Capitol Alert

The Senate began consideration of U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer's Water Resources Development Act Tuesday, but thanks to the first two Republican amendments, the legislation won't merely address flood control, port and navigation improvements and storm protection.

If Sen. Tom Coburn of Oklahoma has his way, the bill could allow people to carry guns on U.S. Army Corps of Engineers property. A similar effort three years ago lifted a gun ban in National Parks.

Coburn's other amendment would require federal agencies to report the firearms they own or that were lost or stolen -- with national security exceptions for the Pentagon and CIA, provided those agencies explain their reasoning to Congress.

After a contentious, four-month debate, the Senate last month failed to enact any new legislation aimed at curbing gun violence, and most observers didn't expect lawmakers to revisit the issue anytime soon. Amid other polarizing debates on immigration and the federal budget, the water resources bill, cosponsored by Boxer, a California Democrat, and David Vitter, a Louisiana Republican, was expected to have relatively smooth sailing.

"I hope it doesn't get bogged down in extraneous amendments," Boxer said on the Senate floor Tuesday. Among other things, Boxer's bill would authorize projects such as the Natomas Levee Improvement Program.

Read more here.

Later, Boxer expressed frustration at Coburn's move but said the Senate would consider them. The bill moved unanimously out of the Environment and Public Works Committee, which Boxer leads, though some environmental groups object to some of its provisions.

"We will deal with those amendments," she said.

PHOTO CREDIT: Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., in 2008. Doug Mills/The New York Times

By Curtis Tate
ctate@mcclatchydc.com

WASHINGTON -- A ban on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines fell well short of the votes needed to pass the Senate Wednesday, but Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., vowed to continue her long fight for such legislation.

"I'm disappointed by today's vote, but I always knew this was an uphill battle," Feinstein said in a statement after her amendment garnered only 40 votes. "I believe the American people are far ahead of their elected officials on this issue, and I will continue to fight for a renewed ban on assault weapons."

Feinstein's amendment was part of a series of gun-related provisions the Senate considered Wednesday. But as victims of recent mass shootings and their family members watched from the visitors gallery, all seven amendments failed to get the 60 votes needed for approval, including a carefully crafted compromise on background checks for gun shows and online sales, as well as a crackdown on gun trafficking.

Before the vote on Feinstein's assault weapons ban, she stood and implored her colleagues to "show some guts."

But her amendment drew support from only one Republican, Sen. Mark Kirk of Illinois. Fifteen of Feinstein's fellow Democrats voted against it.

In a speech Wednesday morning on the Senate floor, Feinstein all but conceded that her effort, spurred by December's mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., where 20 children and six adults were killed, would not succeed.

PHOTO CREDIT: Photos of Sandy Hook Elementary School victims are displayed behind Sen. Dianne Feinstein as she speaks Feb. 27 about her proposal to ban assault weapons. Susan Walsh / Associated Press file

By Curtis Tate
ctate@mcclatchydc.com

WASHINGTON -- In a speech to a mostly empty Senate chamber, Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., all but conceded Wednesday that her long push to ban assault weapons and high-capacity magazines would not succeed.

The Senate was to vote Wednesday on a series of amendments to a broader gun bill spurred by December's mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., where 20 children and six adults were killed.

"Not every issue we vote on in the Senate is a life or death matter -- I believe this is," Feinstein said. "I urge my colleagues to stand tall and support this amendment."

But few senators were present during Feinstein's 30-minute speech. One was Sen. Heidi Heitkamp, a North Dakota Democrat who was presiding over the empty chamber. She opposed Feinstein's amendment.

Other amendments, including a measure to expand criminal background checks to gun shows and Internet sales, were also expected to fail, as was an effort by gun-rights supporters to require states to respect concealed-carry gun permits issued by other states.

Feinstein, who led a successful push for an assault weapons ban nearly 20 years ago, said that if the Senate didn't act, states would, creating a patchwork of laws.

"If this bill goes, down, I believe states will pass other legislation," she said. "It is only a question of time."

PHOTO CREDIT: This video frame grab provided by Senate Television shows Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., as she speaks about gun legislation, Wednesday, April 17, 2013, on the floor of the Senate in Washington. (AP Photo/ Senate Television)

Former state Sen. Tony Strickland is readying a second run against Democrat Julia Brownley in a Southern California congressional seat.

Brownley, a former member of the state Assembly, defeated Strickland by about 5 percentage points in the 26th Congressional District last November. The race for the open seat was a top target in 2012, attracting more than $5 million in spending by outside groups.

Now, Strickland is preparing for a rematch. The Hill reported today that the Moorpark Republican, who is now serving as a fellow at the University of Southern California, has filed a statement of candidacy.

Republicans are hoping to score wins in swing districts throughout the state in 2014. They believe turnout will be lower and less Democratic without President Barack Obama on the top of the ticket. Top Republican strategists say Obama's 23-point victory here last year made it all but impossible for their candidates to win down ticket.

Strickland, who served in both houses of the Legislature, has also run for state controller twice.

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Former GOP Sen. Tony Strickland takes fellowship at USC

PHOTO CREDIT: Then State Senator Tony Strickland, R-Moorpark, speaks during a 2011 Senate floor session. AP Photo Rich Pedroncelli.

It's game on in two California congressional seats that are expected to home to be major fights in 2014.

Redlands Mayor Pete Aguilar formally announced his plans to run again for the 31st Congressional District next year. GOP Rep. Gary Miller defeated a fellow Republican for the Inland Empire seat last November, after Aguilar, a Democrat, failed to make the runoff in what was considered by many observers a seat Democrats could win.

Miller is considered one of the state's most vulnerable incumbents because of a seven-point voter registration advantage for Democrats in the district. Labor unions have already run television ads criticizing the congressman.

Rep. Ami Bera said today that he is donating to charity a percentage of his salary equal to the across-the-board, federal budget cuts that took effect this month.

Bera's pledge comes as the Elk Grove Democrat -- and other incumbent politicians of both parties -- continue to take criticism over the sequester's $85 billion in mandatory budget cuts.

Bera said he will donate 8.2 percent of his salary, or $1,189, to a different charity each month through September, the end of the fiscal year. His first contribution, this month, was to a Meals on Wheels program in Sacramento County. He said he decided to donate a percentage of his salary last week after reading a story about the Meals on Wheels program in The Bee.

Bera said sequestration is a "dumb way to do business" but that elected officials should share in the pain.

"The message to my colleagues in Congress is, if we're going to ask everyone else to tighten their belts, we have to tighten our belts first," Bera said.

The National Republican Congressional Committee has put up online advertisements claiming Bera was among lawmakers culpable for allowing the sequester to take effect, a claim repeated by an NRCC spokeswoman in an email today.

Though Congress members' salaries are not affected by the sequester, the 8.2 percent figure is in line with what members of Congress have been told to reduce their office budgets.

The amount is slightly less than the 8.4 percent calculated by Rep. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill. Duckworth said before the sequester took effect that she would return 8.4 percent of her salary to the U.S. Treasury each month.

Bera said he opted to donate his money instead of returning it to help programs affected by federal budget cuts. He said he does not plan to claim the contributions as charitable donations for tax purposes.

PHOTO CREDIT: Ami Bera at a press conference in 2012. Lezlie Sterling / Sacramento Bee

Today's Sacramento Bee takes a look at some of the very early campaign action in California congressional districts that are expected to be home to big fights between Democrats and Republicans in 2014.

Races unlikely to switch party hands are picking up as well.

California's new election laws, which allow two candidates from the same party to compete in the general election, mean tough primary challenges can extend into the fall. Two incumbents, Democratic Reps. Joe Baca and Pete Stark, lost to members of the same party as a result of the change in last year's election.

Rep. Mike Honda, D-San Jose, is already trying to fend off a possible challenge from Ro Khanna, a 36-year-old attorney and former Obama appointee, in Silicon Valley's 17th Congressional District.

Khanna, who has more than $1 million in campaign funds in the bank, has yet to announce formal plans to run. But Honda is readying for a challenge by holding fundraising events to build a campaign war chest and trumpeting early endorsements from Obama, House minority leader Nancy Pelosi and Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chairman Steve Israel. This week, Honda's team released an internal poll that gives the congressman a 52-point lead over his potential challenger.

"Smart campaigns are hard working and prepared campaigns," Honda campaign spokesman Dan Cohen said. "The congressman and his team realize that if there is a race, they want to have the best possible team that's prepared and ready to win. And if there isn't, then they've done their homework."

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Elizabeth Emken eyes challenging Ami Bera in Sacramento seat

PHOTO CREDIT: Rep. Mike Honda speaks at the 2008 Democratic National Convention. Brian Baer / Sacramento Bee file, 2008

Will the third time be the charm for Republican Elizabeth Emken?

The former GOP candidate for House and U.S. Senate is exploring a run against freshman Democratic Rep. Ami Bera in Sacramento County's 7th Congressional District next year.

Emken, who lost to Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein by double digits last year, has filed paperwork to raise campaign cash for a potential House campaign, her spokesman Mark Standriff said this week. While the Danville Republican has not made a final decision on where she might run, Standriff said her "focus is on CD 7 and Ami Bera" right now.

Bera, who narrowly defeated GOP Rep. Dan Lungren in a costly campaign last year, is expected to be a top target for Republicans, who believe lower turnout in the midterm elections could help them overcome Democrats' slight registration advantage in the new district.

A challenge to Bera would be Emken's third run for public office in the state. Before her loss to Feinstein, Emken came in last place in a four-way GOP primary for a Bay Area House seat.

Does California's delegation in the House of Representatives lean to the left? So it would seem from an exhaustive ranking of 435 House members on their ideological positioning by the authoritative National Journal.

Five California Democrats are tied with nine Democrats from other states for the title of "most liberal," based on their voting records in 2012.

However, when it comes to "most conservative," the highest any Californian - San Diego County Republican Duncan Hunter - ranked was 18th.

When Howard Berman lost the most expensive congressional race in the country last year - falling to fellow Democratic Rep. Brad Sherman after the two were thrown together in the same district - it marked the end of a fabled Southern California political machine.

Berman and Rep. Henry Waxman, along with Berman's campaign/redistricting consultant brother, Michael, had been major factors in regional and statewide politics for decades, making or breaking countless political careers.

The rise and fall of the Berman-Waxman machine is chronicled in a lengthy article in the National Journal.

Shane Goldmacher, a former Sacramento Bee and Los Angeles Times Capitol reporter, charts how the organization got its start in campus politics before Waxman and Howard Berman moved to the Legislature and then to Congress, becoming major forces in domestic and foreign policy.

For California Democrats facing a tough path to re-election in 2014, a simple thank you can fuel attacks from opponents already shifting into campaign gear.

Freshman Democratic Reps. Ami Bera and Raul Ruiz, learned that the hard way this week, when the California Republican Party asked the Federal Election Commission to investigate cameos both members made in a Web video produced by a Democratic super PAC.

