I’m a bit pressed for time today, so today it is the Poizner campaign that benefits from my just throwing up a press release to save me time (since the release references both this website and its publisher, how could I not?)… I will say that we’ve now heard from over 450 CRP delegates and the ratio references below has not changed…

Republican candidate for governor Steve Poizner announced today he will offer up his speaking spot at the California Republican Party convention in order to make time for a gubernatorial debate. Poizner’s decision is in response to an overwhelming number of California Republican Party delegates who have stated they would like to see a debate at the party convention in March. … Read More

I always chuckle at my Democrat friends who attempt to influence Republican primaries. The last time they tried to do it was to try and defeat Richard Riordan in the 2002 Republican primary. The Democrats ran commercials that essentially accused Richard Riordan of being pro-life and pro-gun, in other words, the Democrats accused Riordan of being a Republican. Interestingly enough, when the commercials ran, Riordan’s poll numbers started to go up among Republicans. Riordan then essentially went public and denied the commercials, that is, he told Republicans that he really wasn’t the Republican that Democrats were accusing him of being. Riordan lost the Republican primary because he denied to the Republican voters that he was a Republican. With the latest rounds of commercials that the Dems are running against Whitman, the biggest mistake Whitman can make is to respond to them. She should celebrate them.

I am a Poizner supporter. I joined Poizner because I saw Poizner at work. He actually talks to conservatives, and spent time with them. At the 2006 CRA convention, Poizner stayed the whole weekend and talked to the delegates there. They… Read More

The following is a letter that appeared in a recent edition of Managed Care Weekend Update (2/13/10), published by Oppenheimer & Co, an investment and banking company.This letter is a great response to the Obama Administration’s (and Assemblyman Dave Jones (D-Sacramento) reaction to the rate increases recently implemented by Anthem/Blue Cross (WellPoint).This is a must read for those in Sacramento preparing for the Jones hearing on this issue next week.Steve Poizner’s staff should read it as well. As the writer points out, this is all just "political grandstanding" to try to force through a health care reform package that the public doesn’t seem to want. The Secretary of HHS Crosses a Line Dear Secretary Sebelius: Reading through your last two letters to WellPoint, it seems like the crux of … Read More

I just sent this out to the CRP membership…

Last Saturday I wrote to you about the question that will be coming before the California Republican Party Board of Directors – whether or not to extend invitations to the Republican candidates for Governor, Attorney General and United States Senate to participate in debates at our upcoming convention next month in Santa Clara.

In that e-mail I mentioned that the Board would be voting on a proposed resolution to that effect today. I wanted to let you know that our meeting ended up not taking place today, but that will be convening for a telephonic Board meeting on Thursday morning at 8:30am.

I would like to share with you that I have heard back from nearly a quarter of the State Central Committee members, and by a staggering proportion, they would like… Read More

This just in…

Dear Friend, Like many other supporters of Steve Poizner, you have probably been contacted recently by operatives for the Meg Whitman for Governor Campaign. These operatives have one simple message: Steve Poizner cannot win, you need to join the Whitman team, and we will remember you if you fail to join us. In fact, one Whitman operative recently threatened a $40 million negative attack campaign against Steve Poizner if he did not withdraw from the race.… Read More

A Federal court in San Diego yesterday issued a permanent injunction against the City of San Diego’s $500 contribution limit per person to independent expenditure committees involved in City elections. The ruling quotes the recent Citizens United case we have written about, and is a logical step, following the U.S. Supreme Court’s predicate, on the path of ultimately banning limitations on contributions to Federal PACs that engage in independent expenditure advocacy. Congratulations to the San Diego County GOP and their great election attorney, Jim Bopp, Jr.

Attached is a copy of the ruling.… Read More

There has been a lot of discussion about whether or not there will be a GOP Gubernatorial debate at the upcoming California Republican Party Convention. Actually, it would be more accurate to say that there has been a lot of debate about whether the CRP should formally invite the candidates to debate at the convention. I think, based on the posturing of Meg Whitman’s campaign, that she is unlikely to accept a CRP debate invitation — but, hey, stranger things have happened.

That said, it is worthy of note that there is a potential GOP Gubernatorial debate taking place a couple of days later in front of the New Majority, a major GOP donor group ($10k/year to join). Meg Whitman has already and long ago agreed to participate in a debate at that event — but like with all events, I suppose the devil is in the details.

Apparently the Poizner campaign is worried about the details of that event, as Poizner’s Campaign Manager, Jim Bognet, has fired off a letter to the leadership of the New Majority going to into the details of the debate format.

To excerpt part of the letter where they start by calling for a high-profile, non-biased… Read More

Controller John Chiang released a new actuarial report last week that shows California faces a $51.8 billion bill to pay for health and dental benefits for state retirees.

The unfunded obligation as of June 30, 2009, grew $3.6 billion from $48.2 billion in the prior year. Unlike state pensions, which are covered by pre-funding and investment returns, California pays for retiree health benefits on a pay-as-you-go basis as the costs come due each year.

The State would need to contribute $2.8 billion in 2009-10 to fully fund its obligation. But Controller Chiang did not go far enough. These are contractual obligations that legally are more important than regular legislative budget appropriations. Chiang should announce that he will prioritize what checks to write to make sure that contracts are honored.

The report can be found … Read More