While California has become a bastion of liberalism, the Golden State is not without conservative voices. It was actually a project to narrow this list to 25 people – my apologies to many who would have made the top 50. You can find any of them via a web search. I did not include elected officials in this list. I looked for people whose voices are heard beyond Twitter and/or Facebook. Here are the Top 25 Conservative Voices in California, in alphabetical order:
JON COUPAL – President of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association, Coupal has a weekly column that is a “must read” for all those following California politics.
TOM DEL BECARRO – A regular columnist at Forbes.com, Del Becarro is the publisher of Political Vanguard. He is the former chairman of the CA GOP.
TIM DONNELLY – A retired assemblyman and former gubernatorial candidate, Donnelly is a strong writer who is quite articulate in his defense of first principles.
JON FLEISCHMAN – On the advice of some friends, I humbly include myself here, as Politics Editor of Breitbart California and publisher at FlashReport.org.
STEVE FRANK – A longtime conservative activist Steve has long toiled to produce his California Political News & Views, a “must read” for conservatives trapped in California.
STEVE GREENHUT – No columnist who covers California politics and policy writes as prolifically and as eloquently as Greenhut. He has several columns a week in the Union Tribune San Diego, but his works appear in many publications.
KATY GRIMES – FlashReport.org’s senior correspondent, hardly a day goes by when Grimes isn’t providing in-depth coverage of California politics and policy.
ROGER HEDGECOCK – Once the mayor of San Diego, Hedgecock now broadcasts his popular nationally syndicated talk show from America’s finest city. He may or may not have had me guest-host his show. ;-)
HUGH HEWITT – A syndicated talk show host, Hewitt is also a columnist and a blogger. His legal acumen and his sharp wit combine to spell bad news for the left.
JOHN HRABE – As senior editor of the FlashReport, Hrabe shapes the news that many read. His is the editor and proprietor of CalNewsRoom.com and frequently exposes the underbelly of California’s big government.
JOHN KOBYLT & KEN CHIAMPOU – No radio talk show duo in the history of the planet is able to rhetorically decimate leftists like the hosts of the popular John and Ken Show.
JOEL KOTKIN – I’m not sure Kotkin, a distinguished fellow at Chapman University, would characterize himself as a conservative – but you cannot miss the columns produced by this recognized authority on economic, political, and social trends.
MARK LARSON – Based in San Diego, Larson’s syndicated radio talk show is heard internationally. Larson is influencing the debate around the country, really taking it to the left.
JOHN PHILLIPS – Whether listening to him on KABC radio in Los Angeles, reading his columns, or watching him on the Fox News Channel, conservatives have a great spokesperson in Phillips.
JOEL POLLAK – As editor-in-chief of Breitbart California, Pollak not only shapes the news, but is a prolific “must read” columnist in his own right.
DENNIS PRAGER – Perhaps no one is better at articulating values and culture on the radio than Prager, whose syndicated talk show is heard around the world.
MICHAEL REAGAN – The son of our beloved 40th president, Michael Reagan, a recovering radio talk show host, is a columnist and a frequent guest on television news programs.
CHRIS REED – One cannot read the Union Tribune San Diego opinion page without delighting in Reed’s assault on the liberal elite, attacking them with the one weapon they fear most: facts.
RICHARD RIDER – As the chairman of the San Diego County Taxfighters, no one writes more prolifically and in a more sobering manner about how poorly California fails taxpayers. I learn from Rider’s work all of the time.
DEBRA SAUNDERS – She may be the “token conservative” on the San Francisco Chronicle’s editorial staff – but Saunders’ columns on that page provide insight, just as they incite.
KURT SCHLICHTER – There is no weekly column that I look forward to reading more than the one penned by Schlichter at Townhall.com. He mixes realism and sarcasm in a way that makes me pity anyone in his crosshairs.
BEN SHAPIRO – A loud voice here at the Breitbart News Network, Shapiro is also writes at Truth Revolt. No one is better at isolating and destroying liberals with laser-like precision.
DAVID SPADY – Director of Americans for Prosperity in California, Spady’s short but provocative videos are a “must watch,” as he exposes the hypocrisy of the left.
THOMAS SOWELL – One of America’s most prolific and recognizable syndicated columnists, Sowell is an economist and a senior fellow with the Hoover Institution. He has penned tens of thousands of columns.
If you are not tracking each and every one of these voices, I encourage you to do so.
Jon Fleischman is the Politics Editor of Breitbart California. A longtime participant, observer and chronicler of California politics, Jon is also the publisher at www.flashreport.org. His column appears weekly on this page. You can reach Jon at jon@flashreport.org.