From the GOP Mailbag: A Massive Missive by Michael Steele

Michael Steele, the chairman of the Republican National Committee, wrote recently. The letter says it was penned “Monday Morning.” In America,  presumably.

Mr. Steele says he is writing because “you and everyone of the more than 60 million voters all across our country who did not vote for Barack Obama deserve to have a voice in the way this country is governed.”    Read more »

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Truth, Grasshopper. Now Snatch the Pebble From My Hand

SB 937, as introduced, Walters. Family law: general.

Existing law provides that in the Family Code, the singular number  includes the plural, and the plural, the singular.

This bill would make a technical, nonsubstantive change to that provision.

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Look It Up: Independence Is Not a Synonym for Ignorance

It’s hard to face the harsh reality of rejection.

But now I must learn to shoulder the shame of being too despicable to serve as a member of the Citizens Redistricting Commission. My application was denied. Almost instantly.

I have a conflict-of-interest.

They don’t exactly sugarcoat the news either::

“Your responses to the questions on the application indicate that you either do not satisfy the eligibility requirements for serving as a member of the Citizens Redistricting Commission or you have a disqualifying conflict of interest that prohibits you from serving on the commission.      Read more »

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With Respect, Isn’t There A Daily Bidding War on Lawmakers?

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Dianne Feinstein to Arnold Schwarzenegger: Go Pound Sand

U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein isn’t buying Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s claim in his State of the State speech that the federal government is short-changing California.

The senior senator from California issued what used to be called a “sharply worded” statement to that effect, documented by the San Francisco Chronicle’s Marisa Lagos in a January 6 posting at Capitol Insider.    Read more »

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Always Better Being a Candidate Than an Officeholder

Carly Fiorina Opposes Flawed Health Care Reform Bill

Sacramento, CA – U.S. Senate candidate Carly Fiorina today issued the following statement after the Senate voted along party lines to move forward with Democrats’ costly and flawed health care reform legislation:

“This health care reform legislation is a huge step backward for California.    Read more »

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Time to Start Cataloguing the Recession’s Positive Effects

Why does the recession keep getting such negative press?

Except for the 15.4 million Americans unemployed – up from 7.5 million two years ago – and the 7.1 million properties foreclosed since January 2008, the recession has done a ton of positive stuff.

The recession is good for the environment. It must be because the state Air Resources Board said so at a seven-hour hearing on diesel emissions standards on December 9.    Read more »

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The Republicans Are At Least Partly Right – er – Correct

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                                   CONTACT: David Saenz 

December 3, 2009                                                                         916-448-9496

CRP Statement Concerning Obama’s Job Summit

 SACRAMENTO – California Republican Party Chairman Ron Nehring today issued the following statement:

“Today’s ‘job summit’ is political theater aimed at moving the national dialogue away from the complete failure of the so-called ‘stimulus’ to stimulate anything other than the national debt, which continues to skyrocket.      Read more »

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I am the Delta Watermaster, Are You the Smelt Gatekeeper?

A long time ago in a Legislature far, far away, newly elected Assembly Speaker Willie Brown attempted to lure his former education consultant, John Mockler, into abandoning his lucrative work as a textbook industry lobbyist and return to Brown’s staff.

Mockler agreed and asked Brown if he cared what job title he chose for himself.    Read more »

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Billion Here, Billion There — Pretty Soon, Real Money

Both of the recently introduced $9.4 billion general obligations bonds to fund a variety of water-related projects would spend $1.5 billion on dirt.

In his bond proposal, SB3 7X, Senate President Pro Tempore Darrell Steinberg, a Sacramento Democrat, calls its “Statewide Watershed and Water Quality Protections.

In the bond introduced by Sen.    Read more »

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