The following is just in from the Poizner for Governor Campaign…

California Insurance Commissioner and Republican gubernatorial candidate Steve Poizner today sent the following letter today to California Republican Party Chairman Ron Nehring calling on the CRP to formally oppose Proposition 1A on the May 19 ballot. A copy of the letter follows:

March 24, 2009 Mr. Ron Nehring Chairman, California Republican Party 1903 W. Magnolia Blvd.… Read More

This morning California Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner has an exclusive column in the FlashReport, The $16 Billion Tax Trick: We Need to Stop the Legislature from Trying to Fool Voters – Again. The column is worth a read. It’s especially notable that in the very first paragraph, Poizner compares Proposition 1A to last year’s failed Proposition 93 (The Fabian Nunez Term Limits Weakening Act, as we must have called it a hundred times). When you consider the lead role that Poizner played in the defeat of 93, which included not only political leadership, but a healthy contribution from Poizner’s personal fortune, it begs the question of whether Poizner will "93" Proposition 1A…

Of course, Meg Whitman has also been quite vocal in her opposition to 1A. While she doesn’t have a specific story like that of Poizner’s role with 93 to draw… Read More

We are pleased to present this exclusive commentary from Republican State Senator John Benoit…

1A – A Taxing Proposition By Senator John Benoit I have long been an outspoken advocate of a real state spending cap that would firmly limit the growth of state spending to the sum of inflation and population growth. I proudly co-authored Assembly Constitutional Amendment 19, a fiscally-responsible measure that would have capped state spending while diverting any extra revenue into reserves and repayment of outstanding debt. Sadly, that measure died during atypical party line vote in the Budget Committee in August 2008. As with several other similar past proposals, the tax-and-spend controlling majority wanted nothing to do with anything that… Read More

A diversion from California politics… h/t to Andy’s sister… … Read More

In just his first year on the Board of Parole Hearings, read the "greatest hits" of Commissioner Troy Arbaugh. This guy is up for a confirmation vote any day now in the State Senate. Call your Senator (and someone else’s Senator) and urge them to reject Arbaugh. I can’t imagine that it would be possible to have someone else nominated in his place who could possibly be as disposed to paroling murderers and kidnappers in such high numbers…

Nam Huynh was convicted of 2nd degree murder for shooting his estranged wife to death in Santa Clara County in 1988. The Governor declined to review the decision and Huynh was released. Robert Foreman, a career criminal and drug addict, was convicted of kidnapping while armed with a deadly weapon, 18 counts of robbery with a deadly weapon and three counts of robbery during a two week crime spree in Alameda County in 1980. The decision to release Foreman is pending review by the Governor. Salvador Gonzalez was convicted of 2nd … Read More

Two hundred thousand plus state employees may be eligible for Unemployment Insurance benefits. This is an issue that has Employment Development Department (EDD) lawyers in a tizzy. Clearly, the Governor-ordered furloughs are a reduction in pay, but the employees are being sent home on furlough days so their rate of pay stays the same. The loss is a loss of hours to work, which is one way of defining unemployment. In fact, EDD already has a program in place for workers who are furloughed or laid off from work on a temporary basis with a promise of future work with the same employer. Under this program the worker getting the benefits is not even required to look for another job. Do state employees on furlough qualify? No one seems to know. Another big question is whether salaried employees have the same eligibility as hourly employees. Most state employees are on salaries but with strict work hour requirements. As they say, developing…… Read More

Over the past few days, along with other FR friends, I have been reaching out to GOP legislators up and down California, assessing where they stand on what has become the very controversial Proposition 1A. As many FR readers know, most Republican legislators voted to place 1A on the ballot when it was a straightforward clean, somewhat modest improvement to our state’s current chaotic spending ways. That said, when six Republican legislators (Senators Ashburn, Cogdill and Maldonado, Assemblymen Adams, Niello and Villines) voted with all of the Democrats to pass the largest tax increase in the state’s history (which the Governor signed), they also passed even more taxes ($16 billion worth) that are triggered if Proposition 1A passes.

Where do GOP legislators stand on 1A now, knowing the tax implications for all Californians (as of 4 p.m. on March 23)? Two-thirds of State Senate Republicans are publicly opposed to Proposition 1A: Sam Aanestad, John Benoit, Jeff Denham, Bob Dutton, Tom Harman, Dennis Hollingsworth, George Runner, Tony Strickland, Mimi Walters, and Mark… Read More

April Fool’s Day is just a week away. Wouldn’t it be a great practical joke if the State of California were to force 6,000 gas service stations to shut their doors on that day? Just think – millions of drivers (maybe you?) running on empty, with no place to fill up their tanks… Actually, it doesn’t sound very funny at all – and, guess what? It’s hardly a joke – it’s actually for real.

As FR readers know, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has been on a multi-year jihad against carbon emissions – you know, so we can make some sort of “political statement” about global warming, since the actual impact of California government over-regulating its businesses and citizens will be nominal in terms of reducing man-made carbon emissions on Planet Earth.

Much of the draconian regulation that is taking place is coursing through the… Read More