Deep down everyone involved in politics knows that “campaign reform” has been a failure. More and More money comes in, but all these laws make it harder to find who is really giving to whom. At the state level, you can go to the Secretary of State Website and check out donors at the state level to the real big campaigns.

Local campaigns are a completely different story. It is hard to know about campaign donations without going to City Hall. Hard except in Pasadena , where The Foothill Cities Blog that covers the Foothill Cities in LA County. (Hence the clever name) has taken on campaign finance at the local level. In Pasadena the most prominent of the cities it covers … Read More

Having been rolled by the Governor for the past five years (a little less rolled in 2007 than in years past) the GOP minority in the State SenateandAssembly must now, finally, draw a line in the sand on State spending, which has exploded under this Governor and with a few Republican votes every year.

At risk here are losing the arguments on two key principles, the premise that we have a spending problem rather than a revenue problem, the historical fact that tax increases do not now, nor ever have, increased tax revenues.

There is also the issue that nobody in elected office, nor any candidate wants to touch – education spending. Somebody explain to me why a 100% run up in education spending over 10 years with less than 15% change in enrollment can’t be reduced in a fiscal crisis? Are there no intellectuals out there to make the argument.

This is a seminal time for the GOP. A depressed nationwide base looks at a feckless Congress, a lame duck President and a Governor who has place our State at great risk while flying the GOP flag. Its not a good situation, and taking a stand on the issue of taxes would be a great help.… Read More

For the past few months I’ve been worried that the Democrats would wake up. They didn’t. Now that their Presidential nomination will continue to be up in the air for months I’m ready to thank them for giving Republicans a chance to keep the White House for four more years. It also means a chance at another Supreme Court Justice.

This should be a bad year for a Republican to be at the top of the ticket. Republicans did a smart thing by nominating the best candidate in the field to be able to win in November. Senator McCain brings independent voters to the table and should be able to hold the Republican base with a little work.

As for the Democrats they needed to nominate anyone but Senator Clinton or Senator Obama. They didn’t do that.

I believe that if Senator John Edwards was the nominee of the Democratic Party he would get 53% of the vote or greater and would walk into the White House. He would also have a good chance of putting North Carolina in his column.

Governor Bill Richardson would have been the darling of the media. They would have praised him to high heaven in editorials all over the country and he… Read More

It’s a gorgeous day in Placer County; not a cloud in the sky and a high of about 70 degrees. Oh, and Tom McClintock is going to be our next congressman. On this beautiful California morning, Senator McClintock was joined by several local elected officials to officially announce his candidacy for the 4th congressional district. At a press conference on the steps of the historic Placer County Court House in Auburn, Senator Sam Aanasted kicked off the announcement with his endorsement of his senate seatmate, who has “instructed, educated and cajoled Republicans into acting like Republicans.”

Also publicly declaring their support for McClintock’s campaign were Assemblymen Rick Keene and Ted Gaines, Nevada County Supervisors Sue Horne, Yuba County Supervisor Dan Logue and Auburn City Councilman Kevin Hanley. The honor of actually introducing McClintock was left to former 4th CD candidate Eric Egland, who joked that he was “proud to say he was in fact a former candidate for the seat” now that McClintock has entered the race. Egland then stated that, “While I’m a major in the military, in the world of conservative leadership, Tom McClintock is a… Read More

Just in from team Anderson. The phones and emails are abuzz in San Diego….

Anderson to Make Major Announcement Regarding 52nd Congressional District Race

San Diego–Tomorrow, March 5, 2008, Assemblyman Joel Anderson (R-El Cajon) will hold a press conference making a major announcement regarding the 52nd Congressional District campaign.

The 77th Assembly District, represented by Assemblyman Anderson is within the 52nd Congressional District. The incumbent Congressman Duncan Hunter is not running for re-election

WHO: Assemblyman Joel Anderson (R-El Cajon) and special guest

WHAT:Press Conference making major announcement regarding the 52nd Congressional District campaign

WHEN:Wednesday ~ March 5, 2008 ~ 11:00 AM

WHERE: The Brigantine Restaurant, 9350 Fuerte Drive, La Mesa… Read More

As I write this, California conservative icon Tom McClintock is announcing his candidacy for Congress in the 4th Congressional District, where incumbent John Doolittle is retiring.

FR’s Meredith Turney is at the event, and will bring us some post-press conference coverage. So stay tuned!… Read More

California legislators are notorious for their many harebrained ideas, but some proposals are such an affront to commonsense and decency that it is impossible to comprehend their motivation. Senator Alan Lowenthal is the author of one of the most shocking bills introduced in the state senate not just this year, but in many years. SB 1322 would actually allow the promotion of communism in California’s public schools. Yes, communism—the very government system responsible for the deaths of an estimated 100 million people since its implementation.

Under current law in California, it is illegal for communist organizations to use public school or community college property for their meetings. Senator Lowenthal wants to strike that law. He also wants to strike the law that requires public (government) employees forswear membership in an organization (the Communist Party) bent on the “forceful or violent” overthrow of the United States government.

But that’s not the worst of it. Senator Lowenthal also wants to strike the law that prohibits a… Read More

With Tom McClintock’s decision this morning to focus his aim on Capitol Hill, it leaves a very big vacuum in the race for who will succeed Board of Equalization Member Bill Leonard, who is in his second and final term on the BOE (his current term ends in 2010). With McClintock in the race, he had pretty much cleared the field. BOE districts are vast, each of them encompassing one quarter of the state’s voters. Thus they are very difficult in which to campaign. The amount of money and resources required to communicate your message, as a candidate, to Republican voters is staggering. McClintock’s high state-wide name I.D. made him a shoo-in, and now… There is no longer a presumptive front-runner to replace Leonard. Or is there?

I am sure that a significant number of current and former legislators, among others, will now be seriously looking at a run for this safe, Republican BOE seat. One person whom you can figure is very likely to announce her candidacy sooner than later is… Read More