Get free daily email updates

Syndicate this site - RSS

Recent Posts

Blogger Menu

Click here to blog

FlashReport Weblog on California Politics

- Or -
Search blog archive

Republican leaders prevail: Angelides thwarted once again

There’s going to be a budget vote today. If you’re a conservative, it’s not your ideal budget. Although, given how liberal the legislature is, and their insatiable appetite for spending every last penny they can find on the ground and then some, this budget isn’t nearly as bad as it could have been if conservatives weren’t around to hold their ground. In fact, thanks to the leadership of Assembly leader George Plescia and Senate leader Dick Ackerman, there are two major victories in the 2006-07 budget that conservatives can be proud of.

First, no additional spending for health care for illegal immigrants.

Second, more funding for law enforcement programs.

“…the budget includes a boost to law enforcement programs popular with the GOP. The money would be spent on new prosecutors, investigators and advocates for a special unit to prosecute ‘particularly heinous’ crimes such as rape and child abuse.” (Los Angeles Times)

As all the details of the $131 billion budget… Read More

Senator Maldonado on the Budget:

I have never professed to be an expert on the state budget and luckily I don’t have to be, Senator Abel Maldonado, has released some interesting commentary on the budget deal.

From Senator Abel Maldonado (released Tuesday):

"When deciding to vote for this budget I asked myself, does this budget move California forward or back? The answer is simple: it moves California backward.

"This budget spends $9.9 billion that hardworking taxpayers unexpectedly sent us in a good year and spends another $7 billion we do not have. This budget puts less than two-percent away for a rainy day. The fact of the matter is, after we leave tonight we’re still saddled with a $4.6 billion deficit next year.

"I campaigned with Gov. Schwarzenegger and let me share something with you. He said politicians in Sacramento have an addiction toRead More

Matthew J. Cunningham

New Majority Drives To Swell Numbers & Influence — But To What End?

Orange County has given birth to and/or nurtured its share of people and organizations that have powerfully impacted the Republican Party — for good or ill.

Richard Nixon was born here, and Ronald Reagan’s political home base was here.

The state’s two leading GOP groups — the Lincoln Club of Orange County and the New Majority — also originated here.

The Lincoln Club was formed in the wake of the bitter 1962 gubernatorial primary between Richard Nixon and Joe Schell. The purpose was to "build Republican strength by lowering the intensity of intra-party warfare and making party politics more orderly and business-like."

The New Majority was born in the wake of Dan Lungren’s lopsided 1998 defeat and dedicated to "bringing a Republican majority to CaliforniaRead More

New Syndicated Political Column

The rat in Pearls Before Swine has found a winning formula for writing a political column.… Read More

Supreme Court Strikes Down Vermont Campaign Finance Law

This morning, the US Supreme Court reached a decisionin a much-watched challenge to Vermont’s campaign finance law (Sorrell v. Randall ). This case has gathered lots of attention because of the potential it will have to impact campaign finance laws nationwide.

TheU.S. Supreme Court appears to have struck downtheVermont law that strictly limits how much money candidates for state office can raise and spend on their political campaigns. (Because the decision came this AM, I have not yet reviewed the case and there isn’t much information available. I am in the process of getting a copy of the case and will report further on it in a coming blog.)

Reports indicate that there are 4 opinions by the 6 justices held that the law was unconstitutional and3 dissents (J. Ginsburg, Souter and Stevens dissenting).

The law limited spending by candidates for governor to $300,000, for lieutenant governor to $100,000 and other statewide races to $45,000. It also limited spending on races for the state legislature.… Read More

Jennifer Nelson

Law Enforcement Ranks Low in SF budget

San Francisco’s pending city budget is a great illustration of the Democrat’s priorities, both at the local and state level. Who are the the biggest winners in the new city budget? The public employee union, of course!

According to the San Francisco Chronicle, salaries and benefits for city employee will get a whopping 10.6 percent increase. City jobs will grow by 2 percent, up 646 jobs.

But the places that will get the new positions tell the real story. Take a look at the true winners in this budget:

— Municipal Transportation Agency: 157.15 — Public Health Department: 128.48 — Public Utilities Commission: 75.5 — Human Services Agency: 60.5 — General Services Agency – City Administration: 45.13 — General Services Agency — Public Works: 31.5 — Police: 18 — General Services Agency — Telecommunications & Information Services: 17.34 — Airport: 14.5 — District Attorney: 10 — Trial Courts: 10.6 —… Read More

Matthew J. Cunningham

Irvine’s Kromunist Foreign Policy

There’s an intriguing scandal on low boil in the orderly City of Irvine, involving the city’s sister program, the People’s Republic of China, Taiwan, the Shanghai Communique and possible Communist Chinese investment in Irvine’s Great Park.

Yep — never a dull moment in that dull city’s politics.

I’ll try to make this long, twisted tale short — readers can fill in the blanks with my generous servings of hyperlinks.

Irvine Mayor Beth Krom — who is apparently the only person in Orange County unaware she is a pawn of liberal Irvine Councilmen/Evil Genius Larry Agran — went to Communist China along with another councilman and an Irvine staffer, Valeire Larenne, whose job it is to tend to sister city stuff. The purpose was to cement a sister city arrangement with a Shanghai suburb called Xuhui.

Now, Irvine has had a… Read More

Port Hueneme closed after threat discovered

This is being reported by the Herald Sun of Australia (!).

From the article:

A MAJOR Californian port has been closed after officials found a written threat, apparently directed at US President George W Bush, in the hold of a cargo ship.

"We got a report that there was a threatening message written on one of the stanchions in the cargo hold of a ship called Mild Lotus," outside California’s Port Hueneme, US Coast Guard spokesman Patrick Sullivan said.

"Apparently a longshoreman who was working on the vessel saw the message," he said.Read More

Page 5 of 29« First...34567...1020...Last »