Capitol Alert

Read chief justice's list of false claims from Assembly debate

2012-02-10T15:53:07Z

Our story this morning on California Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye's complaints about the Assembly's process in approving Assembly Bill 1208 referenced a list of 16 statements from the floor debate she said were "meritless, false claims."

Cantil-Sakauye sent the list to Assembly Speaker John A. Pérez, and the Administrative Office of the Courts has published the list on its website. Read them here.

Click here to download video of Cantil-Sakauye's speech to presiding judges. Requires a Windows Media file player.

GOP lawmaker takes aim at Democrats' state budget power

2012-02-10T15:23:00Z

A Republican assemblyman announced Thursday that he will propose a constitutional amendment to require a supermajority vote by the Legislature to pass budget bills and to require the state controller to withhold lawmakers' pay if an approved budget is not balanced.

The measure by Assemblyman Allan Mansoor, R-Costa Mesa, responds to a provision in voter-approved Proposition 25 that allows Democrats to pass a majority-vote budget needing no Republican support.

Proposition 25 also called for docking legislative pay when a budget is not passed by the June 15th deadline. But state Controller John Chiang sparked controversy last year when he withheld pay after concluding that the spending plan initially passed by lawmakers was not balanced.

Democratic legislative leaders, who contend that Chiang illegally intervened in legislative matters, filed suit last month asking a judge to decide whether the controller can punish lawmakers again this summer and in the future for budgets he deems unconstitutional.

Mansoor's constitutional amendment, if placed on the ballot by lawmakers and approved by voters, would settle the matter by requiring the controller to dock pay until the Legislative Analyst's Office certifies that a budget is balanced.

The ballot measure also would make Republicans more relevant in budget negotiations by requiring a two-thirds supermajority in each legislative house to pass a spending plan. Currently, that would require two GOP votes apiece in the Senate and Assembly.

Because Republicans are vastly outnumbered in the Legislature, Mansoor's proposal will be dead on arrival unless he can win support from Democratic colleagues whose party powers would be reduced if the constitutional amendment were to become law.

AM Alert: California Democrats to pick their primary colors

2012-02-10T14:00:00Z

Let the endorsements begin: The California Democratic Party votes this weekend on its official candidate picks for the June 5 primary.

The party's convention runs today through Sunday, with party Chairman John Burton and former White House aide Van Jones kicking things off tonight in San Diego. Come back to Capitol Alert during the weekend for full coverage.

Political junkies will be paying close watch to Saturday afternoon's endorsing caucuses for districts in which no candidate got enough votes at the pre-endorsement conference to get recommended outright. That would include the 31st Congressional District, where incumbents Howard Berman and Brad Sherman are slugging it out.

The rules are such that if two incumbents are running in the same district, a candidate will need a 60 percent vote in caucus to land an endorsement recommendation. Berman and Sherman are the only two incumbents running in the same district who will be considered by an endorsing caucus.

But wait, there's more. Incumbents who aren't facing another incumbent have a lower threshold to meet: 50 percent of the votes, plus one. That would include Assemblymen Richard Pan of Sacramento, who's running in the 9th Assembly District, and V. Manuel Pérez of Coachella, who's running in the 56th, neither of whom face caucus challengers.

Non-incumbents, meanwhile, need 60 percent to get a recommendation. That makes it a different story for the 50th Assembly District race, which is pitting incumbent Betsy Butler, who moved into the district, against challengers Torie Osborn and Richard Bloom.

You'll find the list of candidates eligible to participate in the endorsing caucuses here. Party officials have posted a memo explaining caucus details at this link.

This link will open up the official pre-endorsement list, which includes six legislative districts for which no endorsement recommendation was made. One of the orphans is the 8th Assembly District, an East Sacramento swing seat where Democrats Ken Cooley, Chris Parker and Larry Miles now face Republican contenders Barbara Ortega and Peter Tateishi.

Sen. Dianne Feinstein is speaking at Saturday's luncheon, as we've reported before, and Sen. Al Franken of Minnesota is talking to the Saturday dinner crowd. Gov. Jerry Brown and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi are among those speaking Saturday morning. Find more information at the party's website.

PET GROOMING: Sen. Juan Vargas, D-San Diego, is holding a presser at 11 a.m. at Nate's Point Dog Park in Balboa Park with pet groomers and pet owners to draw attention to his Senate Bill 969 (also called Lucy's Law, named for a dog) to regulate the pet grooming industry and to the San Diego County Board of Supervisors decision to oppose it.

