That’s  a headline that would reach and and grab you over your oatmeal, wouldn’t it? It certainly caught my attention yesterday. Here’s a new program (4 actually) designed to help homeowners avoid foreclosure  and the Department of Treasury has just approved $700 Million of those old leftover TARP funds just for us in California. The article went on to say it’s to help:

• unemployed homeowners in danger of defaulting on their loans (lenders must match federal funds)
• borrowers who are a little behind on their mortgage but could catch up with a little help (lenders must match)
• reduction in principle for borrowers needing it to avoid foreclosure (lenders must match)
• transition assistance for families who can’t afford to keep their home.

I guess if I had any faith in any program the government was trying to foist on us right now this sounds like it has possibilities. I mean, who knew there was still a spare $700 million in TARP funds laying around for just one state over a year into the program. That program, along with all the other great unveilings like HAFA, HARP, HAMP, etc, have been such resounding successes you’d have thought the money would already have been used up to stimulate the economy. At least the Administration will tell you that’s why our jobs & housing market are roaring along so robustly right now.

Of course I don’t have much faith in anything the government is doing right now and wish they’s simply get the hell out of the housing business. This is no different. CalHFA’s Keep You Home Program plans to use the money to develop those four programs, oh, out around November 1. When? People are hurting TODAY. The money is available TODAY. The programs may be available in 4 months?  Well, yeah. There’s that government sense of urgency thing.

And that’s assuming they can get the lenders to match up to $700 million in order for homeowners to qualify. You think lenders in California are gonna just pony up another $700 million? Wasn’t TARP supposed to go to lenders to begin with?

Oh well, don’t hold your breath. Even the CalHFA spokeshole cautioned people not to get their hopes up. “We recommend that if homeowners are currently having financial difficulties, they do not wait for these programs.” They should contact lenders and HUD counselors to see if they can make use of one of the other worthless programs being touted by the administration or get screwed over by a loan mod or short sale scam artist. He also had no additional advice for those that have already been hosed by lenders and counselors and need assistance before the programs might start. He encouraged people to visit their website http://keepyourhomecalifornia.com/. Here you can find out about how close you came to actually getting assistance including a great quote from our Governor about the new future program “The new funding announced today will play a vital role in aiding the state’s neediest homeowners. Blah, blah blah blah blah KawLeeForKneeya.”

Read beyond the headlines folks. There’s no free lunch, the check is in the mail and we’re from the government and we’re here to help you – provided you can hang on until November.

The California Department of Veteran Affairs (CalVet) is looking for feedback from Californians who have served in the armed forces, including family members or anyone interested in veterans services.

The State of California is trying to prioritize its efforts in addressing the needs of veterans living in the state and they have posted a Needs Assessment Survey on-line to get that direction.

To respond simply visit www.calvet.ca.gov or www.veterans.ca.gov and click on the Veterans Needs Assessment link. The survey ends May 15, 2010 so take a moment to help them help you.

Dear California Veteran,

The people of our Golden State are indebted to you for your incredible service and bravery. You and your loved ones have sacrificed much to keep our nation safe, and we thank you for your actions.

But more than just saying thanks, we want to show you how much your service means to us. One way we are doing this is by offering you a new program called Operation Welcome Home. It is a one-stop shop that will help you find jobs, education, housing, health care and much more. This is a great program and one that California is excited and honored to offer to you.

In order to ensure that Operation Welcome Home provides the best services tailored to your needs, we want to hear straight from you, the brave men and women who have served in our armed forces. I have directed the California Department of Veterans Affairs – the agency running Operation Welcome Home – to put together an online survey that will help us know how to better coordinate the numerous services provided at all levels of government. I encourage you and all our veterans, especially combat veterans, to fill out this important survey, which you can find at www.veterans.ca.gov/veterans_assessment.htm. Thank you for taking a few minutes to let us know how we can better serve you.

On behalf of your fellow Californians, I express my gratitude for your courageous work to protect America and the freedoms we hold dear. You have done your job, and now it’s our turn to do ours.

With appreciation and respect,

The goal was simple – bring California’s tax code regarding debt forgiveness – specifically regarding short-sales and foreclosures – into conformity with federal tax code. In Sacramento nothing is simple, folks.

