Big News. Bill Simon is leaving the race for State Treasurer. The Sac Bee has the story here. He had money, name ID and a solid base. This leaves a gaping hole in the GOP Primary. Now, the two top candidates are Keith Richman and Claude Parrish.

Keith Richman is a state Assemblyman from the San Fernando Valley. He is way out of any type of GOP mainstream. He is the only Republican Lawmaker that won’t support Prop. 73. See more on that here. On fiscal issues he voted for the Gray Davis budgets but not Arnold’s. Why? They didn’t have tax increases. Does the Republican Party want a fiscal liberal as its’ standard-bearer in this kind of race?

Claude Parrish is on the Board of Equalization representing Southern California. I guess now he is theconservative candidate. He has filled out… Read More

Well respected conservative and businessman Bill Simon has quietly told his supporters that he has decided not to run for California State Treasurere in 2006 (props to Dan Weintraub, who broke this news).

An excerpt of the letter from Simon to his supporters said:

San Francisco city government never fails to amaze me.

This morning, the local news carried a story about how a "beloved" pumpkin patch–one of only two in the city–has been closed down because of a permitting dispute. Apparently, neighbors have complained about the size of a shed on the land that serves as the Great Pumpkin Patch’s haunted house. The business owner says that the size of the shed was reduced to comply with permitting rules, but an appeal was filed to revoke her permit.

Here’s the kicker: the appeal hearing is scheduled for December 7th–well after Halloween. Don’t you think that city management could find a way to expedite the hearing to allow a small business to remain operating and give city kids a place to get their pumpkins… Read More

News Roundup: FORUM IN THE EASTBAYThere is nothing that our friends in the media like more than a spectacle – and that is what they got yesterday at a townhall forum held at the Lesher Center in Walnut Creek, in the East Bay Area. While the format was a little goofy (it was a ‘debate’ but the proponent [Governator] and opponents [State Senate President Don Perata, and the Chief of the Nurses Union, Rose Ann DeMoro] never actually shared the stage at the same time.

The general concensus is that the Governor actually did quite well in this format, and that his opponents very much came across as trying to defend the status quo. FR friend and blogger extraordinaire Dan Weintraub of the Sacramento Bee actually reported on the event ‘live’ on his blog. While there are a dozen (or more) stories on the FlashReport website on this… Read More

Todd Harris, who is a campaign spokesman for the Schwarzenegger initiative committee, has spent most of the year playing the role originated by Kevin Bacon in the closing minutes of "Animal House". As John Belushi and his fellow Deltas wreaked havoc on their school’s homecoming parade and destroyed a small town, Bacon played a young pledge whose responsibility was traffic and crowd control for the parade. The lasting image of Bacon’s first film role is him jumping up and down , frantically repeating the phrase "Remain calm. All is well", even as chaos descended around him.

After the governor and his opponents completed their participation in last night’s campaign forum in Walnut Creek, media coverage shows that Harris was on message, proclaiming that the evening had been a great success for Schwarzenegger. After months of being forced to attempt to spin the unspinnable, Harris was right. His boss won hands down.

Before the event had even concluded, armchair analysts were complaining that… Read More

Ever think of running for office? Do you think the worst that can happen is to lose and maybe spend some of your own money. The LA Weekly has a story that shows it can get worse. Peter Torres, a LAPD officer had the nerve to run against Jan Perry’s boss (LA City council member Rita Walters) and then ran against Jan Perry.

He of course lost, but the payback has been a .. well you know. Read it about the whole story by clicking here and here.

You will think twice before throwing your hat in the ring. Then again, that is the idea.… Read More

As of a few weeks ago, most political insiders were expecting Assemblyman Tom Harman to walk into the 35th State Senate seat (to be vacated by Sen. John Campbell as soon as he wins the race for the 48th CD on Nov. 8).

There have been rumors about possible challengers, Michael Resk, a Huntington Beach businessman, disabled veteran and HB 4th of July Parade Co-Chair has been making the rounds and expressing interest (former OC GOP party staffer turned consultant Will Hutson is handling Resk). OC Board of Ed. member and failed Congressional candidate (47th against Loretta Sanchez in 2004) Alexandria Coronado has made some noise, but most don’t think she would go for the senate seat.

OC Supervisor Jim Silva, candidate for the 67th Assembly seat (the one Tom Harman holds now) has been recruited for to switch to the senate race, but… Read More

Two candidates have emerged as a likely head-to-head match-up for the June ’06 Primary to replace Claude Parrish on the nation’s largest elected Tax Board. Parrish is termed out of his Third District Board of Equalizationseat. Michelle Steel is reportedly off to a good start with $450,000 cash on hand and Mike Richman of Johnson Clark Associates on board. But the big news is Steel’s recent appointment by Parrish as Deputy Board of Equalization Member. And yes, she’ll get to use that ballot title in the June ’06 Primary. So we’ll see what kind of incumbency mojo that gets her, if any.

The other major force in the race is Assemblyman Ray Haynes, who has good conservative legislative credentials, including his authorship of the California Border… Read More