In 2009, California was rated as No. 6 of all states as having the heaviest tax burden in the country. That was before passage of Prop. 30 raising personal income tax to 13.5 percent and the impact we will start to feel due to AB32. California is annually trading position as having the worst business climate between New York and New Jersey depending on the year. The same can be said about the regulatory environment of these same three states having the highest worker’s compensation costs in the nation.

The policies of the ruling class in this state are destroying everything from agriculture to education. Turning off water for agriculture, to Common Core educational philosophy. This includes a minority party that protects their elites at the same time that allows for over 3,000 new legislative laws and regulations a year in the state. Who can sit around and come up with 3,000 ideas? A limited government would be hard put to come up with 30 actions a year. All the while, elected officials concern themselves in financing their next political race beginning immediately after being sworn in to their current office.

Many voters feel they have lost a national voice living in California. National candidates only come here to pick up campaign checks. If we could focus on local politics, where you have both a voice and a vote, the outcome would begin to change. City councils, county commissioners, school boards, water districts, and certainly even the GOP Central Committee, have all been running from constituents and listening to the voice of the voting public. If you write a letter/email to your Congressman or Senator, what do you get in return, a form letter? Which statewide legislators and Congressmen have held town hall meetings during their August recess? How many of you, with children in K-12, know what Common Core is? Why was it adopted? Do you favor the philosophy or oppose it? Have you taken a look at candidates running for county offices? What do they support and what have they done while in government? Have they voted for themselves or for their community?

Turning around California starts with your involvement and turning around local directions. A dog park in Mission Viejo that will cost more than $1,000,000 was approved by one vote of the city council. We all love dogs, but is this the best use of money in the city? I offered to push for three dog parks in the city for under $300,000 total. Again, by one vote, the Mission Viejo City Council is set to proceed with fining residents for loud parties at their homes. How loud is loud? Who decides? Ever attend a 12-year-old’s birthday party? Why are negotiations between the city and its employees managed in private? Why do the same vendors continue winning city contracts year after year? Are there no competitive bids? Do you vote for politicians heavily funded by outside interests? You may even support those interests, but are you aware of how much they are funding a candidate and what are their motives? Can you name a city in Orange County that can pay for their current pension liabilities? Who is looking out for Mello-Roos overpayments and abuse in your city?

You may argue that none of these are Republican or Democrat issues. But we easily understand the platforms of these two parties and Libertarians as well. Residents and businesses are leaving the state because of taxes, regulations and better business conditions elsewhere. They are not leaving because of better weather or beauty of nature. Orange County will face more and more legislation and regulation running our lives as long as we remain uniformed as for whom we are voting. I was shocked to find out how many Mission Viejo residents knew little to nothing about the goings on in the city where they live. An informed population holds all the power. Know what is going on in the city. You are ceding your power to a vocal few. During the last city council campaign your loud voice played an integral role in stopping garish electronic billboards lighting up Kaleidoscope and neighborhoods in the city. Paying attention does not take a lot of time but it results mostly from a desire to educate oneself on issues in the community. Those of us who remain here in Mission Viejo need to participate in local government. No one leaves his or her children, or pets, with a stranger. Why then would you vote for one to run your community?

Rebuttal to James Doti Editorial on GOP and Illegal Immigration

By Walter Myers

It was quite depressing reading the latest Sunday Register editorial written by someone of the distinction of James Doti, who is president and chair of Business and Economics at Chapman University. If there is someone who should have been able to clearly and persuasively articulate conservative values, it would have been him. While he is absolutely correct that the GOP has to lead and articulate a thoughtful, cogent solution for the problem of illegal immigration, he instead served up something syrupy and sweet that is unworkable and completely lacking in conservative principles.

