Some incredible photos from SD, the actual Witch Creek Fire shots from Poway and Rancho Bernardo courtesy of local attorney Jeff Scott. RB alone lost over 700 homes. Jeff’s Poway home survived, even though just a few blocks away from what you see here….

Horizon Court

Horizon Court

Trying to Save a House on Sandhill Road

Backyard Reflections

Twisted Branch Road

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We’ve heard from a number of reliable sources that there will be a special session of the California State Legislature right after the Thanksgiving Holiday to discuss the wildfares and, presumably, to bring up some legislation on the subject.

Based on what we have heard, it sounds like there definately could be more resources committed by the State of California to deal with this important issue.

That said, we would counsel the Governor and Legislators to make some tough decisions and make appropriate cuts to lower priority items in the state budget to provide resources for fire protection.

It would be a sad day, indeed, for California if the tragedy of these fires was compounded with higher taxes or fees, more borrowing, or worst of all, an increase in deficit spending.… Read More

It appears that some California lawmakers have been watching too many Disney movies lately. A recent decision leads us to believe that they view local animals to be as human as the wisecracking, emotional animal characters in Disney movies. As a result, transportation money is being spent on four-legged travelers rather than those on four-wheels.

According to the Los Angeles Times (October 10, 2007), “a proposal for a $455,000 animal path over the 405 Freeway has riled residents….” The overpass is strangely not winning over the locals. “[They] say scarce transportation dollars should not be used to help deer and bobcats get around while humans remain stuck in endless traffic.” Have people forgotten that animals hate getting stuck in traffic, too?

The overpass won’t rile the animals, as they won’t even have to see the cars below- “traffic makes creatures skittish, [so] the bridge plan includes a 5-foot-high wall to block their view of the freeway and a 3-foot wall blocking their view of… Read More

The Associated Press has reported that State officials in Pennsylvania have decided not to publicize their list of polling places in the next election, citing concerns that terrorists could disrupt them.

Reportedly, the state was influenced by the terrorist bombings that struck just days before Spain’s national elections in 2004.

Californians have braved terrible tragedies such as the on-going wildfires, earthquakes North and South, and we’ve also been the target of terrorism. Yet we go on. Judging from the resolve of our citizens in facing these challenges, I just don’t think we’d ever have secret polling places in our state.… Read More

We’re pleased to present this commentary from State Senator Tom McClintock…

Through the Gloom The tide of battle seems to have turned in the last 24 hours, and the firestorms that have stricken and terrorized our communities from Santa Barbara to San Diego now appear to be on the way to being vanquished. Two transcendent observations are hard to miss amidst the tragedy. The first is the sense of proportion and resolve expressed by the families who lost their homes this week. Having just watched every material possession accumulated during a lifetime suddenly reduced to ashes – often on the mere whim of the… Read More

Proving that the conservative youth movement is alive and well, the USC College Republicans hosted conservative commentator Ann Coulter yesterday evening in a packed, standing room-only event at the USC campus. The USC College Republicans, led by their Chairwoman Cheyenne Steel (Yes, thatʼs Steel Version 3.0), deserve credit for packing the room with over 300 people, accommodating an overflow seating with another 150 people, and preventing the left wing protestors from hijacking the event.

College Republicans chapters across California are hosting speakers and events this week as a part of David Horowtizʼs Islamofascism Week. Itʼs events like these that recruit Republican volunteers, energize conservatives on campus, and sharpen the political skills of future operatives. No doubt, we will be seeing more from USCʼs bright young stars like Cheyenne Steel, Kip Payne and Ben Myers for years to come.

Coulter spoke for about an hour, followed by Q&A, and then a… Read More

At 3:05 a.m. Wednesday morning, I drove into the parking lot of my local Community Center. La Mesais perhaps one of the safest places in San Diego County – if “safe” is measured in the number of communities between your home and a firestorm. The city may not be in harm’s way, yet officials still offered up their largest meeting space for collection of donated goods and as a coordination point to prepare meals for delivery to area evacuation centers.

Councilman Ernie Ewin had indicated he needed very early morning assistance to prepare egg sandwich breakfasts for the displaced hundreds staying six miles away in the gym at Steele Canyon High School . I imagined him trying to scrape together a crew of five to ten volunteers willing to set their alarms for 1:30 a.m., resulting in a short-handed, crazed rush of work prior to the planned 6:00 a.m. food pick up.

I should have known better of my community. The parking lot was full of cars. About 200 volunteers were inside – Kiwanians, High School Key Club members and others – from throughout East County, diligently working in a well-coordinated operation to cook, prep and package the… Read More

The following is a special message from Assemblyman Bob Huff. Huff is Chairman of the Assembly Republican Caucus:

It is with a deep sense of awe and sadness that we watch the events impacting our fellow Californians. To date, more than 426,000 acres in seven counties have already burned – the most lost from a single year in state history. Nearly one million of our fellow citizens have been evacuated, and the seemingly endless flames have consumed almost 1500 homes.

It is my sincerest hope that people will visit the CalFires website to get information and pictures of the situation in our state. You will also find information on important organizations involved in easing the pain of such massive losses, as well as key information on the status of events taking place. I especially want to encourage anyone who has been forced to evacuated to register on the Red Cross’ “Safe and… Read More