On this quiet Saturday morning in the middle of the summer, one is left to try and contemplate the general election strategy of Phil Angelides as the weeks go by, and the general election comes closer. Right now, Arnold Schwarzenegger is clearly the front-runner in this race. Over the past few months (coincidentally right around the time that Team Schmidt came onboard) the Schwarzenegger campaign has been able to successfully define Angelides weak campaign for him — Angelides is the guy who wants to raise every form of taxes known to mankind. Of course, while this is true, Angelides has been unable to shift the debate to another subject. He keeps trying, but every time he does, the attempt lasts about a week, then peters out. Then Phil seems to get with his gurus and with the new week comes a new theme. One thing is certain, though, from readily available polling data… And that is that the most liberal voters are the only ones that Angelides has solidly in his corner, while Schwarzenegger has the right (bolstered by his no new taxes or fees pledge – as well as fear of Angelides) but also Arnold, right now, is the King of the middle… Read More

A special joint legislative panel has been formed to look at two issues: changing the way that the decennial redrawing of legislative districts takes place, and the potential of changing the way California’s legislative term-limits work. Both are issues that ultimately would have to be brought to California voters before any change can take place. There is no doubt that the current system of redistricting for the Golden State is flawed, producing an ultra-liberal legislature that has little regard for the notions of individual liberty and responsibility, and respect for the concept of a more limited role for state government in the lives of Californians. That said, there is a political graveyard filled with the ‘dead bodies’ of countless attempts to move the redistricting process out of the hands of legislators. It’s an issue easily made complicated to voters, who then seem to vote against it. We’ll see if something can come out of this committee that fares any better. Ready to pounce on any worthwhile proposal will be liberal Democrats who stand to gain from the status-quo which locks in their legislative majorities… Read More

A special joint legislative panel has been formed to look at two issues: changing the way that the decennial redrawing of legislative districts takes place, and the potential of changing the way California’s legislative term-limits work. Both are issues that ultimately would have to be brought to California voters before any change can take place. There is no doubt that the current system of redistricting for the Golden State is flawed, producing an ultra-liberal legislature that has little regard for the notions of individual liberty and responsibility, and respect for the concept of a more limited role for state government in the lives of Californians. That said, there is a political graveyard filled with the ‘dead bodies’ of countless attempts to move the redistricting process out of the hands of legislators. It’s an issue easily made complicated to voters, who then seem to vote against it. We’ll see if something can come out of this committee that fares any better. Ready to pounce on any worthwhile proposal will be liberal Democrats who stand to gain from the status-quo which locks in their legislative majorities… Read More

Today over lunch, in a conversation over the Middle East and the powder keg that is the world we live into today, my young brother Chuck (pictured to the right) uttered yet another reason to open up ANWR for oil and gas exploration – National Defense and Homeland Security.

The world is one nuclear strike away from all out chaos and despair and the rogue regimes in the Middle East that control the world’s oil production have too much control over our economy and over our defense capabilities. Our defense machinery runs on oil and gas, from tank fuel to jet fuel and our reliability for supply is tenuous at best.

So, again, we call upon the President to exercise his constitutional authority and SIGN AN EXECUTIVE ORDER authorizing the exploration and development of our own oil and gas resources in the ANWR region of Alaska – for the express purpose of ensuring adequate supplies for our national security needs first and economic… Read More

This week it was announced that Assembly Republicans are mobilizing on the issue of illegal immigration by forming an Illegal Immigration Task Force, which will hold a series of hearings up and down the Golden State. In the words of Assemblyman Chuck DeVore (pictured to the left), who was tapped by the Assembly Republican Caucus to head up this taskforce, “[It] will quantify the impact that illegal immigration has on California and propose real solutions to this devastating problem.”

Assemblywoman Audra Strickland also be heading up these hearings with DeVore. We’ll anxiously await to see which other Assembly GOPers sign up for this taskforce. Forming this task force was a brilliant idea. In the latest statewide poll of such things, it was… Read More

The Governor of California has a lot of awesome powers — directing vast agencies, holding sway over important (and no so important) pieces of legislation, and even, at times, literally holding power over life and death when death-row inmates approach their execution date. Still, with all of these important powers and responsibilities, it is sometimes the less influential appointments of a Governor that can create the most intrigue and drama. Yeah, I guess these days you could assume I am talking about the appointment of Judges — but I am actually talking about appointees to County Fair Boards (or in state-government-speak, "Agricultural Associations"). I don’t know how it is in other counties, but in Orange County where I live, an appointment to the Fair Board is something to be coveted and is a prized political possession. The OC Fair is a big event — this year’s event which just finished up brought in nearly a million visitors! The entertainment is first-notch, with many big name artists coming through, incentivized with big bucks that the Fair Board can shell out from selling all of those admission tickets!… Read More

Welcome to the last month of the legislative session. You know what this means, right? You got it – this is where a lot of great legislative proposals that are geared towards empowering individuals die in committee, and legislation that centralizes power in Sacramento (at the expense of individual freedom and liberty) passes out of the Democrat-dominated legislature. Thank goodness we have a Republican Governor who has pledged to oppose any tax or fee increases. That said, the Governor and his team should be prepared for an onslaught of horrible bills. In the newspapers today, several ‘bad idea bills’ are profiled including a Hillary-care style government-run healthcare system takeover, further regulations on firearms manufacturers that will raise the price for law-abiding citizens to purchase a gun, and the legislature wants to tell pet owners how to treat their animals – seriously. I’m penning a column due out shortly on a real choice piece of legislation. As we all focus on eminent domain reform, and the… Read More

Metnews is reporting that George Runner is giving up his bid to force district elections for judges in LA County.

When voters conslidated Municipal and Superior courts they did harm to large counties like LA. It made sense not to duplicate services in small counties with two sets of judges. The net effect in large counties is to ignore regional representation in judges. Pomona, Palmdale, West Hollywood and Compton are all different and are no longer represented.

Look at the reasons for opposition below. If judges are to sit in one place services would have to be provided there. Oh my!

The article portions relevant to this are pasted below.

By KENNETH OFGANG, Staff Writer

A proposed constitutional amendment that would have required that Los Angeles Superior Court judges be elected by district, with each district to elect no more than 36 judges, was withdrawn yesterday by its sponsors.

A statement distributed by the office of Sen. George Runner,… Read More