Under the header of “things I never thought I’d say,” comes this question. Anyone know a good trial lawyer?

I propose some savvy trial lawyer start contacting immigrant families and file a class action lawsuit against the California State Board of Education for negligence and racial discrimination for refusing to insist that immigrant children learn to speak English.

Alameda Judge Robert Freedman, a Pete Wilson appointee, made a devastating ruling Monday by issuing a temporary injunction to bar schools from withholding high school diplomas from students who fail to pass the high school exit exam. His ruling was based in part on the fact that many of the children who have failed the exit exam are not proficient in English.

The test covers English-language arts and Mathematics. Students take the exit exam for the first time in the 10th grade and have five, count them 5, subsequent opportunities to pass the exam before graduation. Additionally, the exit exam tests 8th-10th grade comprehension levels, depending on subject.

To be sure, no one is expecting high school seniors to be proficient in trigonometry or to write the great American… Read More

Oakland logged it’s 48th homicide of the year over the weekend (story here). Last year, the city had 28 homicides at this time. Two thoughts come to mind.

1) There is just no way that the good people of California could elevate Jerry Brown from the mayor of the state’s most crime-ridden city to be the top cop. If they do, they deserve what they get. And I may become the Flashreport’s new Texas correspondent.

2) This story is another reason we need to get control over our borders. The man who was killed the other day was here illegally and shot by Hispanic gangs (police say that he was not involved in any gang activity.) The paper does not state that he was an illegal immigrant (of course), but he came here from Guatemala five years ago and worked in construction. His family is sending his body back to Guatemala for burial. Odd are the man was here illegally.

My point is this–his illegal status did not get him killed. But I’m sure that many of the people in the gang that shot him are also illegal immigants. If the federal government… Read More

I spent the day in Sacramento yesterday, partly on personal business, partly catching up with political friends. But I must have been asked ten times why I was in Sacramento instead of greeting the Governor and Jerry Brown at the Big Bond press event they were holding in Oakland. While Team Arnold personnel effectively got their message out via Jon and the Flashreport that this was more a Don Perata event than a Jerry Brown event, this had better be the last event that Arnold shares the stage with Jerry. What part of "ticket" don’t they understand? I don’t remember Governor Gray Davis doing major press events with Secretary of State Bill Jones!

I’m beginning to think that the governor simply doesn’t believe that the GOP base matters… Read More

Here’s another way to look at the four bonds recently passed by the legislature, which will appear on the November ballot. You don’t have to vote for them. Or you can vote for some and against others.

I’m just relieved that the bonds were split up and not thrown together like a jumbled load of dirty laundry onto one ballot initiative.

If you want more details about where the money is going and how it will be spent, go to www.StrategicGrowthPlan.com.

For instance, Gov. Schwarzenegger’s $2.85 billion housing bond dedicates $135 million for farm worker housing. I’ll let you decide for yourselves if you think taxpayer money is going to provide affordable housing for illegal immigrants while middle-class families struggle to find an affordable mortgage.

I can’t wait to see who campaigns in favor of the housing bond and which groups endorse it.

What’s that I see on the horizon? Is it, could it be, and endorsement from ACORN? www.ACORN.org

Just when I thought California politics was getting boring, the… Read More

ARE THESE EIGHT GOP LEGISLATORS THE NEW FACES OF "BIG GOVERNMENT" CONSERVATISM? … Read More

In the 1960’s & 70’s there was a game show called “To Tell the Truth” where three contestants, one with an odd occupation and the two imposters would try to fool a celebrity panel as to who was telling the truth. At the end of the game the real contestant would stand up.

Well in the 66th Assembly District GOP Primary we are having our own version of "Political To Tell The Truth". The issue is who has real support of firefighters. Both Attorney Dan Branstien and Riverside Councilman Steve Adams both claim firefighter support of some kind, both from different public employee unions. However at the end of the game, the real Firefighter in this race is Kevin Jeffries, With 28 years of experience and over 4000 emergency responses, Kevin has a long history of public safety service. Kevin has been a volunteer firefighter since 1977. There lies the problem, Kevin is a volunteer. Volunteer firefighters are an American… Read More

The California state legislature has once again shown itself to be to the left of Europe. Last Friday the International Herald Tribune (what, you DON’T read it?) reported, “European Union finance ministers on Friday rejected a proposal to impose a windfall profit tax on oil companies benefiting from record prices that are cutting consumers’ purchasing power.”

Now, the EU’s reasoning for rejecting the tax is a little twisted, but that’s to be expected.

Said one EU minister from the Netherlands, “We already tax oil. If you tax companies when they make high profits, what do you do when they make low profits? You would then be giving them a subsidy when the oil price is low.”

This is exactly the sort of “it’s-our-money-not-yours-we’re-just-letting-you-borrow-it” logic you’d expect from the EU. Regardless, they did the right thing albeit for the wrong reason.

It remains to be seen if the California legislature will follow suit.

On Sunday, Assemblyman Johan Klehs (D-San Leandro) attended a candidate forum where he promoted his windfall profit tax legislation that,… Read More

ARE THESE EIGHT GOP LEGISLATORS THE NEW FACES OF "BIG GOVERNMENT" CONSERVATISM? … Read More