Republican Leaders Mourn the Loss of Agua Caliente Chairman Richard Milanovich

SACRAMENTO, CA – Longtime Chairman of the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians Richard Milanovich passed away yesterday, after battling cancer for many years. Milanovich is revered in many communities as an influential leader and motivator, and will be remembered for his impact and tireless work on tribal affairs.

“Our deepest condolences and heartfelt thoughts go out to the family of Chairman Milanovich,” said CRP Chairman Tom Del Beccaro. “Richard was a very selfless and compassionate man, who worked non-stop to inspire a new generation of leaders; he will be deeply missed.”

State Senator Bill Emmerson, who represented Milanovich in California’s 37th Senate District added, “Richard was a true visionary who enabled the Aqua Caliente tribe to attain self-sufficiency through education, housing and healthcare programs while still retaining the tribe's rich cultural heritage. He was a true gentleman.”

Milanovich served in the Army during the Cold War, where he was stationed in Germany and assigned to long-range reconnaissance patrol. He became a member of the Agua Caliente Tribal Council in 1978 and was elected as chairman in 1984.

"The passing of Richard Milanovich is a great loss to Agua Caliente and to our community. Chairman Milanovich will be remembered as one of the most influential leaders in California history,” said Assemblyman Brian Nestande, who represented Milanovich in California’s 64th Assembly District.

Milanovich is survived by his wife, Melissa, and six children: Scott, Reid, Trista, Sean, Travis and Tammy.

Waste Watch -- Unions Reject Deal to Save Tax Payers Millions

San Diego Union-Tribune watchdog journalists have uncovered a deal that was rejected by the San Diego Unified School District's two biggest Unions that could have saved taxpayers a stunning $10 Million.  That deal involved the district's spiraling healthcare costs.

 

The deal to allow an outside firm to help manage healthcare costs was rejected in the summer of 2010, and now more than eighteen months later, that same school district is proposing the elimination of more than 1,600 teaching jobs, 300 non-teaching jobs, and allowing class sizes to balloon up to 40 pupils per classroom.

 

"In today's economy, when schools are suffering, we cannot afford to be turning down deals that would save taxpayers millions of dollars," said Chairman Del Beccaro. "Common sense dictates that we must begin considering putting competitive contracts out for bid. Our students, parents, and taxpayers deserve better."

 

To read more about the Union's decision, click here.

CRP Chairman Del Beccaro’s Statement on the California Democratic Party Convention

SACRAMENTO, CA – California Republican Party Chairman Tom Del Beccaro released the following statement Friday regarding the California Democratic Party Convention in San Diego:

 

"This weekend the Democrats are busy predicting the number of politicians in their party who will find new jobs. Noticeably absent is a discussion about how the millions of unemployed Californians will find jobs in an economy weighed down by tax increases and regulations."

CRP Announces GOP Presidential Candidate Newt Gingrich to Speak at State Party Convention

Gingrich appearance signals California Primary may play key role in 2012 Presidential Election

SACRAMENTO, CA – State Republican Party chairman Tom Del Beccaro announced today that GOP presidential candidate and former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich will headline an event at the State Republican Convention this month.

"It is my privilege to welcome one of the most dynamic figures in GOP politics over the last 50 years," said Chairman Del Beccaro. "Speaker Gingrich brings energy and vision to the Convention during a critical election year."

Gingrich will be the keynote speaker at Saturday's lunch event during the Convention which will run February 24th through 26th in the Bay Area.

"Speaker Gingrich's appearance at this month's Convention illustrates the importance of California as a key Primary state this election cycle," said Eric Beach, California Finance Chair to Gingrich. "There are more delegates in California than have been awarded in all of the other States’ primaries to date."

For more information on the Convention, visit CAGOP.org.

