An interesting political drama has been unfolding in the troubled city of San Diego for several months. The debate centers around pension reform, and mayoral politics.

On one side, City Councilman Carl DeMaio, a candidate for mayor, was beating the drums of “comprehensive” reform. He released a detailed proposal in November that outlined a series of policies that would flatline the city’s skyrocketing pension obligations.

On the other side, Mayor Jerry Sanders and Councilman Kevin Faulconer attempted to tackle the issue with a more moderate approach that excluded all public safety employees (who make up half of the pension debt) and allowed pension “spiking” to continue.

At the peak of the drama, Sanders and Faulconer declared much of DeMaio’s proposal to be illegal, banned him from participating in discussions, and then publically released their own proposal. The media, business community and DeMaio harshly criticized their plan and forced them back to the negotiating table.

Earlier this month, all three parties released a “unity” ballot initiative, brokered by the Lincoln Club and San Diego Taxpayers… Read More

“…there’s never a wish better than this, when you’ve only got 100 years to live.” – from the lyrics of the song “100 years” by John Ondrasik (Five for Fighting)

Maurine McNee Campbell: Regular readers of this Laptop Report know that I sometimes get a little more personal with you than perhaps is customary for the writings of a member of Congress engaged in the nation’s political discourse. This is one of those times.

My mother, Maurine McNee Campbell, passed away a couple of weeks ago in Los Angeles. She was 96. As an English friend wrote me with a reference to the game of cricket, “96 is good innings.” Yes, good innings, indeed.

She was born in the small Midwestern town of Cottonwood Falls, Kansas just 4 months after the “guns of August” started firing in Europe to begin World War I. She moved to Los Angeles as a little girl. Her parents had honeymooned there and decided they would move there someday. She lived 60 of her 96 years in the L.A. house her… Read More

125 dues paid Delegates are now locked out of the CRA convention in Sacramento as directed by the current leadership regime. Even Assemblyman Jeff Miller, Senator Joel Anderson, and lil ol me are not recognized by the CRA! Update: I hear now I’m OK for now, but not Joel and Jeff. It may be moot as they are going to exclude certain clubs.Police officers are now on sight, visiting with some of thoselocked out of the convention floor.

This really underscores the need for new leadership under Karen England and her slate of candidate for officer positionsto havethe CRA have any crediblility in the future as a Republican organization. With a judge placing a temporary restraining order this week on the actions of the current regime, you can bet it will be in court in a few weeks again with some individuals in serious trouble with the judge.[Maybe the Park brother who uttered "BS!" in the judges chamber will be one in the judges disfavor]

With the chaos in that conventionroom, a likely stalemate could happen this weekend with no result. It could spell the end of the CRA… Read More

Here are a couple of California items from today’s Wall Street Journal Political Diary E-mail…

When Unions Get Desperate

There haven’t been any major earthquakes or wildfires in California recently, but teachers apparently think that the potential budget cuts to education merit a “State of Emergency Week.”

The California Teachers Association, the state’s largest teachers union, is planning a week of activities in May. The goal is to pressure Democratic Gov. Jerry Brown and the state legislature to raise taxes rather than cut education spending.

Earlier this week the union posted a 10-page list of potential activities on its website, CAstateofemergency.com. Ideas included stalking legislators for a day; boycotting corporations like Microsoft that advocate for education reform; attempting to close down major roads; dying their hair red; holding night-time vigils with coffins and black arm-bands; picketing companies; and withdrawing funds from banks that “are not paying… Read More

It’s no surprise that California’s constant budget crisis and the Legislature’s inability to control its spending have renewed interest by some to weaken Prop. 13 and raise property taxes to help solve our massive budget deficit.

Proponents of increasing property taxes claim they will help solve our budget problems, but the reality is that property tax increases will cost Californians billions, hurt our small businesses and slow job creation when we need it most.

Californians Against Higher Property Taxes is educating Californians about the negative consequences of a “split roll tax” and potential parcel tax increases. I encourage you to visit www.stophigherpropertytaxes.com and join the coalition to stay informed.

Thank you for working with me to oppose new taxes on the people of California.… Read More

This was sent to us from a FlashReport reader… Obviously from last evening’s “Heads On A Stick” fundraising event where five GOPers cashed in with special interests making (presumably) big bucks by expressing a willingness to place higher taxes on the ballot… It’s unclear if all of the guests got a photo with the five GOP legislators and the Governor, or if Brown was just in the photo line for “his” shot with the celebrities of the night.

(Pictured, from left to right, Asm. Bill Berryhill, Asm. Achadjian, Gov. Jerry Brown, Sen. Cannella, Asm. Cook, Sen Tom Berryhill)… Read More

The Los Angeles Times today reports that Senators Tom Berryhill and Anthony Cannella, and Assemblymembers Katcho Achjedian, Bill Berryhill and Paul Cook hosted a high priced fundraising campaign for their re-election, the theme of which was “Heads On A Stick” — making fun of the fact that their refusal to commit to opposing new increases in the state’s already income, sales and car taxes has drawn the ire of Southern California radio talk show hosts John Kobylt and Ken Champiou (“John and Ken”).

Don’t buy the “spin” put forward by advocates of government spending and the main stream media that the proposal of Governor Brown to raise taxes is actual something else called an “extension of taxes” — that is State Capitol double speak. The income tax increase and reduction in the child tax credit that were part of the terrible 2009 budget deal have already expired (they were on the 2009 and 2010 tax years), and the sales and car taxes end on June 30th. What is being discussed are new taxes to be imposed starting July 1st.

Those five legislators should really step back and figure out whether… Read More

Over the next couple of days we’ll have worked out the kinks in the reformatted FR blog. Normally this post would come from Bill Leonard himself, but in this instance I am posting up from my account. Enjoy! – Flash

Proposition 25 and Taxes By Bill Leonard

Over at Fox & Hounds Loren Kaye describes the loopholes in the recently passed Proposition 25. His list of bills is scary as they passed as majority vote bills that otherwise should be urgency bills requiring a two-thirds vote. They take effect immediately upon the Governor’ signature and the peoples’ power of referendum is voided.

There is only one problem with this analysis – these ‘loopholes’ are deliberately designed by the sponsors to ram through any kind of legislation as long as there is a thread of connection to a state budget. In fact they are probably are more significant change in the state’s constitution that the switch to a majority vote budget itself.

Here is the relevant language:… Read More