A political maneuver by House Republicans to include a "No Budget, No Pay" provision in legislation to temporary suspend the federal debt ceiling has given freshman Democratic Rep. Ami Bera the chance to act on one of his key campaign pledges.

The main purpose of the bill, which passed the House of Representatives on a vote of 285-144 today, was to prevent the government from going into default for at least four months by temporarily lifting a $16.4 trillion cap on federal borrowing.

But it also included language to withhold pay for members if their chamber doesn't pass a budget plan. The move was seen as a political poke at the Senate, which hasn't adopted a full budget resolution in years.

Former congressman Howard Berman's friends in Congress are making political life difficult for congressman Brad Sherman, who defeated Berman when the two Democratic incumbents were thrown into the same Southern California district, the Politico website reported Wednesday.

The Politico article indicated that the revenge - Sherman being aced out of committee positions he sought - was being orchestrated by Berman's long-time friend and political partner, Henry Waxman.

Waxman and Berman, along with the latter's brother, Michael, an expert on redistricting and mail campaigning, had headed a powerful political organization in Los Angeles for decades. Michael Berman was hired every 10 years by the state's Democratic politicians to handle redistricting matters.

The 82-member freshman class taking seats in the U.S. House of Representatives today includes nine former members of the California Legislature.

Former Sens. Doug LaMalfa, R-Richvale, Gloria Negrete McLeod, D-Chino, and Juan Vargas, D-San Diego, and former Assembly members Julia Brownley, D-Santa Monica, Paul Cook, R-Yucca Valley, Tony Cardenas, D-Los Angeles, Jared Huffman, D-San Rafael, Alan Lowenthal, D-Long Beach, and David Valadao, R-Hanford, won election to the House in the November election. All but Cardenas served in the 2011-2012 legislative session.

They join more than a dozen other California Legislature alumni already serving in the House, including former Assembly Speaker Karen Bass.

"Officially sworn in as a member of the 113th Congress moments ago," the Los Angeles Democrat tweeted. "Hoping this Congress is a more bipartisan and productive one."

Fourteen of California's 53 seats are filled by freshman members this year. The state's congressional delegation saw more turnover than usual because of retirements, redistricting and the new "top-two" election rules.

Read more: Congress ushers in new members, with old divide

California's state budget. Public-sector pensions. Taxes.

The Sacramento Bee's Capitol Alert readers avidly followed those issues this year, as the blog's top 10 posts of 2012 show. Here's the list, in reverse order:

No. 10: "Rep. Dennis Cardoza announces resignation" (Aug. 14). In a surprise move citing his family's needs, the Merced Democrat said he was resigning from Congress.

No. 9: "FPPC says Arizona nonprofit laundered money to California campaign" (Nov. 5). "At $11 million, this is the largest contribution ever disclosed as campaign money laundering in California history," the Fair Political Practices Commission said in a news release.

No. 8: "Bera lead over Lungren wider in Sacramento County House race" (Nov. 9). Democrat Ami Bera wound up besting Republican Rep. Dan Lungren and will be sworn into Congress this week.

Democratic Rep.-elect Ami Bera weighed in on calls for stricter gun control laws in the wake of Friday's mass shooting at a Connecticut elementary school, saying he hopes the rampage in Newton serves as a "wake up call that gives us the courage to engage in the conversation" about the politically sensitive issue.

"We have to be thoughtful in this approach but ... 27 people just lost their lives. We've had multiple tragedies here. We have to have the conversation. We have to have the courage to have the conversation," the Elk Grove Democrat told The Bee's editorial board today. "It is not an infringement on someone's rights if you ask them a few questions.

Bera called Democratic U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein's plans to again try to revive a federal assault weapon ban a "good first step," but also said as a doctor he hopes to also take a close look at what can be done to improve mental health services to identify and help individuals who could become violent before they can do harm.

"That is a broader conversation than what kind of gun laws do we put in place and we have to have the courage to address that," he said. "I have to approach that as a doctor who has seen first hand how difficult it is."

The November election was not kind to the Mack family - Florida Rep. Connie Mack and his wife, California Rep. Mary Bono Mack. Both Republicans lost to Democratic challengers.

However, the Tampa Bay Times notes that the couple has been making very frequent appearances of late on CNN's political shows and speculates that they may be auditioning, in effect, for their own TV show.

Both will remain in office until the new Congress is seated in January and thus may get a chance to vote on any deal between Republican leaders and the White House to avert the so-called "fiscal cliff."

Democrat Ami Bera has won his tight race against incumbent GOP Rep. Dan Lungren to fill the 7th District Congressional seat representing the suburbs of Sacramento.

The Associated Press called the race this afternoon as Bera's lead over Lungren had grown to almost 5,700 votes, according to the latest vote count.

Bera, an Elk Grove Democrat, led longtime Republican lawmaker Lungren by 184 votes on election night. His lead grew to about 3,800 votes on Tuesday.

As of today's count, Bera has 51.11 percent of the vote to Lungren's 48.89 percent.

The tight race for Congress between Rep. Dan Lungren and Ami Bera is tilting further in Bera's favor. His lead has grown to almost 5,700 votes, according to the latest vote count released today.

Bera, an Elk Grove Democrat, led longtime Republican lawmaker Lungren by 184 votes on election night. His lead grew to about 3,800 votes on Tuesday in the race to fill the 7th District Congressional seat representing the suburbs of Sacramento.

As of today's count, Bera has 51.11 percent of the vote to Lungren's 48.89 percent. Brad Buyse of the Sacramento County registrar's office said officials still have more than 7,700 vote-by-mail ballots to count in addition to 31,000 provisional ballots.

The contest was one of the country's most expensive Congressional races this year, with outside groups spending more than $8 million - largely on negative advertising.

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi announced Wednesday that she will keep her position for the next two years.

The 72-year-old San Francisco Democrat first met with fellow Democrats in a closed-door caucus session.

Pelosi will still need to win election to the post, though that is all but guaranteed. Pelosi's career announcement capped an extended period of speculation that began even before the Nov. 6 election, in which Democrats gained a handful of seats but failed to reclaim control of the 435-member House.

Democrat Ami Bera extended his narrow lead Tuesday over GOP Rep. Dan Lungren in the hotly contested 7th Congressional District, moving 3,824 votes ahead in the suburban Sacramento seat.

Bera now leads the longtime Republican lawmaker by a 50.81 percent to 49.19 percent margin in the latest tally of 235,628 votes.

The Lungren campaign estimates there remain nearly 40,000 ballots left to count in the race. "We want to see more ballots counted," strategist Rob Stutzman said Tuesday.

Though vote counting continues, Bera is in Washington, D.C. this week for legislative freshman orientation.

"There are still ballots remaining, but we are confident that Sacramento County voted for new leadership that will put the people first," Bera said in a statement.

Bera led Lungren by a mere 184 votes out of 180,000 counted at the end of Election Night.

The local battle was one of the country's most expensive races, as outside groups spent more than $8 million. The next vote update is expected to come Thursday.

Post updated at 3:55 p.m. with a Bera comment.

Democrat Ami Bera clung to a razor-thin lead this morning in his fight to unseat Republican Rep. Dan Lungren, though both sides cautioned that it could be days before a winner is declared in the 7th Congressional District.

The two-time rivals for a suburban Sacramento swing seat spent Tuesday night locked in a near tie, with both candidates pulling ahead by margins of fewer than 1,000 votes at different points in the night. Bera now leads by just 184 votes out of more than 176,000 ballots cast.

Many more ballots still need to be counted. County election officials have not yet tallied all the absentee and provisional ballots turned in by Election Day, but spokeswoman Alice Jarboe said the sheer volume appears to be "record breaking."

"I can tell just by the bins and all.... the pink return containers that are filling up these hampers," she said of the scene at the elections office this morning.

Lungren's campaign manager estimated that tens of thousands of unprocessed ballots remain, telling supporters in an email that "we may not know the outcome of this race for days or even weeks."

House minority leader Nancy Pelosi predicted earlier this year that the road to a Democratic majority in the U.S. House of Representatives would run through California.

"Simply put, to win back the House, to succeed in our drive for 25 ... California Democrats will lead the way," the former House speaker said in a speech at the California Democratic Party convention last winter.

Not so much.

Television network projections showed Republicans securing another two years in control of Congress before the polls in California even closed today, thanks to GOP wins in other parts of the country.

Still, a handful of GOP-held seats in California are expected to be close calls tonight. Reps. Dan Lungren, Jeff Denham and Mary Bono Mack are among the Republican incumbents facing a serious challenge.

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ELECTION 2012
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This month's record-high gas prices continued to fuel attacks in the 7th Congressional District race today, as Rep. Dan Lungren again accused his rival of supporting policies that could drive up prices even more.

"The idea that all we need to do is raise taxes and drive down consumption is one that frankly may work with the elite in San Francisco, but it doesn't work very well with those of us in this district who have to live, to work, to take their kids to school, take their kids to soccer practice and things like that," the Gold River Republican said at a press conference at a Citrus Heights gas station today.

Lungren's attacks are based on comments Bera made on a telephone town hall held during the 2010 race between the two rivals. The Elk Grove Democrat said in response to a participant's question that increasing the gas tax to reduce use is "worth exploring." Bera says now that he has never supported such a policy.

Rep. Jeff Denham says he is going to court to get a Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee ad attacking his record on veterans off the air.

The Turlock Republican announced yesterday that he will file a lawsuit against the national Democratic organization. His campaign consultant Dave Gilliard called that ad's claims that the congressman voted to cut military pay and increase congressional salaries" false and defamatory." Gilliard said he expects the lawsuit to be filed today.

The DCCC defended the spot in a statement: "It comes as no surprise that Congressman Denham doesn't want voters to know he voted to protect his own pay but not pay for the troops but he can't run away from his record no matter how hard he tries.".

Denham, a former state legislator, is facing a challenge from Democrat Jose Hernandez in the 10th Congressional District. Outside groups are spending heavily in the race ahead of the Nov. 6 election.

Editor's Note: This post was updated at 10:58 a.m. Oct. 25, 2012 to include the DCCC statement.

It's difficult to believe that the Southern California shootout between two veteran Democratic congressmen, Howard Berman and Brad Sherman, could get any nastier after their recent physical confrontation. But it has.

A political website, BuzzFeed Politics, reports that two other Southern California congressmen, Democrat Henry Waxman and Republican Elton Gallegly, have recorded robocalls to voters in the San Fernando Valley's 30th Congressional District in which they disparage Sherman's character.

Gallegly terms Sherman's grabbing Berman during a debate "unacceptable" while Waxman, Berman's long-time partner in a local political organization, calls Sherman "an embarrassment."

Also Wednesday, the House Democrats' No. 2 leader, minority whip Steny Hoyer of Maryland, endorsed Berman, who has received backing from virtually every prominent California Democrat, including Gov. Jerry Brown.

