I am happy to report that the new House Republican strategy to address illegal immigration is picking up steam. Last week, the conference unveiled a series of bills focused on border security and enforcement that we will be taking up over the next few weeks. Most of these proposals were included in the broader House bill we already passed, but by breaking them up we will be able to send them to the Senate and hopefully circumvent the current stalemate with them over the guest worker issue. This strategy will take the focus off of “comprehensive” plans and force the Senate to evaluate each piece of border security for their individual merit. So far, it looks like it is working. Last week, the House passed a bill to create 700 miles of border fence. This leaves the Senate with no choice but to take up the bill, and they are expected to hold a vote later this week. In the mean time, the House is scheduled to vote on three bills focused on border security and enforcement priorities: H.R. 6089 – Combines the Dangerous Alien Detention Act and the State and Local Law … Read More

I am happy to report that the new House Republican strategy to address illegal immigration is picking up steam. Last week, the conference unveiled a series of bills focused on border security and enforcement that we will be taking up over the next few weeks. Most of these proposals were included in the broader House bill we already passed, but by breaking them up we will be able to send them to the Senate and hopefully circumvent the current stalemate with them over the guest worker issue. This strategy will take the focus off of “comprehensive” plans and force the Senate to evaluate each piece of border security for their individual merit. So far, it looks like it is working. Last week, the House passed a bill to create 700 miles of border fence. This leaves the Senate with no choice but to take up the bill, and they are expected to hold a vote later this week. In the mean time, the House is scheduled to vote on three bills focused on border security and enforcement priorities: H.R. 6089 – Combines the Dangerous Alien Detention Act and the State and … Read More

I am happy to report that the new House Republican strategy to address illegal immigration is picking up steam. Last week, the conference unveiled a series of bills focused on border security and enforcement that we will be taking up over the next few weeks. Most of these proposals were included in the broader House bill we already passed, but by breaking them up we will be able to send them to the Senate and hopefully circumvent the current stalemate with them over the guest worker issue. This strategy will take the focus off of “comprehensive” plans and force the Senate to evaluate each piece of border security for their individual merit. So far, it looks like it is working. Last week, the House passed a bill to create 700 miles of border fence. This leaves the Senate with no choice but to take up the bill, and they are expected to hold a vote later this week. In the mean time, the House is scheduled to vote on three bills focused on border security and enforcement priorities: H.R. 6089 – Combines the Dangerous Alien Detention Act and the State and … Read More

I am happy to report that the new House Republican strategy to address illegal immigration is picking up steam. Last week the conference unveiled a series of bills focused on border security and enforcement that we will be taking up over the next few weeks. Most of these proposals were included in the broader House bill we already passed, but by breaking them up we will be able to send them to the Senate and hopefully circumvent the current stale mate with them over the guest worker issue. This strategy will take the focus off of “comprehensive” plans and force the Senate to evaluate each piece of border security for their individual merit. So far, it looks like it is working. Last week, the House passed a bill to create 700 miles of border fence. This leaves the Senate with no choice but to take up the bill, and they are expected to hold a vote later this week. In the mean time, the House is scheduled to vote on three bills focused on border security and enforcement priorities: H.R. 6089 – Combines the Dangerous Alien Detention Act and the State and … Read More

The Governor’s Veto of SB 815 today, which would have rolled back a significant source of savings in the Workers’ Compensation system, was a necessary veto to preserve the economic gains made in his historic signing of SB 899 in 2004. SB 899 is the Governor’s (and Chuck Poochigian’s) greatest public policy achievement to date – Workers’ Compensation reforms that have saved California businesses over $15 billion in two plus years.This can be considered the single greatest tax cut in California history, as Workers Compensation is essentially a payroll tax on employers.

It’s not just business that has saved money. State, County, Local and School Governments and Districts have also saved billions of dollars in their self funded Workers’ Compensation pools, freeing up taxpayer money for more productive purposes. I am one that has done much criticizing of this Administration, but this veto of SB 815 is time to acknowledge, again, the importance of these significant reforms.… Read More

On the premise that President Bush is incredibly unpopular in this state, Phil Angelides’ campaign has spent millions of dollars in a to-date failed effort tomake the Governorand the President seem like one and the same.

I can do you one better, let’s tie every Democrat running for any office this year to a prominent politician even more unpopular than the President.

WHO? You might ask.

Why, Phil Angelides.

Mattier and Ross, in yesterday’s SF Chron, report findings of a Dem survey on the bonds that has the President’s approval rating in the state at a predictable 38%.

However, noteworthy in the survey that has Arnold running 20 points ahead of Angelides, 55-35, is that Angelides’ approval rating is a downright pathetic 29%.

To be the Democrats’ nominee for Governor, and for your approval to be 9-points below the President in a state with 1.3 million more Democrats than Republicans, 7 weeks before the Election…That’s got… Read More

The Ninth Circuit has reversed an earlier panel decision byholding this morning that recall petitions do not have to be in multiple languages.

Under today’s ruling, recall petitions only need to be circulated in English. The earlier panel decision (which ruled that recall petitions had to be circulated in Spanish as well as English) had caused some confusion among election lawyers and recall and initiative proponents. Following the panel decision, several initiatives were circulated in multiple languages, at significant cost to the petition proponents. In some jurisdictions, like Los Angeles County, as many as 6 languages could be required under the earlier decision.

Today’s ruling means that recall petitions need not be circulated in languages other than English. The Ninth Circuit stated:

"A requirement of translation for recall petitions is far more likely to be used as a sword than a shield, as in the case of the plaintiffs here, who brought their suit to stop an election for which sufficient signatures had been collected. The plaintiffs complain that they were deceived as to the nature of the petition, and this deception… Read More

Dan Walters is right, the clock is ticking, and Phil Angelides doesn’t appear to have a rabbit he can pull out of a hat to make thiselection close. Stunningly, he doesn’t even appear to have a campaign anywhere, erasing from memory the Gubernatorial campaign of Dan Lungren in 1998 as the worst statewide effort in history.

Angelides incompetence has allowed the Governor to ignore conservatives, sign offensive legislation and occupy the entire center left spectrum – leaving only room to his right, where Angelides cannot tread. Union contracts have been signed, education is fully funded, the State is running billions in deficits, the minimum wage is being increased, greenhouse gas bills are being signed, transvestites have new rights in the workplace and billions more in borrowing are on the November ballot. The only antidote to this is conservatism, and it is nowhere to be found in the choice for Governor.

With the signing of the bill handing Los Angeles Mayor Villaraigosa control of LA unified the Mayor’s silence is all but assured this fall – offering only the "headfake" level of support for his fellow… Read More