CAKE AND CANDLES: Sen. Joel Anderson, R-Alpine, turns 52 on Saturday.

Chief justice goes after Assembly, process over funding bill

2012-02-10T01:59:00Z

California Supreme Court Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye is delivering an aggressive message to members of the Assembly after the lower house narrowly passed a bill that would strip power from the state Judicial Council she controls.

In a 20-minute speech to the state's presiding judges in the days after the Jan. 30 vote on Assembly Bill 1208, a stern-faced Cantil-Sakauye said she was "greatly dismayed" at the "meritless, false claims" in the floor debate and the voting process in the Assembly.

Click here to download video of Cantil-Sakauye's speech. Requires a Windows Media file player.

"It's one thing to lose an argument based on merit," Cantil-Sakauye said, "it's another thing when the facts are not represented."

She said she expressed her displeasure after the vote in a phone conversation with Assembly Speaker John A. Pérez, who supported the bill.

She also said she was surprised that, with the bill in limbo and eight votes short of passing at 33-23, Pérez apparently helped round up the deciding votes for the 41-26 outcome.

"Because of my previous conversations with the speaker I thought for the most part then it would go away, because I understood that this bill would be up to each member to vote their conscience, that it wouldn't be the subject of political maneuvering...on the Assembly floor," Cantil-Sakauye said. "And that of course disturbs me, but I know our process is very different from the legislative process."

Pérez's office did not respond to requests for comment.

Cantil-Sakauye said the process "really called into question" the meaning of separation of powers. "That line has been and very well could be blurred based on the conduct and the involvement that occurred not only leading up to the bill, but how it squeaked out...of the Assembly. I don't know that anyone can stand tall after that process or claim a mandate after that process."

AB 1208 is pushed by a group of judges called the Alliance of California Judges and is backed by Service Employees International Union, representing courthouse employees.

The bill is stalled -- for now -- in the Senate. Cantil-Sakauye said she would continue pushing to kill the measure.

"That's my hill," she told the judges. "There are few hills as a judge. As you all know, we're neutral, we're objective, we're fact-finders. We left that persona (as advocates) behind a long time ago, but it is kind of funny how it comes back to you. Pretty quickly actually, about how when you're fighting for a value, or a principle you think threatens what you stand for, what you took an oath for."

PHOTO CREDIT: California Supreme Court Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye visits The Bee on Jan. 26, 2012. Paul Kitagaki Jr. / Sacramento Bee

Jody Patel named interim administrative director of state courts

2012-02-10T01:22:00Z

Jody Patel, former executive officer of Sacramento Superior Court, was named interim administrative director today of California's court system.

Patel replaces Ronald G. Overholt, who resigned after serving in the post for about five months, as reported here.

Patel quickly announced that she has no plans to serve permanently. A nationwide search currently is under way to find a permanent administrative director.

Chief Justice Tani G. Cantil-Sakauye announced that the state Judicial Council had approved Patel's interim appointment.

Patel had been serving as regional administrative director of California's state court system. She was the executive officer of Sacramento Superior Court from 2001 to 2006.

CA court system seeks new interim head after resignation today

2012-02-09T22:55:00Z

Saying that his position has become a "lightning rod for controversy," Ronald G. Overholt resigned today as interim administrative director of California's court system.

Overholt's move comes as the court system's statewide decisions have come under increasing fire and a group of dissident judges is pushing Assembly Bill 1208 to grant local courts more control over spending.

Overholt, in a written statement, noted that courts have operated for the past three years in an "anxiety-generated climate" of fiscal crisis that has prompted ongoing budget reductions and internal reorganization efforts.

"My decision is based on a number of factors," Overholt said of his resignation.

"Among them is that the position of administrative director of the courts has become a lightning rod for controversy, impacting the focus on budget discussions, Judicial Council governance of the judicial branch, and the Administrative Office of the Courts itself."

California Supreme Court Chief Justice Tani G. Cantil-Sakauye called Overholt's decision "understandable but unfortunate."

Overholt's 30 years of service in court administration, including his stint as interim administrative director since September 2011, have been exemplary and his departure is a great loss to the state's judicial system, Cantil-Sakauye said.

"But we respect his judgment that a transition is necessary at this time for him and for the court system he has served so well," she said.

A new interim director will be selected while a national search continues for a permanent director.

