One day Fletcher’s unit went to relieve a convoy and was, in turn, ambushed by insurgents with mortars, rocket-propelled grenades and gunfire. According to his military records, the unit “attempted to break through the enemy line of resistance several times in order to relieve the convoy, each time coming under heavy, sustained fire, during which Sergeant Fletcher never wavered in his determination to engage the enemy.”

As detailed in fine reporting by Craig Gustafson of The San Diego Union-Tribune, Fletcher was awarded an achievement medal with a Combat “V” for Valor.

Read More: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/30/opinion/brooks-a-moderate-conservative-dilemma.html?pagewanted=print… Read More

Let me explain. The pension initiative on the June ballot is an absolutely vital reform to put our city on a long-term path to fiscal health. With $2.1 billion in debt promised to current and past city employees, but no funding stream to pay for it, our pension obligations are cutting into funding for basic government services such as road repairs and maintenance of parks. The reforms being put before voters — asking city employees to pay a greater portion of their own pensions, capping the amount of an employee’s salary that counts toward a pension, and transitioning from defined benefit to defined contribution plans — are all the right thing to do. But there is more we can do.

As mayor, I will take pension reform even further.

In the Marine Corps, the commanding officer leads by example, never asking the troops to perform a task he or she is not willing to also perform. In this way, the commanding officer sets the standard and defines the culture for the entire organization. I will bring that… Read More

I am the proud principal co-author of Senate Bill 14 (SB 14) that will put in place performance-based budgeting. Currently, the state budget operates on the principle of baseline budgeting. Many programs take the previous year’s amount and factor in an automatic increase. So what is often discussed in public as a cut is, in fact, simply a reduction in the rate of growth. This not only confuses the public, but also shifts the debate. Instead of focusing on whether a program is working efficiently or is even needed, the entire discussion becomes about the size of the increase.

The baseline model does not facilitate discussion or agreement on priorities. Instead, it needs to be about goals and desired results. Under the baseline model, state officials do not have the necessary information to determine which programs are really working. Baseline budgeting does not… Read More

We are incredibly moved by the Committee’s bi-partisan show of support and the tens of thousands who have made phone calls, written letters and supported our efforts from the very beginning.

The articles below lay out the ways Chelsea’s Law has been strengthened through recent amendments. Next up is the Senate Appropriations Committee. We will keep you posted on our progress.

U-T editorial: A remarkable featChelsea’s Law expanded and improved in Senate, not blocked

Chelsea’s Law Overcomes Another Hurdle Chelsea’s Law Cleared Calif. State Senate Public Safety Committee On Tuesday

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During an announcement at my office, a representative from the Chelsea King Family read a statement from Kelly and Brent King asking me to join them and lead the legislative effort to enact real changes to better protect our children and our communities from violent sex offenders. I am humbled and honored to work with them to create Chelsea’s Law.

This joint effort between my office and the King family will seek changes in the law to protect California’s children from violent sexual predators. Our goal is simple – to make sure that no family has to go through what the King and Dubois families are experiencing right now.

There is not a person in our community who hasn’t been touched by this tragedy. As a father and husband, I can’t imagine the pain felt by Kelly and Brent King and Carrie McGonigle and Moe Dubois. I know every parent out there is worried about the… Read More

I had a chance to ask why yesterday during a hearing of the Assembly Committee on Government Accountability and Administrative Review.

Today, I’m still waiting to get good answers to why we’re paying $7,000 for each employee cubicle, why we retire cars in the state fleet after they accumulate 120,000 miles, and why California spends $2 million each year paying for employees to go to conferences at hotels and convention centers when the state owns facilities that can accommodate those needs.

In the face of California’s taxpayers – our working families and small businesses – who are being stretched more than ever and making do with less, hiring new employees and making these sorts of purchases is unconscionable. But it’s the status quo in Sacramento. Only here, do people justify spending $7,000 on one workspace because it’s a cubicle–gee a whole desk with walls. That makes sense. … Read More

For the second time in the past month our state’s youngest activists traveled to the Bay Area to help Republican businessman David Harmer in his effort to defeat Lieutenant Governor John Garamendi for the Congressional seat vacated by Ellen Tauscher. After energizing speeches by Harmer and CRP Vice-Chairman Tom Del Beccaro, on Saturday morning just over 40 College Republicans from across California joined a dozen Young Republicans to spend their weekend walking door-to-door and making phone calls for Harmer. To show his gratitude for their hard work Tom Del Beccaro invited the groups to his home for dinner after the walk.… Read More