FR Friend John Fund (pictured to the left), a native Californian and an esteemed editorial writer for the Wall Street Journal penned the following tidbit about Former California Congressman Christopher Cox, who was recently confirmed as President Bush’s pick to head the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Justice Cox? When the nomination of Harriet Miers was at its most beleaguered, one political commentator suggested the president should appoint Chris Cox, the newly installed chairman of the… Read More

Ray Haynes is running for Board of Equalization in a district that encompassesparts of Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties to the Mexican Border. The real border, not Temecula or San Clemente.

He is very popular among conservatives and is trying to qualify the California Border Police Initiative.

So I was surprised when I got a press release announcing thatRay Hayneswasendorsing Joel Anderson for Assembly in the 77th District. See it here.I should note the CRA has yet to make an endorsement in that race and that I haven’t endorsed anyone either.

I wasn’t surprised that Haynes would endorse Joel Anderson. Joel is a conservative. He is active in the Party and conservative causes, President of the local Water Board etc… A good, solid conservative candidate.

I was surprised because I had received an invitation to a fundraiser tonight for another conservative… Read More

Yes, there’s a song called "I am an idiot"…by Nine Inch Nails — it’s lame…like me.

You see…I’ve really worked hard at this goofy regional thing…blogs about levees…wineries…and I heardTom Berryhill cried when he read my crap about his candidacy….but you know…it’s gets hard when I see all the blogs on statewide stuff…..sexy stuff….real money at stake with the Conaway Ranch issue to be sure….but not very sexy…

So I call Fleischman..and whined…where he proceeds to admonish me that…Yes Joe…you too can write Big Boy Blogs …writeabout regional stuff…but have at it…

Wow….my first Big Boy Blog….I can’t wait….

But intill then…..I picked up that Congressman Rogan and some friends have gotten behind the following effort.

Stay Tuned…..… Read More

Here’s a great federal government in action story for you…

GOOD IDEA: Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents checking military installations throughout the country. Apparently since 9-11, the feds have been cracking down on those in the country illegally having access to military bases. Just in April, 18 foreign nationals were arrested in San Diego. Apparently they worked for a contractor to the Navy and all 18 had valid credentials to go in and out of the 32nd Street Naval Station.

POOR EXECUTION: There is an… Read More

It appears that most of the Governor’s special election issues are going down to defeat on November 8th. Paycheck Protection, Proposition 75, has the best chance of passage, which would amount to a big victory for all Californians. Conservative turnout will be the key to passage of 75. On November 9th, the map will look quite like it always does – Inland Counties supporting the Governor by wide margins, and Coastal Counties from LA northward giving him a slap across the face. So what if the Governor gets swept? What then? Let me be the first suggest giving control of the State back to the Democrats. And why not? Apparently, the people of the State don’t remember what a mess we were in just a short time ago under Democrat control. So if the Governator doesn’t run again, and the Democrats preside over their utopian form of government beginning in 2007, here’s what we have to look forward to: Multi billion dollar deficits, a credit rating lower than Ethiopia’s, Illegal immigrant driver licenses, tax increases, and a… Read More

ON SURVEYS IN THE FINALS DAYS… As we get closer and closer to election day, the media’s voracious appetite for stories related to the election will only increase. This is always the case. My favorite phenomenon takes place around now, when we get within two weeks of the big day. The press folks all look for a ‘big story’ and then rush to print it. [the visual here would b e when you put food in a fish tank, and all of the fish swarm to eat the little flakes in the water]. This is the period of time where all of these different polling companies will release information, all in the most startling manner possible, in order to gain notoriety for their individual poll.

Today’s headlines are dominated by the first of these ‘last minute’ polls — this one from the Public Policy Institute of California, based out of San Francisco. These folks have news-making down to a science. First they set up… Read More

The NO on 77 campaign used a pretty good trick to get me to open their direct mail piece…the smaller than business sized envelope has an official looking "Jury Duty is Good Citizenship" logo on the front and a personalized letter showing though a window on the envelope.

Inside they urge support of the Governor’s reform agenda EXCEPT for Prop. 77. The letter features quotes from Speaker Hastert and Congressman Doolittle. As well as text from a GOP Senate Caucus "briefing book" all suggesting Prop. 77 or some part of it is bad.

Clever. But I hear Yes on Prop. 77’s Steve Poizner is planning a lawsuit–not sure on what grounds, but stay tuned…… Read More

The Ups and Downs of The Clarksburg Sugar Mill Project

A long, long time ago…I saw Def Leppard warm up for Ozzy in Detroit…and they absolutely blew Ozzy’s band (including Randy Rhodes) off the stage…to say the least, they’ve had a roller coaster of a career since that show…drummer loses arm (bad)…slick producer saves the day (good)…alcohol kills guitarist (bad)…life certainly has it’s ups and downs…just ask my friend …the developer of the historic old Sugar Mill in Clarksburg.

A few years ago, a friend of mine, John Carvalho put forward a plan for the run-down, vacant Delta Sugar Corporation’s beet refinery – The Clarksburg Sugar Mill. John saw a converted historic brick structure becoming home to a winery, a crushing facility, to restaurants, to shops, and to homes built on the… Read More