There is a lot of interesting stuff going on in California politics today: * The latest Field Poll numbers show that the public is wising up to the poor public policy behind actor/producer/director Rob Reiner’s "universal pre-school" measure. The measure, which would create a new tax burdon on Californians, creates a centralized, statewide bureaucracy to provide pre-school. Conservatives oppose the measure both for the new taxes and another government-run program (a massive one, at that) — but also Democrats are starting to oppose the measure (such as former Senate President John Burton) because they feel that a lot of wealthy folks who already send their kids to pre-school will be the primary beneficiaries. * FR friend Bill Bradley, a columnist for the LA Weekly and blogger extraordinairre at New West Notes (you though I wrote a lot, this guy types circles around me) reveals that there is a new independent expenditure firing up on behalf of Phil Angelides. * Negotiations are underway again to negotiate an infrastructure funding package for the November ballot. This is your opportunity to contact your… Read More

There is a lot of interesting stuff going on in California politics today: * The latest Field Poll numbers show that the public is wising up to the poor public policy behind actor/producer/director Rob Reiner’s "universal pre-school" measure. The measure, which would create a new tax burdon on Californians, creates a centralized, statewide bureaucracy to provide pre-school. Conservatives oppose the measure both for the new taxes and another government-run program (a massive one, at that) — but also Democrats are starting to oppose the measure (such as former Senate President John Burton) because they feel that a lot of wealthy folks who already send their kids to pre-school will be the primary beneficiaries. * FR friend Bill Bradley, a columnist for the LA Weekly and blogger extraordinairre at New West Notes (you though I wrote a lot, this guy types circles around me) reveals that there is a new independent expenditure firing up on behalf of Phil Angelides. * Negotiations are underway again to negotiate an infrastructure funding package for the November ballot. This is your opportunity to contact your… Read More

As of late, there has been quite a bit of speculation on the race between incumbent Bill Horn (disclosure – former employer and former client) and Bruce Thompson for San Diego County’s 5th Supervisorial District. Obviously, Horn has been under some fire from the local media in regards to various disclosure errors he, and maybe his Chief of Staff, made in regard to a particular rental property. Certainly the Union-Tribune, never a fan of Horn in particular and North County politics in general, has taken the much awaited opportunity to land some blows. But to a certain degree, unless there is more, I think North County voters are accustomed to Supervisor Horn under fire from the establishment and their media organs. Without a well funded comparison campaign, its hard to believe these issues are going to have a major impact on the results.

Which leads us to the importance of the next week or so. Thompson (pictured to the left) supporters… Read More

Where’s the beef? Well according the son-in-law of Robert Redford—author Eric Schlosser it’s in the hamburger but that hamburger is made from about 1000 different cows.

It’s factoids like this that Schlosser, author of “Fast Food Nation” and a new book aimed at kids “Chew on this” that make you question whether McDonalds is such a good idea the next time you are on the road with the kids. But read a little deeper and you’ll find the demented mind of an author who wants a federal bureaucracy to oversee the frying station and a guy who probably has at least a little racism in him.

“The same demographic groups widely employed at fast food restaurants—the young and the poor—are also… Read More

This year marks the 10th Anniversary of Curt Pringle’s reign as Speaker of the Assembly. This was the first GOP Speaker in some time. (I don’t count the moderates kept in power by Democrats). They have a blog set up that you can see by clicking here.

There has been a lot ofconcern and anguish about the Governor’s appointment of Kennedy, now Nunez, and the lack of firing of Reiner etc… The Governor Appointments Secretary to the CRP executive Committee there were over a 1000 vacancies that needed to be filled.

Speaker Pringle did thing differently. I know because today marks the 10th Anniversary of my appointment by him to the California Library Services Board, now know as the Library of California Board.Please feel free to email me questions about how the transaction reimbursement rate on inter library loans is determined.

Upon taking the Speakership, Pringle and his staff immediately started recruiting people to fill slots that were open. I worked with John Nelson. Now the Library Board wasn’t the most powerful. But I got… Read More

Today marks the 100th anniversary of the 1906 Earthquake and Fire. At 4:30 a.m. this morning, Mayor Gavin Newson and other city officials gathered together to mark the anniversary at the Lotta’s Fountain memorial in the Financial District which is dedicated to those who lost their lives in the earthquake and ensuing fire (the earthquake struck shortly after 5 a.m. in 1906).

Of course, very few of us around today could possibly remember the 1906 earthquake. Loma Prieta is another story. The tremors of that great quake even shook the State Capitol, where I worked in 1989. Everyone who lives in the Bay Area today can’t help to wonder: "when is the next big one going to hit?" A big discussion point at dinner parties is whether or not you have earthquake insurance.

We bought our house in Oakland in 2002… Read More

GEORGE PLESCIA BECOMES LEADER Yesterday, with little fanfare, Assembly George Plescia of San Diego County became the new Leader of Assembly Republicans. We’ll be focusing more on Plescia and the challenges ahead of him in the coming weeks. But we want to give FR friend Plescia a hearty congratulations as he assumes his new responsibilities and bigger digs.

Not that he has asked for it, but over the next few weeks, we’ll be offering Plescia some advice in various policy and political matters, starting today with Infrastructure Funding: Assembly Republicans demonstrated that, unified, they could stand in-between legislative Democrats and irresponsible borrowing. As "Big 5" talks continue on the issue of infrastructure investment (i.e…. a massive borrowing package), the ‘deal makers’ should still be:

GEORGE PLESCIA BECOMES LEADER Yesterday, with little fanfare, Assembly George Plescia of San Diego County became the new Leader of Assembly Republicans. We’ll be focusing more on Plescia and the challenges ahead of him in the coming weeks. But we want to give FR friend Plescia a hearty congratulations as he assumes his new responsibilities and bigger digs.

Not that he has asked for it, but over the next few weeks, we’ll be offering Plescia some advice in various policy and political matters, starting today with Infrastructure Funding: Assembly Republicans demonstrated that, unified, they could stand in-between legislative Democrats and irresponsible borrowing. As "Big 5" talks continue on the issue of infrastructure investment (i.e…. a massive borrowing package), the ‘deal makers’ should still be: