California’s Central Valley is home to two "supposedly" more moderate Democrats in the California Assembly — Assemblywomen Nicole Parra and Kathleen Galgiani. Both candidates campaigned for office by stressing to voters in their districts their independence, and that they would look out for their districts. But the latest vote that took place last Sunday in the State Assembly on a budget bill jam-packed with massive tax increases (to the tune of $9.7 billion). and pork spending, the opportunity was presented for both of these ladies to vote against heaping new taxes on their constituents. Actually, going into the vote, if you were to take each of them at their word, you would have expected neither of them to vote for the budget. Galgiani voted for the bill, Parra did not.

Assemblywoman Galgiani (pictured left) campaigned on a no new taxes pledge. Up and through at least last month, her campaign website proudly boasted the… Read More

Well, we can’t get a State Budget but at least we’ve taken care of those pesky metallic balloons. Phew. That was a close one. Now that 43 Democrats have passed the bill, Californians everywhere can sleep safely knowing that the scourge of those shiny, airy, bubbles of joy will never hurt anyone again. Thank you Democrats. The world is a little safer now for everyone.… Read More

This is from the LA Times as they report on Nicole Parra being booted out of the Capitol building for – horror of horrors – having a different opinion than her Democrat "colleagues":

“Every Democrat in our caucus [has] to put a vote up on the budget, and to hold the budget hostage . . .to me is intolerable,” said Assemblywoman Patty Berg (D-Eureka). She added that fellow Democrats have spent millions of dollars helping Parra win election in her conservative district.

I don’t know how much more I can say. The Democrats are systematically running the state into the ground with their totalitarian approach to the legislative process.

Wake up California! Even rank and file Democrats throughout California don’t act with such reckless abandon as do Sacramento Democrats. The need to turn the reigns over to Republicans grows more desperate and apparent every day we spend under the Democrat’s destructive agenda and process.… Read More

The GOP candidate in AD 80 is up on television… … Read More

Check out this video that the Governor recorded for EcoDrivingUSA.com…

From Cap Weekly…. Parra kicked out of Capitol office after budget vote (published Monday, August 18, 2008)

Assemblywoman Nicole Parra, D-Hanford, has been evicted from her Capitol office space today by the Assembly Democratic leadership. The move came one day after Parra failed to vote for her own party’s budget proposal.

That proposal needed 54 votes — the two-thirds majority needed to pass a budget in California — but got only 45 votes. The vote came after four hours of debate during a special Sunday session. Assembly Speaker Karen Bass, D-Los Angeles. Not a single Republican voted for the budget bill, AB 1781 by Assemblyman John Laird, D-Santa Cruz. Thirty of 32 Republicans voted against the bill.

According to Parra’s staff, the office will now be split up. Several staffers will… Read More

After working in and around the Capitol for about 20 years I still do not understand the whole punishment by small office effort. It almost always makes the Speaker or Pro Tem look petty.

In the case of Assemblyman Curt Pringle — he wore it as a badge of honor. He actually made it into a good thing. Parra will do the same.

The big loser here is Speaker Bass.

This is a bunch of "Wiggins".… Read More

Just off the phone with Assembywoman Bonnie Garcia, who informed me that in retribution for her not supporting the Democrat budget (the one with the tax increase), she is currently being moved out of her office, presumably to something quite tiny…… Read More