Free Republic

We are a group of Latino Republicans invested in the growth of the economy and the support of Hispanic communities. Some of us have supported Newt Gingrich from the beginning of his campaign, and others of us have supported you. Our purpose here is to advise you that those of us who have stood by you are now withdrawing our backing in favor of Newt Gingrich. We’ve come to our decision based on our belief that your support of the Hispanic community is not a clear representation of what we need.

California consumer affairs chief resigns Carrie Lopez, director of the California Department of Consumer Affairs, resigned Friday in the wake of disclosures about expenses she charged to taxpayers. Carrie Lopez quits when shown results of a state audit that found questionable expenses she incurred. The findings went beyond those reported earlier this month by The Times, an official says. By Michael Rothfeld March 28, 2009 Reporting from Sacramento -- The director of the California Department of Consumer Affairs resigned Friday in the wake of disclosures about expenses she charged to taxpayers, including for transportation to attend a Justin Timberlake concert...

Department of Consumer Affairs Director Carrie Lopez submitted her resignation Friday after an internal audit determined she made "questionable" travel expense claims. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger appointed Lopez to the $142,965-a-year post in 2007. "A Department of Finance audit of her travel found questionable expenses," said Schwarzenegger press secretary Aaron McLear. "When presented with the findings, she offered her resignation. She will have the opportunity to justify those expenses and will repay the state for any expenses she cannot justify." McLear would not offer specifics of her expense problems because he said Lopez needs time to review them before they are...

Reporting from Sacramento -- After a state Cabinet official's resignation amid questions about her outside income and the free use of government expense accounts by the top aide and other appointees of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, the administration on Friday announced new ethics rules for senior staff. Under the new guidelines, administration officials will conduct a legal review of each annual statement of economic interest filed by the governor's senior advisors to ensure they do not have outside business dealings that create a conflict of interest. The administration will also post those statements and the travel expense reports filed by senior...

Rosario Marin Accepted Money For Speeches, Governor's Office Says SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- California's secretary for the State and Consumer Services Agency has resigned after accepting money for giving speeches, the governor's office said Thursday. Rosario Marin heads the agency that oversees the Franchise Tax Board and the Department of Consumer Affairs. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's office does not permit cabinet members to receive income for making speeches because it presents a potential conflict of interest. Marin gave speeches to private companies, including those doing business with the agency. She was paid for a speaking engagement with pharmaceutical companies shortly after her...

Despite a ban on nonessential travel, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's top administrative officials charged taxpayers tens of thousands of dollars for airfare, hotel stays and meals with virtually no oversight, according to a published report. Expense reports and calendars for 10 high-ranking staff members from Southern California — including three cabinet members — show many of the expenses were incurred after the governor issued an executive order a year ago requiring state agencies to reduce travel costs due to California's budget crisis, the Los Angeles Times reported on its Web site late Friday. ....Carrie Lopez, the director of the Department of...

Reporting from Sacramento -- John Cruz, the appointments secretary for Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, lives hundreds of miles from the state Capitol, where his staff scrutinizes candidates for California's many boards and commissions. When Cruz works there, he goes by plane. He has charged taxpayers for his flights and for hotel bills of up to $382 a night on regular trips between his Orange County home and Sacramento, records show. Carrie Lopez, director of the Department of Consumer Affairs, charged taxpayers to fly from Sacramento, where she works, to Los Angeles, where she lives, to attend a Justin Timberlake concert with...

Should they decide to enter the 2010 race for governor, former EBay CEO Meg Whitman and State Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner will likely have to explain to Republican voters why in recent years they have donated thousands of dollars to Democratic candidates. Contribution reports show that Whitman gave former State Controller Steve Westly, with whom she worked at EBay, $20,000 in combined donations for his 2002 run for controller and 2006 campaign for governor. In 2005 she contributed $1,000 to state Sen. Joe Simitian’s 2008 reelection campaign. She made contributions to candidates for national offices as well: $1,000 to U.S....

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and First Lady Maria Shriver today welcomed Mexico President Vicente Fox and his wife, Marta Sahagún de Fox, to California. The President's visit to the Golden State is the last leg of a three-state visit to the United States. The Governor and President met in private for ten minutes in the Governor's office and a larger meeting was held immediately afterward that included advisors to both the Governor and President. The leaders discussed a variety of issues, including ways to increase the already robust business between California and its largest export trading partner. California exported $17.7 billion...