Berman, however, needs all the help he can get. Polls have shown him running behind Sherman, who has represented most of the 30th CD in the past. The two were thrown together in the redistricting plan written by a voter-approved independent state commission.

Here's the You Tube video of the debate last night in which California Democratic Reps. Brad Sherman and Howard Berman went nose to nose -- literally.

"You wanna get into this?" Sherman asks at one point -- before law enforcement interceded.

The two veterans are battling for one redrawn House seat in the San Fernando Valley.

Related: Read the AP story about the debate here.

Former President Bill Clinton rallied thousands on the quad of UC Davis this morning, endorsing four California Democrats running for Congress and encouraging Californians to vote for Proposition 30 and against Proposition 32.

Clinton endorsed current Reps. John Garamendi and Jerry McNerney as well as challengers Ami Bera and Jose Hernandez. The four contests they're in are among the most competitive in the nation, and the national Republican and Democratic parties are spending big to try to take the seats.

The districts at stake span a 200-mile swath of the northern Central Valley from Modesto to Yuba City.

"The four people I'm on the stage with -- two in Congress, two trying to get there -- each in their own way, they represent the American dream," Clinton said. "They prove that a commitment to shared prosperity works better than 'trickle down, you're on your own.'"

California's bullet train won little support from congressional hopefuls from the Sacramento region Sunday, with just one of five congressional candidates participating in an election forum vowing to vote for federal funding for the project.

Third Congressional District candidate Kim Vann , Rep. Dan Lungren, and 9th Congressional District candidate Ricky Gill, all Republicans, and Democrat Ami Bera, who is challenging Lungren in the 7th Congressional District, all came down against funding construction of the high-speed rail line, citing the high cost of the project.

"We have failing infrastructure all over the state," said Vann, a Colusa County supervisor. "Until we address the failing infrastructure that we have, we shouldn't be planning for something that we cannot afford today."  

The Bee, News10 and Capital Public Radio are sponsoring a debate next Tuesday in the 7th Congressional District contest pitting Rep. Dan Lungren, R-Gold River, against his Democratic challenger, Dr. Ami Bera of Elk Grove.

The hour-long debate will be webcast live on sacbee.com at 3 p.m. with full coverage online and in Wednesday's printed Bee.

Here's where you can help. Send us your questions for one or both of the candidates. We'll sift through them and try to ask one during the debate. Email your question with your name, city of residence and phone number to Dan Smith, Bee Capitol Bureau Chief, at dssmith@sacbee.com.

Rep. Darrell Issa is still one of the richest members of Congress, but he's apparently not as flush as he was.

An estimated $80 million drop in overall net worth from 2010 to 2011 caused the Vista Republican to slip from No. 2 to No. 3 in Roll Call newspaper's annual ranking of the wealthiest members of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives. A reported net worth of at least $140.5 million put him behind only Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, (worth $305.46 million) and Democratic U.S. Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts (worth $198.65 million) on the list.

Issa isn't the only Californian near the top of the list, which is compiled based on annual financial disclosure reports filed by members of Congress.

Republican state Sen. Doug LaMalfa announced today that he would resign from the California Senate after the Legislature adjourns its 2012 session tonight so that a special election to fill his seat could be consolidated with the Nov. 6 general election.

LaMalfa, whose district sprawls over a wide region of northeastern California, is running for Congress to succeed retiring Republican Wally Herger. He is considered a shoo-in in the heavily Republican congressional district.

Two Republican assemblymen, Jim Nielsen and Dan Logue, are declared rivals for LaMalfa's Senate seat with LaMalfa backing Nielsen in what is expected to be a sharp-elbows contest.

LaMalfa said in a statement that he has met with Gov. Jerry Brown "and he told me he will move quickly to consolidate the elections."

EDITOR'S NOTE: This post has been updated to reflect the correct date for the general election.

Democratic Rep. Pete Stark apparently didn't take kindly to the news that former state Assemblyman Alberto Torrico has decided to endorse his Democratic opponent in the 15th Congressional District.

Torrico recounted his account of the conversation to the National Journal:

After "calling me a turncoat," Torrico said that Stark "questioned my mental health. He asked me if I was well, if I was ill. He said that he was concerned for the safety of my children, that maybe he should send a social worker to my house to check on their safety because I'm clearly ill." ...

During their conversation, Stark, who is the only openly atheist member of Congress, also questioned Torrico's Christian faith, Torrico said. "He took the opportunity to say he'd come to my house and teach my children about the Christian faith because I couldn't," he said.

"From an atheist, I found it interesting," Torrico added.

Stark later acknowledged in a statement to the National Journal that he "got a little heated," but said Torrico was "itching for a fight.

This isn't the first time bizarre behavior has landed the 80-year-old incumbent in the news this cycle. He said during one debate that challenger Eric Swalwell accepted "hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes" without providing evidence to back his claim. He also falsely accused San Francisco Chronicle columnist Debra Saunders of contributing to his rival's campaign.

Editor's note: This post was updated at 4:37 p.m. with a comment from Stark.

Rep. Dan Lungren is looking to tap into the patriotic sentiments of the Olympics as he seeks another term in Congress, airing a new campaign ad during coverage of the London games.

"It goes back to growing up. We were taught the American dream. We were taught that this country is exceptional," Lungren says over the soaring swells of violins amid images of children reciting the Pledge of Allegiance.

The Gold River Republican goes on to cite quotations attributed to Presidents Ronald Reagan and Abraham Lincoln, closing by telling viewers: "Those revolutionary ideas live now just as much as they did then."

The ad comes as Lungren is gearing up for a November rematch with Elk Grove Democrat Ami Bera in the newly drawn 7th Congressional District. A close registration split in the Sacramento County seat has made the race a top target again this year. Many analysts believe this year's contest will be closer than in 2010, when Lungren won by seven percentage points.

A sense that you've seen the plaid shirt and country backdrop in the ads many times before doesn't necessarily mean you've been tuning in to too many hours of Olympics coverage. Campaign adviser Rob Stutzman confirmed that the the footage for the spot came from the same taping that was used for one of Lungren's 2010 ads.

The House Ethics Committee has completed its investigation of Rep. Laura Richardson and the verdict isn't good for the California Democrat.

Here's a snippet from the Associated Press report, which is posted in full on SacBee.com:

WASHINGTON -- The House Ethics Committee says California Democratic Congresswoman Laura Richardson should be reprimanded for misusing her staff.The committee found she improperly compelled staff to perform campaign work and obstructed the internal investigation by altering or destroying evidence, failing to produce subpoenaed documents and attempting to influence testimony of witnesses

Read more at this link.

A handful of aides to members of California's congressional delegation apparently are turning heads on the Hill.

Six staffers for California representatives won recognition this week not for their work ethic or professional achievements, but for their good looks.

The aides were included in The Hill newspaper's annual roundup of Washington's "50 most beautiful people".

The Beltway publication's beauty list included Ryan Hanretty, a Sacramento native and former state legislative staffer who now works as a legislative assistant for Republican Rep. Jeff Denham.

Other aides to California members who made the cut were Bay Area transplants Allison Rose and Dan Lindner, who both work for Democratic Rep. Judy Chu; Amanda Muñoz, another Denham aide; Melissa Medina, a staff assistant and legislative correspondent for Republican Rep. Ed Royce; and Yvonne Hsu, a legislative assistant for Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff. Several others on the list hailed from the Golden State.

See write ups -- and glamour shots -- of all 50 honorees at this link.

The California Democratic Party is poised to take sides in a handful of same-party runoffs on the November ballot.

Democratic delegates throughout the state met over the weekend and last week to cast endorsement votes in a number of districts where no Democrat won the party's official backing ahead of the June 5 primary.

Here are the unofficial results of those votes, which CDP spokesman Tenoch Flores said will be certified as early as Friday if no challenges to the vote are filed.

Assembly District 18:Rob Bonta endorsed over Abel Guillen.

Assembly District 47: Joe Baca, Jr. endorsed over Cheryl Brown.

Senate District 13: Jerry Hill endorsed over Sally Lieber.

Senate District 15: Jim Beall endorsed over Joe Coto.

The party won't be taking a side in the heated 30th Congressional District battle between Democratic Reps. Howard Berman and Brad Sherman. Berman won support of a majority of delegates at the weekend vote -- a reversal from a spring convention vote that put Sherman in the lead -- but failed to hit the 60 percent threshold needed to secure an endorsement.

The party automatically backs candidates who are the sole Democrat on the November ballot, unless a successful attempt to challenge that endorsement is filed. A list of pre-primary endorsements made at the party's spring convention is posted here.

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Endorsement wars heat up at California Democratic Party confab

The House Republicans' most dogged investigator of Obama administration doings, Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Temecula, now faces his own ethics complaint.

On Wednesday, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington filed complaints against Issa with the Justice Department and the Office of Congressional Ethics. Both complaints revolve around allegations that Issa violated federal law by including material from a sealed wiretap application in the Congressional Record.

Issa chairs the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, and led the charge to secure a House vote holding Attorney General Eric Holder in contempt of Congress. As part of the June 28 debate over the contempt charge, Issa placed in the Congressional Record information from a 2010 wiretap application that included specific details "concerning operational tactics and individual targets" of the law enforcement operation called Fast and Furious, according to the complaint filed with the Office of Congressional Ethics.

For the average Joe, revealing wiretap information is typically against the law. By placing the document in the Congressional Record, though, Issa can claim protection under the Constitution's Speech and Debate Clause, which shields congressional speech from prosecution. The CREW complaint asserts that Issa should nonetheless be disciplined for his actions.

"It is shameful that an organization purporting to support good and transparent government is instead making itself complicit in an effort to cover-up a reckless government effort that contributed to the death of a Border Patrol agent," Issa's spokesman Frederick Hill told Roll Call newspaper.

PHOTO CREDIT: Darrell Issa, 2010. The Sacramento Bee/Hector Amezcua

The word "California" appears nowhere in the 596-page transportation package slated for congressional approval Friday. Nonetheless, the bill that's ridden a Capitol Hill roller-coaster for many months has a definite Golden State tinge.

The bill, for instance, includes a National Flood Insurance Program phase-in pushed by lawmakers including Rep. Doris Matsui, D-Sacramento. To prevent sticker shock among homeowners caught up in newly mapped flood zones, the provision phases in higher insurance rates over five years. Matsui called the result "real savings."

Politically, the 27-month, $120 billion surface transportation reauthorization bill is an achievement for Democratic Sen. Barbara Boxer, the chair of the Senate Public Works Committee. Formally, it's called the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act, or MAP-21.

The bill does not include funding for high-speed rail, but neither does it include language championed by Rep. Jeff Denham, R-Turlock, in the original House effort that would have specifically blocked federal dollars from going toward California's high-speed rail project. Denham is trying to put similar language on other transportation-related bills.

