As the General Election approaches, we here at the FlashReport are going to be paying more attention – a LOT more attention – to the race for Congress in California’s 11th District, most of which is located in the Tracy/Stockton area of the Central Valley, with a chunk of it going over the hills into the East Bay Area. The incumbent candidate is Democrat Jerry McNerney, who is a far left extremist, who is totally out of synch with a district that is moderate in some areas, and quite conservative in others. The challenger is GOP fiscal hawk Dean Andal, who served in the State Legislature and on the State Board of Equalization.

I took a few minutes to start “researching” McNerney and, well, let’s just say that there is a ton of stuff available that shows how extreme and out-of-touch McNerney is with his constituents.

Just to start the ball rolling, let’s start with a “Look… Read More

OC/Riverside Congressman Ken Calvert lead the effort among the nineteen CA Republican Members of Congress last week to push Nancy Pelosi to allow a vote on an energy bill that includes domestic oil drilling off the Outer Continental Shelf as part of an all-of-the-above solution.

Seventeen of the nineteen CA GOP lawmakers joined Calvert and signed the letter (below).

Calvert who has shown leadership on the issue of energy independence also launched a web page www.alloftheaboveenergy.org that urges voters to sign a petition to Speaker Pelosi.

California State Legislators should pay attention to this too because the letter also highlights the prospects for the State of California to see a big windfall from the sale of this newly pumped oil off our coast. I bet there are a few Democrat legislators who would ‘sell out the environment’ for another couple billion in state revenues to play with.… Read More

Did you miss the joint appearance of Governor Sarah Palin and Senator Hillary Clinton on Saturday night live? LOL. … Read More

The State budget debate is supposed to be tonight, as floor sessions for both houses are scheduled for 4 PM. Our Assembly Republican caucus meets a little earlier as I expect the others from both house and parties will too. Floor session doesn’t usualy actuualy start on time so I expect the debate will be well into the night as the fine points are brought up, contemplated and hammered out. Importantly, much can go on with the budget trailer bills, of which there are several. They need close scrutiny. All in all, one way or the other, it appears we will have this done and on its way to the Governor within 24 hours. But anything can happen between houses or the respective parties to cause a hiccup in this time line.… Read More

I am pleased to announce that today we the FlashReport Website on California Politics is launching FRMobile, a version of this website that is optimized for use with your Personal Digital Assistant (PDA). Whether you are using a Blackbery, iPhone, Treo, Palm, Q or other mobile platform, you will now be able to enjoy some of the main feature of the FlashReport with ease! For the thousands (and we have heard from many, many of you) who have tried or who have struggled with trying to read the FR on a PDA these past nearly three years, we commend you for your patience, but we dedicate this new easy-to-download, easy-to-read FRMobile platform to you…

While not every aspect of the FlashReport is optimized on FR Mobile, we have placed FR’s most popular features there. When you go to the site with your PDA, you will get the FR main news page.… Read More

From reading MSM reports this morning while putting together the website, it sure sounds like there is a budget deal, although details have yet to be presented by the "Big 4" to their respective caucuses. It sounds like this deal can best be summed up as "No new taxes, mostly, and not enough cuts."

On the new taxes side of things, NOT in this plan based on what I have read are the outrageous proposals by Democrats for a massive income tax hike, or the disappointing proposal by the Governor for a massive sales tax increase. Still present, however, and quite disturbing is a de facto tax increase on California businesses (an estimated $300 million++ bit) reducing their ability to write off losses.

According to reports, it would appear that while the best interests of California would be to have more cuts in state government, such as proposed by legislative Republicans, this budget comes up with a myriad of various one-time accounting gimmicks and other "creative ideas" to close the budget gap — so there will be a game of "kick the can" to the upcoming state budget (which will… Read More

I am pleased to announce that today we the FlashReport Website on California Politics is launching FRMobile, a version of this website that is optimized for use with your Personal Digital Assistant (PDA). Whether you are using a Blackbery, iPhone, Treo, Palm, Q or other mobile platform, you will now be able to enjoy some of the main feature of the FlashReport with ease! For the thousands (and we have heard from many, many of you) who have tried or who have struggled with trying to read the FR on a PDA these past nearly three years, we commend you for your patience, but we dedicate this new easy-to-download, easy-to-read FRMobile platform to you…

While not every aspect of the FlashReport is optimized on FR Mobile, we have placed FR’s most popular features there. When you go to the site with your PDA, you will get the FR main news page.… Read More

**Steve Poizner Files Papers – Launches Gubernatorial Exploratory Committee** **Announces Impressive Array of Early Endorsements; Taps Key Campaign Team Members**

Last evening my phone rang — it was State Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner calling to let me know that he has formally decided to run for the Republican nomination for California Governor, and that tomorrow (now today) his campaign would be going down to the California Secretary of State’s Office to formally file papers for an Exploratory Committee for Governor. I just received a call confirming that this has taken place!

I told Commissioner Poizner that while this news was hardly unexpected, that it was certainly exciting, and of… Read More