SACRAMENTO (AP) - Former U.S. Treasurer Rosario Marin was appointed Tuesday by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to head the State and Consumer Services Agency. Marin was appointed treasurer by President Bush in 2001 and served until May 2003, when she resigned to return to California. She lost a Republican primary race for the U.S. Senate in 2004. Since then, she has been a member and chair of the state's Integrated Waste Management Board. "Rosario's decades of experience serving and representing the people of California at the federal, state and local levels have given her a unique understanding of the important ways...

Republican activists and elected officials downplayed divisions over Gov. Schwarzenegger at a meeting in Riverside Saturday and predicted that the party would eventually unite behind him. Some conservatives are urging the state GOP to withdraw its endorsement of Schwarzenegger at next month's state party convention in San Jose. Among other things, they are upset with Schwarzenegger's appointment of longtime Democratic activist Susan Kennedy as chief of staff and his proposal for $222 billion in bonds to pay for highways, schools and waterworks. But during a speech to the California Congress of Republicans at the Mission Inn, former U.S. Treasurer Rosario...

ARLINGTON, VA — Former U.S. Treasurer Rosario Marín issued the following statement regarding John Kerry’s remarks to the National Council of La Raza convention in Phoenix, AZ: "While President Bush has delivered on education reform, prescription drug coverage under Medicare, and tax incentives for Latino small business owners, John Kerry has a 19-year record of consistently standing on the wrong side of issues important to the Latino community. Kerry voted against the President's historic tax relief that has contributed to the drop in the Hispanic unemployment rate to 7% in May, which is below the 9.6% rate it reached in...

WASHINGTON, DC— Former U.S. Treasurer Rosario Marin issued the following statement addressing John Kerry’s travel to California: "John Kerry is out of touch with California's Latino community on the most important issues. Kerry called the President's No Child Left Behind legislation 'groundbreaking' when he voted for it, but now attacks it on the campaign trail. President Bush dramatically increased education funding to help close the achievement gap between Latino students and their peers. The President requested a 55 percent increase in Title I funding to benefit over 15 million students from low income homes and is leading the Commission on...

Former U.S. Treasurer and unsuccessful Senate candidate Rosario Marín was appointed Thursday to a $117,818-per-year state job by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. Marín and Rosalie Mulé, a longtime waste official, were named to four-year terms on the California Integrated Waste Management Board. Senate confirmation is required for their positions on the six-member board overseeing waste management, removal and recycling programs. The waste board is one of several high-paying state programs that critics have labeled a bastion of political patronage in years past. Current members include former Assemblyman Carl Washington, D-Paramount, and Cheryl Peace, wife of Steve Peace, former senator and state...

It just really seems like Rosario is the only one of the Republicans who could actually beat Boxer.

Bill Jones is convinced he can become the next senator from California. "On national security, Barbara Boxer's record is dismal," he says. "She's voted six times not to increase military pay and five times to increase congressional pay." It sounds like the theme of a political ad — and California voters just may hear it this fall, as Jones tries to knockout Boxer, one of the Senate's most liberal Democrats. The fact that Jones must get past Tuesday's GOP primary before he has a clear shot at Boxer hasn't stopped him from jabbing at her anyway: His frontrunner's campaign is...

<p>From the moment the former secretary of state announced that he wanted to take on two-term incumbent Sen. Barbara Boxer, the veteran politician has been looking beyond Tuesday's primary.</p> <p>It's not that he's taking it for granted, he says. But he can't afford to spend too much money or let any chance go by to criticize his potential Democratic challenger. Besides, he's got the governor on his side.</p>

<p>The four top Republican candidates seeking to challenge Democratic U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer split Tuesday on whether they would immediately support President Bush's call for a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriages.</p> <p>Former Secretary of State Bill Jones and former Los Altos Hills Mayor Toni Casey said they opposed gay marriage. When pressed during a radio debate, however, they declined to unequivocally back an amendment.</p>

U.S. Senate, CA GOP Primary 2/24/2004 Jones 41% Casey 9% Kaloogian 9% Marin 8% Other/Undecided 32% Data Collected 2/21/04 - 2/23/04 Geography State of California Sample Population 426 Certain Voters Margin of Error 4.8% Client KABC-TV Los Angeles KPIX-TV San Francisco KXTV-TV Sacramento KGTV-TV San Diego

<p>Like his dad, the GOP Senate hopeful says he wants to make California 'a better place.'</p> <p>Last of four profiles of the front-running Republican candidates seeking the nomination for the U.S. Senate.</p> <p>FRESNO - By all appearances, life is good at Bill Jones' sprawling ranch-style home.</p>