As I pen this first entry for the New Year, it is a somber occasion. This morning as I compiled all of the stories for the main page, I had the television turned on to watch the ceremonies surrounding the funeral of former President Gerald Ford, from the processional that took his body from where it lay in state underneath the Capitol Rotunda (where is was viewed by tens of thousands of Americans paying tribute) to the National Cathedral. As I write this, President Bush is escorting Ford’s widow, Betty, to her seat between her four children, in the front pew. Over the past few days, much has been written about the life of Gerald Ford. About the years before his Presidency, where the college athlete and veteran became a Congressman from Michigan, ultimately rising to the post of Minority Leader, as the top Republican in the House of Representatives. Also about his time as President, coming in on the heels of President Nixon’s resignation, his controversial pardon of Nixon, and the… Read More

A couple of interesting stories ran in the SDUT on New Year’s Day….

The paper "analyzes" the influence that the Cox Power Couple may have on SD and South Bay politics, meaning County Supervisor Greg Cox and his wife Cheryl, newly elected mayor of Chula Vista. The paper indicates that very few husband-wife duos have been elected to office at the same time in California, with the notable exception of George and Sharon Runner.

It should be noted that it wasn’t long ago that some thought the dominant rising family force in San Diego-South Bay politics was the Brothers Inzunza, both now gone from their respective roles, by hook or by crook, so to speak.

Further noted is the wrongness in the view that South Bay politics would be dominated by Democrats for years to come. Republican Cheryl Cox knocks off Steve Padilla in Chula Vista. Nick Inzunza, after horror stories of his substandard rental units, doesn’t have the gumption to run for re-election as National City mayor, and GOPer Ron Morrison wins the seat. Jim Janney, another Republican, becomes the mayor in Imperial Beach. Rising stars like Chula Vista… Read More

The first finance reports filed for the special election next February to replace State Senator Lou Correa (D) on the Orange County Board of Supervisors show Carlos Bustamante, Republican Councilman from Santa Ana (pictured to the right), with an early lead of $117,000 raised and $110,000 cash on hand. (I have previously reported that Tom Umberg, former Democrat Assemblyman, would enter the race with a potential financial advantage because of $45,000 in left over funds from his losing State Senate race to Correa, most of which is usable in the Supervisor race.)

But the Bustamante reports reveal a lot more than just his finances: names of Orange County Lincoln Club members dominated the report as giving maximum donations. You can expect that the Lincoln Club will surely endorse Bustamante for the position before the election.

According to the reports, contributors to Bustamante at the maximum amount included Lincoln Club leaders… Read More

Discussions between the American Conservative Union and former House Majority Leader Tom De Lay have apparently lead to a decision by De Lay to form his own new lobbying organization under Internal Revenue Code section 501(c)(4), to advance conservative causes. De Lay and ACU had previously committed to work together, but that is now apparently off the table, given De Lay’s decision to start a new organization from scratch.… Read More

Chuck LiMandri on Mt. Soledad Cross…. A nice year-end message from the fearless attorney in support of preserving the mountaintop memorial:

As this Christmas season winds to a conclusion and we prepare to ring in the New Year, I wanted to take a moment to express my deep appreciation to all of you who helped achieve the stunning success we realized this year in preserving the Mt. Soledad Cross Memorial for generations to come. To think that within just the last six months we witnessed a Stay Order from the United States Supreme Court, new legislation passed by Congress and signed by President Bush and, only last month, a 53-page appellate decision in our favor–these "monumental" accomplishments are nothing short of miraculous. None of this could have been achieved without the hard work and dedication of an army of men and women of goodwill–all following the example of leaders like yourselves. Although the court battles to preserve the Mt. Soledad Memorial Cross are not yet over, it is clear that the momentum is strongly in our favor and, after almost 18 years, ultimate… Read More

Yesterday Governor Schwarzenegger announced the formation of a new commission to look at our state’s soaring pension obligations. The good news is that the Governor is making a proactive effort to look at this issue. The bad news is that public employee unions will NEVER, EVER consider adjusting public sector retirement benefits to mirror those in the private sector. You would have to look really hard to find private companies that offer such lavish ‘defined benefit’ programs (where retiree benefits are guaranteed to be a certain amount each year). In the private sector, retirement programs are almost always based on ‘defined contributions’ where an employer puts aside money into a fund on behalf of an employee while they work, often times matching contributions made by the employee themeselves.

We applaud the Governor for wanting to focus on this all-important issue, and we counsel the Governor to make sure he devotes a good number of his six appointees to this commission (he has set it up where he gets six, and each legislative leader gets three) are from the private sector.

The Governor… Read More

Yesterday, Jon recommended the Governor read a good book during recovery, while subtly linking to a suggestion.

However, that pick may be a bit too much of a tome for someone not bound to be down very long. I suggest the shorter "Anthem," for a novella-like quick grasp of Objectivism and anti-socialistic economics.

If the Guv is not prone to Rand, perhaps "Economics in One Lesson" would serve him well heading into 2007, especially prior to considering any additional bonded indebtedness.

Any other suggestions?… Read More

Received the following this morning fromSD GOP Chairman Ron Nehring….

Liberals Complain Republican Party Blocked Dem Gains in San Diego in 2006

In a revealing story published in today’s Voice of San Diego local liberal activists are quoted complaining about the effectiveness of the Republican Party in winning multiple local elections in the county in 2006, bucking a national trend that favored the Democrats.

While 2006 was a banner year for the other party, "…the momentum liberals, progressives and everyone else under the Democratic tent gained after the Nov. 7 election didn’t carry over to San Diego, where incumbency, key endorsements and the well-funded political organization of Republican and conservative causes held the trump card in this year’s most competitive and visible races."… Read More