Doti begins with the demographic projections that we are all aware of in terms of the future being one where the nonwhite minority becomes the majority. And since the GOP is increasingly viewed as being “anti-immigration,” and by extension, “anti-minority,” his suggestion is that the party go further than Obama’s DREAM Act by providing leadership on legislation that enables current illegal immigrants to “have legal status and a pathway to eventual citizenship.” He notes that this may sound like pandering, but it is consistent with the Republican Party’s founding around the freeing of 4 million slaves in the 1860s.  The new cause, he contends, would be “freeing” the estimated 11 million illegal immigrants hoping to be “welcomed to our land of freedom and opportunity.”

As a “nonwhite minority,” let me be the first to say that what he is suggesting is pandering, and the comparison of illegal immigrants to black slaves is in my view highly offensive. Illegal immigrants come to this country of their own accord. They are not forced to come, they are not in chains, and they have the freedom to leave. And they would most certainly be welcomed to our land by all Republicans if they came legally. So the impression that Republicans are anti-immigration is fallacious, and I am certain Doti knows that, which strengthens my view that what he is advocating is nothing more than pandering. In the eyes of the Republican Party, illegal immigration has nothing to do with a person’s minority status, or lack thereof. The fact that most illegal immigrants who come from south of our border just happen to be brown-skinned is only coincidental as the problem is with illegal immigration itself, and not the color of the illegal immigrant. Republicans welcome all legal immigrants no matter their color.…[showhide type="article6"]

The problem with the Republican Party, in my view, is that it has not articulated a thoughtful and humane solution to illegal immigration. Doti has that right. But simply making those here legal and providing a path to citizenship doesn’t solve a single problem, and only exacerbates the existing one. If you provide only amnesty and a path to citizenship, you will get more illegals moving forward, which was proven out by the 1986 amnesty. As a member of the Lincoln Club of Orange County, I have worked very closely with the Immigration Reform committee chairwoman Teresa Hernandez and others on the committee to craft a viable, humane, and thoughtful solution that is distinctively conservative and solves the problem of illegal immigration without offering citizenship for breaking the law. What it include are three key elements (in this order): border enforcement, legal status for illegal immigrants already here who have not committed crimes, and a guest worker program that will make illegal immigration moving forward unnecessary, including employer enforcement once the solution is in place.

I think it is the height of presumptuousness to believe that Hispanics don’t want our borders enforced, and that they feel as a group that we should have unchecked illegal immigration, so the GOP should just fold and provide amnesty to illegal immigrants in order to satisfy them. We have learned through surveys and candid discussions that most Hispanics don’t feel this way. What Hispanics want is a humane way of handling those illegal immigrants that are already here, and a working immigration system so there won’t be any further incentive for illegal immigration moving forward. They want illegal immigrants to come out of the shadows, and allow future workers to have a clear path to entering our country legally so they have freedom of movement, dignity, and are within the law. Even more important is that we eliminate the dangerous trade of human trafficking at our southern border, and exploitation of illegal immigrants that come here simply to make a better life for themselves and their families. Now that is a conservative solution. If anyone would like more details on the immigration proposal, they can find our statement at http://www.lincolnclub.org/aboutus/immigration-statement/

ATLAS PAC Endorsed Candidates Make Their Final Push

By Greg Woodard

The ATLAS PAC, a conservative group that believes in the ideals of limited government, free market enterprise, low taxation, and individual liberty, held a forum on October 24 for its endorsed candidates.  A veritable who’s who of Orange County state legislators arrived, with 5 current or prospective members of the Assembly and State Senator Mimi Walters making a brief appearance.  Director Ben Pugh hosted the event, and he urged those in attendance to support the endorsed candidates, both financially and by walking or otherwise getting involved.  Each candidate was given a chance to speak and, with less than two weeks before the election, the following made their pitch:
State Assembly