I was on a conference call with CAR Chief Lobbyist Alex Creel yesterday when he broke in to announce that both our Senate and Assembly had rushed a bill through and sent it to the Governor for signature. This was a ‘cleaned-up’ version of a bill the Gov. vetoed a couple weeks ago because it had a bunch of frivolous crap tacked on by Democrats. We didn’t have any specifics on exactly what was in the bill or even who voted for and against because it was essentially introduced yesterday morning and passed within an hour or so in the interest of ‘helping those in distress’.

So last evening I was at a campaign event with Assemblyman Kevin Jeffries and thanked him for getting this bill through since, in concept, it is similar to a bill sponsored by CAR to accomplish the same goal. Kevin said “Don’t thank me – I didn’t vote for it.” Nor did any Republican in the Assembly or Senate for that matter. Here’s why.

The bill does contain the provisions to bring California tax code into conformity with federal tax code regarding the forgiveness of debt for short sale and foreclosure situations as promised. But the other 106 pages contain a number of new and/or increased taxes that everybody else gets to pay. As is customary in Sacramento, all 108 pages of this bill were dropped on Legislators desks and asked for their immediate vote. Republicans called their caucus together to at least give themselves a chance to read the bill (drafted by a Democrat). As they discovered at least 6 new taxes in the bill, they determined they could not, in good conscience, vote for the bill even though it contained the provision badly needed by as many as 87,000 Californians.

How did this happen and how were Democrats able to get new taxes through without the required 2/3 vote? Simple. They called the bill ‘revenue neutral’. In a classic tit-for-tat Democrats said – if you want tax breaks for this classification of people it’s going to cost other segments of the populace. So since, in theory, the bill does not increase taxes across the board, it can pass on a simple majority vote, which the Democrats hold in both our houses.

So the bill allows tax breaks in conformity with federal law set to expire in 2012. But the tax increases go on and on and on. That’s what ‘revenue neutrality’ looks like to the Democrats. The bill is so cumbersome I would challenge anybody to read it and make sense of it in an hour, let alone the few minutes given before the vote. (you can read the bill here)

There is even one provision I know is in the bill and I can’t find it. Republicans referred to it as the ‘kiddie tax’. If you’ve got a minor that earns money by mowing lawns or working fast food or delivering newspapers, they will now be taxed at their parents tax rate, not on the paltry few bucks they earn. Way to encourage our entrepreneurial youth you dim-bulbed bastards. The only good thing to come out of that will be to encourage a whole new generation of pissed-off people who, by the time they reach voting age, will be ready to throw the scoundrels out. Building a Tea Party one (young) businessperson at a time.

So if you have sold your home short in 2009 and will benefit from this new legislation, congratulations. The Association of Realtors has been supportive of this relief all along. But just be aware that your relief comes with an additional tax burden that will be born by the rest of us long after your immediate gratification runs out. Thank Lois Wolk and the Sacramento Democrats for that.

You may recall we were assured by the lying hypocrites that voted for it (21 Democrats. all 15 Republicans and 4 Democrats voted NO) that NO ‘violent criminals’ would be released. At the time the bill was passed I published a partial list of crimes which would either qualify for immediate release, or which were being ‘written down’ in severity to facilitate immediate release.

These include: Gross vehicle manslaughter while intoxicated, Kidnapping, Kidnapping in the commission of car jacking, Assault with the intent to commit rape or other sex crimes, Human trafficking, Sexual battery, Assault with deadly weapons, Rape in concert, Pimping a minor, Aggravated sex crimes on a child, Felony child abuse, Child abuse resulting in death, Female genital mutilation child abuse, Domestic violence, Forcible sodomy, Lewd and lascivious acts on a child, Child pornography, Elder abuse, Burglary, Identity theft, Attempted murder, Crimes against children under 14 and the developmentally disabled, Rape by people who know they have AIDS, Infliction of injury on a pregnant woman (with the intent to do so), & aggravated arson. (list courtesy of Assemblyman Kevin Jeffries, Mushroom Alert, 8/20/2009)

Well that includes a pretty sweet cross-section of our populace, don’t you think?

But here’s something you may not be aware of. The vast majority of people being released are NOT ON PAROLE. That’s right. Pimps, child abusers, rapists, sodomizers, kidnappers and the like are being turned onto the streets – at a time of record high unemployment – with no record being kept as to where they’re released, where they migrate to and nobody keeping track of them!