Steinberg 'committed' to passing pension reform before budget

2012-02-09T22:25:00Z

Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg said today that a nonprofit group's decision to scrap a proposed ballot initiative targeting public employee pensions does not alter his commitment to tackle that issue.

"We are committed to getting pension reform done," the Sacramento Democrat said in a news conference.

Steinberg said he anticipated the question after the advocacy group, California Pension Reform, announced Wednesday that it was shutting down its effort to place a pension initiative before voters this year.

Steinberg said he is committed to passing pension reform before adoption of a state budget this year.

The Senate leader said he intends to address all 12 points of a pension overhaul proposed by Gov. Jerry Brown, but added, "That doesn't mean we're going to do every point in the way he suggests."

]]> Key elements of Brown's plan would raise the retirement age to 67 for most new employees outside the public sector and replace defined-benefit pensions with a "hybrid" system combining a smaller defined-benefit plan with Social Security and a 401(k)-style benefit.

"We think we can deal with the hybrid issue, we think we can deal with the retirement age issue," Steinberg said, without elaborating. "We're going to move forward and get that done."

As an example of how the Senate might alter Brown's plan, Steinberg said, "There are different ways to do a hybrid, for example."

"Our attention will be paid on making sure that when we do come forward with a proposal, it will not reduce benefits for middle- and low-income workers," Steinberg said.

AM Alert: Jerry Brown hits the road for Tesla Motors' Model X

2012-02-09T14:00:00Z

Gov. Jerry Brown will be making an appearance tonight as electric-car maker Tesla Motors unveils a new vehicle in Los Angeles County -- its Model X.

California's clean-car makers are among the state's economic bright spots. And as The Bee's Rick Daysog reported last month, the California Air Resources Board has voted unanimously to tighten emissions standards by mandating that one in every seven cars sold in the state in the year 2025 be an ultra-low- or zero-emission vehicle.

Brown is expected to speak around 8 p.m. at the premiere, held at Tesla's Los Angeles Design Studio in Hawthorne.

The Model X is a luxury SUV crossover, according to an article posted Wednesday by Investor's Business Daily, which says Tesla has been teaming up with Toyota and Daimler, with Toyota using a Tesla power train in an electric RAV4, and Daimler putting Tesla-designed battery systems in some of its vehicles.

"As essentially a tech startup ... Tesla is a rarity in the car world. How well it does over the long haul is tied to interest from larger automakers, electric-car adoption and the price of oil," the article says.

Back in Sacramento, Capitol denizens can instead contemplate the joys of beef noodle soup. Democratic Assemblyman Richard Pan of Sacramento and Sen. Leland Yee of San Francisco are hosting a cooking demonstration of the Taiwanese signature dish featuring the winner of the 2011 international competition in Taipei.

Chef Hou Chun-Sheng will give his take at Spataro restaurant on L Street across from the Capitol, starting at 2 p.m. Spataro's Randy Paragary will also be on hand, as well as members of the Sacramento chapter of the California Restaurant Association.

Hou has become a big deal in Taiwan, and his champion recipe incorporates a rich beef broth, tomato paste, fermented bean curd sauce, hot chile peppers, and a bag of herbs and spices including star anise, cinnamon sticks, dried orange peel, and some stuff Capitol Alert hasn't heard of.

The Senate and the Assembly have both set floor sessions at 9 a.m. Beef noodle soup is not on the agenda. Click here for more details on the Senate side, and click here for the Assembly.

The Peace and Freedom Party, meanwhile, is unhappy that Secretary of State Debra Bowen's office left two of its four candidates off the list of generally recognized candidates for the June 5 presidential primary. The California party chair, C.T. Weber, has called a presser at 10 a.m. at Bowen's office, 11th and O streets.

There could be good reason for the move, though. A Bowen spokeswoman told The Bee's Torey Van Oot on Wednesday that websites giving information about one of the omitted candidates, Peta Lindsay, indicated that she isn't old enough under the U.S. Constitution to be president. (For the record, a president must be at least 35 at the time of inauguration.)

CAMPAIGN WATCH: Senate Republican leader Bob Huff is hosting a fundraiser tonight at Power Balance Pavilion for his 29th Senate District re-election bid. Single tickets to watch from a private suite as the the Sacramento Kings play Oklahoma City Thunder run $2,000 each. If you're strapped for cash and still want to go, StubHub had more than 400 tickets available for the game as of Wednesday evening. Starting price: $15.

High-speed rail touted in jobs coalition's new radio campaign

2012-02-08T21:29:00Z

A coalition representing Northern and Central California contractors and union construction workers launched a radio campaign this week applauding the state's proposed high-speed rail system.

