My beautiful wife opened our utility bill from the City of Orange a couple of days ago, and found this inside:

I imagine these Measure M promotional pieces are accompanying municipal utility bills all over Orange County (I’ve attached a larger version at the bottom).

For those who don’t know, Measure M is Orange County’s half-cent transportation sales tax. It was passed in 1991 and endures until 2011. The Orange County Transportation Authority is putting a 30-year renewal on the November 2006 ballot.

I voted against Measure M in 1991, but I freely admit that the subsequent transportation improvements funded by it have proven my vote wrong. I’m generally supportive of renewing it, although I haven’t read through the renewal proposal, yet.

Even so, this kind of taxpayer-funded electioneering just doesn’t sit right with me. It’s one thing for OCTA to seek renewal and put it on the ballot. It’s another thing to spend tax dollars trying to persuade voters to renew it. OCTA… Read More

Yesterday I wrote a column on Monterey County’s General Plan Initiative aimed at stopping all growth and development. Yesterday a group called Plan for the People (formed specifically to fight the initiative) launched their campaign. It was well covered by the media. The Monterey Herald pointed out one of the most troubling aspects of the initiative that I forgot to mention:

"Juan Uranga, executive director of the Center for Community Advocacy, a Salinas farmworker support group, said the initiative would allow the heavily white communities of Carmel Valley, Pebble Beach and Big Sur to veto growth plans in Salinas Valley communities made up of "mostly working-class people of color."

‘I find it to be offensive to my notion of social justice,’ Uranga said.

The General Plan Initiative would require countywide votes to allow additional growth in rural areas, but foes… Read More

Three months after Prop. 77 (the state redistricting initiative) was defeated at the polls, the state Supreme Court has ruled that the initiative was properly placed on the ballot and that differences in two versions of the initiative did not render it invalid in this case. (Read the Sac Bee article here.) At issue were two versions of the initiative, one submitted to the state Attorney General for preparation of an official ballot title and summary, the other was circulated to the public. The Court, in a 4-2 decision,ruled that despite the differences in the two versions, the defects were not sufficient to keep the measure off the ballot based on the basis that there was "substantial compliance" with the law.… Read More

A quick report from the Riverside County Republican Party meeting last night. It was the first meeting as Chair for new Chairman Jeff Miller, who did a fine job as expected. The guest speaker was Assemblyman Keith Richman (R- Granada Hills). He is a candidate for State Treasurer. He spoke about how the Treasurer’s job is becoming increasingly more important given the fact that California voters may pass the Governor’s half trillion dollar bond measure. I agree, it would be nice to have a person serving as Treasurer who had some private life experience and was as being a Republican. I have sat down and had coffee with Richman. He is defiantly a moderate Republican and somewhat of a maverick within the Assembly Republican Caucus. He is a very smart guy and I think positioned to win the GOP nomination in the primary. On local note the Riverside County Republican Party Treasurer, Darrell Connerton, who is also Chairman of the State GOP County Party Treasurers Association tendered his resignation at the meeting.… Read More

The two leading candidates in the 59th Assembly District primary faced off Thursday night at a forum hosted by the San Bernardino County Republican Central Committee in Rancho Cucamonga.

Anthony Adams (pictured left) of Hesperia in San Bernardino County’s High Desert and Chris Lancaster (pictured below left) of LaVerne in Los Angeles County each took questions submitted by committee members on subjects ranging from taxes to the Second Amendment to abortion and property rights. The forum was cordial, with neither candidate directly attacking the other or making any major gaffes (it’s still early, right?). Both Lancaster and Adams said they were pleased with the way the event was conducted.

Meanwhile, the other High Desert candidates, Susan Slater and… Read More

Three term Yuba County Supervisor Hal Stocker is a soft spoken retired doctor who is well respected in this rural part of Yuba County. He isn’t flashy, but when he talks people listen and his military background serves him well in this working class district.

Needless to say, he was shocked to find out that he was going to have an serious opponent when he ran for his fourth term this June. The news got even worse when he discovered that his opponent is going to be the well liked Yuba County Sheriff Virginia Black.

Black has been sheriff for 8 years and is fulfilling a campaign pledge that she made to only serve 2 terms as Sheriff. I admire her desire to keep her campaign pledge in an era when most politicians forget their pledges minutes after they make them, but think that County residents value the work she is doing as sheriff and would re-elect her for as long as she… Read More

Wow. The Governor has appointed another Republican Judge to the Los Angeles Superior Court. Congrats to UCLA Alum Tia Fisher. See the press release here. And even better she wasn’t a criminal defense attorney.

That makes the unofficial score 17 Dems and 10 Republicans plus a couple of decline to states. Does two in a row make a rally for GOP appointments to the LA bench by a Republican Governor time will tell. See my other post on judges here.

As a side note I received a call from a very high ranking GOP State Senator that told me that he was told by the Gov’s Judicial appointment people that there weren’t enough qualified GOP judge applicants for Los… Read More

There is no commentary today or tomorrow (Fri). FR will return in "full force" Sat.… Read More