That’s because according to Gov. Arnie & state correctional officials, dumping this many new parolees into the system would totally overwhelm an already shaky system so the argument went that releasing these convicts without paroled supervision would actually ‘improve public safety by concentrating parole supervision on only the most dangerous felons’. There was a further ‘benefit’ in that if they weren’t on supervised parole there would be fewer of them sent back to prison for parole violations as they could only be sent back to prison for ‘new crimes’. I swear to God I’m not making this up.

The releases started on January 25th, 2010. In less than 24 hours one releasee had already been re-arrested for rape, the crime he was originally imprisoned for. Of the 1,944 convicts released through the end of February, 96 had been in jail on weapons or explosives charges, 120 had been in for stalking, domestic violence and/or child neglect or cruelty, and several had been in for a variety of sex crimes, battery and involuntary manslaughter, arson, soliciting murder and false imprisonment. We can only thank our lucky starts they’ve still got all those 1 joint pot smokers locked up tight.

Well folks, the fun has just started. If you question my veracity, talk to any local police chief. I got a lot of my info from Murrieta Chief Mark Wright. The PD is absolutely thrilled at the prospect of thousands of the ‘non-violent’ convicts descending on our communities at a time when even honest, hard-working people are having trouble finding work. They are released with no notice to the community and no monitoring or supervision whatsoever. Is it any wonder applications to carry firearms has skyrocketed in the past 6 months? It’s gonna be a long, hot summer. Realtors beware – be aware walking neighborhoods, doing open houses. Don’t become a statistic.

The Southwest Riverside County Association of Realtors is pleased to announce that Senate Minority Leader Dennis Hollingsworth (R-Murrieta) will be our honored guest at a June 18th luncheon. Senator Hollingsworth has been a champion of legislation to benefit Southwest California during his tenure as as Assemblyman and more recently as Senator. Over the years he has also carried several bills on behalf of Realtors® and for property rights issues.

Senator Hollingsworth has been a staunch anti-tax crusader, a position that elevated him to his current role as Minority Leader when his predecessor got a little too chummy with the tax-and-spend majority in Sacramento. As presented in numerous posts to this site, Hollingsworth has continued to rail against tax increases and the spending abuses that plague our state. Hollingsworth has led the Republican Caucus in advocating reduced spending and smaller government at a time when state government has expanded at a prodigious rate.

On a personal note, I have also credited Hollingsworth with helping Gov. Arnold find his balls late last year at a time when all seemed lost. Hollingsworth, who shares an affinity for cowboy boots and stogies with the Gov., was often spotted with Arnie in the Governors ’smoking tent’ on the back lawn of the Capitol. It was during this time that Arnold experienced a brief resurgence of the vigor and focus that gave so many hope when he first ascended to the office.

As a former President of the Riverside County Farm Bureau, Hollingsworth has brought a unique knowledge and perspective to his position. He understands the need for conservation and the preservation of property rights. But he also understands the need to balance those needs with infrastructure requirements and job creation. He has lobbied the federal government on the Endangered Species Act and specifically, de-listing the Delta Smelt – the wee beastie that has wrought havoc on our state water supply. He has also led several efforts on behalf of Southwest County as well as the entire state, for more local control of funds, projects and power.

Senator Hollingsworth has also just been confirmed as the Keynote address during CAR’s Legislative Day on June 9th. Delegates from SRCAR and other associations will be meeting privately with the Senator in the afternoon. Attendance at our June 18th event will be limited to those members of our Realtor Action Fund Champions who have invested the ‘True Cost of Doing Business’ prior to June 1, 2010. If you would like to find out more about this event and how to get your name on the guest list for this exclusive opportunity to chat with our Senate Minority Leader, please contact me at GAD@SRCAR.org.

“A similar Senate floor vote planned Thursday would send the bill immediately to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who has repeatedly stated his support. The new bill is similar to one he vetoed March 25. But this time it omits a part he opposed – financial penalties for businesses that routinely seek state tax refunds. Democrats removed the section despite their contention that some firms “fish” for refunds whether or not they’re owed.”

C.A.R. currently is supporting two stand-alone measures, AB 1779 (Niello) and SB 14 (R. Calderon and L. Correa) of the Sixth Extraordinary Session, that would fully conform to the federal rule extending “phantom” income debt forgiveness through December 31, 2012.