The group's 60-second spots, narrated by comedian Will Durst, are running at least twice daily -- during morning and evening commutes -- on six Sacramento and nine Bay Area radio stations.

The spot by the California Alliance for Jobs can be heard here.

The group's push to rally public opinion comes at a time when the planned high-speed rail system is coming under increasing criticism, sparking efforts to kill it in the wake of a state auditor's report that questions its financing and ridership projections.

]]> "I think the high-speed rail project is a game changer for California's economy down the road," coalition executive director Jim Earp said of the bullet train system to connect Northern and Southern California.

"It's one of those infrastructure projects that will have as much impact on California long-term as the original railroads did," Earp said.

Gov. Jerry Brown, who is trying to push the project through the Legislature this year, said recently that he is redesigning the high-speed rail system -- estimated to cost $100 billion -- in a way that would cut its costs.

Earp said the high-speed rail radio spots are part of an ongoing, multiyear campaign touting projects that would hike employment during California's rocky economic times.

The following is a transcript of the minute-long high speed rail spot:

"Hey guys, Will Durst here. Let's talk about vision -- and when I say vision, I'm not talking about some guy doing Lasik surgery in a van down by the river. I mean looking at the future and doing something positive to affect it. And that's why I was happy to hear Governor Brown's vision for high-speed rail.

"As with any project of this scope, there are problems to overcome, but we can do this. You know, in 1939, naysayers called the proposed interstate highway system 'New Deal, jitterbug economics.' In 1966, some called the planned BART system a billion-dollar fiasco.

"There will always be skeptics. Heck, some people would vote against sunshine and hugs. But we need a fast, green, inviting way to move around California. Are we going to let this great project be sunk by the naysayers or elevated by the visionaries? It's time to do the right thing - put people to work now and build something momentous for our future."

PHOTO CREDIT: A view of the interior of a station in the proposed high speed rail network. Rendering by Newlands and Company Inc. Sacramento Bee file, 2008.

LAO sees problems with Jerry Brown's higher education plan

2012-02-08T20:17:00Z

The Legislative Analyst's Office raised concerns with Gov. Jerry Brown's higher education budget in a new report today, including his plans to tighten Cal Grant requirements and automatically increase funding if his tax plan passes.

After the state slashed its higher education spending by 21 percent during the recession, the Democratic governor has proposed 4 percent annual increases to the University of California, California State University and California Community Colleges for three fiscal years starting in 2013-14 -- but only if voters approve his plan to hike taxes on sales and wealthy earners. If voters reject the plan, the systems would lose state funding in 2012-13.

Brown made the 4 percent promise as a sweetener to his tax proposal, which he's trying to bill as a plan for funding education and public safety. The analyst's office recommended that lawmakers reject the 4 percent promise. Pledging to give automatic increases presents problems, the LAO said, because other parts of the budget could suffer, lawmakers would have little discretion if one higher education system needed more money than another, and the pledge ignores enrollment and inflation, among other reasons.

Department of Finance spokesman H.D. Palmer said the governor wants to give the education systems "a level of stability and predictability."

The analyst's office also raised questions with Brown's plan to increase grade-point average requirements to receive Cal Grant awards.

]]> Low-income students would need to graduate from high school with a 3.25 GPA instead of a 3.0 to receive either full tuition at CSU and UC or nearly $10,000 in help at private schools. Students would have to have a 2.75 instead of a 2.0 to receive a lesser Cal Grant award. Students who transfer from community colleges to four-year schools would also face stricter requirements.

This proposal would affect an estimated 26,000 students, one third of those receiving such aid. The analyst's office said there is some merit to increasing GPA requirements, but warned that it "would have disproportionate impact on students with the greatest financial need." It suggested that a phase-in with less severe GPA increases, such as 2.0 to 2.25, would be more reasonable.

Palmer said the governor's intention is direct limited resources to students who are most likely to earn degrees.

"Our goal in this proposal is to focus on those students that have a good chance of being able to (graduate) in a timely manner," Palmer said.

The office recommended that lawmakers largely reject many of the governor's financial aid cutbacks and instead tighten other requirements, such as financial eligibility and award amounts. It also suggested finding funds elsewhere, such as eliminating aid for spouses and children of deceased veterans and public safety personnel if they also qualify for federal programs.

