In the latest episode of "Deconstructed," I talk with Republican California congressional candidate Michael Allman. Michael, running in California's 52nd Congressional District, is the first candidate to run for a national office on a platform of direct democracy.

The homelessness crisis in California has been the catalyst for an effort by 11 of the states mayors to form a coalition that they hope, will end the crisis.

This week the "Big 11 Mayors" are launching a new website that's dedicated to securing funding and generating awareness.

Governor Jerry Brown's budget revision has yielded a $9 billion surplus. The coalition is asking $1.5 billion be directed to communities to combat the crisis.

… But I do know an animal when I see one.

Yesterday, the White House put a fine point on President Trump’s description of MS-13 gang members as “animals.” In a 491 word posting on the White House website, White House staff used the word “animals” no fewer than 10 times in describing MS-13 atrocities.

Democratic Senator and former Speaker of the Assembly, Bob Hertzberg, isn't slowing down.

The 63-year-old represents the 18th Senate District (San Fernando Valley) and is once again on the ballot for a June primary. I say again because Hertzberg was first elected to the Assembly in 1996 when he won the 40th District Assembly seat. In 2000, Senator Hertzberg became the Assembly speaker and served in that capacity for two years. He left the legislature to focus on business ventures, only to return 12 years later and win election in the 18th Senate district in 2014.

Former Republican Governor of Massachusetts Bill Weld has endorsed Libertarian Kevin McCormick for Governor of Arizona.

The announcement comes as McCormick is on the campaign trail, driving home his message of fiscal responsibility, the need for better teacher pay, preservation of gun owner’s rights and the need to scrap cumbersome and expensive marijuana laws.

Writes an independent voter in New Castle, Colorado Monday:

"If you are a registered Democrat or Republican voter and are fed up with the two major parties, you should register to be an Independent/unaffiliated voter today. No worries, because Colorado now has an open primary system."

Oh really, Rocky Mountain "Letter to the Editor" writer?

Please tell your fellow Colorado voters more:

Update, 9/6/18: Though California officials said they were correcting the problems with the DMV motor voter system, department officials reported Wednesday that more than 23,000 voters had been registered incorrectly since April.

Types of Healthcare Systems

Politicians love to brag about how the United States is the greatest nation on earth. But when it comes to health insurance, this is far from true.

Too much of a good thing can easily be a bad thing.

Too much water leads to water intoxication.

Too much working out leads to rhabdomyolysis.

Too many antibiotics lead to drug-resistant superbugs.

And finally, too high of a signature requirement keeps good candidates off ballots.

Signature requirements to make a ballot make sense. Go search social media for “independent candidates” and you’ll see a wide array of highly unqualified individuals running for public office.

On Friday Senator Rand Paul told viewers on Fox Business that yesterday's vote on his balanced budget bill shows which Senate Republicans are really serious about budget responsibility, and which ones are only fiscal conservatives in the abstract, not in practice:

"Republicans are, in the abstract, for balanced budgets. But as you saw yesterday, the majority of the Republican senators are really not for the balanced budget. They’re only for it in the abstract."