I’m gratified to report that late this afternoon, Gov. Schwarzenegger signed Assembly Bill 183, the Homebuyer Tax Credit legislation, into law. His actions today are the result of our efforts in Sacramento over the last several weeks as members and our team in the capital worked for the bill’s passage before it landed on the governor’s desk.

AB 183 will provide $200 million for home buyer tax credits, allocating $100 million for qualified first-time home buyers of existing homes and $100 million for purchasers of new, or previously unoccupied, homes. The eligible taxpayer who purchases a qualified personal residence on and after May 1, 2010, and on or before Dec. 31, 2010, or who purchases a qualified principal residence on and after Dec. 31, 2010, and before Aug. 1, 2011, pursuant to an enforceable contract executed on or before Dec. 31, 2010, will be able to take the allowed tax credit. The credit is equal to the lesser of 5 percent of the purchase price or $10,000, in equal installments over three consecutive years. Under AB 183, purchasers will be required to live in the home for at least two years or forfeit the credit (i.e., repay it to the state).

The positive impact of the federal home buyer tax credit is clear. Nearly 40 percent of first-time home buyers said they would not have purchased a home if the federal tax credit for first-time home buyers was not offered, according to C.A.R. research conducted last year.

The state’s previous home buyer tax credit program was so successful that it ran out of tax credits by the end of June 2009, eight months before it was set to expire and just as housing markets appeared to be turning a corner.  Unlike last year’s legislation, AB 183 adds a tax credit for the purchase of an existing home by a first-time home buyer.

AB 183 will significantly contribute to the effort to stimulate jobs-creation within California’s housing market by helping to incentivize first-time home buyers to purchase homes that have been abandoned, foreclosed upon and returned to the lender, or have been sitting on the market for extended periods of time. It is these homes that will require substantial rehabilitation by the new owners, which will in turn generate a tremendous increase in jobs and accessory purchases connected to home improvement activities.

Your Association’s efforts at the state and federal level to help protect private property rights and your right to conduct business are ongoing. This promises to be another busy year in the state legislature and in Washington, D.C.

If you’re not already involved in the political process, I encourage you to do so. You can go to http://www.car.org/governmentaffairs/getinvolved/ for a quick guide to involvement opportunities at the local, state, and national levels.

Read more: http://www.sacbee.com/2010/03/24/2629239/schwarzenegger-expected-to-sign.html#ixzz0j9gKwH0N

Any questions about why Arnold listens when the CTA speaks? Any questions on why the state continues to hire people and dole out raises while Riverside County unemployment hits 15%?

You’re either at the table or …

Over $1 Billion Spent by 15 Special Interest Groups on Political Campaigns and Lobbying Efforts

Today the Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC), the state’s political watchdog agency, released a new report detailing how 15 wealthy special interests spent more than $1 billion throughout the last ten years in an attempt to shape public policy by influencing California’s voters and public officials.

The report, “Big Money Talks,” details the staggering amounts of money these interest groups spent on candidates, ballot measures and lobbying efforts, since electronic filing went into effect in 2000.  Included in this list are six corporations, three Indian tribes, two labor unions and four business associations.

“This tsunami of special interest spending drowns out the voices of average voters, and intimidates political opponents and elected officials alike,” said FPPC Chairman Ross Johnson.

These five interests are responsible for over half of the $1 billion spent by the top 15:

• California Teachers Association—$211,849,298

• California State Council of Service Employees—$107,467,272
• Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America—$104,912,997
• Morongo Band of Mission Indians—$83,600,438
• Pechanga Band of Luiseño Indians—$69,298,909

“The message from special interests is unmistakable—that they’re willing to spend millions of dollars to protect their narrow interests,” Johnson continued.  “The spending also serves as a warning to officeholders:  ‘Don’t forget, we can use our money to help or hurt you.  Think about it.’”

The complete report is available on the Commission’s website and the list follows.

