EDITORIAL FROM TOMORROW’S PRINT EDITION OF THE WALL STREET JOURNAL

If you thought Washington’s stimulus debate was depressing, take a look at the long-running budget spectacle in California. The Golden State’s deficit has reached $42 billion, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is threatening to furlough 20,000 state workers (go ahead, make our day), and as we went to press yesterday Democrats who control the legislature had blocked lawmakers from leaving until they finally get a deal.

It’s sad to watch. The Golden State — which a decade ago was the booming technology capital of the world — has been done in by two decades of chronic overspending, overregulating and a hyperprogressive tax code that exaggerates the impact on state revenues of economic boom and bust. Total state expenditures have… Read More

The Lincoln Club of Orange County has sent a letter to the State GOP Legislative leaders and Senators Maldonado and Cox urging them to oppose the current budget deal.

See the link to the letter below.… Read More

What has your Assemblyman done for you lately?

According to Capitol Weekly and Hagman COS Mike Spence, the Assemblyman pulled two people out of a burning car that had crashed near his Sacramento apartment last night.

The drive ran off after Hagman pulled him from the burning vehicle which later exploded. The passenger, a woman allegedly blew a .33 on the breathalyzer… Read More

California’s Democrat legislators must be salivating. To be so close to redistributing another roughly $1400 per family straight out of their budgets and into the state budget must be tantalizing to them – because, as everyone knows, politicians in Sacramento know how best to spend the money earned by working Californians, right? Never mind that we are in the middle of very difficult economic times, when raising taxes by this massive amount with be the deciding factor on why some California businesses close, why jobs are lost, why houses go into foreclosure, and more.

Fortunately for California taxpayers, Republican lawmakers get it. They understand that there is never a good time to raise taxes, and that there are certainly worse times to do so – and this is one of those times. The drive that Democrat lawmakers, and Governor Schwarzenegger, and a handful of GOPers have to pass this Big 5/Big Taxes budget plan that notoriously contains over $14 billion in new taxes on cars and car registrations, as well as sales and income taxes is amazing.

Last night, as he adjourned the State Senate until 10am this morning, State Senate President Darrell Steinberg… Read More

In addition to Jon’s kudos to the Gang of 13 this morning, let’s also send a big birthday wish to Senator Tony Strickland. Keep in mind he missed both a Valentine’s Day weekend as well as a birthday weekend, holed up and locked down while protecting the taxpayers of California. That’s the best gift I ever received from someone else on their day.

Happy Birthday, Tony! 39?… Read More

California’s Democrat legislators must be salivating. To be so close to redistributing another roughly $1400 per family straight out of their budgets and into the state budget must be tantalizing to them – because, as everyone knows, politicians in Sacramento know how best to spend the money earned by working Californians, right? Never mind that we are in the middle of very difficult economic times, when raising taxes by this massive amount with be the deciding factor on why some California businesses close, why jobs are lost, why houses go into foreclosure, and more.

Fortunately for California taxpayers, Republican lawmakers get it. They understand that there is never a good time to raise taxes, and that there are certainly worse times to do so – and this is one of those times. The drive that Democrat lawmakers, and Governor Schwarzenegger, and a handful of GOPers have to pass this Big 5/Big Taxes budget plan that notoriously contains over $14 billion in new taxes on cars and car registrations, as well as sales and income taxes is amazing.

Last night, as he adjourned the State Senate until 10am this morning, State Senate President Darrell Steinberg… Read More

Senate goes into session at 10:00 pm, I am told. Cox has apparently cut his deal, and is rumored to be the vote for the budget. He had a laundry list of reforms he negotiated for, none of which included eliminating the taxes. We will see however.

It usually isn’t hard to get a deal when it is down to one vote, someone will always cave. That is why the Leaders’ capitulation on the tax in this negotiation was so disastrous.… Read More

We salute the thirteen members of the State Senate Republican Caucus who have held the line against a plan that would saddle as much as $70 billion of tax increases over the next five years on California taxpayers.

THANK YOU SENATORS AANESTAD, BENOIT, COX, DENHAM, MALDONADO, HARMAN, DUTTON, HOLLINGSWORTH, HUFF, RUNNER, STRICKLAND, WALTERS AND WYLAND.

… Read More