The speech that I want to hear from Governor Schwarzenegger tonight at the GOP convention would have as its central theme a return to fiscal conservatism. It would include an emphasis on infrastructure, with a public adoption of the proposal introduced by EVERY Assembly Republican to finance infrastructure by paying-as-we-go instead of through massive borrowing. The speech would go on to talk about the need to have pension reform, and the importance of finishing what the Governor started, by putting and end to deficit spending in Sacramento. Other highlights of the speech would include his decision to replace Rob Reiner as Chairman of California’s ‘Tobacco Tax Spending Committee’ with attorney Hugh Hewitt, the unveiling of a new Republican Chief of Staff (I’m okay with anyone at this point who is registered as a Republican), a commitment to find and appoint qualified Republican judges to the bench, and an embrace of a statewide measure to fight eminent domain… Read More

Over at the SFChron Political Blog, writer Greg Lucas pens a short piece today on Gubernatorial Spokesperson Julie Soderland being named as Press Secretary for the Governor’s re-election campaign.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s press secretary for his re-elect campaign will be Julie Soderlund, a focused and driven mainstay in his gubernatorial press office.

You can read the rest, including why Julie’s nickname is "thumbs" here.

Since Julie used to… Read More

Okay, for the 4,000 th time……. I don’t care what speech the Governor gives, what comes out of Rules, Resolutions or Initiatives or what kind of grassroots training is on the agenda this weekend in San Jose. No amount of discussion on Republican judges, general obligation bonds, budget deficits or Rob Reiner matters anything in November. The Governor is well aware of how we feel on these issues.

Until a plan is put in place to political DEFEAT Nurses, Cops, Firefighters, Prison Guards and Teachers we are not going to win any Statewide Office in November. Do I have to type in ALL CAPS for everyone to understand this?

Voters WILL NOT BE CHOOSING between Arnold and a Democrat alternative this November. They will be choosing between Arnold and a candidate backed by the well regarded and trusted groups I have listed above. End of story. Highly paid consultants, are you listening? You want to energize the GOP base? Get a strategy in place to get this done.… Read More

Lately, one of the subjects of water-cooler conversations has been whether or not Congressman Bill Thomas (R-Bakersfield) will seek another term in the House of Representatives. Thomas has been in the house for decades, and it is often talked about that he is ready to retire. That having been said, it is also frequently talked about that he is persuing a way to continue to have as much say in the next session of Congress, given that the House rules prohibit the moderate GOPer from California from serving beyond this, his third term as Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee.

Thomas is a controversial character, who has ruffled a lot of feathers and is disliked by many. That said, he has been in Congress for a long time, and often times it is seniority, not popularity, that decided your fate. Now, though, Thomas may be at a crossroads where he will need friends, and that is not his long suit. On the other hand, he recently chose wisely on the race for House Majority Leader, weighing in at the end, quite publicly, for John Boehner.

So, will he stay or will he go? I don’t know. But here is a recent… Read More

Today’s main page is loaded with a ton of material today, and took an exceptionally long amount of time (I’ve been at it since 6am) to put together. Because of it, I won’t be able to expound long in today’s commentary. THE GOP CONVENTION Tomorrow I will be writing on the State Republican Party Convention, and what I expect to see happen there. If you want a preview, you can see how I artfully got Carla Marinucci to quote me saying "green eggs & ham" in a sentence in her pre-convention piece in the San Francisco Chronicle, which is featured on the main page.

Speaking of the GOP Convention – there are two exciting ways to enhance your participation if you are going, and are a reader of the FlashReport! Both are highlighted on the main page — we are having a great panel discussion featuring many of the contributors you read on the FR Weblog (sign up now, it is almost full), and also I am pleased to thank Congressman Darrell Issa who is throwing a party to celebrate the tremendous… Read More

Today’s main page is loaded with a ton of material today, and took an exceptionally long amount of time (I’ve been at it since 6am) to put together. Because of it, I won’t be able to expound long in today’s commentary.

THE GOP CONVENTION Tomorrow I will be writing on the State Republican Party Convention, and what I expect to see happen there. If you want a preview, you can see how I artfully got Carla Marinucci to quote me saying "green eggs & ham" in a sentence in her pre-convention piece in the San Francisco Chronicle, which is featured on the main page.

Speaking of the GOP Convention – there are two exciting ways to enhance your participation if you are going, and are a reader of the FlashReport! Both are highlighted on the main page — we are having a great panel discussion featuring many of the contributors you read on the FR Weblog (sign up now, it is almost full), and also I am pleased to thank Congressman Darrell Issa who is throwing a party to celebrate the tremendous success we’ve had in our five months of being… Read More

UC Board of Regents chair Gerald Parsky and UC President Robert Dynes gave anemic testimony yesterday about why the UC has been wasting the taxpayers money with bloated compensation packages, bonuses and other employee perks for the system’s high-level employees.

Parsky basically told legislators that UC has ignored reforms passed in the early 1990s.

According to the SF Chronicle, Parsky said, "The policies that were put in place post-1992 were very clear, very extensive and called for public disclosure. The letter and spirit of the principles have not been followed in every instance."

Dynes said UC accountability systems are "broken" and that he deserves an "incomplete" rather than a letter grade for his performance as… Read More

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger today announced the appointment of Eugenia Eyherabide to a judgeship in the San Diego County Superior Court.

Eyherabide, 46, of San Diego, has been a prosecutor with the San Diego County District Attorney’s Office since 1995. Previously, she was an assistant attorney with the United States Attorney’s Office in the District of Columbia from 1992 to 1995. Eyherabide earned a Juris Doctorate degree from University of Santa Clara School of Law and a Bachelor of Science degree from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. She will fill the vacancy that will be created by the retirement of Judge William Pate effective February 28, 2006. Eyherabide is a Republican.… Read More