• Allan Mansoor – Allan said that the June primary was tough and that because of the support of Atlas PAC and others, he is likely to win in November.  He highlighted the need to fight for pension reform, particularly with the passage of Proposition 32, the fight for the 3Ms in Costa Mesa (Steve Mensinger, Gary Monahan, and Colin McCarthy), the need to pass the charter in Costa Mesa (Yes on V), the pension fight in Huntington Beach, and the need for conservatives to take control of the City Council in Irvine.
• Chris Norby – Chris said that there was one seat in Orange County that could flip from Republican to Democrat – his.  He noted that Republicans only hold a 1% registered voter edge in his district, and that he has been outspent 3-1 in the last few weeks, with most of the money for his challenger coming from unions.  He said there were 5,000 bills proposed in the last legislative session, and 1,000 of those became laws, which he believes is far too many.  He wants at least 1,000 bad laws to be repealed and he promised to fight for common sense and personal responsibility if re-elected.
• Eric Linder – Eric is running in the Inland Empire, but has many long-lasting relationships in Orange County and he said he would not be in position to win his seat if not for Atlas PAC.  Eric thanked many in the room for supporting him in the tough June primary.  Eric touted his experience as a business owner and said he hopes to serve with those elected officials who were present that night.
• Don Wagner – Don noted that Republicans currently have only a one seat cushion in the Assembly that is preventing the Democrats from imposing unlimited taxes on California residents.  Also, one Republican member recently recanted her no taxes pledge.  Despite this, he said it will get better – he expects the party to take back one seat recently lost, and that Eric Linder needs to take Jeff Miller’s old seat.  He also said that there are 3-4 real possible pickups in the Assembly and that conservatives need to focus their time and resources on these seats in the next couple of weeks.
• Travis Allen- Travis is running in the 72nd District against another Republican, Troy Edgar (this is as a result of Prop. 14, passed in 2010).  Travis said that he is a life-long Republican who has been an investment advisor for 16 years.  He believes that his race is about no new taxes – and he signed the no new taxes pledge, but his opponent has not.  He said that Edgar has raised taxes as a City Council member 12 times and he was a registered Democrat until 2006.  Travis thinks we have too many bench warmers in the Sacramento with no core principles who do nothing.  He believes he has the ability, desire, and educational background to make a difference.  He will not raise taxes and he will make the voters proud.  …[showhide type="article5"]

Irvine City Council

• Steven Choi - Steven said this is the year that Democrat Larry Agran is going to be beat, and the Republicans will win 3 seats between his race, and the two other Republican council candidates – Christina Shea and Lynn Schott.  Steven said the Atlas PAC endorsement helps him a lot, and that the voters he is meeting say that they have or will vote for him.
• Lynn Schott – Lynn previously ran unsuccessfully for City Council in 2010 and she has spent the last two years building up name recognition in the city.  She emphasized kitchen table issues for the city – Irvine was ground-zero for the subprime collapse and many residents lost their jobs and homes (she noted that there are 100 homeless students in the city).  She said the current council majority is tone-deaf to the residents’ struggle to pay for gas, school supplies, and groceries.  She gave the example of the majority giving an across-the-board 6% raise to city employees, at a cost of $2.5 million.  She is a 27-year resident of the city and Larry Agran has been in power during that entire time.  Lynn wants to give Agran a retirement party on November 6.

Aliso Viejo City Council

• Mike Munzing – Mike said running has been an educational experience.  His city is 7.5 square miles and he said that no one has run and won against the original council members, but he plans on being the first.  Mike said he is loud, visible, and everywhere (those of us who know Mike will attest to that).  Mike said he has hit the city once, but he wants to hit it again.  So, on the Saturday before the election, Mike is trying to get 30 volunteers to walk every district.  He also has 44,000 mail pieces going out to the residents.

Anaheim City Council

• Brian Chuchua – Brian said the city’s educational system needs help.  He believes that Curt Pringle runs the city with two other council members (who he called the “Giveaway 3″).  He noted that the council gave away $158 million in bed taxes, which he said is 43% of the General Fund.  He also said that the city recently approved a $368 million streetcar system for 10 streetcars when buses would have cost only $58 million.  He believes the system is for Disney employees.  He also mentioned a $170 million train station that is to be built that is not adequate for high-speed rail (it will cost another $120 million for that).  He is running because he sees what is wrong with the city and he wants to correct it.  He said that he is self-funded and he needs help.