Both House and Senate are slated to approve the legislation Friday before lawmakers depart for the Fourth of July recess.

A new Super PAC has started airing television ads in support of independent candidates running in California's June 5 primary.

icPurple announced today that it is backing four candidates running for office with "no party preference," including 26th Congressional District contender Linda Parks, who is running strong in a district targeted by both major parties.

The group is already running one ad in support of San Diego mayoral candidate Nathan Fletcher, an assemblyman who recently dropped his Republican registration

It is looking at buying airtime for the spot supporting Parks, as well as one for Chad Condit, the son of former Democratic Rep. Gary Condit, in the Central Valley's 10th Congressional District. It has also endorsed Chad Walsh, the only candidate running against Democratic Assemblyman Paul Fong in the Silicon Valley-based 28th Assembly District.

The committee was created by Gateway founder Ted Waitt, who put up $300,000 in seed money to get the ad buys started.

Waitt said in a statement that voters are "demanding pragmatic and problem-solving behavior from our elected officials once again."

"We believe independent minded voters will see this as an opportunity for more than just a statement vote, but as a chance for real political change," he said.

Online versions of the ads are posted at this link.

The Federal Election Commission this week struggled again with Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein's request for a loosening of the usual fundraising limits, in the wake of the massive embezzlement by former campaign treasurer Kinde Durkee.

The upshot: Feinstein didn't get the go-ahead she sought, but neither did the six-member FEC come to a official consensus decision on the key question. There could be more discussions to come.

Feinstein asked the FEC for permission to raise more money from contributors who had already maxed out under federal campaign limits, arguing that Durkee's admitted embezzlement meant the money was never really received.

A revised draft opinion debated Thursday would have denied Feinstein's request to seek replacement contributions from individuals whose money had been deposited in a campaign account. But with one Republican commissioner recusing himself from the deliberations, the 3-2 vote adopting the draft opinion fell short of the four votes needed for approval.

The FEC's general counsel will be redrafting an opinion that would allow more money to be raised only from those individuals whose prior contributions were never actually deposited in a campaign account. This may not cover very many donors.

Republican Rep. Dan Lungren took in more than $500,000 for his re-election campaign in the first three months of the year, outraising rival Ami Bera for the first time since the Elk Grove Democrat emerged on the fundraising scene in mid-2009.

Lungren, of Gold River, ended March with just under $900,000 on hand, according to a report filed with the Federal Election Commission. Bera, whose filing has not yet appeared on the FEC website, said in a release issued last week that he raised $366,000. He ended the quarter with a cash advantage over his rival, saying he has roughly $1.15 million in the bank heading into the June 5 primary.

Bera, who lost to Lungren in 2010 by seven percentage points, had outraised Lungren in every quarterly filing period since the July 2009 reports. Lungren consultant Rob Stutzman said while both candidates took in significant sums, the latest numbers reverse "what has been what has been a mostly two-year streak."

"He's finding a lot of support and he's working very hard to gather the resources to take on Bera," Stutzman said of Lungren.

Bera's campaign, meanwhile, touted its own numbers as a sign of "grassroots" support, saying in a release that 60 percent of donors this quarter were giving to the campaign for the first time.

A close registration split has made the newly drawn 7th Congressional District a top target this election. Lungren and Bera have huge fund-raising advantages over the other two candidates running in the primary and are expected to face off in a rematch in November.

Republicans have gained a slight voter registration edge in the targeted 7th Congressional District, closing for now a gap Democrats had argued would help challenger Ami Bera defeat GOP Rep. Dan Lungren.

The two major parties are now neck and neck in the competitive east Sacramento County district, with each representing about 38.7 percent of registered voters, according to updated figures from Sacramento County election officials. The new report shows Republicans outnumbering Democrats by a mere 202 voters.

That margin has closed significantly since January, when registration reports showed Democrats holding a one-point, 3,773-voter lead.

While Republicans were quick to credit voter registration efforts for the change, the number of registered voters in both parties -- and in the district as a whole -- fell in the new report.

National Democrats are taking their campaign against Rep. Dan Lungren to, well, above, the streets.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee says it has put up a billboard in Carmichael hitting the Gold River Republican on his support for a Republican budget plan that would make major changes to Medicare. The billboard, which was erected by the intersection of Fair Oaks Blvd. and Garfield Ave., accuses Lungren of "Protecting Millionaires Instead of Medicare," according to a photo provided by the committee.

Democrats are hoping to make Medicare a major issue in the 7th Congressional District race between Lungren and Ami Bera, the Elk Grove Democrat who also challenged Lungren in 2010. They argue that provisions in the House GOP budget plan, which Lungren supports, will end up increasing health care costs for future seniors while providing tax cuts for the wealthy.

Lungren's consultant has dismissed the tactic in the past, arguing that voters will be more concerned by the effect the federal health care overhaul could have on the health care program for seniors and the disabled.

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Voters in Sacramento-area district hit with political claims over Medicare

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Democrats targeting Reps. Jeff Denham and Dan Lungren again

PHOTO CREDIT: Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has put up a billboard targeting Rep. Dan Lungren in the 7th Congressional District. Photo courtesy of the DCCC.

Central California congressional candidate and former lieutenant governor Abel Maldonado Jr. is haggling with the Internal Revenue Service over some $470,000 in disputed taxes, court records show.

The IRS says the money is owed for errors in some complex deduction and depreciation calculations. Maldonado, in turn, is challenging the agency in U.S. Tax Court, even as he pledges to commit his own funds into a race against Rep. Lois Capps, D-Santa Barbara.

"I believe we paid the correct amount of taxes and followed the rules as we understood them," Maldonado, a Santa Maria Republican, said. "If the IRS finds differently, I will pay the taxes due with interest."

The tax dispute concerns income from a family farming venture, Agro-Jal Farming Enterprises, as well as a rental partnership. After the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee posted an online reference to the Tax Court issue as part of a broader campaign attack, Maldonado said this week that he was filing paperwork to dissolve his involvement in Agro-Jal Farming.

"I'll miss working with my family members in the company I help found, but they don't deserve to have their privacy invaded every time my name is on the ballot," Maldonado said.

Maldonado faces Republican Chris Mitchum, a Santa Barbara resident aligned with the tea party, in the jostling to unseat the 14-year year House veteran Capps. Part of Maldonado's campaign platform is a pledge to "close the tax loopholes while keeping the tax burden down on working people."

Leave it to something like levee vegetation to unite California lawmakers.

On Tuesday, in the latest round of a long-running flood-control dispute, Rep. Doris Matsui, D-Sacramento, and 34 other House members from California urged the Army Corps of Engineers to revise its policies governing vegetation on levees. The lawmakers, mostly Democrats but with a few Republicans like Rep. Dan Lungren, D-Gold River, joining in, warned the Corps against what they call the "extremely high costs of levee construction and mitigation" entailed by a strict no-vegetation rule.

The stakes are high, as California officials have identified more than 2,100 miles of levees in the Central Valley.

The Californian lawmakers said they agree that new levees should be "constructed and maintained in full compliance with Corps vegetation policies" but called for a "a regionally adaptable approach" that permits woody vegetation on existing levees.

The corps believes vegetation can undermine the stability of levees, although a study released last year asserted that vegetation at the base of levees can actually be beneficial.

Related story: Corps' policy on levee trees holds -- for now

A new appraisal by the National Republican Congressional Committee claims that state-by-state redistricting has enhanced GOP chances of retaining control of Congress by making 16 seats held by Democrats vulnerable, including four in California.

The NRCC memo written by its executive director, Guy Harrison, was revealed in a National Journal article Wednesday.

The memo says that Democrats Lois Capps of Santa Barbara, Jim Costa of Fresno and John Garamendi of Walnut Grove are potentially vulnerable. It also lists the vacant 21st Congressional District in the lower San Joaquin Valley as winnable by a Republican. Costa would have been the 21st District incumbent, but opted to move into the 16th District after Democratic Congressman Dennis Cardoza decided to retire.

Congressional candidate Ami Bera is once again distancing himself from the country's top Democrat as he heads into the first of what could be two election battles with Republican Rep. Dan Lungren.

The Elk Grove Democrat, who is challenging Lungren in the newly drawn 7th Congressional District, was critical of President Barack Obama's record on improving the economic climate in an interview with News 10 this week.

"I don't think the president did enough in his first years in office," Bera said, noting Sacramento County's roughly 11 percent unemployment rate.

Bera, who called job creation "jobs one, two and three," said he believes officials need to look at both cutting regulations to help small businesses and approving shovel-ready projects, such as work on California's roads and levees, to put people back to work.

Bera tried to distance himself from Obama and then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in the 2010 campaign, too, without success.

At one point he declared that "If I thought the Democrats were doing the right job in this country with moving forward, I wouldn't be running," and later said he would have been "reluctant" to vote for the health care law Obama and Pelosi championed

Still, two weeks before the 2010 election, a conservative group with ties to GOP strategist Karl Rove, aired a campaign ad asserting that Bera didn't think the overhaul of the nation's health care system went far enough.

"I've been consistent. I think the Affodable Care Act, the health care reform by President Obama misses the point," Bera said in the News 10 interview. "We've got to address the cost of health care. Far too many families, far too many business owners are paying more and more every year and we're getting less and less."

He said Obama's failure to take on the insurance and pharmaceutical industries to lower the cost of health care is "one of the biggest disappointments" of the overhaul.

Rep. Dan Lungren is stepping up his re-election efforts this week, raising cash, recruiting volunteers and holding town hall meetings in his Sacramento County district.

The Gold River Republican faces a rematch with his 2010 challenger, Elk Grove Democrat Ami Bera, in the newly drawn 7th Congressional District. A close voter registration split and high turnout in the presidential election are expected to make the race one of the most competitive congressional elections of the year.

Lungren, who has trailed his opponent in campaign cash both this election and in 2010, got some help from Republican leadership for a Monday fundraiser in Sacramento. House Speaker John Boehner flew into town for yesterday afternoon's reception at the California Chamber of Commerce's downtown office. A photo with the Ohio Republican set attendees back $5,000, according to a posting on Capitol Morning Report.

Lungren, meanwhile, took a shot at Democratic congressional leadership in a Monday email seeking money and volunteer commitments from supporters.

"Nancy Pelosi is already pouring money into the district, and every dollar helps," read a Lungren campaign email titled "The campaign begins today."

Pelosi, the Democratic leader, has identified flipping the seat as a top priority in her effort to win back control of the House. House Majority PAC, an independent campaign committee supporting House Democrats, has already been on the air with television ads opposing Lungren.

Lungren is also holding town hall meetings this week in Citrus Heights, Rancho Cordova and Angels Camp. The first event is tonight at 8:30 p.m. at the Citrus Heights Community Center.

Lungren consultant Rob Stutzman said the campaign is "preparing for a huge battle" with this week's events.