The Top 15 That Spent $1 Billion to Influence California Voters and Public Officials

1)    California Teachers Association                                                         $   211,849,298

2)    California State Council of Service Employees                                 $   107,467,272

3)    Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America              $   104,912,997

4)    Morongo Band of Mission Indians                                                      $     83,600,438

5)    Pechanga Band of Luiseño Indians                                                    $     69,298,909

6)    Pacific Gas & Electric Company                                                         $     69,240,759

7)    Chevron Corporation                                                                            $     66,257,132

8)    AT&T Inc.                                                                                               $     59,619,677

9)    Philip Morris USA Inc.                                                                          $     50,756,360

10)  Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians                                             $     49,078,448

11)  Southern California Edison                                                                 $     43,412,031

12)  California Hospital Association                                                           $     43,281,456

13)  California Chamber of Commerce                                                      $     39,065,861

14)  Western States Petroleum Association                                              $     35,214,325

15)  Aera Energy LLC                                                                                   $     34,671,163

Total of Top 15 $1,067,726,126

The Next Ten

16)  California Association of Realtors $     33,329,943

17)  California Correctional Peace Officers Association                         $     32,452,083

18)  California School Employees Association                                         $     31,861,749

19)  San Manuel Band of Mission Indians                                                 $     29,747,811

20)  Reynolds American Inc.                                                                       $     29,213,942

21)  Pala Band of Mission Indians                                                              $     24,021,356

22)  United Auburn Indian Community                                                      $     24,019,877

23)  California Medical Association                                                            $     23,064,218

24)  Anthem Blue Cross                                                                               $     21,993,466

25)  Consumer Attorneys of California                                                      $     21,294,921

Total of Next 10                                                                   $270,999,366

GRAND TOTAL OF ALL 25                                   $1,338,725,492

We all came away converts.

First, a few basics. Whitman is richer than God. As the former CEO of eBay, she is a billionaire and she has been spending a bunch of her own money on campaign ads since last year to get her message out. This is in contrast to the other Republican candidate who has done nothing but whine about what Whitman is doing, and Jerry Brown, who finally decided to throw his hat in the ring yesterday and about whom we know too much. I got no problem with her spending her own money because it’s a money game folks, and Jerry Brown’s already got the union money tied up.

Whitman looks better in person than she does on TV (you can’t trust my crappy little cell phone camera). She is poised, well-spoken and confident – she looks and sounds like what you want a political candidate to look and sound like. I know all candidates aspire to that but most come up way short. She sounds sincere because I think she really is sincere – like her TV moto says – ’say what you mean and mean what you say’. She also has a laser focus and is not easily jolted off-message –  which is a talent she will need in order to succeed.

She has three main platform issues and brings every other discussion around to how it relates to her big three:

• Jobs
• Spending
• Education

Whitman points out that jobs are her top priority. Without jobs there is no revenue, there is no recovery, there is no hope. One job killer? Eliminate AB 32 – which drew rousing applause from the house. Next – cut taxes across the board – but not first. First you need to create jobs to get the revenue stream, then you cut taxes to super-charge the momentum of creating more jobs, streamline regulations and make California competitive in the job market again..

Second – cut spending. Judicious and consistent use of the blue-line veto is one avenue she plans to utilize, along with actually reducing the state workforce rather than just reducing the increase. This years budget was ’slashed’ all the way down to $85 Billion. Whitman suggested this is not as draconian as liberals would have you believe since the last time we had an $85 Billion budget was just 6 years ago. 2004 was a pretty good year in California – it’s just that when the money was rolling in SOME people who should have known better figured it would go on forever. She is again promising, as did Arnie, to review the relevancy pf departments, commissions and regulations.

Third – fix education. There’s no reason, given the amount of money we spend per pupil, which is among the highest in the country, that our students should rank where they do nationally, which is among the lowest. Maybe the 40% going to administration instead of students has something to do with it. Maybe tenuring dead wood forever has something to do with it. Maybe rewarding teachers that do a good job might help.

On why she wants to put herself in the position to try to govern a state many are convinced is ungovernable, she is very upbeat. She knows it is a challenge and one that her background uniquely qualifies her to tackle. She cites her real world corporate experience at Disney, Hasbro, Procter & Gamble and, of course, the fact that she took eBay from 30 employees to 15,000. But in addition to the eBay experience, she also credits it with giving her a unique insight into the true job creation engine – small businesses showing how eBay helped create thousands of small businesses and created a cottage industry which she believes could be extended to the entire private sector.

She appears to be going into it with her eyes open – acknowledging the massive economic hurdles, legislative stalemate, union and special interest control, and the myriad of other problems we know exist in Sacramento. But she has a plan to deal with all of them – one at a time. She believes Arnold had the right idea when he started but he decided to tackle all the major issues right up front. He never fully recovered from the shellacking he took from the unions, teachers, nurses etc in the early days.

