A breakfast to recall

S.J. Cahn

Recall candidate Tom McClintock will be in town on Saturday.

McClintock, one of the leading Republicans in the race to replace

Gov. Gray Davis, will speak at the monthly meeting of Principles Over

Politics.

The group’s leader, former Assemblyman Gil Ferguson, is

McClintock’s county chairman.

Arnold Schwarzenegger, the other leading Republican challenger,

has been invited as well, Ferguson said, but has not responded.

The recall, originally scheduled for Oct. 7, was postponed by the

9th Circuit Court of Appeals this week. Briefs arguing for and

against the decision were due at 2 p.m. Wednesday.

The breakfast meeting will begin at 8:30 p.m. at the Bahia

Corinthian Yacht Club and costs $15 to attend. Reservations are

required at (949) 644-7094.

The club is at 1601 Bayside Drive.

House passes Cox Internet bill

The House on Wednesday passed a bill authored by Rep. Chris Cox

that would keep Internet connections from being taxed.

“Today, Republicans and Democrats have come together to say that

no matter how we might choose to fund government services, we all

agree that it would be counterproductive to create new taxes that

target the Internet, which are harmful to consumers, destructive to

technological innovation and bad for our economy,” Cox said in a

statement after the vote.

The bill makes permanent a temporary ban on such taxes, which is

set to run out on Nov. 1. It also makes clear that all kinds of

connections, whether dial-up, cable or others, will not be taxed.

“New taxes would make Internet access even less affordable and

discourage the adoption of broadband connections,” Cox said.

“Punishing net users with a new monthly tax on Internet access,

whether dial-up or broadband, shouldn’t be anybody’s idea of

pro-consumer policy.”

Maddox awarded military honor

Assemblyman Ken Maddox, who’s in a race for a state Senate seat,

was awarded the state’s highest military honor last week.

Maddox received the Order of California for his support of the

National Guard, members of the state’s Military Department said.

Maddox, who serves in the Army National Guard, helped push through an

education benefits program for California’s 20,000 guard members.

“Receiving the Order of California is truly an honor,” Maddox said

in a statement. “Being able to contribute to the well-being of the

brave men and women of the guard is an experience I will always

treasure.”

Maddox is running against Assemblyman John Campbell to replace

state Sen. Ross Johnson, who is being term limited out of office.

DeVore denounces Davis bill support

Assembly candidate Chuck DeVore wasted little time denouncing

Davis’ support of a bill that would extend benefits to gay couples.

The bill passed through the Legislature at the end of its session

late last week, and Davis was quick to say he’d sign it into law.

“The bill is a blatant attempt to sidestep Proposition 22, which

affirmed that marriage is a bond between only a man and a woman,”

DeVore said in a statement. “Gov. Davis is pandering to the liberal

core of the Democratic Party in a vain attempt to defeat the recall

-- the real victims will again be the California voters who spoke so

clearly on this issue.”

Proposition 22 passed in 2000 with 61% of the vote. In Orange

County, 69% of voters supporting the limits.

Among the rights the bill would give domestic partners are

financial support after a relationship had ended and child support or

custody.

DeVore is in the race to replace Campbell. His opponents are

Corona del Mar resident Cristi Cristich, former Newport Beach City

Council candidate Marianne Zippi and Irvine resident Don Wagner.

The majority of the news from the race has come from DeVore and

Cristich, who have been targeting each other.