The flurry of thousands of pieces of legislation flying around the State Capitol this time of year (hold on to your wallets and purses!) continues to allow the FlashReport to bring our readers into the building to take a closer look at individual pieces of legislation.

Today we’re taking a moment to look at Senate Bill 1000, introduced by Republican State Senator Tom Harman of Orange County. PROPERTY RIGHTS Before I delve into the specifics of this legislation, let’s have a short little primer on property rights. This has been a big issue lately, especially since the United States Supreme Court in their (terrible) Kelo v. New London decision cleared the way for government to come in and take someone’s private property through eminent domain if the government deems that a different use for that property would further ‘economic development’ in the area. This has lead to a… Read More

Atthe annual CRA Convention,delegates to vote in a "straw poll" for president. Thompson won, Hunter and Romney ties for second. Just a note a candidate needs two-thirds at our endorsing convention in order to win a CRA endorsement. The results:

Fred Thompson (25%) Duncan Hunter (19%) Mitt Romney (19%) Ron Paul (12%) Tom Tancredo (8%) Newt Gingrich (7%) Rudy Guiliani (7%) Sam Brownbeck (3%) Mike Huckabee (0%) Tommy Thompson (0%)

[Publisher’s announcement: The ever-humble Mr. Spence neglects to tell readers that he was re-elected to yet another two-year term as President of the CRA! Congratulations!! Publisher’s Question: I presume McCain also got no votes? Publisher’s note: Giuliani is probably the big winner of this survey. If the CRA can’t solidify behind a single conservative in the primary, the socially moderate former New York Mayor gets a walk… Flash]… Read More

FR readers will recall that a couple of weeks ago I told you all about yet another lame bill from Assemblyman Lloyd Levine – this is the one that would, in effect, stop any new construction of hotel resorts along the coast. Levine would like you to neuter your dog. How about instead, we neuter his bill which is up for a vote this afternoon?

I’m pretty sure than no GOPer would vote for it — but I guess Dems will have to decide if they would support a bill so extreme that even the pretty liberal Coastal Commission opposes it…… Read More

Pennsylvania Boy

The writer behind the blog "PA for Hizzoner, Rudy Giuliani" put the best possible spin on the results of this weekend’s presidential straw poll at the Pennsylvania Leadership Conference, a key barometer of GOP activist sentiment in the state. The headline was "Rudy Leads All Presidential Candidates," but the blogger had to confess the headline "may be a little deceptive," since the former mayor actually got 16% and tied for second with Newt Gingrich, who spoke at the conference. The winner was non-declared candidate Fred Thompson, who "slaughtered the field" with 35% of the total vote.

Mr. Thompson was a non-candidate on a roll this weekend. He also came out on… Read More

Well, unfortunately, Assemblyman Doug La Malfa, FR’s North California Correspondent, didn’treally need to exercise much of hisconsiderable forensic talentin this morning’s televised "debate". The goodfolks at CNBC seemed to supportively suggest to Assemblyman Lloyd Levine that consumers drive the market — not government — and evenrhetorically questionedLaMalfa about his awareness of the fact that the rest of the country thinks California is a "laughing stock" for bills like Levine’s light bulb ban, the topic of discussion.

AB 722 would simply ban the sale of incandescent light bulbs in California by 2012. Levine, again, diagnoses the lack of consumer interest in substitute light bulbs that might save energy and money as a "market failure", a term used by political… Read More

As the falling rain pings against my window here in North California, I am relieved that it will alleviatesome of the shortage of stored water predicted for this upcoming usage season in California. Dramatic reductions in water delivery, especially to Central Valley agriculture are very likely. Those in the cattle business are lamentingwhat has been the shortest rainfallduring this area’s winter months, [January being one of the driest on record in California]for as long as they can remember, with grazing lands short of foliage and already starting to turn to the summer brown. These rains in recent days can only help.

What else would help is some real action by humans on providing for their own water needs. Relying on rain dances, good luck, or if you’re the 1948 Boston Braves with only 2 reliable pitchers for a7 gameWorld Series, "Spahn and Sain and pray for rain", we canask for Divine intervention every rain year and do nothing with our God-given abilities to help ourselves.

Governor Schwarzenegger has made a firm commitment to building above ground water storage in this state, something we used to do, and do… Read More

As the falling rain pings against my window here in North California, I am relieved that it will alleviatesome of the shortage of stored water predicted for this upcoming usage season in California. Dramatic reductions in water delivery, especially to Central Valley agriculture are very likely. Those in the cattle business are lamentingwhat has been the shortest rainfallduring this area’s winter months, [January being one of the driest on record in California]for as long as they can remember, with grazing lands short of foliage and already starting to turn to the summer brown. These rains in recent days can only help.

What else would help is some real action by humans on providing for their own water needs. Relying on rain dances, good luck, or if you’re the 1948 Boston Braves with only 2 reliable pitchers for a7 gameWorld Series, "Spahn and Sain and pray for rain", we canask for Divine intervention every rain year and do nothing with our God-given abilities to help ourselves.

Governor Schwarzenegger has made a firm commitment to building above ground water storage in this state, something we used to do, and do… Read More

Rider on Tax Freedom Day… The ever-analytical Richard Rider sends along some info from the Tax Foundation on Tax Freedom Day (TFD), and he focuses particularly on California. We’re losing ground (no surprise there), with this year’s TFD on April 30 butCA’s a week later.

TFD, of course, is the symbolic day upon which the average person would have paid all their taxes for the year, with the balance of the year their income to keep to themselves, if we paid taxes that way, of course. Given CA is one of the worst state’s in the nation, this info is of particular interest considering the legislature is once again considering an a "softening" of Prop 13.

Rider’s take:

Bad news — we Americans work two more days this year than last, with the nationwide Tax Freedom Day this year being 30 April, 2007. After some tax relief in the early part of the decade, thanks to desperately needed tax cuts (too bad spending mushroomed at the same time), the tax burden is once again rapidly growing.

For Californians, the news is even worse.… Read More