On April Fools Day, Gov. Jerry Brown issued an Executive Order limiting the duration of Californians’ showers. However, this was no April Fools joke.

Sounding once again like Weird Uncle Fester on ABC’s “This Week,” Brown said Californians can expect to be hit with heavy fines for taking long showers. Using the enforcement power of the state water board, Brown said people can be fined $500 a day for failing to comply with the new water restrictions and shower allowances – whatever those restrictions really are. “(Water) Districts can go to court to get a cease and desist order,” Brown said. “The enforcement mechanism is powerful. In a drought of this magnitude, you have to change that behavior and you have to change it substantially.

During this drought, city and county governments are still running sprinklers and wasting water as though there is no drought, yet now imposing penalties on citizens who violate unclear water policies.

What will happen to shower offenders? Will the state water police perform a black-ops take down of your home, demanding you “Turn off the water, drop the… Read More

Here’s my just-updated, dreary fact sheet — comparing CA with the other states. It’s an annotated compendium of 35 economic criteria collected to accurately depict where the Golden State stands vs. its domestic competitors. It’s not getting better.

A wonky Word file version (suitable for one page, two-sided printing) is available upon request.

www.TinyURL.com/CA-vs-other-states… Read More

The Leadership Institute and the Project for California’s Future will bring their extensive Campaign and Candidate Training Program to Central Valley conservative candidates, potential candidates, leaders and activists with a five month program that kicks off in 60 days.

Winning in California’s challenging political environment demands more than just having the best ideas — it takes a candidate, and a team, well schooled in the arts of campaign communication and organization.

The Campaign and Candidate Training Program will run for five months — one Saturday each month from June to October — in Modesto, making it convenient for conservative candidates, campaign staff and activists from Stanislaus, San Joaquin and the surrounding counties. This part of the Central Valley is a critical swing region of the state, and one that is a must-win for conservatives to advance in California.

Each session focuses on a key area of waging a modern campaign: Strategy, Communications, Winning the Invisible Primaries, Fundraising, and wrapping up with Voter… Read More

Because of Proposition 13, the unions representing California’s government employees — employees that are the highest paid in all 50 states according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics — have a huge stake in who is elected to the state Legislature.

While most Californians are aware that Proposition 13 limits increases in property taxes – they can be increased by two percent annually – they are less familiar with the requirement that new or increased state taxes receive a two-thirds vote of each house of the Legislature. Proposition 13 authors Howard Jarvis and Paul Gann included this provision because they feared that if they were successful in saving taxpayers money, lawmakers, no doubt with union support, would turn around and attempt to increase the tax burden in other areas.

So the government employee unions are constantly working hard to increase their support in the legislature, with the goal of achieving a super-majority of compliant lawmakers to increase taxes and make even more money available for payroll. This explains why the government unions have been making all-out efforts in special elections that are often overlooked by the… Read More

One of the nation’s most important conservative organizations is coming to California this summer.

The American Legislative Exchange Council, or ALEC, is an intellectual powerhouse for state legislators who share a common commitment to limited government, free markets, and federalism. Each year, ALEC holds a major annual meeting, drawing thousands of state legislators and private sector leaders together for four days of discussions on innovative reform ideas in areas ranging from taxes and property rights to telecommunications and energy policy.

Every legislator who supports these principles and wants to improve his or her effectiveness by networking with fellow conservative lawmakers and private sector leaders, picking up ideas and best practices, and shaping the national discussion really should join ALEC.

In July, ALEC is bringing its 2015 annual meeting to America’s Finest City: San Diego.

I’ve attended ALEC meetings for years, and every time I do I meet new and interesting leaders who share what they’re doing back in their states to put conservative ideas… Read More