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Recall Update: Republican & Voters Fight Back Against Democrats’ Abuse of Power

Feature Article: Former Assemblywoman Ling Ling Chang Seeks Recall Seat

UPCOMING GOP EVENTS

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Republicans & Voters Fight Back Against Democrats’ Abuse of Power

Supporters of the recall of Senator Josh Newman (D-SD 29) have filed 66,289 valid voter signatures, 2,696 more than required to launch an election. This should have triggered a 10-day clock for Secretary of State Alex Padilla to certify the count, and for Governor Brown to call an election.

But voters have been on a roller coaster ride as the Democrats continue to put up roadblocks to deny them the opportunity to support or recall Senator Newman. Here is a summary of the activity:

  • Recall supporters appear to have successfully gathered signatures to recall Senator Newman prompting Democrats to protect their vulnerable member.
  • Democrats hijack a Veterans budget trailer bill to give State officials an undetermined amount of time to analyze the cost of the special election, and to allow voters 30 days to rescind their signature on the recall petitions, effectively delaying the recall vote till June of 2018.
  • Voters in SD 29 report that anti-recall operatives are going door-to-door encouraging signers of the recall petition to confirm their signature, when in fact signing rescinded their support for the recall.
  • Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Assn. files a legal challenge to the anti-recall legislation, and on August 14, the appeals court delays enforcement of the law due to violation of the single subject rule.
  • On August 18, election officials in three counties confirm more than enough valid signatures have been filed.
  • The FPPC removes longstanding restrictions on campaign finance limits for elected officials contributing to recall elections.
  • Democrats pass and the Governor signs SB 117 on August 24 with similar language to delay the recall in order to get around the single subject violation.
  • On August 28, Padilla fails to certify the count and declares he will follow the law according to SB 117.
  • Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Assn. files another legal challenge claiming SB 117 violates the due process rights of recall proponents. The court date has not yet been set.


Ling Ling Chang: Former Assemblywoman Seeks Recall Seat

Former Assemblywoman Ling Ling Chang has announced that she is running for the seat of Josh Newman, the embattled state senator facing a recall challenge after voting to increase the gas tax.  Winning the seat would break the Democrats’ two-thirds supermajority in the state Senate.

Chang said, “During my two years in the legislature I helped stop $32 billion in tax hikes, improved the state’s jobs climate and fought hard to protect the middle class.”
 
“By contrast, Josh Newman voted to raise gas and car taxes by $52 billion and increased the cost of living for the average SD 29 family by $300 a year”.  Chang concluded, “I’m running for State Senate and support the recall because we can’t afford three more years of Josh Newman”.
 
Ling Ling Chang has an impressive background.  After working with technology and non-profits, being active in her community and serving in local government, she was elected to the state Assembly in 2014, representing district 55, which includes parts of Orange, Los Angeles, and San Bernardino Counties.  
 
In the Assembly Chang served as Vice Chair of the Rules Committee and as a member of the Appropriations Committee and the Business & Professions Committee.  She was recognized as one of two “Tech Champions” in the Legislature by the Computing Technology Industry Association.  Her top priorities were job creation, making California business-friendly, strengthening California’s education system, and keeping our communities safe.  Among other things, she worked to improve STEM education and voted against tax increases.

In 2016 her state Senate seat opened up, and she ran for it with encouragement from outgoing Senator Bob Huff and other Republican leaders.  The district, Senate District 29, runs from Anaheim to West Covina along Highway 57.  (See the map.) Democrat Josh Newman defeated Chang by a margin of less than one percent.

In a recall election, voters vote on whether to recall the senator.  Candidates to replace him run at the same time, but their votes are counted only if there is a majority vote to remove the incumbent senator.  If the senator is removed, the candidate with the highest number of votes wins, whether or not it’s a majority.  The date of the special recall election has not yet been set.

Ling Ling Chang emigrated from Taiwan with her family when she was three and grew up in Diamond Bar.  She worked as a project manager for a health information systems firm.  She also worked as Executive Director of United Family Services Center.  More recently she was President & CEO of the Youth Science Center, a non-profit education organization that focuses on strengthening Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) curriculum and education in local schools. 

