Who is this man? He is an official with the Bush Administration, and he may run against State Senator Chuck Poochigian for the GOP nomination for State Attorney General.

Read more in my daily commentary posted with the news each day on this website.

There is always something going on in California politics. And I guarantee you and my fellow contributors and I will always have something to say about it.

Take care, Jon… Read More

Today’s SF Chronicle reports that Proposition 76, the Governor’s budget reform initiative, may be starting to see its financial support being redirected toward other Schwarzenegger ballot priorities.

"Campaign finance reports released last week showed that supporters of Prop. 76, which would give the governor more power over the state budget, had only $7,600 in the bank on Sept. 24, compared with $914,000 for Proposition 75 and $3 million for Proposition 77." Go to the story here.

Maybe this is just a natural ebb and flow that happens when the same donor base is funding four initiatives. But if this is part of a considered strategy, it’s a smart move. If you’re going to be outspent, it makes sense to target your resources as narrowly as possible. Passing redistricting reform and/or Paycheck Protection is enough for Team Arnold to claim victory, so concentrating their fire on one or both of them increases their chances for winning. Even if the budget initiative loses, Arnold can still legitimately make… Read More

Excerpted from the Wall Street Journal, October 5, 2005

California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger made two big announcements at last month’s Republican state convention. The first was that he will seek a second term in 2006; the second was a formal endorsement of Proposition 75, a ballot measure in the November 8 special election that would affect how public-sector unions can spend members’ dues. The second is more important to the state’s long-run future. Mr. Schwarzenegger’s goals as governor include shaking up Sacramento, where an intransigent legislature beholden to special interests had turned the state into an economic basket case. Arnold does have something to show for his efforts to date, insofar as the fiscal bleeding seems to have stopped. California’s credit rating is out of the gutter, and the economy has created a quarter-million new jobs in the past year.

Still, important reforms remain unaddressed, and the passage of Proposition 75, also known as “paycheck protection,” would go a long way toward ending California politics-as-usual. By forcing public-sector unions to get written permission from employees… Read More

Tuesday’s special election for the 48th Congressional District was decided more by interlopers than the voters of the 48th CD. The East Coast-based Main Street Partnership decided that the candidate endorsed by moderate Republican Governor Arnold Swartzenegger and the California Republican Party…not to mention many members of the California congressional delegation, was not good enough so they spent a few hundred thousand dollars attacking the lead GOP candidate. Here’s the list of things we can thank Main Street for:

Bringing Marilyn Brewer up to 16% from 10% Taking John Campbell down from 50+1% to 46% Putting this seat on the radar for Democrats Forcing Orange County taxpayers to pay for, and endure, a 3rd election in 3 months Keeping the slim House Republican majority one vote slimmer Wasting hundreds of thousands of Republican dollars by forcing a run-off, not to mention, the money they wasted leading up to Tuesday Giving John & Ken a forum (and … Read More

In the 1990’s, voter registration trends, the rise of public employee unions, and internal party conflicts played havoc with the traditional lock Republicans had on San Diego City Hall. By 2003 only two of the city’s eight council seats and the mayor’s office were held by by the GOP. With the resignation of Republican Mayor Dick Murphy in 2005 and the “strong mayor” system of city government enacted by initiative starting in 2006 the public employee unions and Democrats believe the time is ripe for the election of Donna Frye, a liberal Democrat. But the fortunes of the GOP in the City of San Diego are not as low as they might appear at first glance. First, four of the city’s eight council seats are actually naturally Republican – Democrats are holding two seats that will probably move into the Republican column when term limits kick in for the sitting incumbents. The losses occurred in the period after the rise of the public employee unions and before the awakening and reorganization of the local business community and the San Diego Republican Party. Second, while the GOP does not have the registration edge it once enjoyed, self… Read More

Ican’t believe it’s only my second posting and I’m writing about sports already.

Well, I’m on my way to the game in a few minutes, so here goes.

I know this is hard to believe, but I may have misheard a broadcast (or maybe I correctly heard a misleading broadcast) on L.A. radio yesterday that said Anaheim Mayor Curt Pringle had lifted his season-long “boycott” of Angels baseball games in time for today’s opening game of the American League Division Series against the hated New York Yankees.

Before that rumor goes any further, let me clarify what I believe to be Pringle’s actual position: The Mayor will host the Boys and Girls Clubs of Anaheim at today’s game as a charity event. Pringle has said his choice not to attend regular-season games was not actually a boycott, as some people have described it. The Mayor’s choice to attend post-season games will be considered on a game-by-game basis, with special consideration given to benefit selected charities.

I feel better knowing all of that, although I had been impressed by Pringle’s principled stand – You… Read More

Go to the Orange County Registrar of Voters for the latest results.

[Due to the Jewish holiday Adam will not be posting until late Wednesday night. This posting was scheduled in advanceto appear at this time.]… Read More

Here are the final returns from today’s Special Election in Congressional District 48…

Brewer fizzled for sure, Gilchrist really didn’t pick up steam, and Dems stayed home…

With all 268 precincts reporting:

JOHN CAMPBELL (R) 36,640 46.0% MARILYN C. BREWER (R) 13,272 16.7% JIM GILCHRIST (AI) 11,490 14.4% STEVE YOUNG (D) 7,110 8.9% JOHN GRAHAM (D) 3,242

… Read More