Senate District 23 is held by Senator Sheila Kuehl (pictured left). She is currently prevented from seeking re-election due to term limits.

The district is coastal stretching from Oxnard in Ventura County to Malibu and then down to UCLA. Half the population is in Los Angeles but also includes the entire cities of Santa Monica, Beverly Hills, Malibu, and West Hollywood. (See a map here.)

Governor Schwarzenegger won the seat in the 2003 recall but only tied Angelides last November. Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner came within three points of Bustamante in 2006 and is the only Republican to come close in the last decade. The Republican on the ballot here is less than a speed bump for the winner of the Democratic primary.… Read More

Today my Republican Governor introduced a vast health care proposal that, if enacted, raises taxes, moves us away from individual responsibility for our health care in favor of making health care coverage a government (taxpayer) responsibility, and moves the consumer even further away from their appropriate role in a market-driven healthcare system.

There are a lot of great ideas, based on sound Republican principles, contained in both the State Senate and Assembly GOP proposals. The Governor’s proposal is a recipe for disaster – and would clearly make things worse.… Read More

By now, just about everyone who is anyone in California politics, or who reports on the goings-on in California politics, has viewed the video clip of Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez running away from an ABC News camera and reporter rather than answer questions about lavish campaign expenditures on a lifestyle that Nunez calls "middle class" but is clearly much more… (Nearly 4,000 had watched this particular YouTube clip).

The question we all would like answered is that posed by the ABC News reporter towards the end of the video — about Nunez’ bodyguard. Who is he? And perhaps more importantly, who pays for him? Is he a CHP plain clothes officer? A staffer for the Assembly? Or perhaps a hired mercenary on campaign payroll? Or perhaps he is an employee of one of the special interests that Nunez is gauging to pay for his term-limits end-run ball… Read More

The Orange City Council tonight will hear a report from their city attorney on "…continued viability of the Resource Center and secondary impacts of day laborer solicitation."

Several city council members have expressed concern in recent months that the "Resource Center" was nothing more than a haven for illegal aliens seeking work. Work being a noble cause, being here illegally being, well illegal.

Reports of a nearby gas station owner saying day laborers urinate on the side of his building, gambling (sounds like fun) and pitching coins which block sidewalks, customers avoiding businesses where laborers congregate and potential employers (we’ll call them John’s) causing traffic hazards as they slow and solicit for "workers" are all reasons for the review.… Read More

H/T to Blog of SD’s Pat Flannery for having it first and to "Mighty Thor" at Red County SD for making it graphically user-friendly….here is some data from a McLaughlin and Associates poll on Mayor Jerry Sanders:

Much resulting fodder on Red County as to whether this constitutes the entire poll or not, who commissioned it (GOP?Steve Francis?Donna Frye?Labor Council?, yadda, yadda?) and just what is Pat Flannery’s agenda in publishing it.

As much as Flannery has against Sanders, that last one’s a laugh, unless folks are afraid of information. If the definition of a liberal is someone who posts information that Republicans don’t like, ok, count me as a liberal.

Yes, I too would’ve liked to see the results of a straight up question on the likely/potential… Read More

L.A.Times Publisher David Hiller must have whipped his reporters into a Leftist frenzy for today’s paper.This must be part ofthe publisher’s bold strategyto win over the Move On Dot Com crowd to increase circulation.

On the front page alone are 4 major articles ranging from the growing popularity of Hillary contrasted to the boom-let for Che’s legacy in Latin America. Normally Janet Hook and Mark Barabak demonstrate alittle independence but not in today’s lead article. Two reporters who should know better, happily interview a soledemocrat in their first 3 paragraphs of why all democrats are now more comfortable with Hillary. Ultimately, they point out that Clinton is ahead of Obama. That’s the lead story !

Patrick McDonnell writes glowingly of a new Stalinesque statue of serial murderer Che Guevara in Marxist Bolivia. He reports that " Socialism is in, the Cubans are on the march, and Che is the defiant embodiment of it all." McDonnell is not quoting anyone. He is quoting himself.He probably wouldn’t pass high school journalist with that.

Another front page obligatory story interviews… Read More

In the wake of his change-of-heart on same-sex marriage, Mayor Jerry Sanders tonight held on to the SD County Republican Party’s previously given endorsement. Plenty of conjecture and comments at Red County San Diego:

So What is Going to Happen at the GOP Tonight?

Independent Report

Mayor Wins… Read More

The offices of the FlashReport are closed today to celebrate the Columbus Day holiday. That said, we did get in early to make sure that the main page is updated, and includes an exclusive column from Congressman Kevin McCarthy, in addition to all of the political stories from California’s daily papers (such as they are on this quiet holiday).

Have a great day!

Jon Fleischman, Publisher

Care to read comments, or make your own about today’s Daily Commentary?

Just click here to go to the FR Weblog, where this Commentary has its own blog post, and where you can read and make comments.… Read More