A dual congratulations this afternoon. First we would like to congratulate former Assemblywoman Lynn Daucher for being named by Governor Schwarzenegger to head of the California Department of Aging. "But Jon, What is the Department of Aging," you ask?

Here’s what they tell us: As the designated State Unit on Aging, the California Department of Aging is part of the California Health and Human Services Agency. The Department administers Older Americans Act programs for supportive services, in-home services, congregate and home-delivered meals and a system of multipurpose senior centers. It also administers the program for community service employment; programs for advocacy and protection; and programs which provide health insurance counseling, case management, Alzheimer’s Day Care Resource Center and Adult Day Health Care services. Further, it… Read More

Garden Grove councilwoman Janet Nguyen won the Special Election for Orange County’s First Supervisorial District.

With all precincts reporting…Janet won by 52 votes.

Consultant: Gilliard, Blanning, Wysocki Pollster: Probolsky Research

[Publisher’s Note: Since I am from Orange County, I will add a couple of thoughts. First and foremost is that it is astounding what a large percentage of the votes in this race went to Vietnamese candidates — ironically, both with the last name, Nguyen (pronounced "win" – hence the title of Adam’s post). Janet Nguyen took 24.2% of the vote, and Trung Nguyen scored slightly less with 24.1% — so over 48% of the votes went to these two candidates. Probably more significantly is that while Janet has a lot to be excited about, ending election day with a 52 vote lead over Trung, Registrar Neal Kelley estimates that there are about 2500 absentee ballot turned in on election day to be counted, as well as around 750 provisional… Read More

Our Folsom Prison Tour went smoothly, they let all us legislators go free…no bus ticket or $200 though. [We did fire up the Johnny Cash CD on the way out] What we in the Assembly Republican Caucus were hoping to accomplish was the first hand viewing of the overcrowding that will soon cause a Federal judge, in June or so to take over the system due to overcrowding. When you watch how the current prison system Special Master is running through our state Treasury, you should be scared for your wallet.

Our other goal of this visit was to spotlight this situation and underscore just how dire is the need to build prison space. Early release for these characters we saw in there isn’t going to cut it…maybe it does in Democrat districts, where their legislators seem comfortable with that idea, as they run out the clock towards the June deadline the Fed Courts have set, with little action taken. More later….. [See the FR … Read More

The CRP can’t show us the money because of they are over $4.5 million debt. One of the most recent attempts to explain the debt is that the millions spent were an investment in infrastructure. See here. This is not a new approach to things. The CRP did officially support two bond measures last election cycle (and of course supported one without approval). The stories coming out now about how little will be accomplished by the bonds begs the question for the CRP. Where is the infrastructure? I can’t figure it out. The paid staff has been released. The call centers are shut down. A couple County Chairs thought they were going to get some of the scanners etc… Turns out most of the equipment turns out to have been leased. The party claims to have registered around 125,000 voters (At a devastating cost to local programs. … Read More

I was reading the SF Chron story on the Arnold tapes and this passage caught my eye:

A spokeswoman for Perata said the comments made in the tapes will not affect cordial relations and productive legislative action accomplished by the governor and the Senate leader.

"There’s nothing in those tapes that will prevent this year from being as productive as last year," said Alicia Trost.

That’s a real shame.

For a brief, shining moment, I hoped these examples of Gov. Schwarzenegger actually being authentic might throw a monkey wrench into the Schwarzeneggerian-Democratic "post-partisan" partnership to expand state government at the expense of Californians’ liberty and wealth.

After all, it’s no mystery what Democrats… Read More

FR friend Adam Mendelsohn had to work a lot over the weekend, as Phil Angelides and/or his operatives have released more of their secret cache of audio recordings of Governor Schwarzenegger with his speechwriters, that were famously extracted from the Governor’s computer system by crafty though questionable techniques. Of course Cathy Calfo, who managed Angelides’ losing bid, denies they released the tapes (again). Riiiight. The Governor’s office released the following statement from Mendelsohn:

FR friend Adam Mendelsohn had to work a lot over the weekend, as Phil Angelides and/or his operatives have released more of their secret cache of audio recordings of Governor Schwarzenegger with his speechwriters, that were famously extracted from the Governor’s computer system by crafty though questionable techniques. Of course Cathy Calfo, who managed Angelides’ losing bid, denies they released the tapes (again). Riiiight. The Governor’s office released the following statement from Mendelsohn:

"There are over three hours of private tapes. They show a Governor who is thoughtful, concerned and focused on solving some of California’s most serious problems. Governor Schwarzenegger discusses his hope of… Read More

Winsome Newsom

San Francisco’s politics have always been a colorful soap opera, but never more so than now with the city’s 39-year-old mayor, Gavin Newsom, having admitted that he conducted an affair with the wife of his own campaign manager — who has since resigned in disgust.

Many people are distressed by the mayor’s behavior, although there is no indication he will resign from office or not seek a second term this November. But hard-bitten Democratic operatives say the scandal has probably ended Mr. Newsom’s hopes of higher office. "What happens in San Francisco tends to mean politicians there stay in San Francisco," is how one of them puts it.

Indeed, Democratic leaders aren’t nearly as upset by Mayor Newsom’s affair as they were last September when the new divorcee was seen squiring about a… Read More