Former US Rep. Tom Campbell got himself on TV this week.

On the Bay Area ABC affiliate Campbell proposed an $ .18 per gallon gas tax increase to fund the state’s budget shortfall. Campbell of course suggests that the tax increase be ‘temporary’.

I commend the former state budget director for his candor but wonder if he understands that he will have to face the voters if he hopes to become CA Governor. Being the first one out of the gate to propose a tax increase sure is bold.

Campbell also this week sent an email from his exploratory committee for Governor to former supporters. The email reads: Today, I look to you for advice about whether I should re-enter public service.

I find it interesting that his email fails to mention his grand scheme to raise taxes.… Read More

State GOP Chairman Ron Nehring had the following op ed run in the Washington Times today…

The Road Back For The GOP Ron Nehring, Chairman, California Republican Party The Washington Times. With Washington in near-total Democrat hands for the next two years, our party’s best opportunity for advancement lies in the states. Historically, the first mid-term election of a new president doesn’t go all that well for his party as voters seek to restore balance against the administration. Our party must be ready for that… Read More

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One of the reasons that our main page is shut down this time of year, is that the drop-off of interesting political news is substantial these last couple of weeks of the year. Especially on an election year, the political reporters who pushed themselves to the limits covering all of the elections have typically already made their "quotas" for the year and are enjoying a break.

Today, there were a few links worth highlighting on a very disturbing topic. As you know, last week Governor Schwarzenegger announced that he would veto massive taxes that were passed by the Democrats in the legislature by a majority vote. We here at the FlashReport feel strongly that these tax increases are illegal, as do taxpayer advocates such as Jon Coupal, President of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association.

When the Governor held his press conference to announce his opposition to the package, though, he avoided opining on the issue of the absence of a 2/3 vote on the "revenue increases" and now is apparently negotiating directly with Democrat leaders, and there is no mention of… Read More

A few months back, longtime FR friend Dan Weintraub of the Sacramento Bee started on a new project for the Sunday Opinion page of the Bee. This new feature is called "The Conversation" — they pick a topic, and ask someone to pen a lead editorial on the subject, and then get a couple of others to pen smaller companion pieces (to start a "conversation"). Today’s topic is the Future of the Republican Party and the lead editorial on the topic is penned by yours truly. The other, shorter columns are from Tony Quinn and State Senator Abel Maldonado. The Bee’s editorial board also weighed in with their own ten cents (with some sort of bizarre "we need a Republican Party that believes government should be smaller, but we think they shouldn’t be intractable and should actually compromise to give us bigger government — bizarre).… Read More

A few months back, longtime FR friend Dan Weintraub of the Sacramento Bee started on a new project for the Sunday Opinion page of the Bee. This new feature is called "The Conversation" — they pick a topic, and ask someone to pen a lead editorial on the subject, and then get a couple of others to pen smaller companion pieces (to start a "conversation"). Today’s topic is the Future of the Republican Party and the lead editorial on the topic is penned by yours truly. The other, shorter columns are from Tony Quinn and State Senator Abel Maldonado. The Bee’s editorial board also weighed in with their own ten cents (with some sort of bizarre "we need a Republican Party that believes government should be smaller, but we think they shouldn’t be intractable and should actually compromise to give us bigger government — bizarre).… Read More

Our own Shawn Steel, who is Republican National Committeeman from California, has penned this piece which appears in Politico today. It is worth a read. A healthy critique of the incumbent RNC Chairman Mike… Mike who?

MIKE WHO? By Shawn Steel A friend of mine recently attended a “where do Republicans go from here?” session with a selected group of high-powered politicos — congressmen, legislators, donors, party leaders and activists — in the Republican citadel of Orange County, Calif. It was a group closely attuned to GOP politics. As a test, one of the congressmen queried the group, “Who is the chairman of the Republican National Committee?” drawing blank expressions as attendees racked their brains. Only two could come up with the correct answer —… Read More

SEIU’s response to the Governor’s executive order regarding state employees is so typical and predictable, but I find it thoroughly offensive this time. Usually, I can’t bring myself to emote over their antics, but today I’m fuming.

The business section of today’s Valley Times newspaper gave data to support my gut feeling for several weeks…the East Bay is taking the brunt of the unemployment burdens for the Bay Area, and is in fact, outpacing the state’s monthly unemployment rate by more than 2 to 1. The article by George Avalos states, “During the last 12 months, the Bay Area has lost 31,200 jobs. The East Bay accounted for 72 percent of all the jobs lost in the nine-county region in the last year. That is a stunning reversal from recent years, when the East Bay was the employment engine of the Bay Area economy, sometimes producing more than half the jobs in the Bay Area.”

It’s getting tough in my neighborhood. At every gathering I attend, the conversation always turns to either who has lost their job or who is afraid they will. Families are having a very tough time, and these are hard working people who have put in 60-80 hours a week to… Read More