I am proud to pen this commentary from my new office space, referred to around the state Capitol as “the Dog House.” The Dog House is where you get sent as punishment when you draw the ire of the leaders for standing up to them on principle. I have heard of Republicans being punished for voting for a tax increase, but I have never heard of a Republican being punished for voting against one.

How I found myself in this glorified closet space is sadly a story about how petty and unprincipled politics is in the statehouse these days.

Most Californians have heard about the cap-and-trade deal that went down in the Legislature. An increasing number are aware that the Assembly Republican Leader, Chad Mayes, broke from the policies he campaigned on and that were overwhelmingly supported by his caucus, when he joined Democrat leaders in voting for cap and trade. Even worse, he pressured other Republicans to fall on the sword so some Democrats in battleground districts wouldn’t have to make a tough vote. What many Californians do not know is that cap and trade significantly raised taxes and that much of those taxes will go toward another failed program, the now infamous high-speed rail project.

Just months ago, it appeared that finally the governor and his extreme leftist legislative leaders would be forced to moderate their policies. Fiscal conservatives watched with glee as one-by-one Democrats joined Republicans in publicly rebuking the latest cap and trade and funding of Jerry Brown’s boondoggle bullet train-to-nowhere. I sat there with great hope that both cap and trade and the ridiculous high-speed rail project would finally face market restrictions and Gov. Brown would be forced to do right by Californians.

However, our embattled Assembly GOP Leader Mayes could not resist the temptation, and negotiated quite possibly the worst deal in legislative history. Believe it or not, Mayes is proud to report that in return for Republican votes to pass cap and trade, he received a non-binding assurance that Jerry Brown and Democrats would support a ballot measure requiring a two-thirds majority to spend cap-and-trade funds on high-speed rail. Then, if, and only if, the ballot measure passes, a super-majority would be required to spend those funds — sound familiar? Here’s the rub: if all of these things go exactly as planned, the new law requiring a two-thirds majority would not take effect until 2024, leaving Democrats with seven years to freely spend cap-and-trade funds on high-speed rail before facing a financial “speed bump” for its ballooning costs.

In light of this deal, I chose to resign from my role as assistant GOP leader under Mayes because I knew that one of two things had happened: either Mayes just saved the Democrats’ failed policies that were starting to face bipartisan opposition or he had sold out his caucus and the citizens of Californian for political expediency. Neither is acceptable to me.

Subsequently, Mayes’ retaliated. He proposed canceling a critical agreement with our party that unites Republicans for winning elections, stripped me of my committee assignments, and banished me to “the Dog House.”

Assembly Republicans in the Capitol must turn the corner and set a long-term course for making gains in the Legislature that will bring balance to the public policy-making process. One-party rule is demoralizing Californians and it all rests on the GOP’s ability to win elections.

If given the distinct honor to serve as Assembly GOP leader, I will work to unite our caucus behind one common goal: breaking the Democrat’s supermajority in the November 2018 election. To do this, it is not enough to just rail on the gas tax or cap and trade, we must make impassioned cases for our principles and policies by abandoning the worn-out messaging of the past, connecting with voters in their local communities, and understanding what is most important to them.

Together, Republicans must unite and prove to the voters of California that we are not ones to kowtow to the 11th-hour dealing of the legislative process by the Democrat majority — let the Democrats own their policies and pay the price for them.

Let them own their failed policies that have led California to the highest poverty rate in the nation; half of our kids are on government subsidized health care and one-third of the entire nation’s welfare recipients reside in California.

The voters of California must know for certain that when we say we are going to hold the line and fight for better economic policies, that we will do it, no matter what pet projects or pork spending is thrown our way. Simply put, we must get our house in order.

Republican ideals can put California back on the right course by ending the spikes in violent crime, spurring a vibrant economy, and creating more good paying jobs. Doing so requires a new era of Republican leadership that will offer Californians the opportunity to rid their state house of a culture of corruption that has persisted for too long. As Assembly GOP leader, I will welcome and foster healthy debate on differing opinions, but last-minute capitulations to special interest handouts will be met — must be met — with consequence.

Melissa Melendez represents California’s 67th Assembly District.

A decade ago, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger warned California Republicans that “we’re dying at the box office,” and that we must change to stay relevant. While many criticized and disregarded his message, including me, history has proven him correct.

Change is difficult, especially for political organizations. Parties attract, and are made up of, like-minded people with shared values and vision. They tend to be insular and shun thinking different from their own. As a result, efforts to change them are often painful. We see this playing out in both major parties, here and across the nation.

For California Republicans, change is not an option — it is an imperative.

Republican registration today is below 26 percent statewide, and falling. In 39 Assembly districts — almost half the state — Republican registration is below that of No Party Preference. We are not relevant in presidential or U.S. Senate elections, and haven’t won a statewide office in more than a decade. Republicans no longer have the luxury of time, inflexible ideology or intraparty squabbles.

Republicans must recognize the importance of being data-driven, broadening our message, and being more inclusive. Most importantly, we must listen to all Californians, not just the shrinking subset of one party. For a minority party, politics is about addition.

