Passing off of the Assembly floor again was the idea of microstamping an ID number on every bullet shell casing as it is discharged by a gun. This as an idea to solve crimes. Never mind that a conviction could never be upheld by finding a shell casing with your ID number on itat a crime scene…I hope.… Read More

Update: AB 8 passes tonight by a vote of 45-31…heading for the Guv’s guillotine. [After terms like health care being "a right" were used in the debate.] I wonder who has "the right" to then pay for that "right", the children of parents who have to spend even more time at work to pay for this "right" conferred by goverment to others?Does government have the answer when it is only willing to add to the mandatesthat drive upcosts, nottackle the cost drivers, the litigation, thediscouragement of competitition, the illegal immigrants receiving benefits not playing by the immigration rules? We are a compassionate people that will help the deserving. This isn’t the answer.

After passing out of the Senate earlier 22-17, with 2 Dem "no" votes, the discussion is now on our floor, of taxing businesses to pay for health care for all. The Guv has sent a memo out promising a veto on this measure. This discussion could go for an hour or two, with a known outcome. Maybe we can come back later and address what drives… Read More

Last weekend, about a thousand members, alternates and guests gathered at the California Republican Party Convention at the Renaissance Esmerelda Hotel in Indian Wells in the Coachella Valley/Palm Springs area. As is typically the case, we’ll be sharing some stories and happenings from this event over the next few days. First and foremost, we’re pleased to announce the return of our highly-acclaimed, caddy and pithy "Winners & Losers of the CRP Convention" column, which we should be featuring at the end of this week. While your trusted FR team had many of our team members on the ground, looking over the convention for nominees, we typically get some of our best suggestions from FR readers. If you have a nomination, you can e-mail us here. As always, we ensure the confidentiality of anyone who contacts us. I’ll start by fast forwarding to a couple of results from the weekend that I want especially emphasize. The first is that convention delegates unanimously put the party on record as opposing… Read More

The fact that Sen. Don Perata is under FBI investigation is not news. However, I have had two contacts with folks in Sacramento that are teling methat rumors are swirling that he will be indicted in a week. Just after this week’s session is over.

If true, Perata becomes the main face of the ant-term limits campaign. Time will tell.… Read More

Last weekend, about a thousand members, alternates and guests gathered at the California Republican Party Convention at the Renaissance Esmerelda Hotel in Indian Wells in the Coachella Valley/Palm Springs area. As is typically the case, we’ll be sharing some stories and happenings from this event over the next few days. First and foremost, we’re pleased to announce the return of our highly-acclaimed, caddy and pithy "Winners & Losers of the CRP Convention" column, which we should be featuring at the end of this week. While your trusted FR team had many of our team members on the ground, looking over the convention for nominees, we typically get some of our best suggestions from FR readers. If you have a nomination, you can e-mail us here. As always, we ensure the confidentiality of anyone who contacts us. I’ll start by fast forwarding to a couple of results from the weekend that I want especially emphasize. The first is that convention delegates unanimously put the party on record as opposing… Read More

I didn’t go to the California Republican Party convention this past weekend, but I did read Governor Schwarzenegger’s already-notorious speech. You can read it here.

I don’t think any serious Republican disputes the Governor’s assertion we need to bring more independents into the party. That’s not exactly a revelation. We are losing folks to the DTS column.

But it’s hard to take the Governor’s prescription seriously, in no small part because it comes from the Governor.

Let’s take this line for example:

But being a Republican is important to me. This party is important to me.

Really, Governor? The moment Phil Angelides won the Democratic primary, it was crystal clear you were going to be decisively re-elected. If the party was "important to you," expending serious resources to help elected other Republicans to statewide offices would have been a concrete way of showing that. The reality is Arnold is all about… Read More

From today’s WSJ Political Diary… (Thanks for the shout-out!)

Governor Moonbeam II

California Republicans met at their convention near Palm Springs this weekend and heard two starkly different messages. Their own "post-partisan" governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger, called on them to embrace the fight against global warming, support huge tax increases required by his universal health care plan and otherwise move to the center. Otherwise, he warned, the GOP would be "relegated to the margins of California’s political life."

The governor’s message was received with tepid applause, with some delegates sitting on their hands. The atmosphere dramatically changed only minutes… Read More

**ALERT** Late Session Assault on Taxpayer Rights **ALERT**

The end of session is a good opportunity to amend into bills controversial issues that authors hope will go unnoticed in the hustle and bustle of hundreds of bills. A perfect example is AB 1546 (Calderon).

This is legislation that started off trying to resolve a situation where the state found itself on the losing end of a billion dollar court decision. The court found unconstitutional the LLC "fee" which taxed income from both inside and outside the state. The bill had problems from the start. While it correctly addressed the commerce clause violation by limiting income determination to in-state revenues, it also limited the LLC’s ability to be reimbursed from the state.

Late last week, however, AB 1546 was quietly expanded to limit the ability of all taxpayers — business and personal — to recover fees or taxes that are declared unconstitutional. What this bill means is that if the government of California unjustly taxes your income and it takes five years to have a… Read More