On Friday Judge Peter Polos of the Orange County Superior Court rejected claims that the "City Hall in the Park" initiative adopted by voters in Newport Beach last February violated the law. Polosrejected residentAlan Beek’s request for a preliminary injunction and found that his case had little likelihood to succeed on the merits.

The City Hall in the Park initiative, also known as "Measure B," amends the City Charter torequire the city to place any new City Hall at Newport Center next to the Central Library. I wrote the measure for proponents Marian Bergeson, William Ficker, and Jack Croul, and am representing them as Intervenors in the case, to help defend the measure in court. Opponent Beek and his allies, who lost the argumentwith the voters of Newport Beachwhen they approved"Measure B," have now resorted to the courts to overturn the vote of the people and the measure, and have filed two lawsuits expressing the usual litany of overblown environmental and traffic arguments, overlooking the taxpayers savings and need for a new facility in a central location.

The cityis… Read More

The liberals that control the California legislature HATE Proposition 13. Why? Because they have a voracious appetite for taxing working Californians, and "playing" with that money as if it were the fruits of their own labor. Well, this past week was the 30th Anniversary of the passage of Prop. 13, and to celebrate the occasion, Senate and Assembly Democrats killed commemorate resolutions in their respective houses. Below is an account from Senate Tom Harman, who authored a resolution for the Upper Chamber…

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The liberals that control the California legislature HATE Proposition 13. Why? Because they have a voracious appetite for taxing working Californians, and "playing" with that money as if it were the fruits of their own labor. Well, this past week was the 30th Anniversary of the passage of Prop. 13, and to celebrate the occasion, Senate and Assembly Democrats killed commemorate resolutions in their respective houses. Below is an account from Senate Tom Harman, who authored a resolution for the Upper Chamber…

… Read More

As I type this blog post into my computer, I am more or less lamenting the fact that Senate President-Elect Darrell Steinberg is such a nice guy. He was just by my office suite (he didn’t come to see me, but I did have an opportunity to chat with him for a few minutes). I found him to be extremely engaging, friendly and disarming. All traits that make him especially dangerous, I suppose, from the perspective of these qualities all working to make Steinberg more effective as a politician. That is to say, I think state government is way too big and spends way to much. Clearly he does not agree. Ahhh, such is life.

It struck me that he won’t be the source of nearly as much fodder as the guy whom he is replacing in the big chair — Don Perata — who is famous for his flamboyant ways.

Anyways, here’s a photo we just took. Myself (in the casual attire), Steinberg, and Chino Hills Mayor Curt Hagman, the GOP nominee in the overwhelmingly Republican 60th Assembly… Read More

After the dust settled in San Bernardino County, two things were clear: the stunningly large margin of victory for First District County Supervisor Brad Mitzelfelt over three opponents and the defeat of respected five-term incumbent Dennis Hansberger of the Third Supervisorial District.

Mitzelfelt’s constituency includes the High Desert region (Victorville, Hesperia, Apple Valley) while Hansberger’s district includes Redlands and San Bernardino city.

Republican Hansberger’s defeat at the hands of upstart challenger Neil Derry, also GOP, means the “dean” of San Bernardino County’s board of supervisors has served for just five-and-a-half years.

Incoming Third District Supervisor Neil Derry (pictured) has Capitol connections – he served as a top district staffer to then-Assemblymember Fred Aguiar in the late nineties before Derry entered the private sector. In addition to being a businessman, Neil Derry also got elected to the city council of San Bernardino.

Supporters of Neil Derry claim the challenger’s message of change… Read More

Proposition 98 was destroyed at the ballot box this past Tuesday. Most pundits will say it was the inclusion of rent control provisions (really vacancy decontrol) that led to it’s demise. State wide it got 39% of the vote.

In Los Angeles County it got a whopping 31% of the vote.

While, polling I’m sure bears out the rent control argument. The reason that these measures have difficulty statewide is that it isn’t personal to people.

In the San Gabriel Valley cities with very different demographics have some interesting outcomes.

43% of Baldwin Park voted for 98. Now, Baldwin Park is a very Democratic city that consists mainly of working class families and has a large Hispanic population. Over 77% of the ballot cast were Democratic ballots.

44% of the Arcadia vote went to 98. Arcadia has been a Republican stronghold for the last few decades. 59% of the ballots cast were Republican.

Both these cities did better than some of the others. Glendora another GOP town went with 98 with 38%. Conservative Sierra Madre hit 37%. West Covina only 34% votes yes. Azusa and La Puente are much more like Baldwin Park demographically. Proposition… Read More

There is quite a dearth of them in Washington these days. To create a football analogy, the Democratic leadership believes that they have a two touchdown lead in the 4th quarter before the November election and so they are in a prevent defense and running off-tackle running plays so they don’t fumble the political football before then. That is why they are pushing this year’s budget/appropriations bills off until January and not doing anything substantive about energy or immigration or anything else that is not on deadline.

So, they definitely do not want to take on the looming entitlement crisis, about which I have told you before, that threatens our fiscal soundness and future standard of living. Every expert (conservative, liberal and in between) agrees that Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, if left alone, will eat up 100% of the tax rates you pay today by 2040. That means that every tax on everybody by then would have to be more than double the rates they are today if we are to keep any of the rest of government functions like the military, judges, parks, unemployment insurance and the like. And every year we wait, the problem, and the current… Read More

The Washington Post "Trail" blog reports that the historic meeting between Democratic presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama was brokered and hosted by Golden State Sen. Dianne Feinstein.

Here is the scoop and some details about her home.… Read More