California Republican Convention Held In Orange County

BUENA PARK – Both Republican gubernatorial candidates and all three of the party’s U.S. Senate candidates are among today’s scheduled speakers at the California Republican Assembly Convention as they vie for the group’s endorsement.

Gubernatorial candidate Steve Poizner, the state’s insurance commissioner, “will speak about his conservative principles and how, unlike Meg Whitman, he has had a longstanding relationship with Republicans throughout the state,” said Jarrod Agen, his communications director.

Poizner will discuss his plans for a 10 percent across-the-board tax cut for every individual and business in California to attempt to stimulate the state’s economy and proposals to reduce the impact of illegal immigration, Agen said.

Poizner will also reiterate his support for two initiatives in circulation, Agen said. The Citizen Power Initiative would prohibit unions from deducting earnings from public employees for political activities. The California Jobs Initiative would suspend the state’s Global Warming Solutions Act until the state’s unemployment level returns to the level of when it was adopted in 2006.

The topics of the speech by Whitman, the former eBay chief executive officer who is also seeking the Republican gubernatorial nomination, were unavailable. Whitman customarily speaks on her campaign’s themes — creating jobs, cutting government spending and improving education.

Today’s other scheduled speakers include the three candidates seeking the party’s nomination for the Senate seat held by Democrat Barbara Boxer — former Rep. Tom Campbell, Assemblyman Chuck DeVore and Hewlett-Packard Chief Executive Officer Carly Fiorina.

Delegates will vote on endorsements Sunday at the convention at the Knott’s Berry Farm Resort Hotel in Buena Park.

Today’s other convention activities include a gala dinner with the presentation of the Ronald Reagan Freedom Fighter Award to James O’Keefe and Hannah Giles, the activists who conducted the videotaped stings that led to the community organization ACORN losing its federal funding.

Founded in 1934, the California Republican Assembly bills itself as the state’s oldest and largest Republican volunteer organization. Reagan called it “the conscience of the Republican Party.”