Jerry Brown has had a very frustrating summer. First, his disingenuous efforts to portray Oakland crime as down when it’s actually been exploding on his watch (homicides up 57% from 1999-2005) were overwhelmed by daily headlines of carnage in the city streets. Yesterday, the Oakland Tribune reported the city now has had more murders this year than all of last year. The aggressive campaign of Senator Chuck Poochigian has been relentlessly pounding on Brown’s (typical) neglect of Oakland as he campaigns full-time for AG while the city is in the grips of what can only be called a public safety crisis. Come to think of it, a public safety crisis is exactly what the Poochigian has accurately labeled the ever-worsening situation in Oakland. Now, Wednesday’s LA Times reports that a new book by an experienced investigative reporter is again raising questions about… Read More

After I do a radio program, I get hate mail from Republicans who want me to swallow the Kool Aid of Republican mediocrity. I won’t do it. The basic principles of this Party are etched in stone in my mind and they aren’t going to be compromised to elect someone that it taking me for granted, paying more attention to my political adversaries than is necessary, and thumbing his nose at his own caucus (see Keith Richmond’s comments)

Yesterday I hosted the Ray Appleton program on Newstalk 580 KMJ. I had Republican Assemblyman Mike Villines on for the first hour discussing the end of session legislation as well as the Governor and his actions in signing several pieces of legislation offensive to mainstream and right of center voters – further depressing the GOP base and creating despair in the ranks.

I had invited the Governor’s campaign to defend itself in the second hour – no response until 1:45 pm – too late to have anything meaningful. The callers I had in the second hour were in a very foul mood over SB 1441 – the gay and transvestite civil rights bill, and greenhouse gas bill, and several other pieces of… Read More

Although he doesn’t mention me by name, John Kerry responds to me in the Wall Street Journal…..

Lamont Has the Courage To Defy Bush and the War August 25, 2006; Page A15

The sentiments expressed in "The Lamont Wing Is a Threat to Security" (Letters to the Editor, Aug. 22) will do nothing to make America safer. If the neoconservatives were half as good at fighting the war on terror as they are at misleading the American public, we’d be a lot safer than we are today.

The disastrous policy in Iraq has made America less safe. We were misled into a war which has become a dangerous distraction, and a profound drain on our financial and military resources. Nearly five years after the attacks of 9/11, it’s clear that this administration hasn’t learned the real lessons of 9/11 and failed to take the steps to make us as safe as we must be. Osama bin Laden is still on the loose. The 9/11 Commission’s recommendations to secure our most vulnerable infrastructure remain virtually ignored. Homeland security funding has been cut for cities… Read More

SB 1185 (authored by George Runner) would whave prevented School Districts from paying teachers arrested for drug use back pay. The Bill died in the Assembly , three votes shy of passage. It had passed the Senate with only 2 no votes.

The CTA and labor unions fought the bill because the liked money going to duggie teachers rather than getting into the classroom.See article here. Hit piece Alert. Nicole Parra voted against the bill. This is a top race for Republicans .You can donate to her opponent here.… Read More

Diane Harkey was supposed to be my state senator but some 200 voters who voted for Tom Harman ended that dream. However, we are all lucky that Diane is a strong woman and a committed conservative Republican and local elected official. Diane is one of the smartest local electeds we have in Orange County and she commands respect from all who know her.

So when I saw her email newsletter had a logical approach to choosing who should be you your next councilmember or school board trustee, I knew right away I needed to pass it on

Diane’s thoughts are as good a criteria as any I have seen:

… Read More

Here was my Thursday: two kids with fevers, the water heater went out, my husband is out of town and I nearly got a concussion when I knocked my head on a header board in our basement. I’ve been grumpy all day (I’m writing Friday’s commentary on Thursday night) but it is not because of these personal problems…it’s a Sacramento problem and his name is Arnold Schwarzenegger.

The rap on the governor has always been that he’s a Chamber of Commerce Republican: socially more liberal than the rank-and-file party members, but rock solid on the economy and job-killing legislation.

Well, here’s what the Chamber of Commerce had to say about the governor’s deal with the Democrats on the global warming bill:

"The California-only, mandatory climate change regulations that… Read More

Here was my Thursday: two kids with fevers, the water heater went out, my husband is out of town and I nearly got a concussion when I knocked my head on a header board in our basement. I’ve been grumpy all day (I’m writing Friday’s commentary on Thursday night) but it is not because of these personal problems…it’s a Sacramento problem and his name is Arnold Schwarzenegger.

The rap on the governor has always been that he’s a Chamber of Commerce Republican: socially more liberal than the rank-and-file party members, but rock solid on the economy and job-killing legislation.

Well, here’s what the Chamber of Commerce had to say about the governor’s deal with the Democrats on the global warming bill:

"The California-only, mandatory climate change regulations that… Read More

You’re safe til January folks! Well sort of….… Read More