ASSEMBLY REPUBLICANS’ PAY-AS-YOU-GO PLAN GOOD NEWS There is much written today about the new proposal introduced by Assembly Republicans for a "Pay-As-You-Go" plan for infrastructure investment in the state. In essence, this plan says that the fiscally prudent course for California to set when looking at building and improving our state’s highways and roads, state universities , water storage, and flood control is to use money in the bank now – rather than maxing out the state’s ‘credit card’. We should be putting aside money every year from the general fund targeted towards these essential projects. You see, over the past decades, there has been a total failure on the part of legislatures and Governors to address infrastructure needs in the state. The Democrats in charge of the legislature are intent on using tax dollars for their social engineering projects, and have preferred to let infrastructure needs be handled in a piecemeal fashion through assorted bond measures. Any responsible strategic growth plan must… Read More

Multiple "Golden Pen Award Winner" John Fund wrote this for today’s edition of the Wall Street Journal Political Diary e-mail…

Minimum Rage

With even GOP Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger of California calling for a $1 an hour increase in his state’s minimum wage, political momentum has clearly shifted in favor of the unions pushing similar hikes in other states. About half of Americans live in 17 states where mandatory hourly wages exceed the federal government’s minimum of $5.15 an hour.… Read More

Some things are just too unbelievable to read. Today when I got an email from FR friend Carl DeMaio of the San Diego-based Performance Institute, with a link to an online version of a research paper, I was blown-away with what I read.

Clicking this link took me to a 79 page analysis by some guy named Lee Cokorinos at the website of the Center for Policy Initiatives. To read it, you start to think of that Mel Gibson movie, Conspiracy Theory. Your eyes start to go wide, and you start to look for photographs of black helicopters on each page.

This bizarre look at one left-wing analysts view of conservatism in San Diego is called Target San Diego: The Right Wing Assault on Urban Democracy and Smart Government.

This is their brief discription of their study:

My kids get a kick driving by the Pixar Studios when we’re running errands in Emeryville. They love knowing that there are big kids (masquerading as grown-ups) inside who spend their days creating family-friendly movies like "The Incredibles" and "Finding Nemo." Yesterday my 10-year-old daughter had the same reaction to the big Disney-Pixar deal as many of us grownups when she asked doubtfully, "Um, does that mean that Disney is going to make the Pixar movies now?" You don’t have to be over 5′ tall to know that Pixar is the king of animation and Disney runs a slow second. For Disney maniacs like me, it was painful to watch Michael Eisner at the helm of Walt’s company. I never felt that he cared about Walt’s vision. Iin the end, Roy Disney didn’t care for Eisner’s leadership either and resigned the board in 2003… Read More

PAY-AS-YOU-GO: GREAT IDEA! Today, at 11am, Assembly Republicans will release the details on a new "pay-as-you-go" infrastructure proposal, which is summarized today in the lead piece on the FlashReport – and exclusive column from Assembly Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy (pictured to the right). This plan, which McCarthy’s staff says has been blessed by Jon Coupal of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association, represents a major effort by legislative Republicans to fund infrastructure projects in each budget, rather than relying exclusively on a ‘max out the state credit card’ approach to borrowing as much as possible. This proposal just makes the dynamic in the Capitol that much more confusing. The Governor has proposed and aggressive borrowing plan, the lynchpin of while is a massive $68,000,000,000.00 ($68 billion) general obligation bond package to go to voters. Some Democrats (unbelievably) has said… Read More

The ACLU announced Tuesday that a New Jersey boy has been granted the right to wear skirts to school in protest of his high school’s "no-shorts" policy.

This wasin no small part thanks to intervention by the ACLU. The 17-year-old had been sent home for wearing shorts on the first day of school in October. The reason he was wearing shorts because one of his legs had been injured and in a brace during the summer. One articlepoints out that the student, Michael Coviello, "(has) been on the school’s mock trial team for four years," (hint: ‘future lawyer’), "…sings in the choir, plays the drums in the school band and is a member of the golf team." As if those activities somehow prove the kid to be macho. Actually, the article was trying to make the point that Coviello isnot normally rebellious. Yeah, right.

Anyway, the brouhaha apparently could have been avoided if the school had just used the… Read More

GOP Congressman Howard "Buck" McKeon (Santa Clarita) represents the 25th District that includes portions of LosAngeles andSan Bernardino Counties (okay its has Mono and Inyo too.) McKeonhas joined Congressman Dan Lungren as a signer of the petition to have elections for several House leadership positions. He was one the signers released publicly by supporters of the vote that could change many House leadership positions and becomes the second California Congressman associated with this possible overthrow of leadership. See the story here.

Supporters of a shake-up in leadership say they have 30 of the 50 votes needed to force a meeting. McKeon is on the Armed Services Committee and is senior member of the House Education and Workforce Committee. He isn’t your normal rabble-rouser and his support for a vote shows thatleadership has some problems. You can see FR Publisher Jon Fleischman’s commentary on the topic here.

Will there be athird Congressman… Read More

More shake outs in the 59th Assembly District race as former Sierra Madre City Councilman drops his bid for the GOP nomination. Doyle cites a couple of business reasons for his decision.

Doyle also endorsed former Covina City Councilman Chris Lancaster for the seat. This leaves Lancaster as the only announced candidate from the San Gabriel Valley side of this oddly shaped District that contains Hesperia and other parts of San Bernardino County. This also frees LA County Supervisor Mike Antonovich to endorse another candidate.

The race could end up as a test of geography between Anthony Adams and Chris Lancaster. Adams has worked hard and I suspect that he will have the most dollars when Jan. 31 numbers are revealed. Lancasterin now consolidating LA County, but can he reach the desert?

Awild card is the candidacy of San Bernardino businessman Barry Hartz. WhileHartz hails from the desert, he is formerly from the San Gabriel Valley part of the district and has support from the Mountjoy political operation.

You can see… Read More