A hearty welcome to U. S. Representative John Campbell to the role of Flashreport contributor.

I am particularly proud to have him aboard for two reasons, first, he is my Member of Congress. And second, it really gives me some peace of mind knowing that my Congressman knows how to use a computer and email and even the back-end system that controls the Flashreport.

If you think about it, there are probably a huge percentage of the 535 Members of Congress who haven’t a clue how to check the weather in NYC let alone add their two cents (in the case of John Campbell his two silver dollars) by posting their thoughts on the web.… Read More

One of the great Republicans of San Diego County has been appointed by Governor Schwarzenegger to serve on the Off-Highway Motor Vehicle Commission. 49 Mark? I never would have guessed. The release:

Mark McMillin, 49, of El Cajon, has been appointed to the Off-Highway Motor Vehicle Commission. He has served as co-chairman and chief executive officer of The Corky McMillin Companies, a home building and real estate development business, since 1979. McMillin is past president of the Building Industry Association of San Diego County and has served on the Board of Directors for the National Association on Homebuilders. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $50 per diem. McMillin is a Republican.… Read More

This blog entry doesn’t have much to do with law and politics in California. But since a good portion of my practice is related to the legal aspects of developing property in California (which has much more to do with politics than you might initially guess — think initiative and referendums that often involve land use decisions, like SOAR in Ventura County), I thought this might be of interest to FlashReport readers.

While the volume ofhome sales have slowed in California (with homes staying on the market longer), the market remains robust with home prices in most areas continuing to increase. This result is somewhat of a dichotomy: The law of supply and demand pushes home prices higher (there are still more people in Californianeeding homes than there are homes available, and the regulatory environment still makes it less than easy to build new homes)whilethe economic realities of higher interest rates (though relatively low in historical terms) act to dampen sales volume. Depending on which real estate professional you talk to, we are in for a soft landing "stabilization" or a roller coaster dive in the coming year.

As a… Read More

It is certainly exciting news to have two elected officials on the blog team, but let me be the first to warn Congressman Campbell and Assemblyman LaMalfa – any spin will be met with an avalanche of pain.

You see, the GOP base out here has about had it. We are tired of the spending, seeing airhead Democrats win policy debates, the failure to secure our borders, and the lack of willingness to fight our political adversaries. So…….. this may be not much of a welcome, but to the extent you can demonstrate to your readers exactly what you are doing to change the culture in Washington and Sacramento, respectively, you have a great opportunity here to pick up a lot of support.

As a grumpy old veteran of California politics the first thing I do is check rhetoric against actions, like the actual introduction of legislation or votes on key issues.

Give us the unvarnished truth – good or bad, and you will soon be loved more than you already are.

I look forward to the dialog.… Read More

A federal judge has prohibted Redondo Beach from enforcingits ordinanceto stop day laborers fromsoliciting work. Now you are free to solict work or contribution on steets or highways. Maybe we should do that in front of the judges house. We’ll see what happens. See the article here.… Read More

[Funny, Joe Justin and I both posted on the same topic – if this isn’t a clarion call for action – making a donation to Matt – what is?]

Matt Rexroad is a good buddy of mine. For years he has toiled on behalf of conservative candidates and causes. He has served his country honorably in the military, and served many years working in the State Capitol. Right now, Matt is the Mayor of the city of Woodland, which is in Yolo County, right near the Sacramento Airport. Matt is making a run for Yolo County Supervisor, and with a lot of hard work, he is well on his way to retiring an ineffective incumbent.

I was quite pleased to read this morning that the Sacramento Bee has endorsed Matt’s candidacy for Supervisor, and so I will share with you what they said. No matter where you live in California, or nationally — if you believe that the people who make sacrifices on behalf of conservative values should be rewarded, take a… Read More

Matt Rexroad and I have a lot in common: we have daughters named Abby, we’re bald as que balls, and we’re a little on the intense side and could stand to work on our people skills…..I know none of that was pertinent to the fact thatthe Sacramento Bee endorsed his bid for County Supervisor…but I’m writing this and your not.

All kidding aside, he’s a terrific candidate and you can donate to hiscampaignyou agree that Yolo county needs some sanity on the Board of Sups. Check out the… Read More

I am very, very pleased to announce a great new addition to our FlashReport team — United States Congressman John Campbell! When I approached the Congressman with the idea of becoming our new Washington D.C. "Beltway" Correspondent, he was quite interested! He is going to be a great participant, bringing FR readers a steady stream of great information from our nation’s capitol. There are several reasons why I reached out to Congressman Campbell, specifically, for this site (and no, one of them is not because he represents me):

A rock-solid conservative who joined the Republican Study Committee as soon as he won election. A grounded person, strong in his faith, with a great family, and a perspective of someone who owned a business. An acumen for understanding that place on the road where policy and politics meet. A great writer — I’ve come to know him as someone quite gifted in the art of communicating via … Read More