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Mike Spence

English First in Hawthorne?

Dis you the English language was Dead in Los Angeles?

Hawthorne is a city in the western part of LA County. It is in a Dem District near LAX.

Now a councilwoman, Ginny Lambert, there is leading the crusade to force business owners to include English on their signs. Remeber when voters added that English would be the official language of California? That turned out well.

Here is the article.By the way Lambert is a Republican.… Read More

Jon Fleischman

CD50: Bilbray taken to court – challenging use of “consultant” instead of “lobbyist” on ballot title

You may have read in my commentary yesterday that there is currently a controversy underway in the race to succeed the disgraced Duke Cunningham in the 50th Congressional District in San Diego County. The issue at hand is that one of the candidates, former Congressman Brian Bilbray (pictured), is a registered federal lobbyist, but really isn’t keen on listing that particular profession as his ballot title. So Bilbray, who has made about a third of his lobbying income over the past six years from an immigration reform group, filed as his ballot title: "Immigration Reform Advocate" – which apparently didn’t pass muster with the Secretary of State’s office. After some back-and-forth, the Secretary’s office signed off on "Immigration Reform Consultant." Well, the predictable next chapter in this story has now… Read More

Jon Fleischman

Judge: Throw the book at “Duke” for betraying America

Sometime very soon, Randy "Duke" Cunningham will receive his sentence from the judge. The maximum penalty is 10 years in prison. Frankly, a truly remorseful Duke Cunningham should just accept the judgment of the court, and serve the time he is given.

But even now, after everything he has admitted to doing, he has his lawyers trying to lesson his sentence, to shave as much as 40% off of the decade behind bars that is his due. From the San Diego U-T:

Cunningham’s defense attorney, Lee Blalack, described the ex-congressman’s actions as “quite egregious,” but still argued for the shortest possible sentence, calling six years “a substantial prison term.”Read More

Michael Der Manouel, Jr.

Fresno County Sheriff’s Race Could Get Nuclear – Soon

Today’s A1, above the fold Fresno Beestory on Fresno City Police Chief Jerry Dyer potentially entering the County Sheriff’s race is a bombshell and will no doubt change the dynamics of the race. According to the Bee, Dyer is seeking a ruling from the State Attorney General’s office to find out whether he can can serve simultaneously as Police Chief and Sheriff. Should he receive a favorable ruling, he’s probably in the race and most likely the presumed front runner. The issue? Consolidation of services between the Sheriff’s office and Fresno PD. It’s an issue that has been talked about to death, but as Police Chief and candidate for Sheriff, Dyer could make it happen. He is very visible and respected in the local area.

Declared candidates with some strength behind them areSheriff’s Captain Colleen Mestas, who seems to have good community support and "under the radar" support from Congressman Radanovich’s operation; Clovis City Mayor and Clovis PD Captain Jose Flores, a recent Republican… Read More

Jon Fleischman

JUDGE: Duke gets 100 months!

The San Diego Union Tribune has just announced that ex-Congressman Randy "Duke" Cunningham has been sentenced to a term of 8 years and 4 months in prison. He is taken into custody, and ordered to pay $1.8,000,000.00 in restitution.

Read more about it here: SD U-T article.

Read my 10 cents on this below. … Read More

Jon Fleischman

AppointmentWatch: Arnold appoints new GOP judge in CoCo County

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger today announced the appointment of John Laettner to a judgeship in the Contra Costa County Superior Court.

Laettner, 50, of Walnut Creek, has served as assistant United States attorney in the United States Attorney’s Office since 1989. He was previously deputy district attorney in the Tulare County District Attorney’s Office from 1985 to 1989. Laettner also served as an associate with Stammer, McKnight, Barnum and Bailey law firm in 1983. He earned a Juris Doctorate degree from Hastings Law School and Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of California, San Diego. He fills the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Merle Russell Eaton. Laettner is a Republican.

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Since the GOP Convention, when a resolution was overwhelmingly passed by delegates asking the Governor to appoint Republican judges,Read More

Barry Jantz

Of Medical MJ, Bruce Thompson, County Sup Term Limits & Blind Squirrels

In recent days, Medical Marijuana supporters and former Assemblyman Bruce Thompson have come out in support of term limits for the SD County Board of Supervisors. Although this may seemingly put the conservative Thompson in strange company,it’s pretty clearthere appears to be no connection between the two … other than a shared dislike for incumbent Sups, or perhaps one incumbent Sup … in Thompson’s case.

Thompson’s campaign against Supervisor Bill Horn (pictured here with a mic, not a bong), rich with endorsements but apparently strapped for cash against the Horn war-chest, is simply tossing a needed issue into the public fray that Horn will either have to ignore or be hard pressed to ‘splain his position on.Here’s most of the Thompson release:

Fallbrook – 5th District Supervisor candidate Bruce Thompson formally announced today that as a County Supervisor he would immediately introduce a motion to adopt term limits for theRead More

Mike Spence

Can Baca be Beat II?

Eons ago I asked if Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca could be beat and promised to revisit the issue. See it here.

Since that time Baca’s run jail system has seen a week worth of riots and now they have spread to the youth facilities. See a sample here.

Baca has never been popular among most Republicans. While he nominally a registered Republican, he supports Democrats all the time, likes grabbing guns and sponsored a tax increase that failed last year.

His administration has bungled more than just the jail riots, there have been escapes and killings of witnesses while in Sheriff custody. There are whispers of corruption and clearly mismanagement is a big issue. Deputies are leaving. The early release progarms is a tragedy. Some LA papers may want Baca gone as well.

Usually, that is bad news for an… Read More