Since 2007-08, the state's pre-recession high-water year, UC has increased net tuition by 79 percent after accounting for redistributing money for aid. CSU has increased net tuition by 55 percent. And community colleges have increased fees by 28 percent.

Assembly Speaker John A. Pérez unveiled legislation today to raise corporate income taxes and reduce UC and CSU for families making up to $150,000. The "Middle Class Scholarship" would reduce UC tuition and fees from about $12,000 to $4,000 and CSU tuition and fees from about $6,000 to $2,000.

But GOP lawmakers have generally opposed the tax change in the past. The most support Democrats found last year came from two Assembly Republicans who agreed to $1 billion in new revenues going toward California business tax credits.

Pérez's proposal would tighten the state's corporate tax formula by requiring all firms to calculate their California income tax based on their share of sales in the state. Current law allows companies to choose the less costly of two formulas, and firms based out of state can save when they have fewer property holdings and employees in California.

The state's biotechnology firms are proponents because the change would raise costs for out-of-state competitors. Past opponents have included Virginia-based Altria Group, a major cigarette maker that also owns California wineries such as Stag's Leap. Republicans said last year such a change would violate terms of a 2009 budget deal, in addition to raising taxes on employers in California.

Assembly Democrats hope to frame the debate as a choice between out-of-state corporations and college students, possibly generating ammunition to use against Republicans who oppose the tax change.

"That's absolutely a false way to characterize this," Pérez said, adding later, "Closing this loophole puts us in the mainstream of other states that have a single sales factor. Similar to New Jersey. Similar to Texas, similar to other states that Republicans hold out as the beacons for how to deal with taxation and businesses."

Updated at 2:10 p.m. with comments from the Department of Finance and additional note about LAO recommending phased-in GPA changes.

Sacramento snags flood control funds

2012-02-08T15:49:48Z

Sacramento-area flood control projects will be embellished with more than $8 million in new federal funds, the Army Corps of Engineers announced Wednesday.

The Folsom Dam Joint Federal Project will receive $7.42 million, and the Folsom Dam Raise project will receive $720,000. In both cases, the money comes from a Corps of Engineers' "reserve fund" established by Congress late last year. Unlike the old congressional earmarks, the reserve fund was set up to be distributed competitively.

The Folsom Dam projects are designed to provide 200-year flood protection for much of Sacramento.

AM Alert: Rob Reiner to speak at First 5 California conference

2012-02-08T14:00:00Z

Actor and director Rob Reiner is in town: He'll be honored today at the joint conference of First 5 California and the Water Cooler branch of civil rights lawyer Molly Munger's Advancement Project.

Reiner backed the ballot measure that set up First 5 and was its first commission chairman. Other listed speakers include former California first lady Maria Shriver's brother, Mark Shriver, who is senior vice president of U.S. programs at the nonprofit Save the Children.

Munger, fresh off her talk earlier this week before the California State PTA about her tax ballot proposal, will be featured Thursday at the two-day conference. She'll be moderating a panel titled "Getting Real About Revenue: Can 2012 Be the Year?"

She won't be getting any help from Democratic Sen. Ted Lieu of Torrance. He was burning up the Twitterverse on Tuesday, imploring advocates of tax ballot measures to consolidate support behind Gov. Jerry Brown's proposal to avoid having all of them go down in flames.

Lieu quoted a tweet at one point from Republican consultant Matt Rexroad, who'd written, "Molly Munger may be the best thing to happen to those of us that want to defeat tax increases."

"Thx for validating the truth," Lieu tweeted back.

Lieu even got a shout-out from former California Republican Party chairman Ron Nehring, who tweeted, ".@TedLieu and I don't agree on much, except this: more tax hikes on ballot, more likely all fail. #Bipartisanship."

The First 5 conference is being held at the Sheraton Grand Sacramento at 14th and J streets. Click here to read more, and find the agenda at this link. Learn more about the Advancement Project, where Munger is president and co-director, here.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, meanwhile, is making an appearance in Sacramento at 1:30 p.m. today at the Siemens rail car manufacturing plant out on French Road. LaHood will be talking up President Barack Obama's commitment to rail as well as the creation of quality manufacturing jobs.

And Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom is set to appear with San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee to announce a "green taxi milestone" in that city, according to a news release. The 10 a.m. presser will be, appropriately enough, at the Yellow Cab Co-Op, 1200 Mississippi St.

Republican Barbara Ortega to run for 8th Assembly District

2012-02-07T23:59:00Z

A fifth candidate has entered the race for a vacant East Sacramento County seat in the California Assembly.

