I saw this piece on Dan Weintraub’s blog today.Bob Perry, a Texas developer who helped fund the Swift Boat ads, is the sole donor ($ 5 Million so far) to a group named the Economic Freedom Fund and has been working for republicans infederal races in other states. The group has set up shop in Sacramento. The Swift Boat ads played havoc forJohn Kerry in the last presidential race.It could just be coincidence, ifyou believe in that,but I think we’ll see some action from this group.

http://www.sacbee.com/static/weblogs/insider/

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Six years, a group of conservative Californians who were concerned about the future of the Golden State came together and formed the Family Action Political Action Committee. Centered in Orange County, the Family Action PAC, over three election cycles of active giving, has combined two very important components which have allowed them to maximize their impact — a sharp focus on supporting those candidates who are fiscally and socially conservative (you can read their mission statement here) combined with a politically sophisticated process of giving in order to make sure that their dollars are going to candidates in primary and general elections who have a higher probability of success. The PAC has also been an early giver of funds in some instances, helping conservative candidates to gain credibility as they gear up a campaign. I’ve been closely associated with many of the leaders of the Family Action PAC for many years (actually, for a lot longer than the PAC has been around) and have been blessed to attend a number of their events. Last… Read More

First the Governor gets passage of AB 32. Now Pasadena has decided to endorse the Kyoto Treaty. See article here. Republicans on the City Council joined the effort. Pasadena joins California cities like Santa Cruz, West Hollywood and Berkeley. See list here.(surprise bankrupt San Diego is on the list) in this growing trend. Of course the City of Pasadena’s first step, hire a bureaucrat. Wonder if he walks to work?

If you are looking for free market, scientific info on the environment may I suggest the Committee for A Constructive Tomorrow (CFACT)I’ve been associated with them for almost 15 years now. Great group.… Read More

The news this morning (posted on the FR main page) about the County and City of San Diego "tag teaming" the Chargers to keep them in San Diego referred to a Joint Powers Agreement….

UnionTrib story North County Times story

As a result of this news, some may believe that all of the cities in the county may have a say in a JPA. I’ve received a couple of emails from folks asking me as a La Mesa councilman to oppose any such deal.

I’m at a loss as to how anyone could manipulate a possible county-wide JPA. City of San Diegans are the only residents that will have any input on a Chargers’ stadium in that city, with National City, Chula Vista and others being in the same boat if their overtures are successful (National City is dead in the water, regardless of the press attention). That is, unless the Spanos’ are brain-dead and try something really stupid. And, I would just love to see the County Supes even suggest that… Read More

This November California voters will be faced with a wide array of ballot measures, mostly looking for ways to raise taxes or borrow money. What does this tell you? It tells you that the appetite for state government SPENDING is voracious. These measures all come at voters during a time when an unprecedented amount of taxpayer funds are already being sent to Sacramento. The current state budget is well over a HUNDRED BILLION dollars, and this represents sharp increases of funds in the state budget over recent years. It is important for every FlashReport reader to join together in sending an important message to liberal politicians in Sacramento, and to all of the special interest groups that would try to get you to vote to raise your own taxes or vote to put your children in debt — NO. The cold, hard reality is that California already has the financial resources to more that adequate invest in our state’s infrastructure. All of the Governor’s visions for a California that builds new facilities, roads, and infrastructure can already take place. The reality is that the liberal Democrats in Sacramento don’t want to face the idea… Read More

This November California voters will be faced with a wide array of ballot measures, mostly looking for ways to raise taxes or borrow money. What does this tell you? It tells you that the appetite for state government SPENDING is voracious. These measures all come at voters during a time when an unprecedented amount of taxpayer funds are already being sent to Sacramento. The current state budget is well over a HUNDRED BILLION dollars, and this represents sharp increases of funds in the state budget over recent years. It is important for every FlashReport reader to join together in sending an important message to liberal politicians in Sacramento, and to all of the special interest groups that would try to get you to vote to raise your own taxes or vote to put your children in debt — NO. The cold, hard reality is that California already has the financial resources to more that adequate invest in our state’s infrastructure. All of the Governor’s visions for a California that builds new facilities, roads, and infrastructure can already take place. The reality is that the liberal Democrats in Sacramento don’t want to face the idea… Read More

The FlashReport is pleased to be the first to break the news of Steve Poizner‘s huge, $11 million ad buy. Poizner, the Republican in the race for Insurance Commissioner, launched his first television commercial of this aggressive campaign tonight and the FR has the link.

Poizner’s tech background is on full display is this commercial. Its theme? "The power of new ideas."

The spot opens with a woman calling 911 from an accident scene. She’s doesn’t know where she is, but the emergency dispatcher is able to immediately track her location and send help because of a GPS device in her cell phone. We then see Poizner in a high tech lab as he explains that the device was created by his company, SnapTrack. Under Poizner’s leadership, SnapTrack (acquired by Qualcomm in 2000) carried out lifesaving research and… Read More

There’s plenty not to like in the largest slate of bond measures in the history of the state, coming this November to a ballot near you, with a total price tag of $37 billion. That’s a done deal whether we like it or not.

Knowing this was coming, one GOP state senator, Bob Dutton of Rancho Cucamonga, went into legislative negotiations over the bonds knowing he would take some flak for voting for them. He did so in hopes of getting some provisions to make the bonds more favorable to taxpayers should they pass. In fact, when the process started, the bonds were all lumped together, which would have forced the voters to vote for something like $2.8 billion for subsidized housing in order to get something they actuallywant, like transportation ($19.9 billion). In the end, after the negotiations, the bonds were split into four different questions, so voters could say "yes" to roads (1B) and "no" to subsidized housing (1C).

I say better to let Dutton and a few other Republican leaders negotiate a few taxpayer… Read More