Today we remember those who have fallen in defense of our nation and for the cause of liberty and freedom.

… Read More

At my third stop at a Home Depot in Orange County, in a full-scale search for just the right to outdoor lighting for my backyard, I chanced upon FR friend and esteemed political law attorney Dan Reed. Dana was in search of patio furniture.

We talked about the Orange County Sheriff’s race. Dana lamented that he was registered to vote out in Riverside County, and thus could not vote for our great OC Sheriff (my boss) Mike Carona. He also pointed out that he had yet to receive his sample ballot nor his actual ballot. The Riverside Registrar isn’t doing so hot – which Phil Paule has pointed out on this page.

Dana is off to the Firestone retreat soon, to see the sight there. Perhaps he can buy Bob Larkin a sypathy beer – or rather – sypathy Sauvignon Blanc!

Dana found himself a swell patio set, with comfy chairs (I tried one). As for me, well I am off to a fourth HD store. But at least they’ve called ahead and the lighting fixtures I need await me.… Read More

Vargas’ Double-Edged Sword… Assemblyman Juan Vargas can’t gain a bit of traction in what is becoming a flailing attempt to unseat Congressman Bob Filner (Dem primary in CD 51). Vargas is running some inanely cartoonishTV ads trying to tie Filner to Duke Cunningham…some of the worst spots I’ve ever seen. Filner may be as liberal as they come, but no one in this strongly Democratic district is buying he’s a crook as well. Alternatively, Filner’s ads compellingly tie Vargas to the insurance industry, with victims of the Cedar Fire saying that Vargas sold them out for an ounce of silver. This all follows the early March Union-Trib expose on the Vargas-Insurance connection.

This past week, Matt Potter in the San Diego Reader nails Vargas’ perception problems in one blurb, writing that… Read More

Cash on hand. It’s king right now. And in partisan races, the 3rd house is looking to see who still has the dinero to play in the final few days of the campaign. So I would argue the market drives ‘flubbing’ real COH totals.

Here is a fun game. Find a slate mailer disclosure. Find a candidate who shows a payment. Go back to the candidate’s website and see if the payment is there, or if it is accrued. Hint: in the name of showing more cash on hand there are quite a few that just ‘slipped through the cracks."

Game number 2. Find a candidate. Go back in past records and see how much their political consultant is getting paid every month. Then see if that consultant shows up in the most recent candidate disclosure for April and May. How odd… are consultants suddenly working for free, or did some more bills ‘slip through the cracks."

Bonus game. This requires you be local. Collect each mailing a given candidate mails out before the disclosure due date and pin them to the wall. Look up postage and/or mail house and/or consulting firm payments and see if they match.

Hey, I’ll be the first to admit… Read More

As we close in on the final days of the Democratic primary for Governor, it is becoming quite the pro-tax fest as both Angelides and Westly seek to out-do each other on defining a larger, more expansive role for State Government that their opponent. There are a number of pieces in the news today that analyze the race — an L.A. Times poll now has Angelides and Westly in a dead heat. My take on the race is that Angelides has one thing going for him — I believe that voter turnout on both sides of the aisle will be low. If this is the case, then the core Democratic vote will be made up primary of true liberal believers and union-workers who turnout in all elections. These two groups will tend to favor Phil Angelides, who is a more traditional liberal candidates, and who sports the endorsement of the California Democratic Party. I’ve chosen to highlight the analysis today in the SDUT by veteran political reporter John Marelius — you may want to check it out. FR friend Dan Weintraub has an interesting column in the Sacramento Bee today that highlights one aspect of Governor Schwarzenegger’s budget about which he is unimpressed … Read More

To Build or not to build? That is the question. This June primaryalso features elections in Torrance. Development seems to be the issue as voters decide if a couple of hundred condos mean the end of the world as we know it. See a profile on all nine candidates for city council here.Personally I hope Rod Guyton, a former CRA VP is elected, but you have to love the guy who wants to build an auto tack in Torrance and annex neighboring Lomita.… Read More

As we close in on the final days of the Democratic primary for Governor, it is becoming quite the pro-tax fest as both Angelides and Westly seek to out-do each other on defining a larger, more expansive role for State Government that their opponent. There are a number of pieces in the news today that analyze the race — an L.A. Times poll now has Angelides and Westly in a dead heat. My take on the race is that Angelides has one thing going for him — I believe that voter turnout on both sides of the aisle will be low. If this is the case, then the core Democratic vote will be made up primary of true liberal believers and union-workers who turnout in all elections. These two groups will tend to favor Phil Angelides, who is a more traditional liberal candidates, and who sports the endorsement of the California Democratic Party. I’ve chosen to highlight the analysis today in the SDUT by veteran political reporter John Marelius — you may want to check it out. FR friend Dan Weintraub has an interesting column in the Sacramento Bee today that highlights one aspect of Governor Schwarzenegger’s budget about which he is unimpressed … Read More

Here’s the money story for 3/18-5/20in the five-way GOP scramble to assume the mantle from Assemblyman Jay La Suer:

Joel Anderson Contributions: $39,353 Expenditures: $111,097 Cash on Hand: $70,003

Nancy Beecham No report filed on-line (yet?)

Debbie Beyer Contributions: $27,210 Expenditures: $86,958 Cash on Hand: $25,505

Jack Dale Contributions: $45,663 Expenditures: $51,955 Cash on Hand: $75,587

Bill Jenkin Contributions: $6,875 Expenditures: $33,499 Cash on Hand: $39,700

Short of a "June Surprise" from Nancy Beecham (I’ll get to that in a sec), is this race coming down to a Dale and Anderson sprint to the finish? It appears so. Anderson’s big $111k of expenditures in the last few weeks is going to direct voter contact, no question. Beyer’sfairly significant $87kin expenditures seems… Read More