This just in exclusively for FR readers from GOP Assemblyman Ted Gaines:

Senate Republicans are standing firm, demanding that state spending be reduced even further in the budget plan currently being debated, so our fiscal problems don’t grow worse. I commend them for defending taxpayers and wish them well as they advocate for lower spending. This summer’s budget stalemate – and the divide between Democrats and Republicans on increasing spending – reinforces the need to pass common-sense legislation I have introduced to end runaway spending once and for all. … Read More

The e-mail below was forwarded on to me by two different State Senate staffers. It is the text of an "open" e-mail sent by Jim Kjol, Chief of Staff to State Senator Jeff Denham, to Mike Genest, the Governor’s Finance Director (it was cc’d to a plethora of others, including my two sources). I should note it was sent from Kjol’s personal e-mail. The e-mail speaks for itself…

Mike, I’ve got to tell you that your intentional support or unwitting assistance to the crackpots and deadbeats pushing a recall against Senator Jeff Denham is unconscionable. You walked precincts for Jeff in 2002 but now have crossed-over to join sore loser Wiley Nickel, liberal magpies Steven Maviglio and Bob Mullholland, and a washed-up Art Torres, in giving them fodder to try to remove Jeff from office . . . all because he won’t support a… Read More

In the great profile piece on the FlashReport in the Contra Costa Times yesterday, there was a factual error. While we did cover extensively the unfortunate and ill-advised appointment by the Governor of former Democratic Party Executive Director Susan Kennedy to be his Chief of Staff, that story first broke a few hours before we reported on it over at New West Notes. I have been told that this error will be fixed in other NewsMedia papers that run the profile piece, and that a correction will run in the CC Times. My sincere apology to any offended parties.

Oh yes, this is a good time to ask again for the Governor replace his Chief of Staff with a Republican. Susan Kennedy is charming, smart, and witty — and a Democrat. We believe a Republican Governor should have a Republican Chief of Staff.… Read More

Apparently earlier today in Fresno, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger responded to a reporter about Denham and pressuring his budget vote: “He (Denham) should get a lot of heat.” The Governor also told those attending the meeting and listening over the web to call Senator Denham and tell him to vote for the budget.

To this, Denham issued the following response:

Governor, let me repeat myself again, since perhaps you are not listening yet. I will not be bullied, intimidated or pressured into voting for a budget with inflated revenues, unaccounted expenses or accounting gimmickry. Stop the theatrical performances, call the Legislature into session, balance the budget, put the cuts in writing and clean up the trailer bills. Governor, playing ‘Chicken Little’ and saying the ‘sky is falling’ is not productive – instead, you should endorse my ‘Denham… Read More

We have really come full circle. When I campaigned vigorously for Arnold Schwarzenegger in the 2003 special recall election, I was supporting a candidate who boldly campaigned as a fiscal conservative. Heck, I remember his waving the broom in the air, to talk about "sweeping out" the special interest groups that have a firm control over California’s bureaucracy. It was true then and it is true today. Public Employee Unions and other interests have prevented any major substantive overhaul to how state government functions. The Governor’s California Performance Review is gathering cobwebs in a file cabinet somewhere. Of course, the Governor went through a rather famous (or infamous, depending on your perspective) ‘reinvention’ of himself after the multiple (and important) ballot measures that he championed in 2005 fell short at the special election polls. Still, in his re-election in 2006, which I supported, again the Governor campaigned as a fiscal conservative.… Read More

Congressman John Doolittle has penned this column for FlashReport readers:

Don’t let the Democrats fool you, while they campaigned on the promise to fix our broken immigration system, their first attempt at immigration reform was a bill that would have granted an estimated 12-20 million illegal immigrants amnesty. Months later, in a misguided bill that expands government-run health care to Americans with incomes higher than $80,000, the Democrats are attempting to provide illegal immigrants with health care. Ten years ago, Republicans in Congress and President Clinton enacted a health care program for poor children. When we drafted that legislation, we specifically prohibited non-citizens from receiving… Read More

John Fund in today’s Wall Street Journal Political Diary…

Merv and Ronnie

Ronald Reagan didn’t have many buddies in liberal Hollywood after he became president. Merv Griffin, who died yesterday at age 82, was perhaps his closest friend there. The former bandleader, talk show host and TV producer understood television as well as anyone in the medium’s history. He also knew that Ronald Reagan was an historic figure and worked hard to make sure he was remembered through his chairmanship of the board of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library. In 2004, he was one of the honorary pallbearers at Reagan’s funeral.

But perhaps his greatest service to his… Read More

We want to draw the attention of all FR readers to the great profile of our site by Mike Zapler of MediaNews. It tops the main news page today, and we penned some additional thoughts on it here. Today, Jon Coupal pens an outstanding piece for us on the state budget impasse. It is important for everyone to read, and to forward along. The liberals will try to spin the state budget holdup as being about "obstructionist Republicans" when this is really a battle for meaningful, structural reform in how California spends money. I spoke with State Senator Bob Margett last night, and he reminded me that it is about budget forecasts for future years, and the need to make important changes now to lower the projected deficits in outlying years. On that note, we’d like to commend State Senate Republican Leader Dick Ackerman for standing tall, leading his caucus to a place of relevancy in state budget negotiations. Those who are advocates of maintaining the big-government, big-spending status quo in Sacramento … Read More