• Brown Edges Ahead Of Whitman
• Bell: Corruption on Steroids
• ABC (Anyplace But California) is Back With Vengeance
• Dream Act; Don’t Ask Both Fail in Senate
• Is NASA’s Fall Now Inevitable?
• Ahmadinejad In NYC RIPS West To Applause
• Rasmussen Poll America Is Cranky
• BOS Holds Its Nose On Orange Shakedown
• City of Orange Shakesdown County For Jail Fees

California’s gubernatorial contest remains a horse race heading into the home stretch toward Election Day, with Democratic Attorney General Jerry Brown leading Republican Meg Whitman by a nose. A new Rasmussen Reports survey of 750 likely voters in the Golden state finds Brown with 47 percent of the vote and former eBay CEO Whitman neck and neck at 46 percent. The Sept. 20 statewide tally found that 4 percent prefer another candidate and 3 percent are undecided, with the closeness of the race making the quest for those wavering voters paramount.

Whitman had held a 46-42 percent edge over Brown early this month, after a small bounce from her GOP primary win.

Obama’s top economist, Larry Summers’ head is the most recent to be bouncing down the White House driveway. Summers will leave at year end to return to Harvard.

The Los Angeles County Dist. Atty. filed charges against eight current and former Bell officials Tuesday, alleging that they misappropriated $5.5 million in public funds. Robert Rizzo, Bell’s former city manager, has been charged with 53 counts of misappropriation of public funds and conflict of interest.

The charges come after a dramatic morning in which authorities swept through Bell and other cities, arresting former and current Bell officials.

Among those arrested were Rizzo; Angela Spaccia, former assistant city manager; Mayor Oscar Hernandez; councilmembers George Mirabal, Teresa Jacobo and Luis Artiga; and former councilmembers George Cole and Victor Bello.

“This is corruption on steroids,” Cooley said. 

Cooley said officials used the city’s tax dollars “as their own piggy bank that they then looted at will.”

He said that councilmembers, who earned salaries of nearly $100,000, received $1.2 million for “phantom meetings” — many which never occurred or lasted only a minute or two.  

Police Chief Randy Adams, who also stepped down after The Times reported he was earning $457,000, was not arrested.

“Being paid excessive amounts is not a crime,” Cooley said, noting that the investigation is ongoing.

Bail for Rizzo has been set at $3.2 million. Bail for the others ranges from $130,000 to $377,500.]

Rizzo, whose high salary sparked the outrage that led to the investigations of the city, was among those arrested in the sweep. At 10 a.m., officials emerged from Rizzo’s luxury home in Huntington Beach. Rizzo, handcuffed, was escorted into a black SUV. 

In Bell, a neighbor of Hernandez said authorities used a battering ram on his front door after he failed to answer the door.

“They broke the door down,” said the neighbor, who only gave his name as Jose. “They knocked down the door and they brought him out in cuffs.”

The city of Bell released a statement about the arrests, calling it a “sad day” for the city.

“Given the sheer volume of charges levied against former Bell Chief Administrative Officer Robert Rizzo and former Assistant CAO Angela Spaccia by the district attorney, it is clear that Rizzo and Spaccia were at the root of the cancer that has afflicted the City of Bell. Also, it is a sad day for Bell that four current and two former members of the council also have been arrested. I am prepared to double down our efforts to continue to restore order, establish good government reforms, and to ensure that Bell is providing needed services to its residents,” said Pedro Carrillo, interim city manager.

Outside City Hall, about two dozen residents gathered as news of the arrests spread. One man used a bullhorn to broadcast the Queen song, “Another One Bites the Dust.” Members of the crowd laughed and applauded, happy to see arrests in the scandal.

For two months, the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office and state and federal authorities have investigated Bell, where high salaries earned by Rizzo and other top officials have sparked widespread outrage. The Times reported last month that Rizzo was set to earn more than $1.5 million in 2010. Additionally, he gave loans totaling $1.6 million to more than 50 city officials, including himself.