"Pelosi has to beat Lungren to retake the Speaker's gavel," he wrote in an email. "We're not going to show up with padded gloves."

Friday was the deadline for candidates to file for the east Sacramento County seat, which stretches from Elk Grove to Citrus Heights. A full list of candidates was not immediately available, but Lungren and Bera, a doctor and former Associate Dean for Admissions at the UC Davis School of Medicine, will likely face off both in the June primary and the November general election under the state's new top-two primary system.

Former Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante has decided not to run for Congress in a competitive Central Valley seat, according to The Fresno Bee.

The Elk Grove Democrat, who represented the Fresno area in the state Legislature, was weighing a run for the newly drawn 21st Congressional District. Democrats have been searching for a strong candidate to run against GOP Assemblyman David Valadao in the vacant seat since their top recruit, Democratic Sen. Michael Rubio, dropped out due to family concerns.

Bustamante also cited ""family considerations" in an email announcing his decisions to supporters Sunday night.

The Fresno Bee's John Ellis reports:

In an interview, Bustamante said he "found out in this process that there still is fire, and I don't think that it is over."

He said his short-term plan is to return to Elk Grove and then scout out "where to go and where to potentially run for office next.

The full Fresno Bee piece is posted here.

PHOTO CREDIT: Cruz Bustamante, 2006. Brian Baer/The Sacramento Bee

The House on Wednesday approved an ambitious California water bill that favors farmers, splits the state and pressures the Senate.

In a largely partisan vote, the Republican-controlled House approved the legislation which would lengthen irrigation contracts, override state law and boost deliveries to farms south of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. Most dramatically, the bill replaces one San Joaquin River restoration plan with something far less ambitious.

"Flushing water into San Francisco Bay is not helping to recover species, and people are suffering needlessly," said bill author Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Visalia, adding later that his bill "gives (water) reliability, not only to farms but to the environment."

Approved by a 246 to 175 margin, the bill marked one of the few times the full House has confronted California's water woes. The nearly five-hour debate, though, also underscored how the bill has magnified rather than ameliorated regional and personal differences.

"This is a power grab," said Rep. John Garamendi, D-Walnut Grove. "It's a water grab, and it's an imposition of the federal government over the state."

California's seniority standing in the House of Representatives will take another hit, with the announcement Wednesday by Rep. David Dreier, R-San Dimas, that he will be retiring.

Dreier, chair of the House Rules Committee, has served in the House since 1981. The committee chairmanship has given the 59-year-old Dreier a key gatekeeper's responsibility, making him responsible for setting the rules of debate on every bill that reaches the House floor.

Dreier surprised his colleagues Wednesday by announcing his retirement plans from the House floor.

Though the timing of the announcement was unexpected, the decision itself had been anticipated ever since a California redistricting commission redrew district lines to put Dreier into a much more competitive spot.

Dreier is the sixth House member from California to announce his retirement at the end of the 112th Congress.

PHOTO CAPTION: David Dreier/Associated Press

On the eve of Wednesday debate over a big California water bill, the pros and cons were being lined up.

The Obama administration, in a formal Statement of Administration Policy, declared late Tuesday afternoon that it "strongly opposes" the bill authored by Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Visalia. The administration said the bill's ending of a San Joaquin River restoration program, and replacing it with a less ambitious plan, would "likely result in the resumption of costly litigation, creating an uncertain future for river restoration and water delivery operations for all water users on the San Joaquin River."

In a similar vein, the states of Oregon, Colorado and Wyoming weighed in against the bill, citing in part fears about the federal government tromping on state water rights.

On the other side, Nunes unveiled a list of 200-plus supporters, ranging from the Westlands Water District to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

Former Republican Assemblyman Anthony Adams is looking to return to politics with a bid for an open inland Southern California congressional seat.

Adams, who recently changed his registration to decline-to-state, plans to run as a "no party preference" candidate on the ballot for the 8th Congressional District. The Republican-leaning seat, which stretches along the Nevada border, has attracted a handful of candidates already, including Assemblyman Paul Cook, R-Yucca Valley, and Minuteman Greg Imus, a former chief of staff to GOP Assemblyman Tim Donnelly.

Adams, of Hesperia, decided not to run for a third and final terms in the state Assembly in 2010 after surviving a recall effort sparked by his vote to temporarily increase taxes as part of a 2009 budget deal. He said at the time that he wanted to try to pass the bar exam and finish a novel he had been working on.

A teacher and political activist from Carmichael announced plans today to challenge GOP Rep. Dan Lungren in the newly drawn 7th Congressional District.

Mario Galvan, who is registered decline-to-state, said his candidacy was inspired by the "Occupy" movement and widespread public dissatisfaction with the politics in Washington, D.C.. He said in a release announcing his campaign that he wants to ""Occupy the government."

Galvan, 64, told The Bee in an interview that a central theme of his campaign will be his commitment to representing the views of district residents of all political leanings, promoting a "democracy that's inclusive rather than adversarial."

"Our politics has become like a war, so polarized," he said. "My candidacy offers an alternative in the form of direct democracy that invites everyone to part in the political decisions on an ongoing basis."

A close voter registration split in 7th Congressional District makes the East Sacramento County seat, which stretches from the Galt area to Citrus Heights, a top target for both Democrats and Republicans in 2012. Elk Grove Democrat Ami Bera, who lost to Lungren in 2010, has already raised more than $1 million for a rematch against the Gold River Republican.

Galvan, whose only other experience running for office was in a school board election in Loomis years ago, said as a "non-traditional" candidate, he does not intend to try to match the fundraising numbers of his rivals for the seat.

"Nobody can raise the money that these super PACS will raise," he said. "If we cannot clear our minds of the 30-second attack ad mentality in politics, then we're doomed."

Will former Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamane join the race for a competitive Central Valley congressional seat?

Bustamante, who lives in Elk Grove but represented the Fresno area in the Assembly during the 1990s, told The Fresno Bee that he is considering a bid in the 21st Congressional District.

"I'm not ready to make any kind of announcement at this time," Bustamante said. "I've not made all my due diligence calls. An announcement is premature."

Democrats lost their top recruit for the competitive seat when Sen. Michael Rubio, D-East Bakersfield, withdrew his candidacy to focus on his family.

Republican Assemblyman David Valadao of Hanford, and Central California Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Chief Executive John Hernandez, a Democrat, are currently running for the seat. The Fresno Bee reported that Fresno City Councilman Blong Xiong, also a Democrat, is also considering entering the race.

Bustamante, a former Assembly speaker who lost a 2003 bid for governor in the recall election as well as a 2006 run for state insurance commissioner, told The Fresno Bee that he and his wife "need to figure out what we're going to do with the rest of our lives" now that their children are heading to college.

Read the full story here.

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Michael Rubio decides not to run for Congress in 2012

PHOTO CREDIT: Then Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante speaks as then Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger laughs behind him before the State of the State address on Jan. 5, 2006. Sacramento Bee/ Brian Baer

Democratic Assemblywoman Julia Brownley says she'll run for the 26th Congressional District.

The Ventura County Star's Timm Herdt reports:

Brownley, who lives in Santa Monica, has represented much of Ventura County in the Assembly for the past five years. Her district includes Port Hueneme, about half of Oxnard, Westlake Village and Oak Park -- areas that make up about 16 percent of the congressional district.

Brownley said she will move to an apartment in Oak Park this week.

"This is going to be a tough campaign -- no question about it," she said. "I think I'm a very strong candidate with my experience in the Legislature fighting to restore excellence in schools, expanding access to health care and investing in the 'green' economy."

Brownley, who is termed out, enters the race with the endorsement of Ventura County Supervisor Steve Bennett, the top Democratic recruit for the seat who dropped out unexpectedly earlier this month. Sen. Tony Strickland, R-Moorpark, Ventura County Supervisor Linda Parks, a Republican who might identify herself as "no party preference" on the ballot, and four other Democrats are running for the swing seat, which became a top target when retiring GOP Rep. Elton Gallegly announced he would not run for another term in the newly drawn district.

The seat is considered a top target for Democrats seeking to win back the majority in the U.S. House.

Click here to read the full Ventura County Star piece.

A fourth of California's 53 congressional seats could be competitive in this year's elections, thanks to extensive district boundary changes by the state's independent redistricting commission, says a new analysis by the Cook Political Report.

The Cook report is considered to be an objective analysis of national political trends and its list of California districts that loom as potentially competitive is contained in a nationwide rundown.

Many of the 13 California districts on the list are either held by incumbents or have incumbents running after changing addresses, while others are open seats without incumbents.

The incumbent seats are those held by Democrats Jim Costa, Lois Capps, John Garamendi and Jerry McNerney and Republicans Dan Lungren, Gary Miller, Brian Bilbray, Jeff Denham and Mary Bono.

The most threatened incumbents are in the "tossup" districts and Cook sees them as Republicans Lungren, Miller and Bilbray. Others are in districts that are more likely to go to one party or the other.

Republican Rep. Dan Lungren is getting some early help for his re-election bid from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

A new television ad airing in Sacramento area praises the Gold River Republican for "fighting to protect California jobs," singling out his support for repealing the federal health care overhaul.

"He believes free enterprise, not big government, will lead economic recovery," a narrator says of Lungren.

A slight voter-registration edge for Democrats in the newly-drawn 7th Congressional District and high turnout for the presidential election are expected to make Lungren a top target this year. He faces a rematch with Elk Grove Democrat Ami Bera, the doctor and medical educator who lost to Lungren by 7 percentage points in 2010.

The Lungren spot, which is posted below, is part of a national ad campaign rolled out by the U.S. Chamber last week. The new spots, which include negative pieces against Democrats who supported the health care overhaul, target 12 congressional districts and eight U.S. Senate races.

"American families deserve to know who has the courage to fight for job-creating policies in Washington and who is hurting their pocketbooks," said U.S. Chamber President and CEO Tom Donohue. "We're asking the public to hold members of Congress accountable for their positions on Obamacare, job-killing regulations, energy security, and a culture of wasteful spending in Washington."

Chamber spokesman Bryan Goettel said the ad began airing Thursday on both cable and broadcast channels and will run for two weeks. He declined to specify how much the group spent on the ad buy. The "voter education" spots, which urge viewers to call the offices of Lungren and others on the issues cited in the ads and are not subject to the same disclosure requirements as campaign advertisements.

The Bera campaign said it believes the early spending shows the incumbent's vulnerability.

"It's clear that they see him as someone who stands for their interests and that's why they're stepping up so early and spending a lot of money when most voters don't really want to be seeing TV ads this early in the game," spokesman Josh Wolf said.

Editor's note: This post was updated at 12:11 p.m. with comments from the Chamber. It was also updated to clarify that the ads began last week, contrary to the Feb. 13 date on a press release posted online.

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.

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.

RELATED POSTS:
Former GOP Sen. Sam Aanestad considering run for Congress
LaMalfa 'moving forward' for Congress run after Herger announcement

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.