CRP Chairman’s Statement on Speaker Perez and Senate President Steinberg’s Lawsuit against State Controller John Chiang

SACRAMENTO, CA – California Republican Party Chairman Tom Del Beccaro today issued the following statement in regards to Assembly Speaker Perez and Senate President Darrell Steinberg's lawsuit against State Controller John Chiang:

  

"This cynical lawsuit seeks to chill the efforts of the Controller's office and makes a mockery of Prop 25. We could benefit from a more robust State Controller that audits our government programs and looks for savings in every corner. Rather than blame the Controller for last year’s illusory budget, the Democrats should look for positive ways to ensure reform in this year's budget."

CRP Introduces "The Daily Brief"

SACRAMENTO, CA – California Republican Party Communications Director Jennifer Kerns today announced a new morning tip sheet for 2012 called "The Daily Brief." Each morning, the Press Shop will provide you with a 5-minute snapshot of what’s going on at the party, including its political activity and Chairman Tom Del Beccaro’s reax on the day’s political events and statewide news. We promise it won’t be more than a paragraph, and it won’t take more than 2 minutes to read. That’s why we named it The Daily Brief. It is daily. And it is brief.

Tomorrow: The Daily Brief will offer a sneak peek into the "California Republican Party’s Official Response" to the State of the State Address.

CRP Chairman Del Beccaro's Response to the LAO's 2012-13 Budget Review

SACRAMENTO — California Republican Party Chairman Tom Del Beccaro today issued the following statement in response to the Legislative Analysts’ Office Review of the Governor’s Proposed 2012-2013 Budget:

 

"We have a revenue problem now because we have narrowed our tax base. Brown's plan will only make that worse. It's time to turn the page on yesterday's uncompetitive policies."

CRP Chairman Del Beccaro's Comments on Gov. Brown's Budget Proposal

SACRAMENTO — California Republican Party Chairman Tom Del Beccaro today issued the following statement in response to Governor Brown’s budget proposal:

 

"In just a year’s time, Governor Brown has gone from 'checking in with the voters' to holding them hostage with supposedly devastating trigger cuts that mask his inability to make tough, reform-minded decisions. Brown is doubling down on the same ineffective strategies that pushed California into this mess. Californians have no reason to believe his budget is sincere; it lacks innovation as well as any meaningful structural reforms.

 

"This cynical, scare tactic budget strategy once again hinges on the hope that voters will ignore their own financial problems to bail out the Democrats with another ill-advised tax increase. It didn't work last year and there's no reason to believe that a new year will bring new results."

CRP Chairman Del Beccaro's Christmas Statement 2011

"Each year, Christmas brings together families and friends to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. The light the Christ Child brought into the world that glorious day continues to break through darkness more than two thousand years later.

 

"As we celebrate, let us all look to those less fortunate and affirm our humanity by showing grace to those in need. We should also show our continued appreciation to the men and women serving and sacrificing to protect our country and secure God's gift of freedom for others around the globe.

  

"On behalf of the California Republican Party, I offer best wishes for a very Merry Christmas and a more prosperous New Year."

ICYMI: Redistricting Bombshell - Just the Tip of the Iceberg

By CRP Chairman Tom Del Beccaro (as seen in FlashReport)

 

Yesterday’s bombshell report released by ProPublica, a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative journalism website, entitled "How Democrats Fooled California's Redistricting Commission," systematically lays out the Democrats' manipulation of what should have been an open and transparent process, It also demonstrated exactly how the redistricting maps were corrupted by partisan activists working in cooperation with the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.

 

Here's what the San Jose Mercury News reported about the redistricting scandal:

 

"California's congressional Democrats ran a secret effort earlier this year to manipulate the work of the independent citizen's panel that drew the state's new political districts, foiling the intent of reformers who sought to remove the redistricting process from the control of party bosses.

 

"Democrats met behind closed doors at the party's Washington, D.C. headquarters, hired consultants, drew their ideal districts and presented maps to the panel through proxies who never disclosed their party ties or "public interest" groups created specifically for the purpose. In many cases, the panel responded by doing just what the Democrats wanted."

