It’s being reported that State Assembly Democrats are in the process of selected a new leader to succeed Karen Bass. Apparently the two "finalists" vying for the position are Assemblymen John Perez and Kevin DeLeon.

Because the voters of California have elected a healthy majority of Democrats in the Assembly (with the help of some "insider baseball" drawing of legislative districts to their extreme advantage) — the leader of Assembly Democrats is also elected to be the Assembly Speaker.

I thought I would take a quick look at how Perez and DeLeon differ on their voting record on key issues of importance to FlashReport readers — so that we could determine if, perhaps, there is a "lesser of the two evils" between these two liberal Los Angeles area Democrats…

How did Perez and DeLeon differ on these important votes?

Supporting the largest tax increase in the history of any state – $16 billion. Supporting a special election and putting before voters a similar sized additional tax increase. Criminalizing the owning of too many pets. Allowing counties to keep … Read More

California homeowners will be getting a badly-needed break in the form of tax relief due to the deflated housing market this year. For the first time since Proposition 13 passed in 1978, homeowners are likely to see a lower property tax bill. The State Board of Equalization announced recently that due to deflation in the value of real estate statewide, they will be reducing the rates this year, by about $2.60 per every $100,000 in assessed property value.

That may seem insignificant, but any decrease in taxes should come as welcome news to homeowners in California who have been saddled with some of the highest taxes in the nation. For all but 5 years since the passage of Prop. 13, the property taxes have increased at their limit of 2 percent per year. To actually have a tax bill decrease is something to celebrate.

After all, California has the 4th highest state income tax in the nation, the highest state sales tax in the nation, one of the highest corporate income tax rates in the nation, and the highest gas taxes of any state.

This is a good time to reflect on the benefits of Proposition 13, which often comes under attack when state revenues fall… Read More

There is a saying goes something like, "Adversity Breeds Opportunity."

This came to mind as I was reading stories in the SDUT, on the website of the Voice of San Diego, as well as a great column from FR friend Vince Vasquez on the up and coming SDRostra website — stories all about the massive budget deficit facing the City of San Diego, and the proposal of Mayor Jerry Sanders to try and address the $190 million shortfall.

First and foremost, let me commend Mayor Sanders for putting forward a package that does not seek an increase in taxes. Sanders (pictured), a Republican, understands that in a recession, you simply cannot ask taxpayers to reach deeper into their pockets. While the… Read More

There is a saying goes something like, "Adversity Breeds Opportunity."

This came to mind as I was reading stories in the SDUT, on the website of the Voice of San Diego, as well as a great column from FR friend Vince Vasquez on the up and coming SDRostra website — stories all about the massive budget deficit facing the City of San Diego, and the proposal of Mayor Jerry Sanders to try and address the $190 million shortfall.

First and foremost, let me commend Mayor Sanders for putting forward a package that does not seek an increase in taxes. Sanders (pictured), a Republican, understands that in a recession, you simply cannot ask taxpayers to reach deeper into their pockets. While the… Read More

This just off the transom from the Steve Poizner for Governor Campaign…

TO: Campaign Grassroots Team FROM: Jim Bognet, Campaign Manager RE: Poizner Campaign Update DATE: December 1, 2009 With 2010 on the horizon, it is important to recap our efforts and successes in 2009 and update you on our plans for the coming year: The Campaign Organization… Read More

It’s being reported as newsworthy that a "recall attempt" against State Senator Bob Huff failed to turn in enough signatures to qualify for the ballot — actually ZERO signatures were turned in.

My question is — why is this news? Elected officials are smacked with "Notice of Recall" forms fairly frequently, because doing this is not a difficult process, involving really an afternoon’s elbow grease. It’s the subsequent process, in the case of state legislators, of collecting tens of thousands of signatures that is a major endeavor.

It was clear to anyone observing the process that except for the attempted recall against Anthony Adams, that no other recalls were potentially viable.

Let’s be clear — Huff may have supported Proposition 1A on the May special election ballot (I spoke with him about it at the time, and he felt that the modest revenue smoothing measure contained within it was worth the trade-off on higher taxes — we agreed to disagree) but he opposed the February budget deal that brought us the… Read More

On his Fox News Channel show yesterday Glenn Beck had an interesting conversation with Columbia University professor David Buckner about the similarities between Dubai’s economic meltdown and California ’s financial crisis. It’s an interesting exchange and reiterates the fact that California cannot continue on its current path without impacting the rest of the world economy.

… Read More

In the shadow of the partisan splits on the budget is an interesting bipartisan campaign to go after federal education dollars. The Obama Administration has set aside $4.3 billion to distribute to states that adopt most of its recommended reforms. The California State Senate has already passed a reform bill that would constitute California’s application and the Assembly is scheduled to meet in special session (hard to remember there ever was a regular session) in December to consider the Senate bill.

I say "consider the Senate bill" because, while the money has been the focus of the headlines, it is the reforms that should have a greater impact on education in California. First, note the politics: the bill is jointly authored by Democrat Senators Gloria Romero and Elaine Alquist, as well as Republican Senators Bob Huff and Mark Wyland. Their collaboration is a testament that politicians can work together. The bill proposes several major changes in education. One of the most controversial is that the bill would permit, for the first time, student test data to be used in helping to evaluate the job performance of teachers and administrators. It… Read More