Governor, I’m not sure I can make the case any more.

I can do the "He’s Better Than Angelides" argument: that one’s still easy. But for the last several weeks, I’ve maintained that your new approach has more to do with tone and emphasis than any substantive policy change. The Administration’s new state budget proposal makes that a lot more difficult.

As my friend Fleischman noted, I was quoted in this morning’s San Diego Union Tribune saying the following:

"Almost every policy proposal that’s come out of the Governor’s Office over the last week or two is not significantly different from things he’s talked about in the past. But he’s making a much greater effort to emphasize a more moderate and conciliatory approach."

When I spoke to the reporter writing this story, that’s what I believed. But that was before the governor released his new budget.

I’ve… Read More

I guess the “Universal Preschool” initiative backed by Rob Reiner qualified for the ballot this past week. Besides being a breathtakingly stupid idea (our public schools are failing despite massive spending increases, so lets layer on ANOTHER grade level), the advertising being done by First Five advocating preschool all but guarantees that adding just one more year of education will result in the following for all children benefiting from this measure: 1) no child will ever go to jail again; 2) no child will ever have to go on welfare; 3) all the kids will be prepared for the workforce and go to college; 4) children attending preschool will do much better academically than those who do not. I mean really, its a MIRACLE!

If we take preschool proponents at their word, we need an immediate tax cut if the initiative passes. I mean, look at how little spending we are going to need on prisons, welfare, unemployment, health care, and remedial education. I can see the State Budget going from $125 billion down to NOTHING! Maybe we can even just dissolve state government because preschool cures everything!… Read More

Walnut, Salifornia is one of those places that isreally hard for teachers to work in. The place has the highest test scores in the San Gabriel Valley. If you drive through Walnut you see plenty of businesses that offer tutoring. (Which makes you wonder if the teachers or the tutoring are responsible for the high test scores?)It is a Republican area to boot.

Now the union there really has it rough. Despite all the allegededucation budget cuts, the district is offering a 4 percent raise. The union bosses wants a 5 percent raise. See article here. What’s a union goon to do?

I knowthey should vandalizethe homes of board membersand threaten them andother districtemployees.See the article here.What the articles don’t tell you is thatthe head of union made the statement that they can’t be held responsible for what someone might do two nightsBEFORE the vandal(s) struck.

That makes the uniontotally responsible.… Read More

The FlashReport has a very narrow focus on California politics. So why this short column on the importance of an Arizona Congressman running to replace Tom DeLay as Majority Leader of the United States House of Representatives? Well, an ancillary effect of his candidacy is significant California news, because Shadegg is stepping down as Chairman of the Republican Policy Committee, one of the top leadership posts. None other than "our own" Darrell Issa is now campaigning for this seat (read more about it on the FR Weblog).

Arizona Congressman John Shadegg is a leader of the Republican Study Committee. Last week, we featured a column from Congressman Ed Royce, another strong conservative Congressman, on the importance of the efforts of the RSC. Frankly, the current leadership of the House of Representatives has failed in its primary mission. When Republicans… Read More

Some explanations for California’s ongoing budget problems

For the first time in four years, California does not expect a budget shortfall in the coming fiscal year, thanks to unexpected tax revenue pouring into the state this year.

But a $6 billion deficit is expected to return during the 2007-2008 fiscal year, with continued deficits anticipated for the next several years. Here are some of the central reasons why state government has so much trouble living within its means:

MANDATED SPENDING As much as 70 percent of spending in California’s budget is mandated through federal law, court order or voter initiatives. Even if lawmakers had the will to cut, most of the reductions would fall disproportionately on specific programs. Some of those smaller pieces of the budget pie are considered critical such as certain law enforcement, parks and recreation, and public health programs.… Read More

Dan Weintraub of the Sacramento Bee has the makings of a great policy idea Here is his proposal, which I have reprinted below, and I have some brief comments at the end:

A MODEST PROPOSAL From Dan Weintraub’s Political Insider Weblog It hasn’t received a huge amount of attention since no one is screaming about it, but the increase in education spending in the governor’s budget proposal comes to a cool $600 per student in K-12, or an 8 percent increase over the current year. I offer a modest proposal here for how that money might be best … Read More

Throughout the day, I’d been hearing rumors that there may be a new chief strategist coming to Schwarzenegger-land — that the venerable Mike Murphy was out, and that Matthew Dowd was in. I have my little "Rule of 6" that I use, where if I can’t get something on the record, I wait or seek out six sources that can at least tell me that they have heard what I have heard. Well, if I was really interested in ‘breaking’ news, I should have a "Rule of 5" — in this instance, my 6th source was none other than columnist Bill Bradley, who posted on his blog about the Dowd rumor ("Chief Strategist Dowd?" he writes, with the question mark.).

Who is Matthew Dowd, you might ask? Here is the first couple of paragraphs of his biography from a speaker’s bureau website (if you want him to talk to you personally about his background, a $10,000… Read More

The Governor has officially denied the clemency request of convicted murderer Clarence Ray Allen. Allen was sentenced to life in prison for commissioning the murder of his son’s girlfriend in 1974. Then, in 1980, he was convicted and sentenced to death for ordering the murders of eight witnesses of the first murder from his cell. While killing the first of these targets, his hit man also killed two unconnected teenagers on the scene.

Somehow it is notable that Clarence Allen is the oldest inmate on death row, and is quite ill. I am not sure why either of these things would be reasons to commute a death sentence. If anything, his age is a living mockery of what the court system has done to the ability for justice to be carried out in anything remotely close to swiftness.

Pity not Allen, but the innocent victims of his cruel and calculated actions. To quote the Governor:… Read More