 

The ProPublica report vindicates my repeated contention that the redistricting process was hijacked. That report, however, is just the tip of the iceberg and the problems were not limited to the Congressional maps.

 

If you’re a regular Flash Report reader, you know that I've been petitioning the Redistricting Commission from the very beginning to conduct itself with openness and fairness, just like California voters asked when they voted in favor of Prop 11 and 20. In March, I recommended that the commission hire bi-partisan line drawing experts and Voting Rights Act counsel to assist them with re-drawing legislative lines to avoid the commission being cast as a partisan one. Instead, they chose to ignore my advice and hired Q2 Data and Research, a firm widely known for its ties to Democrats.

 

I chronicled the commission proceedings with a Flash Report exclusive, "The Redistricting Commission – Worse Than I Could Possibly Imagine." If the road to Hell is paved with good intentions, the road signs to Hell point directly to the partisanship showed by the DCCC and its Democrat operatives in California.

 

I called for Dr. Gabianno Aguirre to step down as his involvement compromised the commission's integrity because he failed to disclose his advisory role and donations to a group that presented to the so-called Citizens Commission and then ensured that corrupted lines were used. Those calls fell on deaf ears, and Dr. Aguirre was allowed to maintain his position on the Commission.

 

In the Sacramento Bee, I stated that the Citizens Redistricting Commission 'failed to consistently apply the criteria mandated by law when drawing the Assembly, Senate, congressional, and Board of Equalization maps. And so on. Thankfully, a well-respected investigative team has finally exposed the depths to which Democrats have gone to leverage a loaded outcome.

 

However, the corruption of the process went far beyond what was disclosed in the ProPublica investigation. No fair minded person can now say the process or the result was fair. I am calling for an immediate and thorough investigation, by Congressional and State authorities, to get to the bottom of this obviously corrupted process. Beyond that, the Congressional and Senate lines as drawn by the Commission should not be used in any way for the upcoming elections. Enough should be enough.

 

Source: CA GOP

CRP Statement in Response to Governor Brown's Call for Massive Tax Increases

SACRAMENTO — California Republican Party Chairman Tom Del Beccaro today issued the following statement in response to Governor Brown's latest call for massive new tax increases:

 

"For more than a decade, Sacramento Democrats have been coming up with one tax raising scheme or another - none of which have worked.  The answer to our budget and revenue problems lies not in taking more money from those already working but in finding work for those that are not.

 

"The fact that Governor Brown refused to present his tax hike to the press today demonstrates that he knows it is an unworthy proposal. Rather than simply sending Californians invoices for his spending sprees, he should go about reducing the size of the California government."

ICYMI: What Are We Paying Obama For? And Can It Get Worse?

By Thomas Del Beccaro, CRP Chairman (as seen in Big Government)

It's simply hard to imagine this passes for a Presidency. At what point does he become simply too much for the senses? Sure we have had some interesting and bad Presidents before - recently in fact. Nixon changed our view of the Presidency for the worse. Carter was beyond ineffectual. Bush 41 broke a huge promise. Clinton wagged his finger while lying - and a bit more than that. But this President is truly something and it's not just the facts that are bad - it's his excuses and manners that make this Presidency so incredibly bad.

Let us count the ways:

A. The Economics.

This list is well known by now - but that doesn't mean it is highlighted by the Media as it would be of a Republican was president.

1. Unemployment at 9% for a historically long time. According to Obama he inherited this mess and blames President Bush and ATMs. Yes Obama believes automation, like ATMs, is to blame - as if such automations like automobiles (accounting for nearly 20% of our economy) and computers (creating employers like EBAY and Microsoft) are the cause of our unemployment. Beyond that, Obama joked that he was wrong about "shovel ready" projects, created the "Saved" jobs category out of thin air, and claimed that the stimulus bill would prevent unemployment from going above 8%. What's missing, of course, is a plan to lower unemployment - let alone actually lower unemployment.
2. Gas Prices. They are currently 85% higher than when he took office. He shut down our Gulf oil production for ideological not actual reasons and delayed a Canadian pipeline for political reasons. When Bush 43 saw high gas prices, the Media told him to go his friends in the Middle East to ask them to raise production. Since Obama wanted $5 gasoline all along, he has no plan to lower energy prices and the Media doesn't harp on the issue. Meanwhile the economy is hurt badly because of the higher costs of energy that reduce purchasing power and hurt employers everywhere.
3. Foreclosure/Home Mortgage Crisis. This is the one part of the economy that actually is in a crisis that is "the worst since the Great Depression" - a phrase Obama is fond of overusing. Obama has continued the policy of bailing out the Banks for foreclosure related losses, encouraged Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac bailouts instead of reforming them and now he has sued the very Banks he bailed out because of their foreclosure practices - and no, there is no plan in sight let alone true relief.
4. The Deficit. It has quadrupled under Obama. Yet he says inherited it - and rather than change it, spending has actually gone up each of this 3 years. Obama's solution: have other people come up with a plan - he was traveling or on vacation. When it failed, he said he knew it would fail. So Chris Christie rightfully asks: What are we paying Obama for?

B. Foreign Policy.

1. Missiles. In his first year, Obama scrapped a missile system - thereby telling Poland that years of such work and friendship with the US are not all that important. It also told many others the same thing.
2. Libya. We are not at war - just facilitating war. What was the national security principle at stake? The Assassination principle? How very Nobel.
3. Egypt. For years Mubarak was a reliable partner that kept peace with Israel. He was kicked to the curb under Obama and Egypt has descended into chaos.
4. Israel. I don't quite know how much more you can disrespect an ally. Obama, however, managed to get caught doing what we already suspected - bad mouthing an allied leader. If that doesn't make you wonder what other leaders think he is doing - this combined list should.
5. U.S. Image Abroad. Remember when Obama said Bush ruined our image abroad? Yet today effigies of Obama are hung or burned across the Middle East and Europe has lost faith. Wouldn't you think of Nobel Peace prize would buy you more credibility than that?

All of which brings us to the Presidential meter. Just how Presidential has he been? I remember when Reagan would never take his jacket off in the Oval Office out of respect. FDR has serious fireside chats. Washington rode on a white horse.

As for Obama:

He just played golf with his friend who was busted in a prostitution sting. How very Presidential. We hear he did so out of loyalty. Nice.

As for his other loyalties, he bought a house from a criminal to be, Tony Rezko. Obama got a great deal to boot. At least is suffering from a foreclosure crisis - and let us not forget that he had a proud terrorist, Bill Ayers, raise money for him.

With friends like that, it kind of makes you miss Bebe Rebozo doesn't it?

Of course, we can't forget the wonderful Reverend Wright - someone he was loyal enough to attend his "church" for 20 years but not loyal enough to really listen to him.

Obama doesn't much listen to the American people either. How else do you push ObamaCare down voters' throats and wind up with 26 states suing and others all but nullifying the legislation?

All of which brings me to the final point:

Obama's Miserable Consensus Building.

While some Presidents are known for courageous and tough stands that pay dividends in the years to come, most all of them are judged, at some level, by whether their coalition of supporters is larger after they take office then before. We have already seen what the World has thought of Obama. We know that, at home, his 2008 coalition is gone and it is not just because of the bad economy.

Obama has been picking fights with the American electorate from day one. The Stimulus Bill cleaved off his Republican support and fostered the Tea Party - which he then vilified on the way to ObamaCare. In between, he tried to legislative enact Cap & Trade, lost and crammed that down America through the EPA. He wanted to "prosecute" 911 enemy combatants in a New York court room and yielded only when even liberal New York said no.

Since then, Obama has engaged in class warfare over taxes in such a way as to only convince Americans he missed economics class.

In the final analysis, of President's seeking re-election, two basic questions are asked:

(1) Is the Country better off? and,

(2) Have you brought the Country closer together?

In fact, Obama has not and, quite frankly, it hasn't been pretty watching it either.

Source: CA GOP

CRP Partners with GROW Elect for Latino Media Training

LOS ANGELES — The California Republican Party's relationship with GROW Elect, a political action commitee that was established to recruit, endorse, train, and help fund California Latino Republicans and independents for elected office, took an important step last week as the two organizations presented a day-long media training workshop at Univision's Los Angeles facility.

 

The training, which included a number of Latino elected officials and potential candidates from the Los Angeles area, took place Friday and featured Q&A sessions with CRP Chairman Tom Del Beccaro and former Senate Republican Leader Dennis Hollingsworth. GROW Elect consultants Luis Alvarado and Moises Merino were also on hand for the training.

  

"This is part of keeping our promise to establish a stronger, more consistent Republican presence in the Latino community and to continue our support of GROW Elect and their impressive efforts," said Chairman Del Beccaro. "We're excited to partner with GROW Elect, not just with training but with other resources that will help promote their bottom-up approach to connect with Latino voters throughout California."

 

The CRP and GROW Elect will offer a number of media training workshops for Latino Republicans across the state, with two more sessions planned for Sacramento and Fresno before the end of the year.

CRP Statement Commending Today's California Supreme Court Decision to Defend the Initiative Process

SACRAMENTO – California Republican Party Chairman Tom Del Beccaro today issued the following statement in regards to the California Supreme Court decision to protect the initiative process:
 
"Keeping our voters engaged is good for the process and affirming the fundamental rights of everyday citizens to defend public initiatives is good for democracy. We commend the state Supreme Court on its ruling and celebrate the successful defense of our unique opportunity to affect change in the public forum."

Source: CA GOP

It's The Vision Thing, Jerry Brown

By Thomas Del Beccaro, CRP Chairman (as seen in Flash Report)
 

Nearly a year after his election, Jerry Brown’s second try at Governor is just about as inspiring as a 2 AM rerun. Simply stated, his governorship lacks a vision. Brown has not challenged Californians to achieve anything nor has he empowered them to succeed on their own. Brown's sole purpose appears to be nothing more than to demand that Californians bail out Sacramento. The years to come are likely to be no different.

 

There are political leaders that set a clear agenda, challenge their constituents to reach new heights and then empower them to succeed. On the other hand, there are managers of government that lack a vision and seek only minor adjustments to the status quo. Surely, Jerry Brown is among the latter.

 

At the time he took office, California suffered among the nation's worst unemployment and Californians had lost over 1/4th of the nation’s home equity. Central Valley farming remains in a depression and inter-city schools are among the nation's worst.

 

In response, Brown has declared no over-arching goals let alone help Californians to take command of their future. Brown remains Sacramento-centric. His only focus appears to be the state budget and his only response is more laws.

 

There is no grand plan, urgent or otherwise, to restore jobs in this state. For instance, despite a full legislative session, Brown offers… (Read more)

Source: CA GOP

CRP Statement on State Supreme Court Decision to Reject Redistricting Lawsuits

SACRAMENTO – California Republican Party Chairman Tom Del Beccaro issued the following statement today in response to the decision by the California State Supreme Court to reject the legal challenges to the state's new Senate and Congressional maps:

 

"We remain committed to the efforts that will ensure the integrity of the line drawing process for the upcoming election and all elections going forward. In the absence of a written opinion, we can only speculate as to why they made this decision, but we are resolute in gathering the signatures necessary so that voters can weigh in on this matter, as contemplated by Props 11 and 20."

Source: CA GOP

Obama's California Misery Tour Shows Lack of Vision

SACRAMENTO — While President Obama makes another fundraising trip to California today to fill up his campaign coffers in Hollywood and San Francisco, California voters have been visibly disappointed by his lack of vision and economic policies that have failed to deliver jobs and economic relief. Their misery has been recorded in the President's rapidly falling numbers in California, where a recent Field Poll shows that, for the first time since Obama took office, fewer than half of state voters approved of his overall performance.