Sacramento Republican Barbara Ortega announced today that she will run to represent the 8th Assembly District, a swing seat that is expected to be a top legislative target this year.

Ortega, who currently owns a Sacramento business consulting and marketing firm called POW Group, said in a statement that she hopes to "bring my business experience and know-how to the Assembly so we can actually get things done to provide relief for California." Her resume includes stints as director and vice president of the California Manufacturers & Technology Association and director of legislative affairs at the the United States Chamber of Commerce.

Her campaign consultant, Dave Gilliard, said she is filing the paperwork to start raising money for her race this week.

The race has become more crowded since Democratic Assemblywoman Alyson Huber decided not to run for re-election after her home was drawn into a new GOP-leaning district.

Three Democrats -- Franchise Tax board attorney Chris Parker, Rancho Cordova Councilman Ken Cooley and San Juan Unified School District Board Member Larry Miles -- and Republican Peter Tateishi, who works for GOP Rep. Dan Lungren, have also announced plans to run for the seat.

Proposition 8 lawyer vows to appeal 'one way or the other'

2012-02-07T23:05:00Z

The fight over California's same-sex marriage ban has been presumed for years to be destined for the U.S. Supreme Court, and a lawyer for Proposition 8 backers confirmed today that they'll appeal this morning's decision "one way or the other."

But when the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled this morning that the ban is unconstitutional, its reasoning focused so narrowly on Proposition 8 that a lawyer for same-sex marriage proponents suggested the Supreme Court might be less inclined to take up the case.

"The grounds for the opinion, in my view, do make it somewhat less likely that the Supreme Court will take it," said the lawyer, David Boies.

Unlike in many other states, gay and lesbian people could wed in California for a brief period before Proposition 8's passage in 2008. The appeals court ruled that California erred in stripping them of a right they previously enjoyed. It did not consider the broader question of whether gay and lesbian couples may ever be denied the right to wed.

Boies said the Supreme Court might elect to "wait for a case that would raise the more general issue." But Ted Olson, also a lawyer for gay-marriage proponents, said it may be "very difficult" for the Supreme Court to ignore a case of such magnitude. The two lawyers have been planning for years for the case to wind up in the Supreme Court, as have lawyers working with Proposition 8 proponents.

Backers of the same-sex marriage ban said today that they have not yet decided whether to appeal directly to the Supreme Court or request a review by a larger panel of the appeals court.

"Either way, one way or the other, the case will continue on," said Folsom lawyer Andy Pugno, the author of Proposition 8.

He said the focus of the court's ruling is unlikely to dissuade the Supreme Court from taking it, likely next year.

"This case is all about the rights of the voters to make a decision on an important public policy matter vs. one or two judges substituting their opinions for the will of the voters," Pugno said.

Ex-GOP Sen. Sam Aanestad to run for California House seat

2012-02-07T20:48:00Z

Former Republican Sen. Sam Aanestad has decided to enter the race for a vacant Northern California congressional seat, setting the stage for a same-party showdown with Republican Sen. Doug LaMalfa.

Aanestad's newly retained campaign spokesman, former California Republican Party Communications Director Mark Standriff, confirmed today that the former legislator will be a candidate in the 1st Congressional District.

Rep. Tom McClintock, R-Elk Grove, will be Aanestad's campaign chairman, Standriff said.

GOP Rep. Wally Herger, who now represents the area, announced last month that he will not run for re-election in the district, which runs from Yuba City to the Oregon border. Herger, of Chico, endorsed LaMalfa shortly after announcing his own retirement plans.

Aanestad told The Bee last month that he was considering a run for the seat. The 2010 lieutenant governor hopeful said the 12 years he spent representing the region in the state Legislature make him a good fit for the district.

"I already know most of the local issues of each of the areas and the people involved in the history," he said at the time. "It wouldn't be much of a learning process in terms of getting up to date on what the issues are for the district."

Standriff said Aanestad is unavailable to comment on his plans today due to patient appointments at his Grass Valley dental and oral surgery practice. He plans to make a formal campaign announcement tomorrow.

PHOTO CREDIT: Then-Sen. Sam Aanestad, R-Penn Valley, listens to the debate in the California upper house on Friday, September 11, 2009. Hector Amezcua, Sacramento Bee.

Editor's note, 1:09 p.m.: This post has been updated to reflect that Rep. Tom McClintock will be former Sen. Sam Aanestad's campaign chairman, not his manager.