The Whitman for Governor Campaign just released this Campaign Memo (Poizner’s Campaign released one last week…)

TO: Campaign Leadership Teams FROM: Henry Gomez and Jeff Randle DATE: July 6, 2009 RE: State of the Race Update The June 30 campaign reporting deadline is the first tangible measuring point of the 2010 campaign. In just five months, Meg Whitman has… Read More

For those state vendors who have been given warrants rather than checks from the state, the Board of Equalization will vote at our July 21st meeting whether to accept the warrants from these vendors for their tax obligation on sales to the state. I have received a legal opinion that it is permissible for the Board to do so. However, that opinion states that if the warrant is greater than the tax liability, then the Board cannot issue refunds until the warrant has reached its maturity date.

It is important for the BOE to accept these registered warrants as a sign of good faith to the people of California, and those who receive these IOUs from the Controller that they really do have value.… Read More

California is officially insolvent and has begun paying its bills with IOUs. While certain sacred cows are protected from getting IOU’s, taxpayers are first in line to get hosed.

Assemblyman Joel Anderson has authored critical legislation, Assembly Bill 1506, to provide relief to taxpayers and businesses who will be receiving IOUs from the state.

So far, $50 million worth of IOUs are on their way to taxpayers who are owed a refund. Next in line are vendors, private businesses that provide services to the state on a contract basis. Assembly Bill 1506 allows IOUs to be used as payment for any obligations to the state.

For example, if you are a business with state contracts and you receive an IOU for $50,000, you could use that IOU as payment for your payroll taxes, DMV fees or any other obligation to the state. Without AB 1506, many businesses will be forced to close their doors and layoff employees. This bill is about protecting jobs and the economy from onerous, irresponsible government.… Read More

We’ve gotten a lot of "tips" today that there are leadership runs at least being talked about against both Senate President Darrell Steinberg and Assembly Speaker Karen Bass. I don’t follow the internal politics that take place on the left side of the aisle too closely. There are those that do, but will they blog about it somewhere? Who knows.… Read More

I have to admit that I was pretty impressed when I got off of the phone with Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner last Sunday night. When my phone rang, and Poizner was on the other end, I expected to have a chat about his campaign for the GOP Gubernatorial nomination. But actually, he was calling me, in his capacity as Insurance Commissioner, to let me know about a bold new policy that he would be announcing on Monday, launching a funding probe from the Department of Insurance targeting investments made by insurance companies in Iran.

"Jon, using my authority as Insurance Commissioner, I will be announcing tomorrow a terror funding probe targeting direct and indirect investments by insurers in Iran."

As I am sure that many FR… Read More

That "mega" number (my eyes glaze over) is now the size of the projected shortfall in the state’s 2009-10 fiscal year budget.

It’s time for the Democrats in the State Legislature to step up and deliver a plan to deal with this shortfall. Every minute, hour and day that goes by without a comprehensive solution, the more difficult it will be to resolve this shortfall.

Hopeful the resolve of Republicans to not allow a piecemeal approach to solving this shortfall is very, very clear to Capitol Democrats. Republicans are committed and united to protecting taxpaying Californians from being hit with higher taxes to resolve this problem. Republicans understand that a piece-meal approach to trying to resolve this shortfall, passing cuts a few billion at a time will eventually lead to a time, mid-fiscal year, when Democrats can simply stop agreeing to cuts at all — leaving our state more vulnerable to a play to raise taxes. Especially since the ability to implement cuts becomes more dubious once you are well into the fiscal year. Funny how that works — cuts take considerable time to implement, while tax increases seem to go into… Read More

I have to admit that I was pretty impressed when I got off of the phone with Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner last Sunday night. When my phone rang, and Poizner was on the other end, I expected to have a chat about his campaign for the GOP Gubernatorial nomination. But actually, he was calling me, in his capacity as Insurance Commissioner, to let me know about a bold new policy that he would be announcing on Monday, launching a funding probe from the Department of Insurance targeting investments made by insurance companies in Iran.

"Jon, using my authority as Insurance Commissioner, I will be announcing tomorrow a terror funding probe targeting direct and indirect investments by insurers in Iran."

As I am sure that many FR… Read More

At 11:30am today, Governor Schwarzenegger held a press conference where he issued a State of Emergency due to the budget impasse, and also has ordered a third non-paid furlough day for each state employee through June 30, 2010. Below is a release put out by the Governor’s office with the details…

Following the legislature’s inability to pass a comprehensive solution to solve California’s entire $24.3 billion deficit, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger today proclaimed a fiscal emergency and called a Proposition 58 legislative special session to address this emergency. Additionally, the Governor exercised his executive authority to save cash for vital state functions and services by ordering three furlough days every month.

“Though the legislature failed to… Read More