For those who do not know, after my interest in politics, two other areas of passion for me include travel and wine. I consider myself to be a wine ‘enthusiast’ — having a modest collection of my own. I’ve been a member of the Free the Grapes organization for many years. These are the folks fighting make sure that all Americans, regardless of which state they call home, have the ability to order wine directly from wineries and wine producers. You see, going back to the days of Prohibition, there are a lot of states that have prohibitions on the direct-shipping of wine to consumers or to businesses. Many states have what they call a ‘3-Tier’ shipping system, which means that states require wine shipments to go through a distributor, and then on to the consumer. This is an antiquated system that is really government regulation that forces wine consumers to spend more on their wines, as this… Read More

There appears to be a new candidate exploring a run for the 59th Assembly District currently held by Dennis Mountjoy. Previously, the two main candidates running in this desperate district are Anthony Adams from the Hesperia part of the District and Chris Lancaster from the San Gabriel Valley part of the district. There is a candidate called by me as the “wild card” Barry Hartz and another by the name of Susan Slater. You can read my latest post on this race here and that of FR contributor Brad Mitzelfelt here. The candidates that has been making some calls in ….. Kevan Otto. Who is Kevan Otto? Well, I haven’t met him yet, but this is what I know. Otto hails from the San Gabriel Valley portion of the district and … Read More

I am sick to my stomach this morning, reading the stories that detail the actions of former Congressman Duke Cunningham.

When he first resigned as news came out about how he had used his office for personal gain, I made my opinion on this very clear. After all, like so many others, I had walked precincts for Cunningham and gotten to know him. During my many years of being a volunteer leader in conservative and Republican politics, I had always been proud that we had a decorated veteran, and a conservative stalwart like "Duke" in Congress. Anyone involved or interested in public policy or politics needs to read these articles today. It is overwhelming that one person can have combined so much greed with so little ethical standards. We’re talking millions. We’re talking about handwritten memos detailing how much personal take the Congressman would need to award government… Read More

I am sick to my stomach this morning, reading the stories that detail the actions of former Congressman Duke Cunningham.

When he first resigned as news came out about how he had used his office for personal gain, I made my opinion on this very clear. After all, like so many others, I had walked precincts for Cunningham and gotten to know him. During my many years of being a volunteer leader in conservative and Republican politics, I had always been proud that we had a decorated veteran, and a conservative stalwart like "Duke" in Congress. Anyone involved or interested in public policy or politics needs to read these articles today. It is overwhelming that one person can have combined so much greed with so little ethical standards. We’re talking millions. We’re talking about handwritten memos detailing how much personal take the Congressman would need to award government… Read More

California’s opinion leaders are getting more of their information online and from blogs according to a recent survey conducted by Rough & Tumble, Perry Communications Group and Mindshare Interactive Campaigns 73% of the respondents indicated that they are using online media more and 44% indicated that they are watching less television compared with this time last year.

The survey doesn’t explain the methodology — but I believe it was mostly (if not all) online, which inflates the numbers a little. None the less the internet continues to grow as a way to communicate with California’s opinion leaders.

It’s time to buy stock (or at least an advertisement) on the Flashreport.… Read More

Steve Cooley is one gutsy guy. This Los Angeles DA took on "Tookie" Williams. (See my previous post here.) And today he took on the San Gabriel Valley Lincoln Club with some of his thoughts about justice. Several items to report on: He spoke about the progress in implementing Prop. 69 and the DNA testing that require. Cooley was excited about the prospect of solving cold and hot cases with the database being formed. Cooley also talked about EscapingJustice.com his site that has pressured Mexico and the US to do more about killers hiding in Mexico. Cooley also said that despite changes in Workman’s Compensation law it is impossible to “prosecute” a solution to Workman’s Comp Fraud. Thank you legislature. … Read More

The respective pre-filing deadline shows-of-strength by the campaigns of long-time conservative activist Jim Righeimer and Gardne Grove Councilwoman Janet Nguyen continues [full disclosure: I’m supporting Jim].

I just received a press release from the Nguyen campaign announcing endorsements by Assemblywomen Sharon Runner and Audra Strickland.

The contact name on the press release is Kevin Spillane, which answers the question of who her consultant is.

UPDATE: I received this e-mail from Kevin Spillane:

Matt Rexroad (pictured to the left) is someone that I hold in high regard. I’ve known Matt for over a decade. His political acumen is pretty sharp. He is a friend. I thought a recent commentary that he wrote was very interesting.

Former Assemblyman Howard Kaloogian is one of the ten thousand Republicans vying to replace the disgraced Randy ‘Duke’ Cunningham in Congress. At his firm’s Cal Races website, Rexroad says: