The State Controller has released a chart showing how many people were laid off today by the Governor.

The chart shows the three categories of employees, the department or agency they work for and the county in which they work.

Ventura County has 411 layoffs, of which 194 are in the Parks and Recreation department. This could affect our fire fighting ability.

To see the chart go here.

Oh, the State Controller made it clear that the grounds the Governor is using, no money, is not true. Controller Chiang said he had enough money to pay the employees through August, then he would issue "RAW's"--Revenue Anticipation Warrants--after that. So, what will the $6.55 per hour attorneys use in the lawsuits to defend the Governors actions?

It is now the 31st day without a California State budget. That is a good thing. That means the $10 billion in tax increases and theft of money from 43 State Trust Funds, has not happened yet.

But we do have progress. Attorneys, doctors and janitor are now getting paid the same, $6.55 per hour--just like Cuba, everyone is equal. You can expect that the Governor and the State of California will be sued. Arnold will have to depend on attorneys being paid $6.55 per hour to defend his actions. You can bet the attorneys representing the unions will be paid more. You can bet the attorneys representing the Federal government for the violation of federal wage laws get paid more.

You can bet that the attorneys for the State of California, suing the Governor for violation of State wage laws, though being paid $6.55 per hour, have a great incentive to beat the Governor.

Over that next day or so, we will know how the Guv's laying off of part time, temporary, workers will affect agencies. The first to report is the DMV. They will lose 1300, people or 15% of their employees.

Regardless, a court has determined that Medical reimbursements can go down 10%. The cuts are beginning. The fiscal health of California is melting down. Unless spending is decreased, we will fall further. But, if I wanted to destroy the State on the "fast track" I would follow Perata and friends into higher taxes, higher fees, more job killing regulations and the theft of money from 43 Trust Funds. Why are we paying into those funds if they were not needed. Is Perata telling us that we are putting too much money into these Trust Funds--that is how it appears.

The Democrats need to finish the budget now, before more incompetence and corruption is exposed.

Here is a very disturbing article about the direction of the Global Warming religion.

In Britain and Canada efforts are underway to force children to turn their parents into government for the "crime" of leaving on a light bulb or washing clothes at the wrong time of day or week.

We already have California government outlawing gas lawn mowers, BBQ's and independent truckers workers at ports. Many products and services have been outlawed by government.

But this, having children turn in their parents, that is what they did in Nazi German.

Read the article, we now know what they are going after next...please do not laugh--the Al Gore sycophants are looking at making refrigerators illegal. I have written for years that Gore and friends are Luddites, this is more evidence.

See the story here.

First to blink and back down on the game of chicken was the ethically challenged Senate Democrat Leader Don Perata. He announced that he would NOT demand a Senate vote on Tuesday on a non existent budget.

That was followed by the announcement by the Guv''s press people that he would NOT sign an Executive Order to cut 22,000 workers and pare back pay to Federal minimum wage for janitors and doctors alike. Now he says he will sign the order on Thursday. Of course, since pay is done by the State Controllers office, the EO has no legal value, but is a nice statement of intent.

Perata was 100% correct. Arnold was only 50% right.

Arnold was right in not killing a tree to sign an Executive Order that can not be enforced, just as his "the end of all deficits" ballot measure Prop. 58 can not be enforced.

He is wrong in not laying off the 22,000 temporary and retired personnel still working for the State government. This also means he is NOT mandating a hard freeze on hiring--which means from July 1 to July 31 the State will gain 1700 NEW employees! From August 1 to August 31 we get another 1700 NEW State employees.

Through all this only the unions and special interests care. In fact, the Guv announced a grant of $37 million to education at the end of last week--not bad for folks who lied about firing 20,000 teachers.

Then you had the BIG lie from the ethically challenged Don Perata. Remember last week Perata announced that he would not take a dime from bond measures to cover the deficit he caused.

Now we know that his version of the budget "borrows" from 43 Trust Funds run by the State. He is using the Trust Funds as slush funds to cover his out of control spending habits. This man needs help. If indicted, maybe he will use diminished capacity as his defense?

Still, it is 28 days without a balanced budget. Dems still want taxes and Reps still want fiscal responsibility. The Perata vote is off, though he still plans on taking money from trust Funds. the Guv, so far, has backed down on cutting wages and jobs.

In the real world the Dodgers are still not consistent, the Lakers are looking good for the new season, roads are packed, prices are high and Sacramento is still operating like a Third World nation. Real people don't pay attention, they are living their lives.

The State Senate is going to "vote" on a budget this Tuesday--of course no budget has been agreed on by the legislative leaders or the Governor. But the ethically challenged Democrat Senate Leader, Don Perata, will hold a vote anyway.

The politicians are continuing their game of chicken. The Democrats demand higher taxes and the Republicans demand a balanced budget.

In all of this the Governor is showing his flair for the dramatic--cutting wages for janitors, doctors and attorneys to minimum wage. He wants to sell or lease the lottery, sell State assets, he is a man of action. The Democrats just want more money and the Republicans just want fiscal responsibility.

Until we feel some pain, until we determine this game must end we will not have a budget. That may be a good thing. A $3 billion budget increase demanded by Perata, along with a $10 billion tax increase will only make things worse. It will make the poor even poorer and the middle class looking for the phone number of U-Haul.

In five years the budget has increased by 44%, do you think that is too much or not enough?

This could be the week the budget is finalized. But at what cost to the families of Ventura County?

It is amazing. Would the Democrats be upset and spend lots of money on congressional hearings if only one illegal alien was found at a meat packing plant?

Yet, 400 were found at one location, working for one firm, they get arrested and will soon be deported. Oh, did I mention that not only did the 400 sneak into the nation, they were also charged with identity theft and Social Security fraud. These are NOT nice people, they are criminals.

Yet, the Democrats are more upset that law enforcement did its job rather than the corruption and criminals acts of the illegal aliens.

This upset the Democrats, from the Ventura Star article, ""This looks and feels like a cattle auction, not a criminal prosecution in the United States," said Rep. Zoe Lofgren, D-Calif., a former immigration lawyer and chair of the House Judiciary subcommittee on immigration."

She calls a mass collection of law breakers a "cattle call". How ignorant. Instead of congratulating law enforcement on doing a good job, she harasses the leadership of ICE for doing their jobs. Maybe the Democrats should present a bill and put a cap on the number of illegal aliens at one time, in one location that can be found? .

If Lofgren was doing her job she would hold hearing on why the corporation hired so many illegal aliens. She would ask how much do these criminals cost honest Americans. She could question how so many in one location can break so many laws? That would be responsible.

Would the Democrat Congresswoman suggest that only one illegal alien be arrested and that the other 399 be let go because there were too many of them?

Lofgren should be glad that one raid gave us so many illegal aliens.

What I would like to see is an analysis of the cost of the 400 illegal aliens--health care, education welfare, lower wages, housing, etc.

The Democrats prefer open borders and law breakers holding jobs that belong to honest citizens. Do you agree? Or what other excuse would you give for the holding the hearing and calling the raid a "cattle call"?

Earlier tonight more than 150 real people, honest citizens who want to live in a clean and safe community, met in Camarillo.

They have formed a group, Prison Hospital Action Committee, to stop the imposition of a hospital for criminals plopped down about 2000 feet from homes. They have filed for a 501 (c) 4, are in the midst of raising big dollars--$400,000 for a start. And are looking to hire an attorney to file a lawsuit...that is where the money will go.

It was also announced by the leader of the group, Kathi Miller, that the City of Camarillo has hired an environmental consultant, and will allow the consultant to "share" information with them and their attorneys. They have a web site, it is www.phac.org

As many know last week Assemblywoman Strickland, District Attorney Totten and Supervisor Kathy Long met with The Czar, Clark Kelso. Kelso believes he is has the authority to ignore all environmental laws and cam directly take money from the State treasury, without any over site. His predecessor, Robert Sillen, gave medical professionals working in prison hospitals a major pay raise, without a vote of the legislature or approval by an elected official. That pay increase was so much that private facilities started have problems keeping employees. Also, medical people inside government, but not in the prison system, demanded equal pay--hundreds of millions has been lostbyo the taxpayers so far in just that one move by a Prison Czar.

Here is a complete report about the status of the prison from Assemblywoman Audra Strickland.

Note that Kelso truly has little concern for the safety of our county. He is considering forcing local hospitals, yes forcing them, to build special wings to take care of the surgical needs of the criminals. They will be surgically treated in the same hospitals, per the demand of the Czar, that woman will have babies and your children will have their broken limbs fixed.

Please also note that he seems not to have made provisions for hospitals that refuse to build new wings--nor does he seem to have told the hospitals he (I mean the taxpayers) will pay for the new facilities he is going to demand. And, he does not say he would pay for the added law enforcement needed in Ventura County due to the criminals he is bringing here and the families or the criminals, many of them gangsters as well.

Well, read the actions he will take and the powers to destroy a whole country he believes he has, and you will see that the Federal Judge did NOT appoint a "Monitor", he appointed a King...and not a benevolent one.

From Assemblywoman Audra Strickland:

Thank you for taking the time to contact me regarding the possible conversion of the Ventura County Youth Correctional Facility into a maximum-level security medical and mental health prison facility.

As always, it is an honor to represent you in the Assembly.

Sincerely,

Audra Strickland

Unions, so far, have donated a total of $97,000 of the money raised by Hannah Jackson for State Senate. One of the unions, the SEIU,gave $7200 on May 22, 2008.

For those that do not know the union, it is actively recruiting illegal aliens as members. In other words, money donated by the SEIU includes money from dues from the illegal aliens to Hannah Jackson. In this YouTube, it shows an official of SEIU proudly proclaiming the recruitment of illegal aliens into the SEIU.

The SEIU supports drivers licenses for illegal aliens, benefits for them, and jobs. The fact they are openly and aggressively recruiting illegal aliens as members shows the values of this union. Now, this union is donating money to Hannah Jackson.

Do you think she should give the money back and refuse to take any more money from the SEIU? Do you think she should be supportive of businesses or unions that promote the hiring of illegal aliens? Do you think she will openly oppose the SEIU?

State campaign finance laws states that foreign nationals may not donate to candidates for office. Yet, the SEIU is taking dues money from illegal aliens, knowingly. Are part of the dues going to the SEIU political fund? If so, doesn't that show that foreign nationals are therefore donating to political candidates like Hannah Jackson?

What else do we know about the SEIU, the "donor" of $7200 to Jackson?

From a web site, SEIU Exposed you will find this:

SEIU members in Los Angeles were victimized by one of the most appalling cases of union corruption in recent history.

Members saw their money illegally used to support the city council race of Martin Ludlow. Ludlow was sentenced for conspiracy to illegally funnel money from SEIU Local 99 to his campaign and ordered to pay $36,000 in restitution........

In the same scandal, former SEIU head Janett Humprhies collaborated with Ludlow to use union funds to pay the salaries of six union employees working on his campaign.

Other recent scandals include:

* In June 2006, the National Labor Relations Board found that SEIU interfered with the free choice of employees by illegally making promises to wave initiation fees - much like the union accuses employers of making promises to employees during union drives.
* In June 2006, a federal judge ordered SEIU Local 1000 to pay $37,000 as punishment for failing to give members adequate information about how the union was spending employees' agency fees (which are forced payments from employees who do not wish to union members).

Question: Should any candidate that receives funds from the SEIU return the donation? Would you?

If money going to political parties from energy and tobacco companies can be questioned, shouldn't money from the SEIU also be questioned?

One thing drives me crazy about elected officials. Just one.

A issue comes up in the legislature or in the community, you ask them their position. The answer you get is a bunch of "weasel words". They are not sure not, need to consider the totality of the issue, want to hear all sides, not sure of all the facts, need to wait to the final wording before they can say for sure--you get the point.

The prison Czar, Clark Kelso, unelected to anything, not appointed to anything by any California official, has told the people of Camarillo and Ventura County he is going to bring 1500 criminals to our community, and we have no say in this.

Today, Assemblywoman Audra Strickland made her position clear in the Star. The title of the piece leaves no doubt she opposes it, "Prison facility doesn't belong in Camarillo"

Former Senator Cathie Wright was like that as well. She was always willing to be direct, even when she disagreed with you. I was a strong supporter of hers. But on occasion we had differences on public policy. But at least she was honest enough to look you in the eye and tell you, instead of using "weasel words" like many of her colleagues.

Leaders tell you where they stand on issues and concerns. I look forward to other office holders to come out publicly on the prison issue.

Do you want your elected officials to tell you directly, or do are you willing to accept "weasel words"?

Edison did not complain about the darkness, he did something about it.

Ford did not complain about the lack of affordable cars, he did something about it.

Newt Gingrich is not complaining about the high cost of gas, he is telling us how to lower it.

It is currently illegal, per Congress, to get oil from the oil shale in Montana. There is THREE times the amount of oil in the shale of Montana than there is in Saudi Arabia. But Congress says we can't use it.

Brazil just found 80 BILLION barrels of oil off their coast--but it is illegal, per Congress, to get oil from the Gulf of Mexico, the Atlantic or Pacific--though Cuba is now getting oil off of Florida--where they can drill, but U.S. companies are outlawed from drilling.

See this YouTube showing how gas prices can be lowered, almost over night.

Well, it hit the fan in Sacramento today. Earlier today i wrote about the proposal to take $200 million from early childhood education to cover a portion of the massive deficit.

The Democrat leadership scheme to borrow money from education, transportation and other "trust" funds became public. The leadership, Perata, Bass and company realized it would hit the fan.

First, Senator Don Perata, the most investigated member of the legislation, and Democrat Senate leader, sent out a press release, IMPLYING that borrowing was off the table. But as an article in the Capitol Alert notes, he didn't really take borrowing off the table. All he said was that it would not be a major part of the solution to the deficit. His plan was to borrow about $3 billion. So that is only 20% of the $15 billion deficit.

The article said, "The Perata statement issued Friday, however, did not rule out borrowing finding its way into a final budget. The statement reiterated that the Democrats' priority is to find a more permanent solution to the state's structural budget problems."

Then Democrat Speaker Karen Bass needed to be heard. She too opposed borrowing as the main method of solving the deficit problem.

Even though Perata and Bass killed trees to tell us borrowing is not the best idea to cover their deficit, be careful. Borrowing is STILL on the table. No fund for education, health care, roads or the environment is safe while this legislature is in session.

This is as slow as the Democrats can go. On one hand they are screaming that we are cutting needed services and education opportunities for children because the Republican will not raise taxes (and take away money from families).

Now it is reported that the Democrats want to take money from cities, counties and transportation to cover the budget. But deep in the proposal reported in the LA Times is this:

"Officials involved in the confidential budget negotiations, who agreed to speak on condition of anonymity, said lawmakers also were looking to borrow $200 million voters set aside for early childhood education programs through 1998's Proposition 10."

I expect immediate denunciations of this proposal by Democrat Jack O'Connell, Karen Bass, Don Perata, the PTA, the teachers unions and the complete education establishment. Or do they believe we have too much money being spent on early childhood education?

They can not be pleading for more education funds yet allow this money the people voted for, to be used to cover an out of control Sacramento.

What do you think? Is this a good idea or are those running Sacramento in such trouble they are willing to take money from the education of little children?

Democrat Speaker Karen Bass wants to create a tax on candy--to pay for foster care programs

Democrat Assemblyman Jim Beall wants another tax on beer--to pay for alcoholism programs.

Democrats seem to have determined that targeted taxes is the way to go--and leave the General Fund for generalized spending where they have not figured out a special tax to pay for their special interest programs.

The Governor would like to "lease" the Lottery revenues. Read the fine print, if the revenues do not meet the repayment schedule, then the General Fund must pay This means money meant for education, health care, roads and public safety must be taken off the top to pay the Wall Street bond holders..

Then you have the Prison Czar, Clark Kelso, who believes he has the right to just take $15 billion, off the top, from the State treasury to make criminals more comfortable

In total, the Democrat want $9.6 billion in new taxes to cover the $15.2 billion deficit. Then they want to take money meant for cities and counties, $3 billion worth, and give it to education, then use education money, $3 billion to cover the deficit. Then the Democrats want $2 billion taken from various trust funds to cover the deficit.

And, in an instant, we have the $15.2 billion deficit covered!!! Of course we will have higher taxes, fewer services, cities and counties will either have to raise taxes or cut services...but the Democrats will have covered the deficit, for this year.

Then next year, we start with a $10 billion deficit, how will they cover that?

No, I am not upset the legislators have gone home without a budget.

The families and jobs of California could not afford it, if we DID have a budget.

Now you know why the Auto Club is sending 900 jobs to Arizona, they can not afford the taxes and regulations of California.

California is melting down, and it is not because of Global Warming.

A McDoanlds franchisee, with 11 shops in Nevada has been fined a million dollars for hiring illegal aliens. This is a good warning to other businesses that hire illegal aliens.

Even better the person responsible may go to jail for five years. This should give pause to those who hire illegal aliens.

From the article, "And the former vice president of Mack Associates pleaded guilty to inducing an illegal alien to remain in the United States and faces a possible sentence of up to five years in prison and a 250,000 dollar fine."

This is what it takes, get the employers who knowingly hire illegal aliens.

What do you think?

Escondido, in San Diego County has begun cracking down, again, on illegal aliens.

This is a growing movement by honest citizens in an effort to maintain the Rule of Law. Escondido is working to make sure the conditions for illegal aliens are stopped--loitering, trespassing, supporting illegal aliens by allowing hiring areas and so called "day-labor" centers.

Santa Clarita has a law, created by Assemblyman Cameron Smythe when he was a city council member, that mandates any vendor to the City of Santa Clarita caught hiring illegal aliens automatically loses their city contract.

Costa Mesa checks the residency status of all prisoners.

Looks like the fight against law breakers is coming down to a city by city effort.

We all know areas of communities in Ventura County where illegal aliens hang out, looking for jobs.

The Federal government has a program, E-Verify, that can check on the residency status of potential employees. Do the government agencies in Ventura County use this? They should. Each city and the County should demand, like Santa Clarita, that all vendors show their employees have the legal right to work in the United States or lose their government contracts.

You can also ask your local fast food joint, coffee house or retail store if they use e-Verify.

Government needs to be the role model for its citizens. if government does not verify resident status, why should we expect private businesses? California has possibly 3,000,000 illegal aliens. Hospitals have been closed when they could no longer afford free health care for illegal aliens. Our prisons are over crowded due to approximately 45,000--of the 170,000 prisoners, being illegal aliens.

Escondido is doing its small part--will Simi Valley, Ventura, Oxnard do their part? What do you think? Open the borders or support the Rule of Law?

Let us get real. Clark Kelso wants to put a prison in Camarillo. Yes, the criminals might have an ailment, it is still a prison, for 1500 of society's worst.

The story in the Star today shows a growing opposition to the Kelso Prison

People are organizing in opposition to this being put in our community. On July 24 there will be another meeting at the Sterling Hills Golf Course in Camarillo, 6:30pm. I will be attending to see if this is a real movement.

Please note that so far not a single elected official or candidate has stated their SUPPORT for the Kelso Prison. Nor has any group formed in support of this new prison for 1500 criminals.

If such a group is formed, I will attend their meetings as well.

Since our political leaders need the voice of the people in order for the needs of the community to be met, the size of the opposition is important. Also, politicians understand it when no one comes out in favor of such moves. In politics size does matter.

As we get closer to November, it will be important that we demand every candidate to take a position on the Kelso Prison in Camarillo. Though I am not a candidate for anything, allow me to be clear. Kelso is abusing our tax dollars, creating safety problems for the families of Ventura County and is arrogant. I am opposed to his plan. Are you?

Clark Kelso is the court appointed prison monitor. And, like hallway monitors in school is a sneak, bully and a tattletale--in his case he does not like elected officials telling the truth to their constituents.

Kelso is the man who demanded the legislature give him $7 billion. He also refused to tell them how he was going to spend it. Democrats and Republicans were united, if you are embarrassed to tell us how you will spend $7 billion then we can not give it to you.

Then he demanded the Governor take the money from the State Treasury, and give it to him. The governor said no.

They Kelso sued the State Controller, so he can get the money. The Democrat State Controller said the Treasury has NO money. In fact, it is borrowing money to keep the State afloat.

Now this man is upset that an elected official, Assemblywoman Audra Strickland, told her constituents the "secret" plan. When you are spending billions of tax dollars, without a single elected official or voter approval, there are no secret plans. I am proud of Audra Strickland for speaking out and telling the truth, something Kelso apparently is afraid of hearing. Unlike Kelso she does not believe government should operate in back rooms, with secret deals to spend billions of our dollars.

Now, this guy, without hearings, a vote, decision, signed an agreement to spend $2.5 billion of your money, even though it does not exist.

Tuesday he will finally meet with a few Ventura County elected officials to tell them of his plans. But note in the article in the Star today, he says, "He said he has already talked with local hospital executives who looked favorably upon the idea."

In other words he has told private citizens his plans, but not our elected officials. When Assemblywoman Strickland held a public hearing on this proposal Kelso refused to attend and refused to allow any of his people to attend.

This is a man with a problem. He demands money, he commits to spending money and he decided on massive changes to communities, all by himself. He is either too brilliant for this world or a man in need of help. Sadly, the people of California will pay for his one man band.

What do you think? Should the people of Ventura County have a say in this matter? Should voters and elected officials determine if $7 billion should be spent, or just one man?

The Sacramento Bee, just 30 minutes ago, reported that the GOP nominee for the 19th State Senate seat, received a $595,000 donation from the California Republican Party. This, after he reported raising more than $1,000,000 before June 30.

Most observers believe this may be the first $10 million race in Ventura county history.

It has noted noted by others that Strickland has also built a powerful grassroots operation that has been walking precincts for several months.

Over the coming weeks "Frankly Speaking" will ask the candidates for State Senate their positions on issues important to the people of the 19th. Each candidate will be challenged to give their position on tax increases, budgeting, quality of life, the environment, public safety, illegal aliens. You will get a direct answer or you will get their refusal to answer--in their own words. They will not be allowed a "no-answer answer", they will give their positions.

The donation of $595,000 is a strong statement that Tony Strickland will be well funded. Along with his grass roots efforts, this district should stay in the GOP column.

The Star ran a little story about a gang fight in Ojai--and it might be gang related. It is obvious from the story it IS a gang fight.

Gangs are a serious problem throughout Ventura County. Now they are in Ojai. We do have gang task forces in the County. But is that enough. LA County last week had a gang sweep in the North part of the San Fernando Valley. A couple of days ago law enforcement swept a gang in Compton.

This would be good for our county as well. Weekly sweeps of gangs, make them nervous. Pick them up for talking on their cell pones while driving, lack of seat belt, or suspicion of the latest murder.

It is time to harass the gangs, to stop them from harassing honest citizens.

What do you think is the answer.

Since July 1 it has been illegal to drive while talking on your cell phone, IF you do not use a wireless device.

It is NOT illegal to talk on the phone if you use blutooth or a headset. It is NOT illegal to eat, drink coffee, smoke a cigar, while driving. You can discipline your children while driving and you can dry your nails while driving.

In fact, North Carolina has had this law for a year and has shown no difference in the accident rate.

What this law is really about, as Cuba Gooding would say is , "Follow the money".

A ticket costs $20, to start. In Riverside County the real cost of a first ticket is $76 and a second is $190.

Plus Blutooth has government forcing people to buy its product and pay sales tax. This is a win-win for government revenues and a lose for honesty in government.

Some might know that the money spent on recycling of bottles is actually a slush fund for the State to cover up a portion of the deficit or pay for programs." to do bad things to the public. Usually these bad things cost us money.

Why didn't the State tell us that they wanted the ticket money to cover State and local programs, instead of claiming this was a good government move?

A couple of years ago we were told we needed to raise the cost of recycling each bottle, for recycling. Instead, so far $350 million, and growing, has been used for other purposes, like covering up a deficit.

It appears that a major goal of Sacramento was not your safety, but to make money for government to spend.

Left or right, Republican, Decline to State or Democrat, does anybody truly trust government? Does anybody really believe government has your best interests in mind?

Government gives us "good reasons" for its actions. Too bad they are not always honest reasons.

The state of California has a policy, demanding local communities not to build homes without adding "affordable" housing. In most cases, affordable housing becomes ghettos and slums--just look at Los Angeles, New York, Chicago and other government mandated housing.

There are three side affects to government mandated "affordable housing".

1. Property tax revenues do not go up as expected, hence money to finance needed services like fire protection, schools and public safety go down. In other words taxes must go up to make up for the lost revenues.

2. Areas of affordable housing have higher social and government costs. More crime, more needed governemnt services, more drugs, more health care problems.

3. By creating "affordable housing" by government mandate, the cost of non-covered housing goes up, making the rest of the community poorer.

The City of Santa Paul is now being harassed into poverty, by the State of California. Should the City Council, or the people by a vote, promote "affordable housing, they need to know they are promoting higher housing costs for themselves and their children, more crime and higher taxes (or less services)

As my Economics I teacher taught, "Government is the leak in the economic garden hose."

Government does not produce, it consumes. In this case it will consume more of your hard earned money to make up for the revenues it is losing and the cost of the higher amount of services needed by its policy.

At some point local government needs to say to the State, "you provide us with the lost revenues, you provide real home buyers or apartment renters with a credit for the higher costs you cause, BEFORE we implement your policies. You broke it, you pay for it".

In the end, we as voters are responsible for costly State policies. We vote for legislators that vote for such costly policies--on the basis of "we need to do something". Well intentioned, but harmful to the community.

Santa Paula is just the latest victim of liberalism of Sacramento.

What do you think?

There is more than one way for the State of California to take money from hard working families. It can raise taxes and fees on the State level. It can also cut back funding on mandated programs and force cities and counties to raise taxes for their residents.

For the State of California and the out of control Democrats running Sacramento, this is the best answer. Get others to do your dirty work. Then the Sacto Democrats will not have to take responsibility for the increases.

In the last couple of years the State has paid over $1,000,000,000 in fines to the Feds for incompetent and illegal management of Federal tax dollars. The voters passed a bond issue for affordable housing but is planning to give a billionaire in downtown LA tens of millions of dollars for a condo project for the very rich.

LAUSD knowingly builds one high school for $400 million, on top of a cancer producing methane field and another high school, for the arts for $260 million--this is downtown LA, which means the 1,000 students will be forced to drive or use government transportation to attend.

Note that the money given by the State to LAUSD should have gone to local districts, like Simi, Ojai, Ventura. Our children are being shortchanged by the corruption and incompetence of LAUSD.

In 2006 the voters agreed to a water bond. Yet the "leaders" in the Capitol voted to use part of the money to build motels in Lake Tahoe and an aquarium in Fresno.

State government has more than enough money. It is the incompetence and corruption of the system that is the problem.

The more money you give government, the more it has to play with. In five years the State budget has grown by 40%. Think you got your monies worth?

Enough said.

In the face of all this the city councils of Oxnard and Port Hueneme have decided to put increased sales taxes on the November 4th ballot. Instead, the city councils should be demanding the money owed to them by the State. They should be screaming to their citizens that Sacramento is wasting their money, abusing the families and businesses of the community.

Government has enough money, at all levels. What it has is a deficit of honesty, common sense and priorities. We give them bond money and they abuse it. The taxpayers give it money for education and the State allows LAUSD to waste it.

We have an important State Senate race in November. One candidate, Tony Strickland, as an Assembly member, consistently voted for tax cuts, honesty in government and limiting the spending of the State. He opposed deficit spending.

The Democrat candidate, Hannah Beth Jackson, was also consistent. She always voted for tax increases, more government spending and believed that government, not people can solve the problems of the community. She promoted deficit spending.

This is as clear cut an election as we have had. This election will decide whether the people of the 19th Senate District support bigger government, higher taxes and less money for families or do they believe they can make decisions for themselves?

As the voters of Oxnard and Port Hueneme vote in November, they need to think about the next time government runs out of money. Will the city councils ask for more money from families or demand more responsibility from State government?

One way to cause the value of housing to go up is to limit the supply of housing. Hence, existing housing will have more people going after fewer homes. That is basic Economics I, a class that radicals seldom take. They prefer emotion and ideology to the needs of families and community.

The Star ran a story today noting that the anti-freedom initiative to limit housing has qualified for the November ballot.

By limiting housing, communities also limit families for schools (declining enrollment), have higher housing costs (meaning fewer children in schools) and limits sales tax revenues for the community.

All in all, artificial limits on housing supply is a bad idea. Hurts families, jobs, city revenues.

The people of Fillmore will have a chance in November to close their town, in a small step. In the end, these laws, which raise housing costs, squeeze out the middle class. Just look at San Francisco.,

Totalitarian nations tell people where they are allowed to live. By raising the cost of housing Fillmore will be telling future residents be rich or don't bother looking.

The free market sets prices based on need. Housing limits set prices based on greed of those already in a community. The only winners are those that already own homes in Fillmore. The value of their homes, over time, will grow. Of course, at some point the costs will be so high their children will be forced to live elsewhere..

Artificial limits harm everybody. But Luddites do not care. They want their way and throw a tantrum if they do not get it.

Now the people of Fillmore have a chance to tell the Luddites and ideologues they prefer freedom to raising housing costs.

Come November we will know if a majority of Fillmore residents passed Economic I.

What do you think?