During the same period, Ling Ling Chang was elected to public office: first the Walnut Valley Water District board, where she helped keep utility rates low, and then the Diamond Bar City Council, where she served two terms including a stint as mayor. An advocate for excellence in education, Ling Ling Chang served on the Board of Cal Poly Pomona’s Partners-in-Education. She was also a member of the US Army Los Angeles Advisory Board.

Ling Ling Chang and her husband Andrew make their home in Diamond Bar. 

On Sunday, September 17, Ling Ling Chang has Bay Area fundraising events in Menlo Park and Fremont.  See the full listings here. You can learn more about Ling Ling Chang’s campaign for State Senate on her website, www.lingforsenate.org.

GOP IN THE NEWS

Photo by Max Whittaker

What a difference three days makes: How voters shook up California’s Legislature

By Laurel Rosenhall
CALmatters
September 20, 2017

Something was different this year.

As lawmakers in Sacramento approached the last night of their session—the final opportunity to pass or kill bills for the year—they had had three days to figure out how to vote.

Three days may not sound like much, given the magnitude of the decisions involved in shaping policy for 39 million Californians. But it’s three more days than lawmakers used to have to make up their minds on some measures.

That’s because a new law voters imposed last year forbids them to act on a bill until it’s been available to the public for 72 hours. While most legislation is published online for several weeks or months, every year lawmakers write some new ones at the last minute, leaving almost no time for the public—or even their colleagues in the Legislature—to scrutinize the proposals.

The new routine was met with mixed reviews as lawmakers pounded through hundreds of proposals before adjourning in the wee hours Saturday.

“It takes a lot of tension out of the Legislature in the last week because we don’t have to be jammed with new bills that we haven’t read,” said Democratic Sen. Jim Beall of San Jose. “When you get stuff that’s written, like, two hours before, it’s tough to decide what’s best for your constituents.”

Read More

California Legislature abandons middle class

By Jon Coupal
The Orange County Registrar – Opinion
September 15, 2017

Does anyone honestly think that the California Legislature’s complete abandonment of the middle class is unrelated to the state’s highest-in-the-nation poverty rate?

This past week presented a stark contrast in the Golden State. First, the controller reported state tax proceeds from all categories are exceeding budget projections. Specifically, the state brought in almost $9 billion in August, exceeding projections in the state budget by over $340 million. All three of the major sources of state revenue — personal and corporate income tax plus sales tax — were up over last year. While a substantial portion of this uptick in economic activity can be attributed to the Trump recovery, there is no denying that California remains an economic powerhouse in its own right.

However, about the same time as we were getting cheery news about state revenue, the U.S. Census Bureau reported that over 20 percent of Californians live in poverty. The “Supplemental Poverty Measure,” which takes into account California’s absurdly high cost of living, gives us the highest poverty rate in the country while the rest of the nation has shown improvement.

Read More

California labor bill would devastate counties, non-profits

Editorial
The Mercury News
September 6, 2017

The Legislature continues marching toward financial devastation of California counties.

Looking out for their own political interests, Democratic lawmakers keep advancing legislation making it costlier and in many cases nearly impossible for counties to contract out for vital services.

This ill-conceived bill, AB 1250, perhaps the worst legislation this year, should have died months ago. Instead, it cleared another Senate committee on Friday as legislators race to finish business by Sept. 15.

Read More

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Publisher’s Message: Democrat Legislative Leadership Sidesteps Transparency Requirements

Feature Article: Democrats Hijack State Budget to Restrict Voters’ Right To Recall

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LIST OF UPCOMING GOP EVENTS

View more details for events on the Calendar of Upcoming Events or view the Monthly Calendar of Events.

GOP IN THE NEWS

Photo by Max Whittaker

What a difference three days makes: How voters shook up California’s Legislature

By Laurel Rosenhall
CALmatters – Photo by Max Whittaker
September 20, 2017

Something was different this year.

As lawmakers in Sacramento approached the last night of their session—the final opportunity to pass or kill bills for the year—they had had three days to figure out how to vote.

