After a late night debate that ended at just after 11:30 p.m., the City of Irvine has enacted some of the toughest ethics laws in the Sate of California. You can read the OC Register’s take on it here. Among other things, the new ordinance prohibits city council members from working as lobbyists. This provision includes a prohibition on council members lobbying other governmental agencies. (Disclosure: My law firm serves as City Attorney to the City of Irvine and drafted the ordinance, though I had no personal interaction on this issue.) Ethics ordinances have become a trend in cities. The most noteworthy of such ordinances, probably being the Los Angeles ethics ordinance, which permits the LA Ethics Commission to investigate and fine violators.… Read More

"ICEBERG, DEAD AHEAD!" Editing and publishing this website, I read a lot of news stories and columns. So I find it fascinating that so many of our Republican legislators, who have year after year voted against putting massive bond measures on the ballot, are now flocking to support a collection of bond measures that would represent the most borrowing – ever – for the Golden State. As a matter of fact, a number of the bond packages are being authored by Republican legislators, and we’ll be talking about that in the coming days. There is a saying that goes like this, "No one has the ability to grow government more than a Republican Chief Executive." Is that what this is all about? Massive borrowing, when proposed by Democrats, is wasteful and irresponsible. But when it is proposed by a Republican, then it is okay. What should be resolute and total opposition to ANY borrowed unless it… Read More

"ICEBERG, DEAD AHEAD!" Editing and publishing this website, I read a lot of news stories and columns. So I find it fascinating that so many of our Republican legislators, who have year after year voted against putting massive bond measures on the ballot, are now flocking to support a collection of bond measures that would represent the most borrowing – ever – for the Golden State. As a matter of fact, a number of the bond packages are being authored by Republican legislators, and we’ll be talking about that in the coming days. There is a saying that goes like this, "No one has the ability to grow government more than a Republican Chief Executive." Is that what this is all about? Massive borrowing, when proposed by Democrats, is wasteful and irresponsible. But when it is proposed by a Republican, then it is okay? What should be resolute and total opposition to ANY borrowing unless it… Read More

A flurry of budget related news pieces and op-eds in the Union-Tribune the last two days. Yesterday’s U-T editorial shouldn’t get lost in the mix:

Arnold the spender Governor’s budget makes dicey assumptions

For all of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s boundless confidence in his ability to "restore, reform, rebuild" California, the governor’s execution of his big plans has often been lacking. That was evident last year when most of the reform initiatives he endorsed were poorly drafted. With the measures already a tough sell, their flaws were compounded by Schwarzenegger’s confrontational campaign style, which made the reforms seem more of a power grab than a noble attempt to end Sacramento’s dysfunction.

Unfortunately, it’s beginning to look as if the 2006 model Schwarzenegger also isn’t going to live up to his grand rhetoric. The 2006-07 budget the governor unveiled yesterday – a $97.9 billion fiscal plan that increases spending by 8 percent – is a disappointment. The plan has a few… Read More

Today I received a PowerPoint presentation from my friend Roman Buhler. Roman and I have known each other for decades, usually on separate sides of primaries or party battles where the conservative movement is backing a candidate for public or party office, and Roman is working with the Bill Thomas machine to elect people to office who meet one of two criteria: have undying loyalty to Bill Thomas, or are devoid of the passion of conservative beliefs that gets in the way of Thomas’ Jedi Mind Tricks. Anyways, I often say that like a broken clock shows the right time twice a day, even Bill and Roman can get something right (if by accident). They are 100% right on the need to take redistricting away from the legislators. I guess the idea is that the voters should choose their elected officials, and not the other way around. Roman and I have developed a mutual respect for one another through our mutual passion for politics. Back to the PowerPoint.… Read More

In today’s Political Diary from OpinionJournal.com, John Fund writes about the Census Bureau’s population migration estimates. If borne out, says Fund, California will fail to gain a congressional seat in the 2010 reapportionment "for the first Census since it became a state in 1850." Fund correctly attributes this disturbing prospect to "an outflow of middle-class residents headed for other states."

Coming on the heels of a major moving company’s announcement that it is moving more people out of California than into California, that news should be a huge wake-up call to the Mensheviks running the state legislature. Sunny weather as goes so far; as long as Democrat taxation, spending and regulatory policies place California at a gross competitive disadvantage with neighboring states, we will continue to hemnorrhage productive residents.

[Political Diary is the single best deal for political junkies who want a daily fix of insider political information from around the… Read More

Probably the most telling comment of the budget announcement yesterday was when the governor made the joke about his motorcycle accident. It answered a nagging question in my mind: How much was pillow talk directing state policy? The answer is one I was fairly certain of: a lot.

In case you missed it, the governor’s joke was (as reported by the Sac Bee): "A car pulled out in front of me … I just couldn’t make a decision which way to go.… Read More

In the first California election of 2006, reform Republican Kevin Faulconer (disclaimer – Coronado Communications client) appears to have defeated the labor council’s Lorena Gonzalez 50.99% to 49.01% (14,050 to 13,506) in the race for San Diego’s 2nd City Council seat. There are 2,500 remaining absentee votes to be counted – mostly absentees. If the numbers hold, this was a huge upset that quite literally will alter the direction of the seventh largest city in America.

This victory gives Republican Mayor Jerry Sanders the leverage he needs to pass his City Hall reform agenda. There are now three Republicans on the city council, one conservative Democrat (who is Council President), one populist ("surfer chick" Donna Frye who recently lost the Mayoral race) and three machine Democrats. Better, Frye actually lost her own 6th Council seat to Sanders in the Mayoral race, which indicates she may be interested in jumping on the reform team in order to avoid the serious challenge that… Read More