Largest Tax Increase Ever: I spent most of yesterday participating in the Budget Committee’s proceedings on the budget for 2008. Our hearing lasted from 10 AM yesterday until 1 AM this morning. And the Budget that the Democrats proposed and approved (without my support) contained huge spending increases and the largest tax increase in American history. Below are the details of this proposal, which will be considered on by the whole House next week:

Their budget proposes the largest tax increase in American history – The Democrat’s budget calls for a tax increase of every tax bracket, slashes the child tax credit, raises the death tax, and reinstates the marriage penalty. And this is just a sampling, there is more. In all, the Democrat’s plan will cost taxpayers over $390 billion in the next 5 years. What is particularly frustrating about this ill-advised action is that the Democrats are blatantly ignoring the economic consequences and fiscal benefits that lower taxes have brought to the treasury the past few years. Revenue has increased in double digits the last two years alone because of the economic expansion… Read More

If chance or business finds you in San Diego, and you have some free time, you might want to go to breakfast at Hob Nob, or lunch at Mammas and Papas, dinner at Bullys, or a cocktail at Imperial Housewith someone worth spending the meal with. After all, how many breakfast have you had where the coffee is better than the conversation? I recommend the following people as interesting,smart, amusing people to spend an hour with(elected officials have been excluded since the end of a meal with one of them invariably involves some chore, and God knows I’ve missed someone obvious, and these people are in no particular order, and maybe I’ve spelled a name wrong, and actually I don’t even like every one of them but they all qualify as worth some of your time…):

CAROL REED. Carol is a lifelong San Diego East County conservative activist. Think background, on everything. This, I think, is best done over breakfast.

CRAIG BENEDETTO. Craig runs a successful pr/lobbying firm downtown, and is one of the few of that ilk in San Diego that I’d recommend to a friend. I don’t always agree with him, but he’s sharp in defending his… Read More

Long Beach voters will face more than which candidate to pick for President or changing term limits on the Feb 2008 ballot. The council voted to place on the ballot the referendum on the council’s lawforcing hotels to unionize without letting employees vote. I’m pro-choice!See previous FR post here.

This will be on the ballot along with a referendum on another law that stops "big box" retailers like Wal-Mart from setting up shop. (See article here, it is in the middle).

Someone needs to change the anti-business flavor of this city.… Read More

Plaintiff Jim Gilchrist will try to convince a Judge later today that he is the “sole director” of Minuteman Project, Inc. at a hearing in Orange County Superior Court, Department C-19, at 1:30 pm. He’ll try to do that in spite of a DVD already submitted to the Judge of the October 6, 2006 Neil Cavuto Show on Fox News Channel where he introduces Defendant Marvin L. Stewart to a national viewing audience as “a member of my Board of Directors.”

I’ll be representing Stewart in Court today. Orange County attorney Guy Maille is representing Gilchrist.… Read More

The Honorable Justice Randall Wilkinson, Orange County Superior Court, took "under advisement" the decision on the preliminary injunction in the Minuteman case today, wherein Plaintiff Jim Gilchrist is suing his former colleagues on the Defendant Board of Directors for control of the organization he founded.

It is very unwise for a lawyer in a case to speculate on a Judge’s decision (I represent the Defendants!). And I will not speculate. But I will observe for my readers that Gilchrist lost a motion for a temporary restraining order in late February, and the Judge today decided to not rule from the bench on the "shortened time" hearing on Gilchrist’s request for a preliminary injunction. Preliminary injunctions are based in part on urgency and need for "immediate" relief.

But, on the other hand, anything can happen ina California court. Just ask OJ!

I’ll report on the decision in the case, which is expected to be received in the mail in a few days.

It was a busy day at Orange County Superior Court Main Branch in Santa Ana today! As I was "enjoying" my egg salad… Read More

In today’s Stockton Record, Hank Shaw broke the story that Assemblyman Greg Aghazarian (full disclosure: he’s my boss) will run for the open Senate seat of term -limited democrat Mike Machado in what will be the premiere Senate race in the state. Below is Greg’s statement to the readers of the Flashreport:

"In this era of term limits, we elected officials are faced from time to time with opportunities about our future. Sometimes the decisions are easy, sometimes they are not. As I come to the close of my time in the Assembly, it is no secret I have some opportunities. A Congressional run against a vulnerable freshman democrat in the 11th District or a Senate race in the open 5th District – That’s right, Machado is FINALLY terming out. At first blush, the decision seemed daunting, but it really came down to priorities. My top priorities: FAMILY, FAMILY, FAMILY … Read More

Today’s Washington Times featured an article on Ward Connerly, the former UC Regent who successfully led California’s Prop. 209 campaign in 1996. This year, he followed up his success in California and Washington State with a big victory in the state of Michigan. You can read the whole article here, but here are a few interesting quotes about the Republican Party:

Connerly says the opposition he has faced by many GOP officials has "led me to conclude that conservatives are to the Republican Party what blacks are to the Democrat Party — both are taken for granted. Just as the Democrat Party doesn’t have to worry about the black vote,… Read More

The Governor appeared on the Today Show yesterday to talk about his philosophy of government. During the course of the interview, the interviewer asked the Governor to comment on the criticisms of conservatives, including Rush Limbaugh, that he is not a Republican, and that he is not governing as a Republican. In essence, the Governor responded "Republican or Democrat is not relevant, Rush Limbaugh is irrelevant. All that matters is the people of the state of California. I represent the people." That may not be an exact quote, but I think it is fair representation of what the Governor said. This, of course, was not his attitude during the recall, when I endorsed him, or even during his re-election campaign, when he actively sought the help of Republicans. I don’t know if it is his attitude now, but that is what he said.

I recently went to see the movie, Amazing Grace, the story of William Wilberforce, whose decades long struggle to end the slave trade in England is one of the great political… Read More