard cash costs of doing business.

Most of us are Facebook users and also recognize its brand of social and interactive networking media are the future of communications and relationship building. But it’s success shows what an increased cost of doing business might mean.

According to a post I saw by Michael Arrington, Facebook "is likely to be spending well over $1 million per month on electricity alone…[B]andwith is likely another $500,000 or more per month on top of that. The company has earmarked $100 million to buy 50,000 servers this year and next…. At up to $2 million each, that adds up quickly–we’ve heard estimates that they may have spent as much as $30 million thi syear alone…earmak another $15 million per year in office and datacenter rent payments."

He continues: "And don’t forget those human assets. With 750 employees and growing, Facebook is epsnding at least another $10 million per month on payroll.… Read More

No matter what you think about Prop 1A no reasonable person could read the latest e-mail alert from the High Speed Rail Commission and not conclude that it is politically motivated. This one is just over the top.

It is taxpayer funded communication that even includes quotes from a US Senator from Illinois and a US Senator from Delaware that happen to be running on the Democrat ticket for President and Vice President of the United States. It might as well just have an endorsement list for Prop 1A and a "contribute here" button.

This is advocacy for Prop 1A courtesy of the taxpayers of California. It may still be legal but it is still very wrong.

You can read the latest campaign newsletter here.

They were kind enough to take me off their mailing list but enough people forwarded it to me that I got copies anyway.… Read More

La Mesa, California, which is east of San Diego, is on the radar screen of many statewide politicos because it has produced a couple of East San Diego County’s conservative leaders – FR blogger Barry Jantz and former Assemblyman Jay LaSuer, both of whom served for many years on the City Council there. It’s also the home town of current Assemblyman Joel Anderson.

Well, if you ever needed a sign that taxpayers are only safe when the guardians are at the gate, the current iteration of the La Mesa City Council voted by a 4-1 margin to place massive ¾ cent sales tax increase on the November ballot (kudos to Councilwoman Ruth Sterling for voting no).

Fortunately, advocates of the taxpayers in the community are rallying big-time against this dumb idea* of a tax hike. The La Mesa Taxpayers Association has dropped a large mailer citywide opposing the tax. Also, the San Diego County Republican Party has dropped a piece to La Mesa… Read More

In an election shocker, 52nd Congressional candidate Duncan D. Hunter’s lead in recent polling has dropped to a mere 21 percentage points, down from 23 only about three weeks ago!.

See the memo attached below.

I think I’ll take a nap now.… Read More