Costa Mesa City Council

• Colin McCarthy – Colin painted a picture of the rancorous campaign, and expressed outrage over the tactics of his opponents’ supporters.  He described a recent video that was taken of a man picking up campaign signs supporting him, Steve Mensinger, Gary Monahan, and Measure V (charter) and ripping them up.  Colin identified the man as a highly paid city employee (nearly $87,000 in annual compensation and benefits).  He said he recently attended a public forum where he was booed and hissed by members of the public.  A member of the Planning Commission, Colin said he sees how the “sausage is made” and how dysfunctional government is.  Colin has kids and he is interested in making the city a better place for them.

Costa Mesa Sanitation District

• Jeff Mathews – Jeff believes Republicans will have big wins this year.  He wants to see the power of the unions cut.  He has looked at where the problems in his city are, and he found them in small districts like the sanitation district.  He wants to get real changes made.  Jeff mentioned that his opponents have served on the district for over 20 years, they are complacent, and he does not believe that politicians should use the same position in government as a career choice.  He said the district has a $5 million surplus, due in part to higher rates, and he wants to look into all of the small-scale issues that, cumulatively, have a large impact on the city’s residents.
• Don Harper – Don said he was inspired by the 3Ms in Costa Mesa and their efforts to change the current environment.  He is a businessman who founded a very successful business and he thinks he can use that experience to help change the government from the bottom up.

Lake Forest City Council

• Dwight Robinson – Dwight said the Orange County Register (which has endorsed him), published a quote from him – “If you can find it in the phone book, government shouldn’t do it.”  He believes the private sector can do things much better than government can.  Dwight noted that the current council members do not work in business, but he does.  He runs several private businesses, his largest being an agricultural commodities exporting business, and he employs over 100 people.  Dwight said that government does not create jobs, the private sector does.  He noted his endorsement by the Orange County Republican Party and said that he wants to be the business owner on the City Council.

Mission Viejo City Council

• Ed Sachs – Ed said that he has been in business since he was 8 years old, concluding his career with 30-plus years at Pioneer Electronics where he was President of the United States Mobile Electronics division for 5 years.  During his time at Pioneer, he presided over a division with a $500 million budget with $20+ million in profits.  Ed said he recently challenged the city’s mayor over the city’s reserves (which have been reduced significantly over the past 5+ years) and did not receive a good answer in return.  Ed also mentioned that the council has debating a dog park for the past 10 years and he wants to get in and make the tough decisions without arguing for over a decade.
• Cathy Schlicht – Larry Gilbert spoke on behalf of Cathy.  He said that Cathy has opposed the city’s plans for a dog park because the first phase alone is estimated to cost $850,000.  He also mentioned that Cathy opposes the Kaleidoscope property owner’s plan to put up large electronic billboards to advertise out-of-town businesses.  Larry said if Ed and Cathy are not elected. the billboards will be approved.

Orange City Council

• Jon Dumitru – Jon said his race is unique because he is running against a nice person, but she is a liberal Democrat.  He said that the union has spent $40,000 against him and the police union has spent $67,000.  Jon helped end firefighter overtime issues that cost the city over $2 million last year.  He also noted that the city just implemented a huge pension roll back, and he led the effort to eliminate compensation for City Council members.  Jon also said that, even though the city recently had a $23 million deficit that it had to close with reserves, his opponent wanted to give $1 million from the city’s catastrophic reserves to give city employees a bonus to deal with a city employee’s death – in Costa Mesa.

Santa Ana Unified School District

• Cecilia Iglesias – Cecilia said that 70% of Santa Ana are Latinos, and most of them have conservative values.  She urged Latinos to vote their values and to contribute to society.  Cecilia wants to make changes by starting locally and moving to the state and national level.  She ran against Loretta Sanchez two years ago as an independent and now wants to make a difference through her conservative values.  Cecilia is the founder of a non-profit for deaf kids and she wants educational opportunities for all.