One thing you may not know – I’ve not seen it written about out here. Whitman is also an avowed conservationist and environmentalist. She recently purchased hundreds of acres around the Alta Mines outside Telluride Colorado, my home town. Previous owners were trying to keep the acreage out of the hands of developers and were encouraged by Whitmans commitment to leaving the land untouched. She also contributed nearly $1.5 million dollars to help the Town of Telluride purchase their Valley Floor a couple years ago – again making sure this land remained a natural asset rather than being heavily developed. If you’ve read my summer vacation posts, you’ve seen the pictures of the Elk herd that roams this land today instead of the condos and estate homes planned by the former owners. Whitman is taking some flack from the extreme enviro’s questioning how she can claim to be an environmentalist while advocating the overturn of AB32. But I think most reasonable people understand that there are true environmentalists on both sides of the political spectrum. They also understand that AB32 really has little to do with saving either the environment or jobs in this state. Whitman understands that.

I didn’t take any notes at the meet & greet – I just wanted to get the flavor of the event, a feel for the candidate. I’ve gotta tell you I was impressed as were my political hack friends. If she only accomplishes 1/4 of what she plans to it will mark a tremendous improvement for California. And look at it this way – our alternative is Jerry Brown. Nuff said.

Want to build windmills to generate electrical power? CEQA compliance will add 6 years to the timetable. Want to put solar collectors out in the middle of the Mojave Desert? Sorry, CEQA says it might disrupt animal migration patterns. Want to add another lane to the I-215? Sorry, you need to re-do all the CEQA stuff you already complied with once even though nothing has changed. Want to build a hospital in Temecula? CEQA will keep you hopping from makework to paperwork in no time at all.

Finally some in our state capitol are growing cajones and saying ‘enough is enough’. We need infrastructure, we need dams and roads and disaster relief and we need JOBS. You’ll note with no great surprise that the Sierra Club bemoans this ‘attack on CEQA’ and ‘developers using the recession as an excuse for rollbacks.’ When the Sierra Club gets into the business of helping create jobs in the state, let me know and I’ll start caring about what they say.

SRCAR has sent a letter to Senator Dennis Hollingsworth in SUPPORT of his bill SB X8-56, outlined below.

State’s main environmental law targeted on broad front in Capitol

#1 – Our illustrious State Senate passed a bill yesterday cracking down on… FREE PARKING. Yeah, you read that right, FREE PARKING. They don’t have enough to do figuring out how to make up a $20+ Billion budget deficit or how to get water to 70% of the state – they’ve got to stick their nose into yet another local issue.

Sen. Alan Lowenthal, a Democrat (there’s a shocker for ya), says there’s just too darn much free parking. It encourages people to drive instead of walking, riding a bike or taking a bus. All that driving caused by free parking is contributing to traffic jams, pollution and, of course, the ever-present bogeyman of global warming. “Free parking has significant social, economic and environmental costs,” according to Lowenthal. “It increases congestion and greenhouse gas emissions.”

Want to decrease greenhouse gas emissions Al? Try shutting your pie-hole. Meanwhile I’ll try to explain to people living in Southwest California why they should be riding their bikes or walking 70 miles to work in your city. (We’ve got no buses.) And why you feel their employers should eliminate free parking if the lazy schmucks do feel the continued need to drive their car to work.

Dumb Ass. And all your Democrat colleagues who voted for this too. Dumb asses.

#2 – Even Obama figured this one out but it’ll apparently take a 2X4 to the side of the head to get the attention of the jack asses in our state senate. One headline in todays paper – datelined Washington DC – ‘Healthcare Bill is on Life Support’. You know it, everybody else in the country knows it… BUT, in an adjacent article datelined Sacramento – ‘California Senate OK’s single payer healthcare plan’. They don’t know it.

Sen Christine Kehoe, a Democrat (there’s another shocker for ya), says “If it’s not to be done at the national level, let’s take the lead in California.” The proposal by Sen. Mark Leno, a Democrat (yet another shocker), establishes a commission (ooooh, we need more of them) and will give them $1 million to decide how to pay for this ‘plan’. Well, what’s another million against the $20+ billion we’re already in the dumper, eh Mark?

Let me put on my ‘Carnac the Magnificent’ hat for a minute a see if I can predict the future. After burning through the initial million, and needing several more before the end of the year, the commission will determine we need to a) increase taxes on the wealthy, and b) increase ‘fees’ on everybody else. The commission will still be draining money from our state budget in 2099.

