Lockyer Speaks his Mind
State Treasurer Bill Lockyer’s retirement announcement yesterday, coupled with the post in Fox & Hounds about the difficult situation for the state’s court system, couldn’t help but remind me of the time I worked with Lockyer, then the senate president pro tem, to alter the way California’s courts operated. Proposition 220 on the June 1998 […]
What the Heck Is Abel Doing?
It’s not just that Abel Maldonado’s gubernatorial campaign has started with mistakes. Or that it’s started by taking on an issue – crime – that isn’t high on the agenda of Californians, or even that small subset of Californians known as California voters. It’s that he seems to be making his campaign about someone we […]
To Win, Republicans Need to Understand the Voters—Get the Data
The Republican Party needs to start back at the basics –and the crux of that basis is data. We need to know what the voter thinks, wants, and will do to vote. Voters are smart. Therefore, to win public office, a political party needs to know who their voter is, where they are, and what […]
California’s Revenue Roller Coaster
The constitutional deadline is just two weeks away and the Governor and Legislature are busy negotiating the state’s next budget. With Democrats now holding enough seats in the Legislature to pass the budget without Republican input, we can expect a budget that reflects their priorities and grows the size of the government. Fortunately for them, […]
House of Origin Onslaught Shows Slightest Glimmer of Hope, If GOP Will Only Seize the Opportunity
I started thinking about this column on Friday, when I was at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library to hear a speech by United States Senator Rand Paul. I was reminded of one of President Reagan’s favorite stories… I can picture my hero — ever the optimist and a horseman through and through – smiling as […]