Committees in the House of Representatives will cut their spending by an average of 6.4 percent, under a resolution passed Wednesday night.

With lawmakers mindful of the massive federal deficit, the House approved by voice vote the budget-trimming authored by Rep. Dan Lungren, R-Gold River. Lungren chairs the House Administration Committee.

"All of our constituents need us to do more with less and to rein in government spending," Lungren said during the evening debate. "Families have been required to tighten their belts, and they constantly ask us to do the very same thing."

Some House Democrats opposed the measure, which exempts the House armed services and ethics committees from the cuts. The resolution does not need Senate approval.

California Sen. Ron Calderon is abandoning his bid for the newly drawn 38th Congressional District, opting to remain in the state Senate and back Democratic Rep. Linda Sanchez for the Southern California seat.

"I have had the honor of representing portions of the Gateway Cities and San Gabriel Valley for the past nine years and I am incredibly proud of my record as a legislator committed to creating quality jobs, improving our system of public education, protecting frontline services and keeping our neighborhoods healthy and safe," Calderon said in a statement. "I look forward to continuing to represent many of the communities in this Congressional District as a Member of the California State Senate and I look forward to working with Congresswoman Sanchez to champion local job creation and economic development."

The Montebello Democrat's decision comes just over a week after Sanchez emerged as the overwhelming favorite for the state Democratic Party endorsement, winning more than 70 percent of the vote at the party's regional pre-endorsement conferences. Both candidates have yet to file their year-end campaign finance reports, which are due by the end of today.

Calderon, who will be termed out of the Senate in 2014, has also been dealing with personal hardships in recent weeks.The wife of his brother, former Assemblyman Tom Calderon, and his mother-in-law have both passed away since the start of the new year.

Former Republican Sen. Sam Aanestad is weighing a run for the Northern California congressional seat being vacated by retiring GOP Rep. Wally Herger.

The Penn Valley Republican said he learned of Herger's decision after returning home from Mexico, where he had been vacationing without access to his cell phone or lap top, several days ago. Since then, he has been "making phone calls to see if there is any support" for a run for the newly drawn 1st Congressional District.

Aanestad, who ran unsuccessfully for lieutenant governor in 2010, said the addition of a new partner at his Grass Valley oral surgery practice has given him the time and flexibility to run. He said the 12 years he spent serving in overlapping state Senate and Assembly districts makes him a good fit for the House district, which runs from Yuba City to the Oregon border.

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

News that he is considering entering the race was first reported by FlashReport publisher Jon Fleischman on Twitter. GOP Sen. Doug LaMalfa, who succeeded Aanestad in the Senate, has already announced plans to run for the congressional seat with Herger's backing.

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LaMalfa 'moving forward' for Congress run after Herger announcement
Chico Rep. Wally Herger to retire from Congress

Add Rep. Dennis Cardoza to the long list of individuals and interests weighing in on the online gambling legislation discussions going on under the dome.

The Merced Democrat was part of a group of racehorse owners and lobbyists for the Thoroughbred Owners of California trade association that met with members of the Senate Governmental Organization Committee this week "to discuss Internet poker, and other Internet gaming issues," according to a report by California Watch.

In a telephone interview, Cardoza said he is an unpaid member of the board of directors of the thoroughbred owners association. The House of Representatives' Ethics Committee approved his service last year, he said.

He said the Sacramento meetings were aimed at calling attention to the economic problems of the state's $2.8 billion horse racing industry. He was "absolutely not lobbying," Cardoza said.

"I wouldn't consider it being a lobbyist," he said. "It's just visiting friends, and I certainly am unpaid."

When asked whether his work with the association posed a conflict of interest, he said, "I don't have a conflict of interest - I'm a citizen who is talking to my old colleagues."

A renewed push to legalize and regulate Internet poker and other online gambling in California is expected to be the subject of intense lobbying this year, as Indian tribes, card rooms, horse racing entities and other interests fight for a stake in whatever system is crafted by legislators.

Democratic Sen. Rod Wright, who authored one of two online gambling measures that stalled last year, is planning to introduce another bill on the matter this spring.

>PHOTO CREDIT: Rep. Dennis Cardoza, D-Merced is seen on Capitol Hill in Washington in 2010. Associated Press/Harry Hamburg.

Democratic strategists on Wednesday put more serious muscle behind two Central Valley challengers to incumbents in the California congressional delegation.

In a move that opens up campaign pocketbooks, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee elevated former astronaut Jose Hernandez of San Joaquin County and physician Ami Bera of Sacramento County to the highest priority in the party's bid to reclaim the House.

"They are problem solvers," said Rep. Steve Israel, D-N.Y., the committee's chairman. "Who can be more of a problem solver than an astronaut, who has to decide 'all systems are go.' "?

On Wednesday, Bera and Hernandez joined 16 other top-ranked Democrats on the party's designated first team of challengers, dubbed "Red to Blue" candidates for their potential to take back Republican seats.

Bera is challenging Rep. Dan Lungren, R-Gold River, and Hernandez is challenging Rep. Jeff Denham, R-Atwater.

Sen. Tony Strickland has made his plans to run for Congress official, launching his campaign at a Camarillo news conference for the newly drawn 26th Congressional District.

The Moorpark Republican decided to enter the race after longtime Rep. Elton Gallegly announced plans to retire. Gallegly, who lives in Simi Valley, had been considering a run in the incumbent-free CD26 after his own home was drawn into the same district as fellow GOP Rep. Buck McKeon.

Strickland, who served three terms in the Assembly before being elected to the state Senate in 2008, cited national security and promoting alternative energy sources as top issues for his campaign.

"I expect the campaign ahead to be spirited but I'm committed to uniting our community; Republicans, Democrats, and Independents behind policies that create jobs and economic opportunity for those struggling to make ends meet," he said in a statement.

The open swing seat has already attracted a half dozen local officials, most of whom are Democrats, as possible candidates, according to an analysis by AroundtheCapitol.com.

Strickland's move opens the door for another Republican to run in the 27th Senate District, a swing seat that is expected to see one of the most contested state legislative races of 2012. Assemblyman Cameron Smyth, R-Santa Clarita, is reportedly considering a run, but is waiting for the Supreme Court to signal what it will do if a referendum of the Senate map qualifies. He would face Sen. Fran Pavley, D-Agoura Hills, and possibly former Assembly Speaker Bob Hertzberg.

PHOTO CREDIT: Sen. Tony Strickland, R-Thousand Oaks, urges lawmakers to reject a plan to extend a tax increase for another year to help close California's state budget deficit, at the Capitol in Sacramento, June 10, 2011. (AP Photo/ Rich Pedroncelli)

The political shootout of the year, at least in Southern California, is the duel between two veteran Democratic congressmen who were thrown into the same district by the independent redistricting commission, Howard Berman and Brad Sherman.

Their high-octane contest in the new 30th Congressional District has divided Los Angeles' Jewish and labor communities. As it turns out, it has also stirred the embers of a bitter, 32-year-old battle in the state Capitol over the speakership of the state Assembly.

In 1980, Berman, then a state assemblyman, tried to oust fellow Democrat Leo McCarthy, who had become speaker six years earlier. That led to a year-long conflict that eventually ended in a draw. Willie Brown -- whom McCarthy had defeated for speaker in 1974 -- succeeded his old rival, elected over Berman by McCarthy Democrats and Republicans.

Rep. Jerry Lewis, R-Redlands, announced Thursday he will be retiring at the end of the current Congress.

Lewis, 77, has served in the House since 1979, making him one of California's most senior and highly placed lawmakers. He was the first Californian to chair the powerful House Appropriations Committee, and he has long prided himself on his ability to steer federal funds toward California.

"After months of consultation with loved ones and family, my wife Arlene and I have decided to retire from public life," Lewis said in a statement. "We are deeply grateful to so many who have provided their support over the years. I have worked hard to justify that support."

Lewis becomes the sixth California lawmaker to announce a stepping-down at the end of the 112th Congress.

PHOTO CAPTION: Representative Jerry Lewis

Rep. Wally Herger, R-Chico, announced his retirement Tuesday, ending more than three decades of representing the Sacramento Valley in Congress and the state Legislature.

The 66-year-old staunch conservative said he was prepared to be a homebody after years of traveling.

"We want to spend more time with the grandkids." Herger said in a telephone interview. "We just think it's time to begin spending more time with our family."

Herger and his wife have 11 grandchildren, and a 12th is on the way.

Herger's retirement after 13, mostly low-key terms in the House sets the stage for a congressional run by state Sen. Doug LaMalfa, R-Richvale, among others. LaMalfa starts as a presumptively strong candidate in the safely Republican and newly renumbered 1st Congressional District, which stretches from Yuba City to the Oregon border.

While acknowledging that "I'm sure there will be a number of candidates," Herger said LaMalfa "has my endorsement and full support," and LaMalfa's upcoming campaign will be run by Herger's own consultant, Dave Gilliard.

"We're moving forward with the campaign," LaMalfa said by telephone Tuesday. "We're already in pretty good shape with the (district's) constituents already knowing me."

A native of tiny Rio Oso in Sutter County, where he still owns a house and ranchland, Herger first won election to a school board position before winning a state Assembly seat in 1980. In 1986, he won election to a House seat that he has held ever since; largely, with relative ease.

In 2010, Herger beat his Democratic opponent by a comfortable 57-43 percent margin.

"It's the end of an era," said former Rep. John Doolittle, a Rocklin Republican who first met Herger three decades ago. "Wally's been running for office every other year since 1980, and it's wearing, year after year, to do that. I think his life is about to get much better."

By Michael Doyle
mdoyle@mcclatchydc.com

WASHINGTON -- Rep. Wally Herger, R-Chico, is announcing his retirement today, ending more than three decades of representing the Sacramento Valley in Congress and the state Legislature.

Herger's retirement after 13, mostly low-key terms in the House sets the stage for a congressional run by state Sen. Doug LaMalfa, R-Richvale. LaMalfa will be the prohibitive favorite in the safely Republican and newly renumbered 1st Congressional District, which stretches from Auburn to the Oregon border.

"He's going to announce that he's retiring, and that he's endorsing Sen. LaMalfa," Herger's campaign consultant Dave Gilliard said an interview Tuesday.

Gilliard said that Herger had begun informing his congressional staff "around Christmas" of his impending retirement plans, and that he anticipates "spending more time with his grandkids."

"He has 11 grandchildren," Gilliard noted, adding that Herger "has been in Congress a long time, and he doesn't want to do the cross-country commute anymore.

San Diego County Congressman Darrell Issa is one of those politicians that liberals love to hate -- especially since he took over the chairmanship of the House Oversight and Governmental Reform Committee from Democrat Henry Waxman and promised nonstop investigations of the Obama administration.