Taking Back Capistrano Unified School District For the Children and the Taxpayers!

By Craig Alexander

Two years ago, we saw the local teachers union (with heavy support from the state and national teachers unions) carry forth the end of a successful a two-year plan to “Elect their own Bosses.” They spent almost $400,000, created dissention, refused to negotiate in good faith with the Board of Trustees, staged a strike to gather recall signatures and ran a deceptive campaign against our endorsed incumbents. As you know, their deceptive campaign was successful and we lost three of the five seats to union-backed candidates. Additionally and unfortunately, two of our prior endorsed candidates joined the new union-backed trustees and formed a voting bloc of a 5 to 2 majority on the Board. 

Together, despite the objections of the two remaining conservatives on the board, the majority has carried out an agenda to reward the teachers union with whatever they want and at whatever the cost to the District; including bringing it to the brink of financial disaster. Employee costs for the District are now at 92% and rising. This leaves precious little funds for the classrooms and facilities at CUSD. It also proves that the teachers union cares nothing about the children and only about its members. The idea that teachers unions are doing their strikes and other activities “for the children” is nothing more than an empty platitude and a subterfuge for their real agenda. 

However, 2012 is a new and different year. First, the union has its hands full fighting Proposition 32 – they have allocated resources to defeat the Stop Special Interest Money Now Act. This includes the local teachers union at CUSD. Also, the new “incumbents” now have a record they cannot run on but can’t run from either – a record of keeping their main constituent, the union, happy at the exclusion of all else including common sense balancing of the budget. This board has increased teacher salaries and benefits but also increased class sizes and laid off many younger teachers that were the District’s future. They have cut 15 days of instructional time for the students – 15 less days for a student’s education and 15 days parents will need to stay home with their children (instead of working) or provide for more sitters.    …[showhide type="article4"]

We also have three excellent candidates, – Jim Reardon, Steve Lang and Bill Perkins to bring back conservative principles and governance to the District, bring back fiscal sanity and make children’s education the number one priority concern of the CUSD governing board, and bring back basic civility to the governing processes of the District. 

Speaking of Proposition 32, the expected distortion campaign of the unions against the initiative has now started, mostly in the form of radio ads telling lies about the initiative and trying to paint this as a corporate takeover. Funny how they never mention anywhere in the initiative the types of corporations listed as exempt from Prop. 32’s reforms. They don’t tell anyone that the initiative will reduce both union and corporate funds and influence across the board and increase the power and influence of the voter inside the politicians’ District or that the politicians will once again have to be concerned with their constituents’ needs rather than those of special interests.

It is our job to continue to educate the public about the truth about Prop. 32, what it will and will not do and why its reforms are vital to the future of our state. If you want more information or if you want to help through donations or be a vounteer, go to: www.stopspecialinterestmoney.org.

Craig P. Alexander is an attorney whose office is in Dana Point. Craig is a Vice President of the California Republican Assembly, an Atlas PAC member and a volunteer speaker with the Proposition 32 campaign.  

The event raised thousands of dollars for the candidates and Measure V, and was well-attended.  Those in attendance included California Assembly members Tim Donnelly, Diane Harkey, Allan Mansoor, and Don Wagner.  Local candidates Jim Fisler (Mesa Water District incumbent running for re-election) and Don Harper (running for Costa Mesa Sanitary District) also were in attendance.  In addition, Irvine council member Jeff Lalloway, long-time party supporters Buck Johns and Judy Ware, as well as several party supporters attended.

Two other local candidates, Eric Bever (Costa Mesa Mayor running for Mesa Water District) and Ethan Temianka (Costa Mesa Parks & Rec. Commissioner running for Mesa Water District), were scheduled to attend but were unable to make it.   

