5-29-2015 Installment of the Game of Thrones! Just a Few of the Partisan Office Revolving Doors

 California Republican Party, California State Government, California Trailblazers, California U.S. Senate Race  Comments Off on 5-29-2015 Installment of the Game of Thrones! Just a Few of the Partisan Office Revolving Doors
May 292015
 

The time honored tradition of termed-out incumbents and other incumbents looking to extend their political lives is upon us!

SD29 – Senate Permanent Minority Leader Bob Huff is Termed out and has picked Ling-Ling Chang, currently in AD55 (in her first term) to replace him. Ling-Ling announced today. Ling-Ling should be a shoo-in and has impressed observers in the capitol suggesting that she will have little trouble raising the resources she needs.

AD55 – the seat vacated by Ling-Ling Chang is going to set off a free-for-all primary.

CA24 – Lois Capps retired, setting up a free-for-all in this dem-leaning seat. Abel Maldonado attempted to beat Capps in 2012 and was trounced. Chris Mitchum won a crowded primary and was ignored by the NRCC, and only lost by about 3 points. This is why Capps retired in 2016 presidential year – higher Dem Turnout makes it more likely that Republican Assemblymember Katcho Achidijian (who is termed out) will have a difficult time winning this seat. Katcho is one of the most liberal Republicans in the Assembly, but is well-liked and is a poster child for “fits the district”.

AD35 – this is the district Katcho is termed out of. True to form, as with the insane Presidential Free-for-all, Republicans disregard the clear the field strategy… including in a marginal district like AD35.

AD68 – Don Wagner is Termed Out. It looks like a mad-rush there as well. My intel shows me that the crazed Deborah Pauly, Tax Raising Stephen Choi, Hide and Seek Harry Sidhu and Conservative Activist Scott Voigts are the contestants there.

AD76 – Moderate Republican Incumbent Rocky Chavez is vetting a run for US Senate. Given that he is struggling to gain traction, he may stay put. I think Chavez would be a good fit for a statewide run, while at the same time I’d prefer a more conservative Republican in a Safe R seat like AD76. (see also fit the district)

Today’s Installment of Bad Bills – Every Year It Gets Worse!

 California State Budget, California State Government  Comments Off on Today’s Installment of Bad Bills – Every Year It Gets Worse!
May 282015
 

SB04 – Medi-Cal for Non-Citizens. Will cost Citizens $740M -$1.2B a year in California. Last time I checked, the state is still in the hole financially?

AB775 – would force Crisis Pregnancy Centers to promote abortion. (If you can force Christian Bakers / Photographers in to “sensitivity training” for not doing gay weddings, then why not force other Christians to offer abortions too?)

SB716 – Would Ban The Use of Commonly Used “Guiding Staffs” in the Training of Elephants! (Don’t these morons have better things to do with the state in turmoil?)

SB128 – Assisted Suicide. With murdering Unborn Children elevated to a sacrament by the left, why not help usher in Euthanasia?

SD151 / SD140 – further restrictions on smoking. Let’s see, legalize dope but restrict tobacco severely… how consistent.

BOUNS – Don’t forget the annual effort to jack up inflation ( I mean minimum wage) and tie that wage to inflation! Brilliant! (who cares what the bill number is, it will be back)

AB465 – takes away option from Employers to require arbitration for employment disputes. This will make lawsuits easier to file.

AB357 – requires TWO WEEKS NOTICE to change an employee’s schedule! This is called communism, telling businesses how to run their business.

… and a brilliant bill mandating Double Pay for employees that work in Thanksgiving or Christmas. It’s author decries consumerism. (aka – her intent is to use government to force California Businesses to close on those days)

ICYMI: Incorporate Olympic Valley Dealt Severe Blow by the Facts. Finances Don’t Work

 LAFCO  Comments Off on ICYMI: Incorporate Olympic Valley Dealt Severe Blow by the Facts. Finances Don’t Work
May 282015
 

Placer County LAFCO released the long-awaited preliminary Comprehensive Financial Analysis (CFA) on the idea of incorporating Olympic Valley.  Suffice to say, the idea of incorporating a town of less than 500 people was dumb before the fiscal report was released on Friday (the start of the three-holiday weekend) and even dumber now.

Dumb and Dumber!

After having a chance to read the report, the idea to incorporate is not only dumb, it’s a complete waste of taxpayer time and money to have county government staff in any capacity spending time on this issue.  Technically, costs associated with working on the incorporation issue are to be reimbursed by the folks pushing incorporation. That man is Dr. Fred Illfeld, a psychology professor who teaches at the University of Nevada, Reno. Typical of hangers on to the system, he is skilled at spending everyone else’s money. Given the way he is wasting his own money, let’s hope we don’t ever experience his fiscal management in government!

Placer County officials on LAFCO, led by chairman Miguel Ucovich, have sufficient data in this report to sack the idea of incorporation. Miguel moved to Loomis in 1982 and was a member of the Loomis Incorporation Committee which formed the Town. He then served 4 years on the Loomis Planning Commission and was elected to the Loomis Town Council in 1998 where has served ever since. I mention this to suggest a possible motive for my friend Miguel to be supporting this effort. (Note that IOV has 1/10 the Population of Loomis!!!)

I have theories on Dr. Illfeld’s real motives to incorporate (which I have expressed), but it’s also likely he wants to be the new town’s mayor or Emperor and less likely a regular city councilman.