 

Here's Obama's California record:

 

•Since Obama Became President, California Has Lost 430,300 Jobs And The Unemployment Rate Has Increased From 9.7 Percent To 11.9 Percent. (Bureau Of Labor Statistics, BLS.gov, as of 10/21/11)

 •The White House Predicted That The First $825 Billion Stimulus Would Save Or Create 396,000 Jobs In California. ("UPDATED: American Recovery And Reinvestment Act: State-By-State Jobs Impact," WhiteHouse.gov, 2/13/09)

 •Since The First Stimulus Was Passed, California Has Lost 304,700 Jobs And The Unemployment Rate Has Increased From 10.1 Percent To 11.9 Percent. (Bureau Of Labor Statistics, BLS.gov, as of 10/21/11)

  

"It's bad enough that Jerry Brown and the rest of the Democrats in Sacramento have no clue about how to solve California's fiscal crisis, but now President Obama has compounded the problem by booking another Golden State fly-by," said CRP Chairman Tom Del Beccaro. "By proving that he's more concerned about fighting for his own job than fighting for ours, Obama has become the visionless captain of a sinking ship."

Source: CA GOP

CRP Chairman's Statement: CARB Decision Bad for California's Future

SACRAMENTO – California Republican Party Chairman Tom Del Beccaro issued the following statement tonight in response to the decision by the California Air Resources Board to approve a controversial cap-and-trade system:

 

"With this step, the California government has ensured high unemployment, low revenues and resultant deficits for years to come. At some point, with our jobless rate mired at 12 percent, Jerry Brown should consider actually helping the unemployed, not ensuring their despair."

Source: CA GOP

CRP "California Speaks Out" Tour Presents First-Ever High School Town Hall

SACRAMENTO — The California Republican Party's "California Speaks Out" Tour resumes Tuesday in Lafayette with its first-ever town hall for high school students, part of its groundbreaking interactive town hall series that talks with people where they live, in terms they understand. This tour stop is designed to bring tomorrow’s leaders from all political views together to connect with them on a personal level and discuss the issues that affect their lives and their futures.

 

The town hall, which is free and open to the public, begins at 7:00PM Tuesday night at the Lafayette Veterans Memorial Building, 3780 Mt. Diablo Blvd. in Lafayette, and is hosted by CRP Chairman Tom Del Beccaro. The event is co-hosted by KSFO-AM morning radio show host Brian Sussman and will feature Contra Costa County Supervisor Mary Piepho, UC Berkeley College Republicans President Shawn Lewis, and Ivy Allen from the Monte Vista High School Republican Club. 

 

"We’re keeping our promise to engage new communities and give a voice to people who haven’t had the opportunity to connect directly with Republican leaders," said CRP Chairman Tom Del Beccaro. "Reaching out to high school students through town hall events like this, no matter what their political background, is just the beginning of what we hope will be a lifelong interest in the civic process."

 

The CRP’s first-ever high school town hall event is co-sponsored by the Monte Vista High School Republicans, the UC Berkeley College Republicans, St. Mary’s College Republicans, the East Bay Young Republicans, and the Contra Costa County Republican Party. RSVP is required to highschool@cagop.org.

 

For more information on the "California Speaks Out" Tour, contact the California Republican Party at 916-448-9496.

CRP Chairman's Statement Regarding Obama's $1.5 Trillion Tax Hike

SACRAMENTO, CA – CRP Chairman Tom Del Beccaro today issued the following statement regarding the President’s latest tax hike proposal on job creators:

"Obama still doesn't understand that the key to increasing revenues is through growing the economy. His program of higher regulations and taxes increases economic risk, reduces economic growth and therefore decreases revenues. Republicans certainly support corporate tax code simplification accompanied by lower rates.  The only question is why Obama doesn't apply that same reasoning to the personal income tax code."

Source: CA GOP