Since it is Friday, that means I was once again on KTKZ AM 1380 in the Sacramento Area with my friend Eric Hogue. What did we talk about? The State Budget, FR’s Top 20 Bills to Veto, the 1st State Senate Special Election, and Karen England’s write-in bid for Lt. Governor.

Check out the audio…… Read More

I can think of no more worthless title than Mayor Pro Tem. I know some city council members covet the position and proudly display it on their business cards. And I have even heard council members correct me when introducing them: "Well, actually I am Mayor Pro Tem." The same goes for vice-chairman and vice-president of a commission or school board.

So it is highly amusing that someone actually went to court over the title of vice president of the Bethel School District. The case is detailed in this month’s Colantuno & Levine, PC newsletter.

Basically Blair was vice president of the school board and spoke out against the superintendent. His board colleagues stripped him of his veep title and he sued. He lost.

The 9th Circuit Court reasoned that the public expects elected officials to be openly partisan.… Read More

Yesterday I received a phone call from my longtime friend Karen England. Some of you may know Karen in her role as head of the Capitol Resource Institute – others may know her as a leader in the California Republican Party. Karen was calling me to tell me that she had decided to announce a write-in candidacy for the office of Lt. Governor. She told me that, from her perspective, the choice between San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom and appointed Lt. Governor Abel Maldonado represented no choice at all for committed Republican voters. She went into a litany of issues where she found substantial fault with Maldonado.

After hearing Karen out – I told her that while I shared many (well, to some degree, all) of her concerns about Maldonado, that Republicans need to stay unified behind out party’s nominee as chosen in the primary we held in June. I let Karen know that I was committed, as an officer of the California Republican Party, to the election of Maldonado (despite our significant differences on some policy and political issues). I even went a step further and counseled Karen not to do this – not to run as a… Read More

The single most important column of the year.… Read More

Pugno Fact #3 Emotion regarding social issues is clouding the political judgment of political observers and the local press in the race for the 5th Assembly District between Republican Small Business Owner Andy Pugno, Democrat Community Physician/Educator Richard Pan, and Peace and Freedom College Student Elizabeth Martinez. So the Pugno campaign will attempt to provide some facts for people to consider about the race, the district and the candidates. Fact #3 Proposition 8 passed in Assembly District 5 by a margin of 55-45 in the best turn out year for Democrats in more than a decade. Note: This is the same margin that it passed in Speaker Perez’ District. Pugno Fact #2 In 2008, Peace & Freedom candidate Karen Martinez won 8% of the vote for Assembly District 5 in a 3-way race. This year it is again a 3-way race with Peace & Freedom candidate Elizabeth Martinez (her daughter) on the ballot. Polling shows the… Read More

Am I the only one who has noticed that the only Republicans with the "cojones" to stand up to the Democrats are the women in the conservative movement? Even conservative men seem to be a little meek these days, with many of them running for the hills every time the Republican establishment announces that this race or that has to have a "moderate" Republican carrying the Republican banner in November. Conservative women say no, and fight the establishment to advance the movement. Thank you Sarah Palin, Sharon Angle, Christine O’Donnell.

I find it really ironic that many in the Republican establishment, not that long ago, were telling us conservatives that we were too "white" too "male" and too focused on the "social issues" to win in November. The Tea Party movement has been established, energized, and fought to defend the Constitution and has emphasized strict "fiscal" conservatism. Now we are being told that this emphasis on "fiscal" issues makes one too conservative to "win in November." Oh, and by the way, it is being advanced by a woman who… Read More

Unlike some well seasoned politicos in DC including the NRSC, Chairman Michael Steele is running hard supporting Christine O’Donnell. See below.

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Jerry Brown and the media love to talk about the money that Meg Whitman has spent in her bid for governor.There’s no doubt that she’s spent a hefty amount.But there are a couple of points that her critics leave out. First, California is a large state and it takes a lot of money to introduce a candidate to the voters.A political newcomer cannot simply hold coffee klatches and expect to connect with the nearly 37 million people who live here.Despite the popularity of the Internet, television and radio are still the most reliable way to reach people and they are also the most expensive form of advertising. Of the roughly $100 million Whitman has spent on her campaign (primary and general) thus far, $60 million has been spent on direct communication with the voters (paid advertising). Her critics … Read More