Ronald Reagan said it best: “I do not view the new revitalized Republican Party as one based on a principle of exclusion. After all, you do not get to be a majority party by searching for groups you won’t associate or work with.”

California Republicans must overcome the fear of doing something different. We must reach into communities in which we are not present today, listen to different perspectives, and adapt our core principles to a changing state. In short, we must define what it means to be a Republican in California today. We cannot be timid or afraid.

Republicans have a choice: We can remain in a state of denial and continue to lose elections, influence and relevance, or we can move forward boldly to articulate and apply our principles in a way that resonates with a changing California. To me, the choice is clear.

As Assembly Republican leader, I have built genuine relationships with groups that we have ignored for decades, championed policies that reach out to nontraditional Republican groups, and communicated more broadly than any Republican leader in the last generation.

Many of my Assembly Republican colleagues have engaged in issues that are not often associated with us, such as providing for the developmentally disabled, fighting poverty, and addressing climate change through market-based solutions. Moreover, my colleagues and I will continue fighting for an open economy that provides freedom and economic opportunity to everyone equally. To be a viable alternative, Republicans have to provide a vision that resonates with the majority of Californians.

Going forward, Republicans simply can’t wait another decade to do things differently. We must step out of our comfort zones. We must listen closely to the state’s diverse voices. We must acknowledge and embrace our state’s uniqueness. And we must offer bold policy proposals that improve California and the lives of its residents. This is the challenge before us.

Assembly Republican Leader Chad Mayes represents the 42nd Assembly District.

The latest lobbying reports are out in Sacramento, showing how much special interests are spending to influence lawmakers. After reading the reports, you can’t blame taxpayers for feeling like the man who has been unjustly condemned to the gallows and is compelled to pay for the rope that will hang him.

When asked who spends the most currying favor with members of the Legislature, many folks will say “Big Oil” or maybe drug or insurance companies. Not even close. Those who name government employee unions as the big spenders would be wrong, too, but at least they would be getting warmer. (Unions, which thrive on involuntary “contributions,” have a huge influence on the activities of the biggest spender of all).

Far and away, the lobbying champs are California’s myriad of local governments. Through the first six months of this year, cities, counties, schools and other special districts have spent $24.3 million on influencing Sacramento lawmakers. And it is a safe bet that these governments are not spending this taxpayer money to promote tax cuts for average citizens. In fact, in many cases, they are spending tax dollars to advance their objective of wringing even more out of already beleaguered taxpayers.

Local government officials use high-sounding rhetoric to justify not spending these millions of dollars on fixing potholes, hiring first responders or addressing other pressing needs of the local community. To best serve their constituents, they will argue, it is important that they have a voice in lawmaking that may impact local jurisdictions.

Closer to the truth would be that local governments want to make sure they get a share of the “spoils” in our very high-tax state. And sometimes they seek more than a share of state revenue, they want special exemptions to allow them to increase local taxes beyond what state law allows.

A number of jurisdictions have sought and received exemptions from laws limiting the local sales tax, and in one case, nine Bay Area counties asked for, and received, an OK to create a huge taxing district to impose a parcel property tax on all residents, even though some lived many miles from the improvements for which they are being charged.

However, one of the motivators that keeps local government officials constantly scrounging for more revenue is, just like their brethren in Sacramento, so many are beholden to the most powerful political force in California, the government employee unions. Just like many state legislators, they owe their election to union support. These unions provide campaign cash and boots on the ground in election season. So, when it is time to sit down and discuss pay, the unions are represented on both sides of the table and taxpayers, if they are considered at all, are an afterthought.

With this constant pressure to raise funds for pay, benefits and pensions for local government workers, it should come as no surprise that local officials are willing to spend millions in the hope that state government will funnel more money back into local coffers and smooth the way for increasing the already exorbitant taxes locals are paying. Of course, savvy taxpayers understand that debates about where tax money comes from — be it state, local or even federal dollars — are a ruse. Every penny comes from the same location, our pockets.

The question local taxpayers must decide is whether or not money that could be used to solve local problems should continue to be spent “wining and dining” the Sacramento politicians. Certainly, the government employee unions think that this investment in Sacramento by local officials is a good deal for them.

Jon Coupal is the president of Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association.

This modern mega-mansion resembles a Las Vegas penthouse, with its own bowling alley and waterfall.

Viktor Örn Andrésson will serve a four-course dinner in Brooklyn that features traditional Icelandic ingredients.

The co-owner of the award-winning cocktail bar The Dead Rabbit on the secrets to barkeeping success.

The storied tailor has unveiled a traveling bespoke atelier in a kitted-out vintage Airstream.

Apparel giant HanesBrands is changing how it meets the needs of full-figure/plus-size consumers with the launch of new lingerie lines under its Maidenform and Playtex brands “for women who love their curves.”

Gap Inc has increased its full year earnings guidance after booking its third consecutive quarter of positive comparable sales growth, but one analyst is less confident that the retailer is in “full recovery mode.”

Nearly 2,000 new garment-making jobs are set to be created in Ghana thanks to an initiative with clothing manufacturer Dignity DTRT Limited and supported by the US-government.