A Moody’s analysis says that if the Bush tax cuts were allowed to expire for upper income Americans (48% of which are small business owners) 770,000 jobs will be lost.

Years ago when California was riding high and the rest of the nation was lagging signs and bumper stickers appeared saying ABC meaning ANYPLACE BUT CALIFORNIA. Then it was avarice no the state is collapsing driving businesses and jobs to be tax and regulation refugees fleeing to more firnedly states. California is in serious trouble because many people refuse to admit to one of our big problems - the flight of businesses, capital and jobs to other states and nations.

Good information about the phenomena is hard to come by. Hence, out of frustration, a year ago a list of what is called “California Disinvestment Events” was compiled and has been updated.

In part is shows 144 companies have fully or partially engaged in such events during the first three quarters of 2010, nearly triple the 51 companies discovered for all last year.

The top states gaining California businesses since January 2009 show Texas in the top spot, followed by Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, Virginia and Utah. Also, companies have moved functions to Taiwan, Mexico, Brazil and Chile. The jobs include R&D, which used to be a California hallmark. Now we’re seeing unusual losses. Last week, HomeEq Servicing said it’s closing its Sacramento headquarters and moving some jobs to Uruguay. Having employees in Uruguay reinforces just how “portable” jobs have become.

Businesses are shrinking their California footprint because high taxes and intense regulation damage their ability to compete. Even Boeing conceded as much when moving hundreds of jobs from Long Beach to Oklahoma City, saying it must become a “more affordable” federal contractor.

ABC in reverse and the nincompoops in Sacramento just don’t get it or don’t care. Cynics say the State should contract to become an enormous federally funded illegal immigration camp and since the feds can’t build a border fence along the Mexican border maybe funding in California can be accomplished.

Turkey, defying the U.S. sanctions campaign, plans to triple its trade with neighboring Iran. Officials said Iran and Turkey have been planning a huge trade increase over the next year. They said Iran would open its country to massive Turkish investment, particularly the purchase of government-owned companies.

On Tuesday the U. S. Senate failed by a count of 56-43 to approve cloture, which would have allowed debate to begin on a Defense bill that Senate leaders hoped would include the DREAM Act amnesty.

Because it takes 60 votes for cloture, the Defense bill had to be pulled.

Earlier in the day the Senate failed to impose itself on the DON’T ASK, DON’T TELL provision succumbing to intense pressure from the hinmterland and the logic that nothing should be done until the military finished its study of the consequences of that provision. Those results are expected later this year.

For almost 3 decades the F-15 has given the US fighter superiority shooting down 100 adversaries without a single loss. But it is now challenged, and with the F-22 cancelled there is doubtful the F-35 can continue that dominance.

NASA generally is funded and directed through White House and congressional consensus has become the focus of a brutal, potentially crippling and politically topsy-turvy battle for control that is likely to come to a head next week.

A major front in the contest of wills has been funding for commercial rocket and spacecraft companies that can potentially provide inexpensive transport services to the international space station in the years ahead. A House bill awaiting action would give twice as much money to Russia for transporting astronauts and cargo to the space station as it would give to U.S. companies working to build that capacity.

Obama’s intention to scrap part of the Constellation program, which has already cost taxpayers $10 billion, is what outraged many in Congress to begin with. His order to somehow use NASA to celebrate Islam still has many scratching their heads.

If Congress does not pass a new NASA budget by Sept. 30, congressional staffers say, contractors will begin laying off workers. In addition, the agency could lose out on some of the $3 billion budget increase over three years proposed by the administration.

Obama’s order that NASA be evangelical to the Muslim world has complicate and confused the issues around what was once thw world preeminent space agency.

Michael Covert is paid overf $1 million per year as the top official of a public agency serving health-care needs in Poway and Escondido. The top official at Palomar Pomerado Health receives a base salary of $736,000 a year and his pay pushes past $1.1 million in retirement, bonuses and other benefits, according to an article in the San Diego Union-Tribune.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad spoke to a group of Muslim figures in New York on Monday night, saying that “The Iranian nation will never recognize the Zionist regime,” Fars News Agency reported on Tuesday.

