Do you have a spare dollar? Would you like to purchase your very own television station? Well, based on legislation that is sitting on Governor Schwarzenegger’s desk right now (Assembly Bill 523), the Coast Community College District Board of Trustees can literally sell this significant public asset for "less than market value" (this is pulled directly from the language of the bill). Current state law requires that if the district wants to sell off an asset, the must sell it to the highest bidder. This is to make sure that there are no gifts of public funds, and that taxpayers are always be well represented when such sales occur. I’ve already written quite a bit about this legislation, which you can read here. To sum up the situation in one paragraph: Coast Community College District owns the KOCE Public Television Station. Annually, the station is losing… Read More

INTRODUCING TED GAINES! One of today’s exclusive FR column comes to you from future Assemblyman Ted Gaines of Roseville, in Placer County. Gaines looks to be a rising star who will bring solid conservative leadership to our Assembly Caucus when he arrives in December. If you blinked at all over the last two years, you probably missed the race to replace termed out Republican Assemblyman Tim Leslie in the 4th AD. That’s because for the last two years, conservative Placer County Supervisor Ted Gaines has been working tirelessly on his campaign for the Assembly. That hard work paid off, as Ted earned the endorsements of local Republican leaders like Congressman John Doolittle, Senator Dave Cox, former Senator Rico Oller, and incumbent Assemblyman Leslie, as well as the CRA, YRFC, and the local central committees in the district. As a result, Ted received a whopping 80.6% of the vote in the Republican primary this… Read More

Lots of Things: Last week, I went over the 4 "big things" that will be addressed in Congress this month. This week, I’ll give you a brief rundown on "lots of things" both large and small that have been going on here in Washington during an active period: Border Fence: Yesterday, the House passed a bill to construct 700 miles of new fencing along the border with Mexico, by a vote of 283-138. This bill, which I cosponsored, is the first in a series of proposals the House will take up this as part of a substantial border security package. Now we will see if this approach is acceptable to the Senate and the president. … Read More

There’s plenty not to like in the largest slate of bond measures in the history of the state, coming this November to a ballot near you, with a total price tag of $37 billion. That’s a done deal whether we like it or not.

Knowing this was coming, one GOP state senator, Bob Dutton of Rancho Cucamonga, went into legislative negotiations over the bonds knowing he would take some flak for voting for them. He did so in hopes of getting some provisions to make the bonds more favorable to taxpayers should they pass. In fact, when the process started, the bonds were all lumped together, which would have forced the voters to vote for something like $2.8 billion for subsidized housing in order to get something they actuallywant, like transportation ($19.9 billion). In the end, after the negotiations, the bonds were split into four different questions, so voters could say "yes" to roads (1B) and "no" to subsidized housing (1C).

I say better to let Dutton and a few other Republican leaders negotiate a few taxpayer… Read More

INTRODUCING TED GAINES! One of today’s exclusive FR column comes to you from future Assemblyman Ted Gaines of Roseville, in Placer County. Gaines looks to be a rising star who will bring solid conservative leadership to our Assembly Caucus when he arrives in December. If you blinked at all over the last two years, you probably missed the race to replace termed out Republican Assemblyman Tim Leslie in the 4th AD. That’s because for the last two years, conservative Placer County Supervisor Ted Gaines has been working tirelessly on his campaign for the Assembly. That hard work paid off, as Ted earned the endorsements of local Republican leaders like Congressman John Doolittle, Senator Dave Cox, former Senator Rico Oller, and incumbent Assemblyman Leslie, as well as the CRA, YRFC, and the local central committees in the district. As a result, Ted received a whopping 80.6% of the vote in the Republican primary this… Read More

Nothing to do with California politics, but everything to do with our personal safety, interrogation methods used on terrorist are severely weakened by John McCain. You can read about it here.… Read More

I had to blink hard this morning before I could believe I was reading the San Bernardino County Sun, which editorializedthe following pronouncement:

"…let it be known that (Congressman Jerry) Lewis is an upstanding representative of the highest integrity…"

This from a paper whosereportersof late have detailedad nauseumLewis’ lifeand career(e.g. "Deconstructing Jerry,")in the wake ofquestionable investigationsand non-accusationsagainstthe Redlands Republican who chairs the House Appropriations Committee.

Today’s editorial seems a little late in coming:UNFAIR INQUIRY: Lewis, ESRI undeserving of witch hunt… Read More

The League of Commun…er, I mean California Cities, not typically known for conservatism, has come out in support of Jessica’s Law. This, while also supporting nearly every bond and tax increase on the November ballot, as well as opposing the Prop 90 Save Our Homes Initiative (see thelist of the League’s positions).

It just goes to show that even when measured byan organization that will usually come out against anything the state does that could be construed as anti-local control (and this is where the League is often right), what a no-brainer Jessica’s Law is.

The Jessica’s Law press release could have been titled, "EVEN the League of California Cities Supports this Thing!" Here’s what the release does say:

SACRAMENTO – The League of California Cities has voted unanimously to endorse Proposition 83-Jessica’s Law which will toughen penalties on sex offenders and is a comprehensive approach… Read More