How can this be?  We have three major California cities that are ranked in the top five nationally in household income!  We have millions of people in California making serious cash, according to the census.  How can our state budget be so bad?

Sure, you would try to get that raise at work, but you wouldn’t count on it.  You would know that bankruptcy is a possibility if you don’t straighten up.  So, you would take action.  You would stay focused every day.  Within a few years, you would work off your debts and move forward under a tighter, stronger cost structure.  This is life.  This is what we all do when we need to.    

California’s Stop Special Interest Money Now initiative.  Atlas PAC is hosting a fundraising event for this proposition, which appears on the November ballot, in mid-July.  Surely, California voters are just as fed up as Wisconsinites with out-of-control unions demanding ever more money while confiscating tax-payer dollars to fund their political machine.  We need to get the message out across the state.

Atlas PAC’s endorsed candidates had a great primary election.  California now has “open” primaries, meaning that the top two vote-getters, regardless of party, move on to the general election.

In the most hotly contested local race, Assemblyman Allan Mansoor strongly defeated RINO Leslie Daigle, despite Northern California RINO billionaire Charles Munger spending nearly $1 million to support Daigle.  Thankfully, Orange County conservatives saw right through this and voted for Allan over Daigle by a whopping 43-24 margin.  (The admitted Democrat, Robert Rush, got the remaining 33%.)  Atlas spent a considerable amount of its time and treasure to support Allan, so a hearty thank you to all who donated your time and money.  The general election will be no cakewalk for Allan, so we need to continue to support his campaign through November.

Atlas’ other big success story of the evening was the victory of Atlas PAC member and first time candidate Eric Linder.  Eric was the leading vote-getter among three Republican candidates in the 60th Assembly district.  With the three Republicans splitting 66% of the vote, Eric stands an excellent chance of winning in the general election.  Like Allan Mansoor, the fight isn’t over until victory in November.

In other State Assembly races, perennial Atlas PAC favorites Don Wagner, Tim Donnelly, Mike Morrell, Chris Norby and Diane Harkey all won well over 50% of the vote.  Tim Donnelly won over 52% of the vote even with a RINO primary opponent making it a three-man race.  Of the other Atlas PAC endorsed Assembly candidates, Curt Hagman won over 68% of the vote while Craig Huey, Phil Paule, and Rocky Chavez each made the run-off election in Republican-leaning districts.

In State Senate races, Bob Huff, Mimi Walters and Bill Emerson each received well over 60% of the vote while Jeff Miller received over 50% in a three-man race.

In California’s U.S. Congress contests, Dana Rohrabacher, Ed Royce, Darrell Issa, Duncan Hunter and Tom McClintock each won well over 50% of the vote against no Republican opposition.  Jerry Hayden is set to take on Loretta Sanchez in the 46th district.  Tony Strickland made the run-off in the toss-up 26th district.  And Gary DeLong made the November election as the leading Republican in the 47th district.  Combined, the Republicans vying for the nomination in the 47th received 50.8% of the vote, boding well for a pick-up in this swing district.

In other local races, both Robert Hammond and Ken Williams were elected to the Orange County Board of Education.  The Fullerton City Council recall effort was a spectacular success with Greg Sebourn winning a seat on the City Council.  Janet Nguyen [just a primary win or was this the real election?]  InSan Diego’s Mayoral race, Carl DeMaio defeated Republican Party-renouncing Nathan Fletcher.  Carl now faces Democrat Bob Filner in the November election.

In other national races, upcoming conservative super-star Ted Cruz forced a run-off in Texas against RINO David Dewhurst for the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate.  That run-off election is July 31, less than two months away, so please direct some support to Ted Cruz.

Finally, in Republican Central Committee races, Atlas PAC Board members John Draper and Jeff Mathews were both re-elected.  In total, twenty-two (22) Atlas-endorsed Central Committee candidates were elected!

We’re going to take just a short break and then start up in earnest in July.  See you all at the Stop Special Interest Money Now fundraiser!