Ahmadinejad went on to reiterate Iranian support for the Palestinians, as well as the Lebanese.

The Iranian leader also criticized Western media for having a double standard in reporting on the case of an American woman facing the death penalty.

Ahmadinejad accused the West of launching a “heavy propaganda” campaign against the case of an Iranian woman who had been sentenced to be stoned to death for adultery but failing to react with outrage over the imminent execution of Teresa Lewis in Virginia, according to state-run IRNA.

Ahmadinejad noted that “millions of Internet pages” have been devoted to Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani, whose stoning sentence was suspended in July and her case put under review.

“Meanwhile, nobody objects to the case of an American woman who is going to be executed,” he was quoted as saying.

“Today Western media are propaganda agents who continuously speak about democracy and human rights though their slogans are sheer lies,” he added.

Iran says it has put the stoning on hold for now also has indicated Ashtiani could be hanged for her conviction of playing a role in her husband’s 2005 murder.

The Iranian president’s remarks were reportedly met with the applause of his audience. Ahamadinejad is visiting New York to attend the UN’s General Assembly meetings, taking place this week.

Syrian President Assad will not sever or reduce ties with Iran or North Korea. The analysts said the U.S. decision to return its ambassador to Damascus would not hamper Syria’s military and nuclear program. “There is a three-way strategic relationship with Iran providing the financing; North Korea and Teheran, the technology; and Syria the means for weapons of mass destruction that Iran does not want found inside its territory,” an intelligence analysis says..

The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Tuesday shows that just 26% of the nation’s voters Strongly Approve of the way that Barack Obama is performing his role as president. Forty-five percent (45%) Strongly Disapprove. Overall, 44% of voters say they at least somewhat approve of the president’s performance. Fifty-five percent (55%) disapprove.

Just 22% of American adults believe that government programs reduce poverty.  Nearly twice as many believe such programs actually lead to an increase in poverty. Fifty-two percent (52%) of voters say their views are closer to Sarah Palin’s than to the president.

A federal agency declared the recession ended in June 2009 creating widespread moans of derision. Obama went back on the campaign trail in the scante hope he could turn the slide in the few days before adsentee ballots are mailed and people start voting in early October. Former President Clinton argued to a sympathetic George Stephanopolis on GMA Tuesday to give Democrats 2 more year and if they still didn’t perform throw them all out.

The “crazy lady in the White House attic, Helen Thomas the 90-year-old Lebanese extraction and now disgraced former White House correspondent will receive a lifetime achievement award from the edgy Council on American Islamic Relarions (CAIR). Thomas was forced out after her anti-Semitic comments that Jews should leave Palestine and go back to Poland and Germany.

Questions about Congresswoman Lois Capps signing onto Minnesota Muslim Congressman Keith Ellison’s (CAIR and Hamas’ supporter and radical anti-Israel activist) “Free Gaza” movement, a Hamas propaganda project that allows it to demand that Israel open its borders, without actually using the P word, since Hamas doesn’t even believe in phony peace negotiations.

Congresswoman Capps is also a CAIR supporter from whom she receives generous campaign contributions, according to Muslim Mafia - list of Senate and House CAIR supporters and the donations they get.

The Dolphins beat the Vikings 14-10. It was a tough game for Brett Favre, who lost a fumble - and his dentures and reading glasses.– Leno

Orange County has negotiated with the federal government to receive more than $30 million for housing undocumented felons at Theo Lacy jail, there was concern that the city of Orange would derail the arrangement.

Not anymore.

Today, county officials signed off on a plan that essentially paid off the city by giving it a piece of the contract, which amounts to about $340,000.

The deal makes County Supervisor John Moorlach publicly wonder whether he’s just been shaken down.

“I was asked to hold my nose,” Moorlach said today in open session about the settlement.

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