Darrell Issa is seeking the fifth highest spot in the House GOP leadership, Policy Chairman. The Policy Committee helps formulate policy for the Republican Majority and until June of last year, it was led by Californian Chris Cox. When President Bush nominated Cox to serve as SEC Chairman, California lost a powerful seat in the GOP leadership.

With John Shadegg resigning as Policy Chairman to seek the post of Majority Leader, Issa, a member of the committee, has thrown his hat in the ring. Here’s a look at his opposition:

Adam Putnam, Florida. Putnam, a member of the Rules Committee, and in his third term, is one of the youngest members of Congress. Putnam was elected to the state legislature in his early twenties and is one of the smartest members of the Florida delegation and highly respected. He is very close to the Speaker and aside from the occasional trade vote, rarely bucks the leadership. ACU rating: 95%.… Read More

Since 1979, Democrat Illa Collin has served on the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors. Collin is part of a 3 to 2 majority on the Board that has passed ordinances that prohibit contracting out for county services, used general fund revenue to pay the retirees’ portion of their healthcare benefits and created a pension obligation that threatens the solvency of the county.

Numerous sources close to Collin are saying that she plans on retiring at the end of her term and leaving her Democrat seat open. Because of the large Democrat registration, Republicans will have a tough time winning in this south Sacramento County district.

Former Democrat City Councilman and Mayor Jimmy Yee is expected to come out of retirement to run for Collin’s seat. I would expect Sacramento’s business community to back Yee for this seat and potentially clear the field — they consider him a common sense… Read More

Governor Schwarzenegger trumpeting the age of borrowing with his proposal to place a $68,000,000,000.00 (that’s how $68 billion would look on a calculator, except calculators don’t have enough digits!). You would think that he rang the cow bell — because here come the Democrats. Their voracious appetite to spend money has the entire herd cramming into the feed barn at once!

The only good news, if you can call it that, is that the Democrats can’t really propose borrowing more than the Governor (since he pretty much maxes out the state credit card). Maybe when the Governor sees how enthusiast all of these liberals are about the Bondinator, he will come to his senses, and scale back this massive proposal. No one is saying there are not major infrastructure investments needed, but a plan that includes no reforms so that we, starting… Read More

Monday Assemblyman Van Tran (R-68) is set to annouce he will seek the GOP nomination for the 34th Senate Dist. Tran was just elected in 2004 to the Assembly after serving on the Garden Grove City Council. Tran may face Lynn Daucher (R-72) who is termed out. I expect Daucher will drop her bid with Tran coming on strong.

Even after winning in the Primary, Tran will face the Democrat in a district that will have a plurality of Republican voters, but has sent a Democrat to the Senate twice in the last eight years. Assemblyman Tom Umberg is the leading candidate for the Dems, while County Supervisor Lou Correa is also rumored to be considering a run.

Also this week expect to see Janet Nguyen, Republican Garden Grove… Read More

OC Attorney Power Broker John Ramirez (pictured to the right) and Rutan & Tucker law partner Joel Kuperberg had a huge victory on Friday. The pair defended the Orange County Water District (OCWD) in a lawsuit v. the Yorba Linda Water District (YLWD).

Sadly this was a dispute that has wasted hundreds of thousands of dollars of public funds.

I will forgo the legal stuff and focus on the amusing facet of the case. After making accusations in court that OCWD had engaged in "deceit" by hiding a 1970 agreement from Yorba Linda Water District (note that the agreement was recorded, and is a public record), OC Water District attorney’s found evidence that OCWD in fact sent the agreement to YLWD in 1988. YLWD then switched its story to admitting that OCWD sent the agreement, but accusing OCWD of not telling YLWD… Read More

Governor, I’m not sure I can make the case any more.

I can do the "He’s Better Than Angelides" argument: that one’s still easy. But for the last several weeks, I’ve maintained that your new approach has more to do with tone and emphasis than any substantive policy change. The Administration’s new state budget proposal makes that a lot more difficult.

As my friend Fleischman noted, I was quoted in this morning’s San Diego Union Tribune saying the following:

"Almost every policy proposal that’s come out of the Governor’s Office over the last week or two is not significantly different from things he’s talked about in the past. But he’s making a much greater effort to emphasize a more moderate and conciliatory approach."

When I spoke to the reporter writing this story, that’s what I believed. But that was before the governor released his new budget.

I’ve… Read More

I guess the “Universal Preschool” initiative backed by Rob Reiner qualified for the ballot this past week. Besides being a breathtakingly stupid idea (our public schools are failing despite massive spending increases, so lets layer on ANOTHER grade level), the advertising being done by First Five advocating preschool all but guarantees that adding just one more year of education will result in the following for all children benefiting from this measure: 1) no child will ever go to jail again; 2) no child will ever have to go on welfare; 3) all the kids will be prepared for the workforce and go to college; 4) children attending preschool will do much better academically than those who do not. I mean really, its a MIRACLE!

If we take preschool proponents at their word, we need an immediate tax cut if the initiative passes. I mean, look at how little spending we are going to need on prisons, welfare, unemployment, health care, and remedial education. I can see the State Budget going from $125 billion down to NOTHING! Maybe we can even just dissolve state government because preschool cures everything!… Read More

Taking the wrong message from the November election results The top story of the day is not usually a column – it’s usually a hard news story. But I think that this column IS news because in reading it, it really hammers home a point. And that is that the Governor’s policy decisions this year have significant political ramifications. He is on a complete 180 degree course from last year, and instead of attacking spending as the problem, is now embracing spending as a solution. My colleague and fellow FlashReport contributor Dan Schnur says today in the San Diego Union Tribune, "Arnold is not moving substantively very far at all, but he is dramatically changing his emphasis. Almost every policy proposal that’s come out of the Governor’s Office over the last week or two is not significantly different from things he’s talked about in the past. But he’s making a much greater effort to emphasize a more moderate and conciliatory approach." It may be the case… Read More