That's why it's a minor miracle that Mother Jones magazine, a bible of the political left, is saying nice things about Republican Issa on its political blog.

Mother Jones political blogger Kevin Drum ponders the "mystery of Darrell Issa's low profile" -- i.e., not being the nettlesome Obama critic that many thought he would be -- and concludes:

"It pains me to say anything nice about Issa, the man who bequeathed us Arnold Schwarzenegger, but maybe he takes this stuff more seriously than his critics ever gave him credit for. Obviously he's going to focus his attention on conservative causes and he's going to focus his oversight on the Obama administration -- both perfectly reasonable things to do -- but perhaps he was sincere about avoiding petty nonsense. Stranger things have happened."

Democrats, who already hold 34 of California's 53 congressional seats, are likely to gain more next year under new districts drawn by an independent commission, according to a national assessment of congressional elections by the University of Virginia.

The university's Center for Politics, headed by Professor Larry Sabato, sees Republicans retaining control of the House next year, but Democrats gaining from one to five seats in California, depending on the outcome in four districts it rates as tossups.

"Sabato's Crystal Ball" sees 27 California seats as safely Democratic, with eight more either leaning or likely to wind up in Democratic hands, while 12 seats are considered to be safe for Republicans and two others leaning or likely for the GOP.

Veteran Southern California Congressman Jerry Lewis is considered to be the Republican incumbent most in danger of losing his seat, while GOP Congressmen Brian Bilbray and Dan Lungren are in tossup districts, Sabato says.

The California Air Resources Board is now being investigated by the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee.

On Wednesday, the committee chairman, Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Vista, sent Air Resources Board Chair Mary Nichols a 13-page letter advising her that he was "expanding" the committee's ongoing investigation into the establishment of fuel economy standards. Nichols had earlier declined to attend a committee hearing on the subject.

"Your refusal to subject yourself and your office to congressional scrutiny is emblematic of the core concern that many in Congress share ... that CARB, as a state actor, is unresponsive to congressional concerns and unappreciative of congressional priorities," Issa wrote.

Issa accompanied his observation with a series of specific questions and document requests, dealing with California's role in the fuel economy standard deliberations. The board has until Nov. 23 to meet the demands.

Click here to read Issa's letter to Nichols.

Several Central Valley Democrats have joined more than 100 other House candidates in Washington, D.C., this week for a pep talk and some hands-on campaign tutoring.

Participating are Democrats Jose Hernandez -- a San Joaquin County native and former astronaut who's challenging Rep. Jeff Denham, R-Atwater -- and Ami Bera -- a physician repeating his challenge of Rep. Dan Lungren, R-Gold River.

All told, the candidates assembled by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee come from 36 states and from "all walks of life," according to a press statement by Rep. Steve Israel, D-N.Y.

Republicans put their own spin on the candidates' event, saying in their competing release that Hernandez was "rushing to the aid of Washington Democrats today in hopes of returning Nancy Pelosi to the Speaker's Chair."

Hernandez wasn't the only California candidate targeted by the National Republican Congressional Committee's email blast. The group issued identical releases hitting two other Democratic congressional hopefuls running for a coastal Northern California seat.

The messages warned that both candidates, who are also in Washington this week, "will be nothing more than a rubber stamp for Obama and Pelosi's broken policies."

Rep. Dennis Cardoza, D-Merced, announced his retirement Thursday, culminating a San Joaquin Valley political career that dates back to a college internship three decades ago.

The 52-year-old Cardoza said he will step down at the end of 2012 rather than battle it out in a newly redrawn congressional district with his long-time friend and colleague, Rep. Jim Costa, D-Fresno.

"I love the people of the Central Valley, and thank them for the confidence they have placed in me," Cardoza said in a statement. "While I plan to retire from public service after this term in Congress, I will energetically continue my efforts to improve California as a private citizen."

But in voluntarily leaving a job he first won by unseating a former boss in 2002, Cardoza is also departing a Congress where he decries the loss of fellow moderates and the media focus on partisanship.

"The constant focus on 'screamers' and the 'horse race' of elections is smothering useful discourse and meaningful debate of public policy," Cardoza said.

Cardoza did not specify his career plans once he leaves the House of Representatives and its $174,000 annual salary. He and his wife Kathleen, a physician, currently live in a new, 4,130-square foot house on two acres in rural Maryland. They have three children.

Cardoza's decision leaves Costa as the favorite to represent the newly redrawn 16th Congressional District, which spans Merced and Madera counties and part of Fresno County. Democrats enjoy a 48-to-33 percent voter registration advantage in the new district.

Cardoza's decision did not surprise his colleagues or other political professionals, who had been reading the tea leaves for months. Tellingly, Cardoza's fundraising slowed considerably since July, and newly filed statements show his campaign treasury currently has only $62,471 available.

California's congressional hopefuls have been busy building their campaign bank accounts ahead of the 2012 elections.

Reports tallying how much cash flowed in and out of the accounts during the most recent fundraising period, which ended Sept. 30, were due over the weekend. We've created a spreadsheet of the totals reported by campaign committees for incumbents and others planning to run on next year's ballot to aid our alert readers keeping track of the bottom line.

The campaign filings also shed light on the impact Democratic treasurer Kinde Durkee's alleged embezzlement scheme has had on some of her clients' funds.

Filings for U.S. Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein, whose full report has yet to be posted on the Federal Elections Commission's website, noted $4.7 million in losses, according to the Associated Press. Feinstein, who is up for re-election next year, has replaced those funds for now with $5 million of her own money. Filings by Reps. Linda and Loretta Sanchez and Susan Davis, all fellow Durkee clients, also disclosed six-figure losses in their campaign filings, the AP reported.

Durkee, who was arrested last month, has been accused by federal investigators and clients of stealing millions of dollars from accounts she managed.

Click here to open the spreadsheet in a new window. Full reports from the third quarter can be found on the Federal Election Commission's website.

A pipeline safety bill inspired in part by last year's explosion of an underground line in San Bruno gets another push today, hot on the heels of Senate approval. Politically, this apparent horse-after-cart timing deserves a look.

The hearing today by a panel of the Senate Commerce Committee was scheduled to help build momentum for the pipeline safety bill, backed strongly by Democratic Sens. Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein. Feinstein is the lead-off witness, in a hearing that also features the chair of the National Transportation Safety Board and others.

Monday night, on the eve of the hearing, Republican Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., dropped his one-man opposition to the bill. He secured an amendment in exchange; perhaps not coincidentally, he also avoided getting a black eye today.
The bill is supposed to improve safety on the nation's 2.5 million miles of oil-and-gas pipelines. It increases penalties for violations, requires automatic shut-off valves on new pipelines and makes other changes; over five years, pipeline operators will be paying $365 million in fees.

Californians are worried about the stagnant economy and are generally sour on the direction the state is headed, but Gov. Jerry Brown gets relatively high marks for his performance to date, according to a new poll by the Public Policy Institute of California.

PPIC found that 41 percent of Californians and 45 percent of likely voters approve of Brown's efforts to balance the state budget and otherwise govern -- not an overwhelming endorsement but, compared to most other politicians, relatively strong.

Just a few days earlier, the Field Poll came up with similar results, a 49 percent approval rating for Brown.

"Most Californians -- regardless of political party -- say things are going in the wrong direction in the state and the nation," Mark Baldassare, PPIC's president, says in a statement accompanying release of the poll results.

"Most don't see evidence that the president's attempts to stimulate the economy have had a positive impact -- although when asked to choose, they side with him over the Republicans in Congress," Baldassare added. "And for most Californians, the impact of the state's budget problems have hit home. In every region of the state, majorities say that state budget cuts have affected their local government services a lot."

Here are other findings in the PPIC poll:

Michael Reagan has ruled out a candidacy, and Republicans are still looking for a challenger to Democratic U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein next year.

Feinstein has had a relatively easy time of re-election over the years (save for the 1994 barn-burner with then-Rep. Michael Huffington). But this year her poll numbers are down with those of the rest of the politicians in Washington. She says her campaign funds have taken a hit thanks to the Kinde Durkee scandal.

Could the GOP have a chance, even in this bluest of blue states? First, the party needs a candidate. Weigh in below. If your choice is not listed, post a comment.

By Matt Weiser
mweiser@sacbee.com

A congressional hearing in Sacramento on Monday provided a stage for complaints about the U.S. Forest Service, as off-roading groups, ranchers and others bemoaned access restrictions and steeper fees.

Held at the State Capitol, the field hearing by the House Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands featured just two of its 13 Republican members, including Rep. Tom McClintock of Elk Grove. None of its 10 Democratic members attended.

The committee chairman, Rep. Rob Bishop, R- Utah, invited Rep. Wally Herger, R-Chico, to join the committee as a guest.

As is common at such hearings, the party controlling the committee weighted the witness list with individuals favorable to its legislative agenda. That includes GOP-backed bills to open more land to grazing and mining and to ban new national monuments.

The event was stacked with witnesses who want the Forest Service to reverse a modern-day emphasis on protecting habitat and recovering costs through steeper land-use fees.

A Southern California congressman is now pitching former Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante for the job of U.S. ambassador to India.

In a maneuver that seems to merge domestic politics with diplomacy, Rep. Brad Sherman, D-Sherman Oaks, is urging the White House to appoint Bustamante to the high-profile ambassador's slot. Bustamante is a former Fresno-area state legislator who endorsed Sherman in a newly redrawn congressional district that includes a large Latino population. Sherman, though, insists his ambassadorial recommendation is all about merit.

"Mr. Bustamante has a wealth of experience and an extensive knowledge of Indian culture, politics and business," Sherman advised President Barack Obama, in a letter now being prepared, adding that "Mr. Bustamante's appointment would bring strong leadership to the relationship between the United States and India."

Editor's Note: This post has been updated to reflect that Sherman's letter is now being prepared. Updated at 10:47 a.m.

Rep. Dan Lungren has decided against challenging fellow Republican Congressman Tom McClintock and instead will run in what is a swing district that extends from Elk Grove to Folsom, his campaign manager said today.

"Unless something changes, he will run in the 7th Congressional District and is confident in doing so," Lungren adviser Rob Stutzman told The Bee.

Lungren had toyed with running against McClintock, the more conservative of the two, in the 2012 GOP primary for the 4th Congressional District.

The district where McClintock will be running is among the most conservative in the state. It includes part of Roseville, and stretches from Lake Tahoe south past Yosemite National Park.

By deciding to stay put, Lungren will seek the congressional seat that includes his home in Gold River. If he wins reelection -- not a sure thing -- he would represent McClintock, whose residence is in Elk Grove.

A referendum has been filed to overturn the new congressional districts created by the California Citizens Redistricting Commission, the attorney general's office reported today.

The effort joins one already under way to undo the maps the commission drew for state Senate districts.