Republican Sen. George Runner says “This plan is to the left and more radical of what wouldn’t get out of Washington,” A spokeshole for the Gov. sums it up “… they are clearly out of touch with what the voters need and deserve.”

Yeah but I’ll bet they all get re-elected in November. Who’s the dumb asses now?

Let me start with what’s currently coming out of the State Air Resources Board. You know these folks – they’re another of those appointed boards (like the renowned Water Resource Board – more on them later) that apparently don’t answer to anybody and operate without oversight or accountability and exist to, well, let me quote their website on this…

“The Air Resources Board leads the country in working with the public, the business sector, and local governments to protect the public’s health, the economy and the state’s ecological resources through the most cost-effective reduction of air pollution. The Board now employs roughly 1,200 engineers, scientists and attorneys, with an annual operating budget of more than $750 million.”

Apparently they’re not suffering from the states unemployment or budget cuts.

So as a result of AB32, the Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006 (saints preserve us), the ARB has been charged with figuring out all these ways to vastly reduce our emissions by 2020 and beyond so as to save our planet from the politicians that…, no that’s not right. To save us from ourselves is what they’re supposed to do. Last year they came up with an ill-advised ruling which would have shut down most long-haul truckers in the state. Before saner minds over-ruled their lunacy, they did make the accurate point that this would have greatly reduced deadly emissions in this state and, according to a since discredited study, would have saved over 3,500 lives each year.

They currently have a proposal on the table as a result of one paragraph in AB32 which would regulate under-inflated tires. That’s right. This state is $22 Billion in the can, unemployment is 12%+, we can’t get enough water to drink but these clowns have nothing more important to worry about that if your tires are inflated to within 1% of the manufacturers recommended amount and if you used an approved and certified tire gauge to tell you that. Honest. You can read the whole shebang right here.

REGULATION TO REDUCE GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS FROM VEHICLES OPERATING WITH UNDER INFLATED TIRES

Here’s the bottom line – every time you get an auto service (and there’s some debate about whether just stopping for gas might qualify), you would be required, at some undetermined cost, to let the servicer check your tires with an approved tire gauge. If you are under-inflated by as little as one (!) pound per square inch (PSI) under the manufacturers recommendation, they will have to insist that you immediately inflate them to the proper poundage or, if you promise to get it done, you can do it yourself within seven (7) days but then you have to get certified that your tires have been brought into compliance or you face the possibility of fines and/or incarceration.

The servicer also has to maintain all these records for 3 years and make them available to some sub-committee of the ARB or somebody upon request. Yeah. That won’t increase costs at all. I imagine your corner mechanic will be able to readily maintain voluminous & accurate records ready at a moments notice and incorporate that easily into their daily routine.

Yes indeedy – this is serious stuff you damn scofflaws with your under-inflated tires. Your callous disregard for your tire pressure is responsible for putting tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere every day causing at least 3,500 deaths in the state every year. Oops, sorry, that was the last discredited study – but I’m sure it’s valid here.

Well, the good news is we’re in a 15 day public comment period due to expire on January 27, with the proposal scheduled for implementation on July 1. If you feel like making a public comment, you can read what some other folks have written about this winner and post your own comments here: Board Meeting Comments Log.

While you’re there, I would also encourage you to read the bio’s on the members of this board. While there appear to be a couple folks, like Riverside Mayor Ron Loveridge, who have some real-life experience, the board appears to lean heavily to those who have made a career of feeding at the public trough. The current Chair returned in 2007, 30 years after serving as Chair under Moonbeam Brown. She has spent the intervening years  in public and not-for-profit service; with the EPA; as one of California’s ‘first environmental lawyers’ initiating ‘precedent setting test cases under the Federal Clean Air Act; and moving California’s ‘landmark climate change agenda’ ahead. Oh JOY!

Jeez. Is it any wonder much of what comes out of there has little relevance to the everyday lives of people who have to make a living here? And is it any wonder businesses, jobs and regular people are leaving this state by the truckload – with or without appropriately inflated tires? I think not.

Well, that’s just one of 44 different programs the ARB is working on under AB32 to give our lives greater meaning by 2020. I can hardly wait to hear the rest.

Of course that’s just my opinion – I could be wrong.