Court Denies Orly Taitz Election Fraud Claim

The Mission Viejo dentist's Republican rival for secretary of state did not commit fraud because he once registered as a Democrat, according to the court.

Mission Viejo dentist Orly Taitz has lost another high-profile court battle. An appeals court issued its decision Tuesday that Taitz was not the victim of voter fraud or election fraud in her 2010 battle against fellow Republican opponent Damon Dunn. Taitz and Dunn were competing for the Republican nomination for secretary of state. Taitz lost to Dunn on June 8 during the Republican primary and then sued Dunn June 17, claiming fraud. Dunn later lost to incumbent democrat Debra Bowen. Taitz made headlines last year for arguing in court that President Barack Obama is not a U.S. citizen. She lost that case, too. In the most recent case, Taitz claimed Dunn ran against her unfairly because he had voted as a democrat in Florida in the past. She …

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Yeparoo

9:10 pm on Monday, May 7, 2012

Emken? Never heard of her. But Thanks for the post regarding the "republican" primary. You must be quite the political junkie. If it were not for your post, no one in California would know about this. I'll look that up to see if that is in 2012. Diane Feinstein is the Republicanish senator here, we really don't need an Emken. Besides, California isn't interested in Repub primaries. What we are …   more ›

Researchers Fight Dementia at Brain Science Frontier

California researchers develop model of how dementia spreads

Filmmaker James Cameron proclaimed that he had opened a “new frontier” when he reached the Mariana Trench’s Challenger Deep last month, 200 miles below the surface of the ocean. Quietly and with less fanfare, California researchers have unlocked an important discovery about the human frontier of the brain, detecting new information about how dementia spreads. Scientists at the University of California, San Francisco concluded that Alzheimer’s disease, as well as other forms of dementia, may move directly between connected neurons in the brain. The degree of connectedness between a nerve region in the brain and a disease “hot spot,” or epicenter, appears to have the strongest influence on how the degeneration of neurons occurs in people …

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One More (24-Hour Day) at Disneyland

Poll: How would you spend a full day in the Magic Kingdom?

It could be a Disney fanatic's dream or -- if you somehow get stuck listening to "It's a Small World" the entire time -- a mind-destroying nightmare. Starting early Wednesday, Disneyland and its Florida sibling will celebrate leap year by staying open 24 hours straight. That's the equivalent of 1,440 great moments with Mr. Lincoln. Officially dubbed "One More Disney Day," the Mickey Mouse house marathon runs from 6 a.m. Feb. 29 to 6 a.m. March 1. What will guests do with a full day in the Magic Kingdom? Here's what several visitors to Disneyland's website said: And now, dear readers, it's your turn. Take our poll...

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Republicans Tell Californians: You Can Elect A Conservative

GOP members tell Californians not to give up hope.

Tim Pawlenty, former governor of Minnesota and presidential hopeful, told California Republicans on Saturday that it is possible to elect a conservative candidate in a state often deemed too liberal and overlooked by most campaigners. Pawlenty spoke to about 250 supporters at the California Republican Convention, about half the number that attended Newt Gingrich’s speech earlier in the day.  “If I can be a conservative governor in Minnesota, we can do it anywhere,” he said, noting that Minnesota has elected liberal politicians such as Al Franken and Walter Mondale. He told Californians that they live in the most entrepreneurial and innovative state in the country, and they must fight to keep it that way, arguing that only lower taxes and …

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List of New California Laws for 2012

State cuts sharks a break in 2012. Among the other new laws are those applying to credit checks, tanning beds, child booster seats, caffeinated beer and sobriety checkpoints.

The state of California has many new laws for 2012. Among them, California students will be the first in the U.S. to receive mandatory classroom instruction about the contributions of gays and lesbians to the development of the United States. New laws applying to handguns, booster seats, cough medicine and employment credit checks are also in the mix of 2012 California laws. List of new California laws: Employment Credit Check Law With a few exceptions, the use of consumer credit reports by employers when hiring will now be prohibited. Sports Schools will now be required to remove from play a student athlete who sustains a possible concussion, and mandates that the player receive medical clearance before returning to competition. Sobriety …

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Bo Bo

7:41 am on Friday, April 20, 2012

southcountynative Glad we have a cents of humor..... Thanks for noticing.   more ›

How Democrats Fooled California's Redistricting Commission

ProPublica uncovers a secret scheme to protect liberal incumbents, including in Orange County.

By Olga Pierce and Jeff Larson ProPublica This spring, a group of California Democrats gathered at a modern, airy office building just a few blocks from the U.S. Capitol. The meeting was House members only -- no aides allowed -- and the mission was seemingly impossible. In previous years, the party had used its perennial control of California's state Legislature to draw district maps that protected Democratic incumbents. But in 2010, California voters put redistricting in the hands of a citizens' commission whose decisions would beguided by public testimony and open debate. The question facing House Democrats as they met to contemplate the state's new realities was delicate: How could they influence an avowedly nonpartisan process? Alexis …

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James Schumaker

10:03 am on Saturday, December 24, 2011

Larry, thanks for your thoughtful comment. To the extent that the new maps do not take cognizance of city and county boundaries, and do not increase competition, I agree with your point. That said, however, the old maps were an exercise in backroom dealing and gerrymandering, and in the main were far worse than the new maps are. No solution is perfect, and I can understand why Orange County …   more ›

From the Community

From the Community: A Look at the AVCA Board of Directors

Aliso Viejo Community Association President, Ross Chun, reflects on Wednesday's annual delegate meeting and election.

Wednesday night's annual Aliso Viejo Community Association delegate meeting followed the registration and sixth vote on the Savannah's Organic Ranch lease. Three of the four candidates running for the two open seats on the board attended the meeting. They addressed the delegates with a two minute speech about their goals, if elected. After the votes were tallied, Ray De Leon, past AVCA president was elected, and Jim Martin, past AVCA secretary, was re-elected. De Leon has remained active in the community by volunteering for both AVCA and City events, and attending AVCA board and city council meetings. Martin has served as AVCA board secretary for the past two years, and was again elected to that position for the next term.  Other offices …

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Why Local Reps Don't Want Voters Deciding Jerry Brown's Tax Plan

Although two polls say Californians would like the issue on the ballot, GOP politicians explain their objections.

To hear Jerry Brown tell it, Republicans are holding democracy hostage by refusing to let California voters decide for themselves whether to wipe out the state deficit with temporary tax hikes. Naturally, GOP legislators see things differently. For starters, they say voters should have a choice of anti-deficit ballot measures, including pension reform, a spending cap, even tax cuts. However, when asked if adding those other measures to the ballot would change their stance on putting Brown's plan to a popular vote, some backpedaled (see accompanying video). What's the hangup with letting voters decide? Below are the top objections of local Republican legislators. But first, a brief refresher course.  Deficit 101 When Brown took office in …

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California Budget Smackdown: Part 2

GOP offers more body-slams against letting voters decide Jerry Brown's tax plan. Readers, try your hand at the do-it-yourself budget-chopper.

In our previous episode, Aliso Viejo's Republican tag team offered the first of four reasons for not letting voters take a crack at Jerry Brown's tax plan. Topping the list: Californians rejected a similar tax scheme two years ago. "Voters have already spoken," the legislators crowed. But then a curious thing happened. On Thursday, state Republicans floated their own blueprint for erasing California's $15-billion deficit. Instead of raising taxes, they proposed, among other things, a ballot measure that would authorize hijacking $2.3 billion earmarked for mental health and early childhood programs. Ironically, as the L.A. Times pointed out, voters have already spoken on that idea too. In the same 2009 election in which they torpedoed new …

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