Permit me to detour from my usual inside-the-beltway reporting.

If Marco Ramius can read Halsey, I can read the New Yorker. Explore the pros, "cons" and everything in between by reading David Samuels’ interesting report on the state of the California "medical" pot economy.

While the piece misses some points of distinction (no one from "down south" calls Humbolt or anyplace in Nor Cal "upstate," nor is there a "state police" agency–that would be the California Highway Patrol, an important distinction), the article nonetheless offers interesting reporting, a look at the vague middle areas of the quasi-legal medical marijuana market, and first-hand accounts gathered over a long period of reporting.

We learn how the law enacting the medical marijuana initiative authorizes doctors to prescribe, patients to consume for certain treatments (when authorized by a doctor) and certain establishments to sell to authorized patients. We also learn that it is legal to grow under certain circumstances–oddly, the law leaves a void about the transport of pot from legal field to legal shop, according to… Read More

In Yolo County we have had several cases recently where we have had the actions of our law enforcement officers called into question.

This is where local government sometimes gets messy. It is also where you will find one of the biggest opportunities to protect taxpayer money.

In the most recent case we had an individual that voluntarily checked himself into a group treatment facility. This man was 44 years old, weighed more than 300 pounds, and was less than six feet tall. He did not have drugs in his system but had a history of psychological and physical issues.

When he checked himself out of the center the next day the staff called the police for a "welfare check". He was approached by officers. Due to whatever reason the officers ended up taking the guy down. He was hit with a Taser several times. After the officers cuffed him they realized he was not breathing and administered CPR. He died on the scene.

Things like this happen. Here is an article about the results of the autopsy report.

So this is what I think it wrong. The attorney for the family… Read More

If it is indeed true that the Governor has proposed a "temporary" increase in the State sales tax to slap a band – aid on the disastrous budget problem he allowed to be created, then what is left of the GOP in California, the last remnant, can just kiss itself goodbye.

Iwould suggest the State GOPeither calla meeting of the Party’s Executive to immediately denounce the proposal, or just fold up. If we can’t be on the record on the right side of an easy issue, it needs to ask itself why it exists at all.

First, the economy cannot handle any further increases in the tax burden for citizens. Second, keeping taxes low is (was?) a bedrock position of the Republican Party.

If Villines and Cogdill can’t stop this train from leaving the station, and I think they can stop it, then the Party will be even more decimated than it is now, as people continue to leave it in droves over abandonment of simple, small government principles… Read More

The plastic bag tax keeps rolling along in the legislature. Meredith Turney first noted it for us in March. In April Jon Fleischman offered a commentaryon the subject, hi-liting the little matter of “greenwashing,” in which both consumers and policy-makers are hoodwinked into supposedly eco-friendly goals to the benefit and profit of the growing green industry.

Since then, Lloyd Levine’s AB 2058 has passed the Assembly, 44-33, and found its way to Senate Appropriations for a slated hearing this week. In essence, the bill would require proof that a grocery store is recycling a whopping 70 percent of all its plastic carry out bags, or require a charge to the customer of at least 25 cents per bag. The plastic bag police will be the California Integrated Waste Management Board.

A website has been set up in opposition to the bill, with radio ads running in various parts of the… Read More

The plastic bag tax keeps rolling along in the legislature. Meredith Turney first noted it for us in March. In April Jon Fleischman offered a commentaryon the subject, hi-liting the little matter of “greenwashing,” in which both consumers and policy-makers are hoodwinked into supposedly eco-friendly goals to the benefit and profit of the growing green industry.

Since then, Lloyd Levine’s AB 2058 has passed the Assembly, 44-33, and found its way to Senate Appropriations for a slated hearing this week. In essence, the bill would require proof that a grocery store is recycling a whopping 70 percent of all its plastic carry out bags, or require a charge to the customer of at least 25 cents per bag. The plastic bag police will be the California Integrated Waste Management Board.

A website has been set up in opposition to the bill, with radio ads running in various parts of the… Read More

Right now we have SB 1322, allowing Communist Party members to use school properties, be employed by schools, etc. [See article XX, Section 3 of the state Constitition.] 2 amendments were offered by Republican colleagues DeVoreand Garrick, to replace the current law with one disallowing known donors and members ofterrorist organizations to be disallowed from access to campus employment and assembly. These amendments werelaidon the table. Which means the amendments were not directly debated nor voted upon. So, if you want to know how the votes went, look for the "aye" votes on tabling the amends,what is basically ignoring the amends, to allow terrorist organizations to continue access. [41 Dem votes Aye on tabling amendment 1, 32 No votes. 35 Dem votes Aye on tabling amendment 2,30 No votes]

The bill exists because of the belief that Communism is no longer a threat or problem to our way of life. That this is protecting people’s constitutional rightsby not having totake an oath of not being a Communist party member to work for the… Read More

Imagine just for a second that the chief financial officer of one of the largest companies in the state advised his CEO to deal with an extreme shortage of cash on hand by essentially doing nothing, and then by asking for a high-risk, high-interest loan that would end up costing the company hundreds of millions of dollars.

That CFO would be fired.

But that’s exactly what John Chiang has done. As Controller, he is the state’s chief financial officer. And his advice: keep paying hundreds of thousands of state workers despite having no cash to do so and no state budget in place authorizing him to cut checks.

The state constitution is clear: if there’s no budget in place, the Controller can’t cut checks.

But Chiang refuses. It’s not clear whether he is saying he can’t or if he won’t. But what is clear here is that there is a huge opportunity here — to make the argument in support of taxpayers’ rights and in support of fiscal responsibility in Sacramento.

It’s great that the Governor has set up this fight because it provides the opportunity to once-and-for-all clarify the responsibilities of state government and… Read More

In the Governor Schwarzenegger’s signing of Asssemblyman Tony Mendoza’s paternalism-on-steroids bill too ban transfats, I hereby surrender my free will and declare my dependence on state government.

After all, if the state government is going to plan my diet and decide what I can and cannot eat, then what aspect of my life is truly beyond their scope?

So the Governor wants the government to be my personal trainer. Fine. Let’s go all the way and turn the running of my life over to government. I want the state to do my grocery shopping, so that my cupboard is only stocked with healthy foods. And I’ll need a government driver, to prevent my from losing control and rolling through McDonald’s.

**There is more – click the link**

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