None of the Fiscal Scenarios Make Incorporation Work

According to the published fiscal report published by the financial consulting firm, RSG, the proposed town of Olympic Valley would run a deficit over an eight-year period starting July 2016, an estimated date of incorporation.

Ilfeld has promised that incorporation would not trigger tax increases or loss of services. He said as long as the fiscal report showed the town is feasible, he would continue to push for incorporation. Allow your intrepid blogger to help out, DROP IT NOW.

What caught my attention two weeks ago was the fact that Illfeld trying to keep the fiscal analysis secret. He had received an advance copy of the report and knew the numbers didn’t add up. He attended the LAFCO meeting and criticized the report and the staff before it became public! So much for transparency… but let it sink in, first he tried to flush the report and then criticized it before anyone (other than he and his crew) has seen it.

Don’t expect him to give up the cause just yet. With this report in hand, he can now start revenue neutrality negotiations with the county to and try to sweet talk Miguel and county staff into making the finances work.  That would be a big mistake for the rest of us in Placer County. Why waste more money and time when the independent study confirms that creating a town based on one revenue source and dependent on tourism and weather conditions, doesn’t make sense?

Under all scenarios reviewed by the financial expert, incorporation just does not work and worse is a high-risk venture in a bad economy.

 

LAFCO Update: Financial Report Shows The Obvious, It Doesn’t Work!

 LAFCO  Comments Off on LAFCO Update: Financial Report Shows The Obvious, It Doesn’t Work!
May 272015
 

Placer County LAFCO released the long-awaited preliminary Comprehensive Financial Analysis (CFA) on the idea of incorporating Olympic Valley.  Suffice to say, the idea of incorporating a town of less than 500 people was dumb before the fiscal report was released on Friday (the start of the three-holiday weekend) and even dumber now.

Dumb and Dumber!

After having a chance to read the report, the idea to incorporate is not only dumb, it’s a complete waste of taxpayer time and money to have county government staff in any capacity spending time on this issue.  Technically, costs associated with working on the incorporation issue are to be reimbursed by the folks pushing incorporation. That man is Dr. Fred Illfeld, a psychology professor who teaches at the University of Nevada, Reno. Typical of hangers on to the system, he is skilled at spending everyone else’s money. Given the way he is wasting his own money, let’s hope we don’t ever experience his fiscal management in government!

Placer County officials on LAFCO, led by chairman Miguel Ucovich, have sufficient data in this report to sack the idea of incorporation. Miguel moved to Loomis in 1982 and was a member of the Loomis Incorporation Committee which formed the Town. He then served 4 years on the Loomis Planning Commission and was elected to the Loomis Town Council in 1998 where has served ever since. I mention this to suggest a possible motive for my friend Miguel to be supporting this effort. (Note that IOV has 1/10 the Population of Loomis!!!)

I have theories on Dr. Illfeld’s real motives to incorporate (which I have expressed), but it’s also likely he wants to be the new town’s mayor or Emperor and less likely a regular city councilman.

None of the Fiscal Scenarios Make Incorporation Work

According to the published fiscal report published by the financial consulting firm, RSG, the proposed town of Olympic Valley would run a deficit over an eight-year period starting July 2016, an estimated date of incorporation.

Ilfeld has promised that incorporation would not trigger tax increases or loss of services. He said as long as the fiscal report showed the town is feasible, he would continue to push for incorporation. Allow your intrepid blogger to help out, DROP IT NOW.

What caught my attention two weeks ago was the fact that Illfeld trying to keep the fiscal analysis secret. He had received an advance copy of the report and knew the numbers didn’t add up. He attended the LAFCO meeting and criticized the report and the staff before it became public! So much for transparency… but let it sink in, first he tried to flush the report and then criticized it before anyone (other than he and his crew) has seen it.

Don’t expect him to give up the cause just yet. With this report in hand, he can now start revenue neutrality negotiations with the county to and try to sweet talk Miguel and county staff into making the finances work.  That would be a big mistake for the rest of us in Placer County. Why waste more money and time when the independent study confirms that creating a town based on one revenue source and dependent on tourism and weather conditions, doesn’t make sense?

Under all scenarios reviewed by the financial expert, incorporation just does not work and worse is a high-risk venture in a bad economy.

LAFCO Update: Nope, no Public Draft of the CFA Yet…

 LAFCO  Comments Off on LAFCO Update: Nope, no Public Draft of the CFA Yet…
May 192015
 

Looks like the fabled draft comprehensive fiscal analysis (or CFA) has been delayed again… initially due out in March and then promised last week… the CFA when it comes out is going to demonstrate that incorporation of Olympic Valley is a complete waste of time. How do I know this?  Because those supporting Incorporating Olympic Valley (IOV) are already highly critical of LAFCO staff and the process.

Under public comments on the informational item at last week’s LAFCO meeting, Fred Ilfeld and IOV supporters (six in all) began commenting on specifics of the draft CFA before it was even in public— or given to the commissioners! Not only is that odd, but only days before, the incorporation people requested that the Draft CFA be delayed until after revenue neutrality negotiations were completed with the county.

As usual, on IOV, Ron Treabess, employed by NLTRA, recused himself but his alternate Brian Sheehan was seated as the alternate. Brian Sheehan is not unbiased in this effort and really should recuse himself.  He is a member of the Squaw Valley PUD and a big fan of incorporation.

The next LAFCO meeting is June 10, up at the Lake. This is a 4pm meeting followed by a workshop to gather public comments on the draft CFA at 6pm.

 

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