Capitol Alert

The Assembly has set its floor session for 9 a.m., with the Senate meeting at 10 a.m., but lawmakers under the dome may have more than legislation on their minds.

Three Democrats, for instance, are battling it out for the privilege of representing the new 50th Assembly District, a safe Democratic seat based in west Los Angeles -- incumbent Betsy Butler, local activist Torie Osborn and Santa Monica Mayor Richard Bloom. As The Bee's Torey Van Oot reported Wednesday in this post about this year's hot primaries, the greenbacks are already flowing in the district, which Butler moved into after the lines were redrawn.

The endorsements in that race are also piling up. Those in Butler's corner include Assembly Speaker John A. Pérez, the Democratic Legislative Women's Caucus, the Legislative LGBT Caucus, Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg, the Legislative LGBT Caucus, a host of state senators and Assembly members, plus Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom.

In Osborn's corner, count former Sen. Sheila Kuehl, Assemblywoman Julia Brownley, U.S. Rep. Karen Bass, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, several Los Angeles City Council members, former state Sen. Tom Hayden, the California Nurses Association, the California Federation of Teachers and a whole lot of local officials.

Money is flowing to congressional candidates as well, and Michael Doyle reports on spending in California, including the 7th Congressional District. That's where Republican Rep. Dan Lungren is being outpaced in fundraising by second-time Democratic challenger Ami Bera in a new district where Democrats now hold a one-point voter registration advantage over Republicans.

Now that California's redevelopment agencies are no more, Gov. Jerry Brown has appointed four boards responsible for dissolving agencies in Los Angeles, Merced, Stanislaus and Ventura where local governments decided not to take on the job. Brown named 12 people in all to serve on the new local authorities, which will handle such matters as paying existing bond debt, disposing of assets and managing properties until contracted work is done. Read more at this link.

SEEING RED: If you notice Capitol denizens wearing red today on the eve of National Wear Red Day, chalk it up to their support for the fight against heart disease, the nation's leading killer of women. Find health screenings from 8:30-11:30 a.m. in the Capitol's Room 125.

HIGH-SPEED RAIL: Proponents of high-speed rail, including construction workers and college students, hold a news conference in support of the project starting at 9:45 a.m. outside Sacramento City Hall, 915 I St., where the High-Speed Rail Authority Board is meeting at 10 a.m. The Bee's David Siders reported in this story earlier this week that Gov. Jerry Brown said Sunday that project will cost far less than nearly $100 billion and that fees paid by carbon producers would be a source of funding

BALLOT MEASURE: Proponents of an anti-human trafficking ballot initiative hold a presser to highlight their signature-gathering campaign. Those listed to attend include Ron Cottingham of the Peace Officers Research Association of California, former Facebook official Chris Kelly, Daphne Phung of California Against Slavery and others. The event starts at 11 a.m. at Wind Youth Center, 701 Dixieanne Ave. in Sacramento.