When California Republican activists converged on the Anaheim Marriott in mid-September, they experienced something they hadn’t felt in years.

Excitement.

“It’s an exciting time for the delegates as we embark on a journey in 2016 by selling principles of limited government and holding the line on taxes,” said Allen Wilson, a delegate to the state party and member of the Los Angeles County Republican Central Committee. “That resonates with millions of Californians.”

Since former State Senator Jim Brulte took over the helm in 2013, the state party has made steady progress in picking up legislative seats and rebuilt its party operations. Last November, California Republicans defeated two Democratic incumbents — the first time in two decades that a Democratic incumbent has lost re-election to the Legislature.

Brulte also put Democrats on the defensive in the Central Valley, forcing the state party to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars to rescue Assemblyman Adam Gray in his re-election campaign.

CA GOP will be tested in 2016

Although Brulte deserves credit for a shrewd campaign strategy and effective fundraising, Republicans’ legislative gains in 2014 were aided, in part, by a record low turnout. The 2014 electorate also skewed heavily toward older, more conservative voters.

According to an analysis by Political Data, Inc., less than 10 percent of 18 to 24-year-olds voted last November.

“In California, an 18- or 19-year-old was more likely to be arrested this year than actually vote in one of the statewide elections,” Paul Mitchell of Political Data, Inc., told KQED earlier this year.

Next year, Republicans won’t be so lucky, when the presidential election is expected to draw more young people to the polls.

But, this time around, state GOP activists say that the party is doing a better job of reaching the younger generation as demonstrated by the turnout at the state party convention.

“The most exciting thing is to see the numbers of young people in attendance,” said Dr. Alexandria Coronado, a longtime Republican activist and former president of the Orange County Board of Education. “They are energized and ready to work for the conservative cause.”

CA GOP: “No Longer in Hospice Care”

Republicans have reason to be optimistic, but state political observers say the party still has a long way to go.

“The California Republican Party used to exist in the hospice care of American politics, but now they’re undergoing plastic surgery,” said John Phillips, an Orange County Register columnist and co-host of “The Drive Home with Jillian Barberie and John Phillips” on KABC AM 790. “Unfortunately, it’s the doctor that did Kanye West’s mom.”

Phillips believes that Republicans’ best chance is to embrace “tough on crime,” fiscal conservatives.

“If they want to expand the base, they need to run fiscal conservatives who are hard on criminals and are social libertarians,” Phillips said. “Otherwise, have fun handing over control of the state to the SEIU.”

That approach has worked in San Diego, where Mayor Kevin Faulconer has achieved sky-high popularity. There’s even talk that Faulconer won’t draw a major Democratic opponent in 2016.

Nearly one hundred delegates and guests made the short journey up from San Diego County and shared their optimism with their fellow GOP activists from around the Golden State.

“I’d say the convention was a success as we re-adopted a solid, conservative platform and adopted a common sense rule to skip two conventions in the ‘on’ year,” said San Diego County Republican Chairman Tony Krvaric. “A lot will depend on how the presidential race develops, but I’m very optimistic about our chances to have a ‘Republican wave’ in 2016 which will have reverberations all the way down the ticket.”

That positive attitude was echoed throughout the convention halls.

“This working weekend made me realize how far we have come,” former Downey city councilman Mario A. Guerra, who ran a strong but unsuccessful State Senate campaign in 2014, wrote on Facebook, “and how much more we need to do here in California.”

During a Wednesday appearance on one of Southern California’s top-rated radio shows, Koretz admitted he’s taken money from cab companies.

“I’m mad that you’re doing the bidding of the taxi companies because that’s what this is really about,” John Phillips, the quick-witted co-host of KABC AM 790’s Mid-Day LA show, said during a heated exchange over controversial new regulations on ridesharing services. “The taxis are now having competition from someone who is eating their lunch.”

Then, he bluntly asked Koretz, “Do you take any money from the taxi cab companies? Have you gotten any contributions?”

“Yeah, sure,” the councilman replied. “A few bucks here, a few buck there.”

Koretz takes money from taxi companies, insurance industry

A CalWatchDog.com analysis of campaign finance records shows that Koretz has taken more than “a few bucks” from the taxi industry.

Since his first city council campaign in 2007, Koretz’ campaign committees have cashed checks from Bell Cab Management, City Cab, Yellow Cab, Taxi Systems Inc., Pacific Yellow Cab, L.A. Checker Cab Cooperative, Independent Taxi Owners Association, L.A. Taxi Cooperative, United Independent Taxi Drivers and the L.A. Transportation PAC, which is sponsored by the L.A. Taxi Cooperative.  In total, Koretz has accepted nearly $11,000 from the taxi industry. (See detailed list below.)

In addition to the taxi industry, Koretz has cashed checks from another beneficiary of rideshare regulations, the insurance industry. According to Maplight.org, which tracks special interest money in politics, the insurance industry is the fourth highest contributor to Koretz’ city council campaigns, having given $32,700 in recent years.

The campaign contributions from the taxi industry have flowed as Koretz ramped up his rhetoric against ridesharing. In June, Koretz and fellow Los Angeles City Councilman Gil Cedillo joined a demonstration at City Hall to support new government regulations of ridesharing companies.

Safety: L.A. taxis rack up more than 10,000 violations

Koretz and other rideshare regulators repeatedly cite safety concerns as the justification for new regulations.

“I would ask my daughter not to ride in an Uber car because, in my opinion, they are unsafe,” Koretz said, according to CBS Los Angeles. “We’ve seen incidents where Uber riders right here in Los Angeles, as well as all around the nation, have been endangered.”

But according to records from the Los Angeles Taxi Commission, regulations haven’t made taxis safe.

Los Angeles taxi drivers have been cited more than 10,000 times in the past five years, according to data obtained by CalNewsroom.com in response to a public records request filed with the City of Los Angeles Department of Transportation. In some cases, taxi drivers have been caught drinking on the job, aiding in prostitution and driving without a license.

As regulators have raised safety concerns about ridesharing, they’ve grown less vigilant in policing the taxi industry. The number of taxi cabs in Los Angeles has remained relatively fixed at roughly 2,300 in the past five years. The same regulations have been on the books. Yet there has been a staggering drop in citations, hearing notices, suspension days and fines against drivers.

From 2009-2013, the number of violations has declined 50 percent, while driver suspension days have plummeted from a high of 355 in 2009 to just 108 in 2013. In the first quarter of 2014, taxi drivers took just 22 suspension days for violations.

Koretz in 2010: Enforce laws already on the books

Koretz hasn’t always been in favor of new regulations to solve transportation-related problems. In 2010, when Angelenos complained about the growing number of food trucks in residential neighborhoods, Koretz said that current laws were adequate.

“The main reason we have problems is that our people are not enforcing the law,” said Koretz, according to LAist.com. “If we were just enforcing the laws strictly, our problems would be solved.”

Now, it appears, Koretz has lost those libertarian impulses.

“If John is a grown adult man making the decision that he wants to take Uber… isn’t that John’s right?” Mid-Day LA co-host Jillian Barberie asked Koretz.

“That’s a little more libertarian than I would go,” he said. “I think you have a responsibility to protect the public if you’re a government entity.”

Listen to the entire interview.

Koretz Campaign Contributions from Taxi Companies: $10,950

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NOTE: The opinions of guests on CalWatchDog.com do not necessarily reflect the opinions of CalWatchDog.com or its editors and reporters.