Free Republic

I am a Latina and the former Democratic majority leader of the California State Senate. The first woman to ever hold that position. I represented one of the most Latino and Democratic areas in California: East L.A., the birthplace of the Chicano youth walkout over racism in education in the 1960s. Yet I, too, am on the brink of leaving the Party and the roots of my disillusionment run deep. Latinos largely embrace the American Dream. We know how to hustle, to work hard, to believe that 'si se puede.' According to the Small Business Administration, as of 2021 there...

Gubernatorial candidate Larry Elder intends to replace California Gov. Gavin Newsom in the state’s upcoming recall election and former California Senate Majority Leader Gloria Romero is strongly endorsing him for the job. Romero told "Tucker Carlson Tonight" on Thursday that Elder is the "best option" to replace Newsom in order to eradicate the governor's hypocritical and pompous behavior. "I was just tired of the false narrative that was put forward that this was a right-wing conspiracy," she said. "There are 1.7 million Californians that signed that recall petition – I was one of them." "I was tired of the ‘rules...

Former California Democrat Senate Leader endorses Larry Elder The former Democrat majority leader for the California State Senate, Gloria Romero endorsed Republican gubernatorial candidate Larry Elder in a campaign video today. “Our public schools need big change. I’m Gloria Romero; I was the majority leader of Democrats in the state Senate. I believe in charter schools and and school choice. So does Larry Elder – but not Gavin Newsom. He shut our public schools while he sent his kids to private schools,” Romero says in a video released by the Elder campaign. “Yes I’m a Democrat. But the recall of...

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — Labor union members claim Proposition 32, which would limit how unions raise money for California political campaigns, would rob them of their political power. A clause in the proposition on the November ballot would prohibit unions from payroll-deducted funds for political purposes. Jack Pitney, a political science professor at Claremont McKenna College, said the provision weakens the ability of unions to participate in elections. “They could still try to get voluntary donations from members, but without that steady stream of income via the payroll deductions, it would be a lot harder for them,” he said. Maria...

Former Los Angeles Lakers Coach Phil Jackson once referred to Sacramento as a "cowtown," but Gloria Romero, a pro-labor Democrat who served as California's Senate majority leader from 2001 to 2008, takes exception to the belittling description. The capitol building in Sacramento, she says, has "the eighth most powerful economy in the world under that dome," and it operates not unlike other wealthy kleptocracies. "There's no other way to say it politely. It's owned." Topping the list of proprietors is the California Teachers Association, which she calls the most muscular union and political player in the state. Then there are...

Two major public employee unions announced Monday they plan to file a lawsuit to block the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation from transferring more than 2,000 inmates to private prisons in other states. Representatives of the California Correctional Peace Officers Association and the Service Employees International Union Local 1000 said they planned to file the suit Monday afternoon in Sacramento Superior Court. They said they would seek to stop the transfers on grounds that Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger overstepped his legal authority in seeking the moves based on prison overcrowding. Although California has used private prisons for years within its...

Three state senators called Wednesday for the ouster of University of California President Robert Dynes over a pay-perk controversy that has roiled the prestigious public research institution. Sens. Abel Maldonado, R-Santa Maria, and Gloria Romero, D-Los Angeles, called on Dynes to resign at a news conference in Sacramento. In a related move, Sen. Jeff Denham, R-Merced, called UC Regents Chairman Gerald Parsky and asked him to fire Dynes. ``Dynes still doesn't get it,'' Denham said in a statement. ``While at times, he has been a good cheerleader for the UC, he has been a horrible manager. He seems to think...

Organizers gear up for rally Employers urged not to punish workers who take part in May 1 protest Readying for a massive national rally on May 1, organizers are calling on employers not to punish employees who skip work to protest, while state legislators are expected to vote this week on a resolution that would formally recognize a boycott. For weeks, organizers have been calling for a massive mobilization on May 1, Labor Day in the United States or International Workers Day abroad, to show the force of the undocumented immigrant community across the U.S. - an estimated 5 percent...

SACRAMENTO – Perhaps nothing symbolizes the up and down political fortunes of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger better than his "smoking tent" – his deal-making lair set up in a courtyard outside his Capitol office. Last year, Democrats competed for a chance to sit in the tent with the popular governor. They'd talk policy, smoke one of Schwarzenegger's coveted custom label cigars and maybe, just maybe, bring a few home as souvenirs. Now, with Schwarzenegger experiencing declining poll numbers and fierce partisan battles, some Democrats are trying to shut down the tent. Critics view it as a monument to an unhealthy habit....

SACRAMENTO – Law enforcement officials said Thursday they are investigating a threatening letter and nontoxic white powder sent to a state senator through a California prison that was home to the "Green Wall," a band of rogue prison guards. The letter to state Sen. Gloria Romero appears to have originated within Salinas Valley State Prison near Soledad shortly after Romero's correctional system oversight committee held a hearing on the Green Wall, said California Highway Patrol Commissioner D.O. "Spike" Helmick. Meanwhile, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger appointed two new members to the Board of Prison Terms, which oversees the state's troubled parole system,...