Three days may not sound like much, given the magnitude of the decisions involved in shaping policy for 39 million Californians. But it’s three more days than lawmakers used to have to make up their minds on some measures.

That’s because a new law voters imposed last year forbids them to act on a bill until it’s been available to the public for 72 hours. While most legislation is published online for several weeks or months, every year lawmakers write some new ones at the last minute, leaving almost no time for the public—or even their colleagues in the Legislature—to scrutinize the proposals.

The new routine was met with mixed reviews as lawmakers pounded through hundreds of proposals before adjourning in the wee hours Saturday.

“It takes a lot of tension out of the Legislature in the last week because we don’t have to be jammed with new bills that we haven’t read,” said Democratic Sen. Jim Beall of San Jose. “When you get stuff that’s written, like, two hours before, it’s tough to decide what’s best for your constituents.”

Read More

Ling Ling Chang: Former Assemblywoman Seeks Recall Seat

Former Assemblywoman Ling Ling Chang has announced that she is running for the seat of Josh Newman, the embattled state senator facing a recall challenge after voting to increase the gas tax. Read about this impressive Republican candidate.

Go To Article

RECALL UPDATE

Republicans & Voters Fight Back Against Democrats’ Abuse of Power

Supporters of the recall of Senator Josh Newman (D-SD 29) have filed 66,289 valid voter signatures, 2,696 more than required to launch an election. This should have triggered a 10-day clock for Secretary of State Alex Padilla to certify the count, and for Governor Brown to call an election.

But voters have been on a roller coaster ride as the Democrats continue to put up roadblocks to deny them the opportunity to support or recall Senator Newman. Here is a summary of the activity:

  • Recall supporters appear to have successfully gathered signatures to recall Senator Newman prompting Democrats to protect their vulnerable member.
  • Democrats hijack a Veterans budget trailer bill to give State officials an undetermined amount of time to analyze the cost of the special election, and to allow voters 30 days to rescind their signature on the recall petitions, effectively delaying the recall vote till June of 2018.
  • Voters in SD 29 report that anti-recall operatives are going door-to-door encouraging signers of the recall petition to confirm their signature, when in fact signing rescinded their support for the recall.
  • Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Assn. files a legal challenge to the anti-recall legislation, and on August 14, the appeals court delays enforcement of the law due to violation of the single subject rule.
  • On August 18, election officials in three counties confirm more than enough valid signatures have been filed.
  • The FPPC removes longstanding restrictions on campaign finance limits for elected officials contributing to recall elections.
  • Democrats pass and the Governor signs SB 117 on August 24 with similar language to delay the recall in order to get around the single subject violation.
  • On August 28, Padilla fails to certify the count and declares he will follow the law according to SB 117.
  • Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Assn. files another legal challenge claiming SB 117 violates the due process rights of recall proponents. The court date has not yet been set.

 


Ling Ling Chang: Former Assemblywoman Seeks Recall Seat

Former Assemblywoman Ling Ling Chang has announced that she is running for the seat of Josh Newman, the embattled state senator facing a recall challenge after voting to increase the gas tax.  Winning the seat would break the Democrats’ two-thirds supermajority in the state Senate.

Chang said, “During my two years in the legislature I helped stop $32 billion in tax hikes, improved the state’s jobs climate and fought hard to protect the middle class.”
 
“By contrast, Josh Newman voted to raise gas and car taxes by $52 billion and increased the cost of living for the average SD 29 family by $300 a year”.  Chang concluded, “I’m running for State Senate and support the recall because we can’t afford three more years of Josh Newman”.
 
Ling Ling Chang has an impressive background.  After working with technology and non-profits, being active in her community and serving in local government, she was elected to the state Assembly in 2014, representing district 55, which includes parts of Orange, Los Angeles, and San Bernardino Counties.  
 
In the Assembly Chang served as Vice Chair of the Rules Committee and as a member of the Appropriations Committee and the Business & Professions Committee.  She was recognized as one of two “Tech Champions” in the Legislature by the Computing Technology Industry Association.  Her top priorities were job creation, making California business-friendly, strengthening California’s education system, and keeping our communities safe.  Among other things, she worked to improve STEM education and voted against tax increases.
 
