As a County Supervisor I realize what severe financial problems our state is facing. Our elected leaders at the state and local level will be forced to make some decisions that will be tough. That is why we get paid the big bucks.

When I worked in the Capitol years ago we all used to be eager to find out what was in the budget proposal put out by the Governor in January and the May Revise. Not any more. When I heard about the May Revise proposals I just shrugged my shoulders, considered it interesting, and then dismissed the release as one interesting fact among thousands of others.

These documents used to be the foundation for discussing our state financial plan for the next year. That is really not the case now. They have become the opening bid in the budget political poker game as opposed to the base for fiscal policy.

In the LA Times today Jack Dolan has an excellent piece on what the elimination of CalWorks really means. It means a reduction of funding at the state level and the inability to pull down federal money into our economy but it… Read More

I don’t watch Dr. Phil, but I have been told that one of his favorite sayings is that past behavior is the best indicator of future behavior. If I have his saying wrong, I apologize in advance. But I like the sentiment, because it is absolutely true. One of the best ways of predicting what a politician will do in the future is what he or she has done in the past. That is not an absolute test, but it is not a bad one. Look at what someone has done, and that will tell you what they will do.

That is one of my problems with Meg Whitman. I have no idea what she would do in office, because I have no indication of what she has done in the past. The last politician I took at face value without a history was Arnold Schwarzenegger. Now, I will admit, I didn’t endorse Schwarzenegger because I thought he would be a great conservative. However, at the time I endorsed him, He was in a dead heat with Cruz Bustamante. Since conservatives had started the recall, I believed that a recall that ended with a Cruz Bustamante governorship would be a disaster for the movement. I know that Tom McClintock never forgave me for what I did, but I didn’t do it… Read More

The Orange County Taxpayers Association Voter Guide, Reed Royalty, President, just put out an expensive voter guide in Orange County. What a laugh! I pity the poor consultant (John Lewis) who had to produce it for Royalty.

It lists among many Republican candidates for Orange County nonpartisan office, liberal Democrat Webster Guillory for Orange County Assessor. Guillory, a long term and aged, post Social Security retirement incumbent who has never been competently challenged, and who is an African American, is the only Countywide administrative candidate whose picture the Orange County Taxpayers Association does not include in the mailing. Very sad. Guillory’s opponent, Claude Parrish, is endorsed by the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association, the National Tax Limitation Committee, the Orange County Republican Party Central Committee and former Republican Governor George Dukemejian. There is no question that the Orange County Taxpayers Assocation endorsement of Guillory is a complete bunch of B.S. and must be a part of the "old boy" network that movements such as the Tea… Read More

Slatemailer CONTINUING THE REPUBLICAN REVOLUTION. Features Cooley for Attorney General, Villines for Insurance Commissioner.… Read More

Republican voters will have no doubt who the former Alaska Governor and 2008 GOP Veep nominee is supporting for U.S. Senate…… Read More

You may recall that Alan Autry was the Mayor of Fresno for two terms, succeeding Jim Patterson, a current candidate for the 19th Congressional District. Autry is supporting State Senator Jeff Denham, and has been taking major shots at Patterson while hosting a radio program on KYNO 940 am. Now, this station has less than a 1% share, so there aren’t many listeners, but I am really, really saddened by Autry’s attacks. He’s been my friend for many years, but as a Patterson supporter, I feel compelled to respond.

The latest Denham attackshowed up in my mail today, with Autry claiming that Patterson left him in a fiscal mess when he took over for Patterson in 2001.

If this claim weren’t so ridiculous, it would be laughable, and it makes fair game the Autry record while in Fresno City Hall.

Let’s set the record straight: Jim Patterson was elected Mayor of Fresno in 1993. The city was gang infested and had the worst auto theft rates in the nation. Over the next eight years, with some federal help, Fresno hired 384 police officers, cut the crime rate 75%, and balanced eight straight budgets. Pension obligations were… Read More

The SacBee’s Capitol Alert blog is reporting that Democrats are busy rejecting the Governor’s proposed cuts in the budget. Of course they are. Because the Democrats believe that when the economy is in bad shape, that’s the time you want to raise taxes. Actually, to be more accurate, the liberals in the legislature pretty much want to raise taxes any time.

At some point, the Democrats in Sacramento have to understand that when the economy is humming along, then the private sector grows, and the GDP goes up, and also the money available to government at every level increases. But the opposite is also true — and when the economy restricts, it is not just the private sector that has to go through proverbial belt-tightening, it is also government that must do this. Adding more taxes is problematic for many reasons, but a great pragmatic reason is that doing so will damage economic recovery efforts.

Fortunately the State of California, unlike the Feds, cannot print money. And since the resolve of the Governor and legislative Republicans… Read More

It has come to our attention that staff of the Governor’s Office has sent Campaign materials from their State e-mail accounts in attempt to solicit Endorsements and support for their Political activity as it relates to their opposition of the California Jobs Initiative – the ballot measure which is expected to appear on the November ballot.

Simply put, using Taxpayer funds to support Political activity is a violation of Campaign Law (FPPC rules).

Below is a copy of one such e-mail from the Governor’s staff (Chief Deputy Director Lisa Kalustian) on state government e-mail system, unmistakably soliciting political activity in opposition to the California Jobs Initiative, along with the forwarding of campaign literature. Also included in the e-mail is an Endorsement Form from the official Campaign Committee that was formed to oppose the ballot measure. The name of the person receiving the e-mail has been removed in order to protect the whistle blower’s anonymity.

To further investigate the matter, the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association has filed a Public Records Act request with the Governor’s office, and has cc’d the Fair Political Practices… Read More