FlashReport Weblog on California Politics
- Or -
Search blog archive

Reform Initiatives Filed in San Diego City
From today’s Voice of San Diego…
Four San Diegans told the City Clerk on Wednesday that they intend to gather the signatures required to place four overlapping measures on the November ballot, similar to the workforce-reform initiatives being championed by Mayor Jerry Sanders.
The group wants voters to decide whether:
— Voters should be required to approve any increase to city workers’ pension benefits.
— City employees should evenly split the cost of their pension benefits with the city.
— The city can allow private businesses to compete over municipal work with city employees.
The four measures overlap each other in language in some cases and one provides the option of excluding public safety workers from a voters-decide-future-benefits proposition.
Sanders is currently asking the City Council to place two measures on the November ballot, one requiring the voters to approve city employee pension enhancements before they’re enacted and the other allowing the competitive bidding of city services. A council committee forwarded the two initiatives to the full council, which will… Read More

Highland Declares San Francisco a ‘No-Go’
The Highland City Council recently enacteda policythat, while it doesn’t seem to be too much of aconcern to the City it’s aimed at (San Francisco), is starting to get some attention. In response to San Francisco voters’ approval in November of anon-binding measureopposing the military seeking new recruits from local high schools, Highland is now prohibiting its employees and public officials from spending taxpayer dollars attending conferences, seminars or forums in San Francisco.
Certainly a little national attention tothis is in order. Consider that, according to a recent L.A. Times article, there’s a growing debate developing about whether the military should be afforded the same recruiting access to schools as other employers, as provided for in the federal ‘No Child Left Behind’ Act.
As Mike Der Manouel points out in his most recent… Read More

San Francisco – The Safest Place on Earth
In the event of a terrorist attack anywhere in America, immediately go to San Francisco. It is the safest place in the world right now. Enemies of America have more friends in "the City" than anywhere on Earth. San Francisco will never be attacked by terrorists. It’s a tough call. Radical Islamofascists probably hate the normal San Francisco lifestyle. Sex clubs, bathhouses and all the other stuff SF is known for probably doesn’t go over too well with Osama Bin Laden. But, San Franciscans do hate the US military, so it all evens out.
I almost fell over when I saw this exchange on Hannity and Colmes last night between hosts Sean Hannity, Alan Colmes and San Francisco County Supervisor Gerardo Sandoval. Generally, nothing the left says can surprise me. But this one takes the cake:
HANNITY: I rarely agree with Dianne Feinstein. And she even says this is not the San Francisco that I know. This is — and I guess this is the mentality. Do you think America should unilaterally disarm? Should we give up our weaponry and our war — our tools of war?
SANDOVAL: You know,… Read More

Jessica’s Law coming to a ballot near you!
There are a number of ‘must read’ stories today — but start with the exclusive column from State Senator George Runner and Assemblywoman Sharon Runner. This dynamic husband-wife legislative duo have been the main driving force behind the qualification of the Jessica’s Law ballot measure which, if passed, would enact in the Golden State some of the toughest anti-sexual-predator laws in the nation. They have collected enough signatures, they believe, to qualify the measure for the ballot, and will start turning them in this week, says the consultant handling the measure, Dave Gilliard.
I will try to post more to the FR blog later today, but I have to run out the door very early this morning. When you review the main page, note the link to the SF Chronicle political news page – this is there because the Chron doesn’t update their page until 6am, and I am posting this close to 5am. You can check yourself if they have any stories on California politics, or… Read More

Today’s Commentary: Jessica’s Law coming to a ballot near you!
There are a number of ‘must read’ stories today — but start with the exclusive column from State Senator George Runner and Assemblywoman Sharon Runner. This dynamic husband-wife legislative duo have been the main driving force behind the qualification of the Jessica’s Law ballot measure which, if passed, would enact in the Golden State some of the toughest anti-sexual-predator laws in the nation. They have collected enough signatures, they believe, to qualify the measure for the ballot, and will start turning them in this week, says the consultant handling the measure, Dave Gilliard. … Read More

Weintraub: Arnold’s driver is…Don Perata?
I posted stories on the main page this morning so early, I missed this gem (it wasn’t up on the Sacramento Bee website yet).
In this column, Dan Weintraub focuses on the role of State Senate President Pro-tem in the BIG BOND$ process. He starts with the analogy below, and then details later in the column where Perata has staked out positions on some of the Governor’s demands. The two of them DEFINITELY do NOT see eye-to-eye.
The column starts:
Perata on public works: I am in the driver’s seat By Dan Weintraub, Sacramento Bee "He’s working with me," Perata replies, with the emphasis on "me." … Read More
Speaker says Governor’s Bonds are too BIG!
That’s right Fabian thinks Arnold is asking for too much bonding authority. The rest of his comments are absurd of course. More bonds for affordable housing and the like. Jim Sanders of the Bee has it all right here.… Read More