In 2016 her state Senate seat opened up, and she ran for it with encouragement from outgoing Senator Bob Huff and other Republican leaders.  The district, Senate District 29, runs from Anaheim to West Covina along Highway 57.  (See the map.) Democrat Josh Newman defeated Chang by a margin of less than one percent.
 
In a recall election, voters vote on whether to recall the senator.  Candidates to replace him run at the same time, but their votes are counted only if there is a majority vote to remove the incumbent senator.  If the senator is removed, the candidate with the highest number of votes wins, whether or not it’s a majority.  The date of the special recall election has not yet been set.
 
Ling Ling Chang emigrated from Taiwan with her family when she was three and grew up in Diamond Bar.  She worked as a project manager for a health information systems firm.  She also worked as Executive Director of United Family Services Center.  More recently she was President & CEO of the Youth Science Center, a non-profit education organization that focuses on strengthening Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) curriculum and education in local schools. 
 
During the same period, Ling Ling Chang was elected to public office: first the Walnut Valley Water District board, where she helped keep utility rates low, and then the Diamond Bar City Council, where she served two terms including a stint as mayor. An advocate for excellence in education, Ling Ling Chang served on the Board of Cal Poly Pomona’s Partners-in-Education. She was also a member of the US Army Los Angeles Advisory Board.
 
Ling Ling Chang and her husband Andrew make their home in Diamond Bar.
 
On Sunday, September 17, Ling Ling Chang has Bay Area fundraising events in Menlo Park and Fremont.  See the full listings here. You can learn more about Ling Ling Chang’s campaign for State Senate on her website, www.lingforsenate.org.


GOP IN THE NEWS (cont.)

California Legislature abandons middle class

By Jon Coupal
The Orange County Registrar – Opinion
September 15, 2017

Does anyone honestly think that the California Legislature’s complete abandonment of the middle class is unrelated to the state’s highest-in-the-nation poverty rate?

This past week presented a stark contrast in the Golden State. First, the controller reported state tax proceeds from all categories are exceeding budget projections. Specifically, the state brought in almost $9 billion in August, exceeding projections in the state budget by over $340 million. All three of the major sources of state revenue — personal and corporate income tax plus sales tax — were up over last year. While a substantial portion of this uptick in economic activity can be attributed to the Trump recovery, there is no denying that California remains an economic powerhouse in its own right.

However, about the same time as we were getting cheery news about state revenue, the U.S. Census Bureau reported that over 20 percent of Californians live in poverty. The “Supplemental Poverty Measure,” which takes into account California’s absurdly high cost of living, gives us the highest poverty rate in the country while the rest of the nation has shown improvement.

Read More

California labor bill would devastate counties, non-profits

Editorial
The Mercury News
September 6, 2017

The Legislature continues marching toward financial devastation of California counties.

Looking out for their own political interests, Democratic lawmakers keep advancing legislation making it costlier and in many cases nearly impossible for counties to contract out for vital services.

This ill-conceived bill, AB 1250, perhaps the worst legislation this year, should have died months ago. Instead, it cleared another Senate committee on Friday as legislators race to finish business by Sept. 15.

Read More

How About CEQA Exemptions for All?

By Kerry Jackson
Pacific Research Institute
September 8, 2017

The California Environmental Quality Act is by far the most destructive of the causes that factor into California’s housing crisis. Its regulatory hurdles have sharply increased the cost of building, which has led to a severe shortage of homes that pushed prices to levels that many can’t afford. Even Gov. Jerry Brown says reforming CEQA is key to fixing the housing crisis.

But CEQA is truly the third rail of California politics. Lawmakers fear touching it in any meaningful way will kill their careers.

But when it suits them, they are perfectly willing to bend the rail. Last year the Legislature approved a CEQA exemption to streamline the $1.3 billion project to restore, renovate or replace the existing State Capitol Building Annex. Four years ago, apparently dreaming of comp tickets, they expedited construction of Golden 1 Center — literally walking distance down the street from the Capitol — for the owners of the NBA’s Sacramento Kings.

Read More

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