Filing the referendum with the attorney general is the first step in the process that ultimately requires the collection of 504,760 valid voter signatures within about three months to halt implementation of the maps until voters decide their fate on the June 2012 ballot. If the referendum qualifies for the ballot, the state Supreme Court would draw new maps or decide which maps to use in the upcoming political races.

The measure was filed by Julie Vandermost, an Orange County development and environmental consultant, and Charles Bell, a prominent Sacramento lawyer for Republican causes. Neither could be immediately reached for comment.

The San Fernando Valley battle between Democratic Reps. Howard Berman and Brad Sherman will likely be far from California's only showdown between congressional incumbents next year.

A POLITICO story published today reports that nearly one third of the state's 53 House members could find themselves facing a fellow incumbent in 2012 under the new district maps created by the Citizens Redistricting Commission:

California political players say they can't remember a time in the state's history when so many of its House lawmakers were poised to run against one another.

"It's totally unprecedented," said Ben Tulchin, a San Francisco-based Democratic pollster who works for Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom. "It has never happened at this scale anywhere in the country that I can think of."

As for what party leaders can do to avoid the strife -- and cost -- of contests between incumbents from the same party? Not much, says California Democratic Party Chairman John Burton.

"I mean, what are you going to do?" Burton told POLITICO. "There are a few things you can't do in life. You can't tell people whether or not to run for office and you can't tell them who to marry."

Click here to read the full story.

Hot on the heels of the Citizens Redistricting Commission finishing California's new congressional maps, Rep. Doris Matsui, D-Sacramento, announced she will be running for reelection. No surprises, here.

In a campaign e-mail sent to supporters, Matsui noted that she has already represented "the vast majority" of the newly redrawn district in the House for the past six years. The new district includes West Sacramento, which Matsui said has "many things in common" with metropolitan Sacramento. This is an ultra-safe Democratic district; as of June 30, Matsui reported having $208,255 in campaign cash.

Republican Rep. Gary Miller's three missing grandsons have been recovered in Mexico nearly four years after they were allegedly abducted by their mother, according to the Associated Press.

The AP reports:

Tijuana police say they located the 11-year-old boy and 9-year-old twin boys and arrested Jennifer Dejongh. Police identified the mother by her maiden name, Jennifer Lopez. The boys are the grandsons of Republican U.S. Rep. Gary Miller.

Read the full story here.

Democratic Rep. Dennis Cardoza doesn't appear to have many good options for running for reelection under the new congressional districts drawn by the Citizens Redistricting Commission.

With his current district split among neighboring seats, the five-term representative from Merced would likely have to face fellow Democratic Rep. Jim Costa or GOP Rep. Jeff Denham in a Republican-leaning district if he wants to seek another term in Congress.

Given the options, speculation that Cardoza will step down has been growing. His spokesperson didn't deny reports that he is considering retiring instead of running for reelection next year, according to The Modesto Bee.

The Bee sums up Cardoza's redistricting dilemma:

While Cardoza has cultivated backing for years in Stanislaus County, he likely would find an uphill battle for conservative voters with Denham, who is popular with tea party groups.

The draft southern district presents a stronger Democratic majority, more to Cardoza's liking. But seeking that seat would force him to fight it out with Costa in a region where Costa is well-known and Cardoza is not.

Costa could opt for another district. On Tuesday, he ignored Cardoza questions, saying simply, "The heart of Fresno has always been my political base, and that is where I intend to run when the lines are finalized."

Click here to read the full story.

The former chief of staff and campaign manager to freshman Assemblyman Tim Donnelly, R-Twin Peaks, is planning to run for Congress.

Gregg Imus, who co-founded the anti-illegal immigration Minuteman Civil Defense Corp. of California, told The (Riverside) Press-Enterprise he will seek the new 8th Congressional District seat.

Imus told the paper he's hoping to benefit from the same Tea Party support that fueled his old boss' 2010 primary victory in his bid for the open, GOP-leaning seat, which runs along the state's eastern border in Inyo and San Bernardino counties. But he may find himself facing one of the region's longtime representatives:

The Press-Enterprise reports:

Imus is the first candidate to formally announce his candidacy for the seat proposed as part of a new statewide redistricting process. As currently drawn, it would include Yucaipa, part of Redlands, the San Bernardino Mountains, the High Desert and parts of Inyo and Mono counties.

The district would lean conservative, with Republicans outnumbering Democrats 43 percent to 33 percent. But Imus might have to contend with veteran Rep. Jerry Lewis, who could decide to run there, though he lives just outside of the proposed district.

Lewis, R-Redlands, has not said whether he would an 18th term next year. But he would be a heavy favorite if he were to decide to seek the eastern San Bernardino county seat.

RELATED POSTS:

Interactive map: See your new California legislative and congressional districts

State Sen. Ron Calderon has announced plans to run for Congress in a district that will likely pit him against at least one Democratic incumbent.

Calderon plans to run in the new 38th Congressional District, a San Gabriel Valley seat that shares much of the area he has represented in the state Senate. The Montebello Democrat, who is termed out in 2014, previously held an overlapping Assembly seat that is now represented by his brother, Assemblyman Charles Calderon.

"This new Congressional District, in an area historically represented by my family, will give me the opportunity to advocate for the Gateway Cities and the San Gabriel Valley on a national stage. I am incredibly excited to be launching this campaign," Calderon said in a statement, adding he will file papers with the Federal Elections Commission later this week.

Incumbent Democratic Reps. Grace Napolitano and Linda Sanchez both live in the safe Democratic district, though as Around the Capitol has noted, Sanchez has apparently not yet decided where she will run.

Calderon is far from the only state legislator planning to run for Congress under the new maps drafted by the Citizens Redistricting Commission. See a partial list compiled earlier this year at this link.

PHOTO CREDIT: Sen. Ron Calderon at a 2008 press conference at the state Capitol. Brian Baer, Sacramento Bee file.

Here's how Sacramento are lawmakers voted on the compromise deal to raise the federal debt ceiling:

House:
Rep. John Garamendi, D-Walnut Grove -- Yes
Rep. Wally Herger, R-Chico - Yes
Rep. Dan Lungren, R- Gold River -- Yes
Rep. Doris Matsui, D-Sacramento - No
Rep. Tom McClintock, R-Elk Grove - No
Rep. Mike Thompson, D-St. Helena - Yes

Senate:
Sen. Barbara Boxer, D - Yes
Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D -- Yes

It's July 29, and California is in the unusual position of having its fiscal house in order while federal leaders are mired in a partisan battle over the debt ceiling.

We asked a few veterans of state budget battles, past and present, how Washington leaders might reach a bipartisan deal in the coming days. They emphasized that the specifics of the state budget and the federal debt ceiling are different, though they saw plenty of parallels in the political dynamics.

Former Democratic Sen. Denise Ducheny is considering a run for an expected vacant congressional seat in the San Diego area, setting the stage for a primary battle against another state legislator from San Diego -- Sen. Juan Vargas.

Vargas, who has already announced plans to run for Congress, was elected in November to the seat Ducheny left due to to term limits last year. Both have represented the area in the state Assembly. The two would vie to replace Democratic Rep. Bob Filner, who is trading his Washington gig to run in the San Diego mayoral race.

The San Diego Union Tribune's Michael Gardner reports:

The prospect of a bruising primary against Vargas "is certainly one of the challenges" as she weighs whether to step into the race, Ducheny said.

And there could be a sequel if she does. Under California's new primary system, the top two vote-getters in June -- regardless of political party -- move on to the November general election ballot.

Vacant Congressional seats are rare and this one will likely attract more attention once the state's redistricting commission finalizes political boundary lines that go into effect for the 2012 elections, barring court intervention.

The redistricting commission is expected to release its last -- and final -- set of maps Thursday, with an adoption vote planned for Friday. Those would go into effect after Aug. 15, under a constitutional deadline.

The draft boundary lines appear favorable, Ducheny said.

"Some folks who are paying more attention to the state redistricting than I was began calling me," Ducheny said. "Enough of them called to convince me to think about it."

Read the full San Diego Tribune piece on a Ducheny-Vargas match up here.

RELATED POSTS:

Sen. Juan Vargas opts for congressional run

Senate appoints former lawmaker to $128k state board job

See all Capitol Alert coverage of 2012 races here.

PHOTO CREDITS: Sacramento Bee file photos of Sen. Juan Vargas and former Sen. Denise Ducheny by John Decker and Hector Amezcua.

Assemblywoman Alyson Huber is eying a possible challenge to incumbent Republican Rep. Dan Lungren in 2012.

The two-term Assembly Democrat from El Dorado Hills confirmed to Capitol Alert that running for Congress next year is something that is "on my radar."

"I have not made a decision to do that, but I am looking at how redistricting is shaping up," Huber said Thursday. "Once we actually know where all the lines are and all the districts, I'm going to explore all my options."

Huber's prospects for election to a third term in the state Assembly could be tough under the map visualizations released by the Citizens Redistricting Commission. The latest versions would pit Huber against GOP Assemblywoman Beth Gaines in a district that would be be far more conservative than the swing district she has represented since 2008. But the congressional district currently represented by Lungren is shaping up to be more competitive under the draft maps, making the Gold River Republican's seat a likely target for Democrats again next year.

Huber did not indicate a time line for deciding whether she will run, besides saying she wants to wait until the commission finalizes its work on the state's new political district maps next month. She wouldn't be the only Democrat in the race -- Elk Grove physician Ami Bera, who lost a 2010 bid against Lungren, has already announced plans for another run at the seat. Huber's residence currently falls outside the district lines, while the latest visualizations put Bera living inside the district.

Editor's note: An earlier version of this post incorrectly said Bera lives outside the current district. The latest map visualizations put his Elk Grove residence in the district.

PHOTO CREDIT: Assemblywoman Alyson Huber, then a candidate, speaking at Rancho Cordova City Hall in October, 2008. Anne Chadwick Williams/Sacramento Bee

An estimated 25,000 Sacramento homeowners in the Natomas region would catch a break under a flood insurance program amendment agreed to by the House on Tuesday.

Authored by Rep. Doris Matsui, D-Sacramento, the provision will phase in higher insurance premiums facing homeowners who live in the designated Natomas floodplain. Currently, the residents pay a $350 annual premium, which is scheduled to rise to $1,350 in 2013. Under Matsui's amendment, this increase will be stretched out over five years starting in 2013.

The House accepted Matsui's amendment without any vocal opposition, as part of a larger National Flood Insurance Program rewrite. The phase-in will apply to residents of any newly designated floodplain, where the new flood insurance requirements can hit hard. The underlying legislation attempts to reform the national flood insurance program, which is nearly $18 billion in the red.

When Los Angeles City Councilwoman Janice Hahn emerged atop of a multi-candidate primary to fill Jane Harman's Southern California congressional seat, the runoff with Republican Craig Huey appeared to be a pro forma exercise.

But Huey, who edged out Secretary of State Debra Bowen for second place and a spot in Tuesday's runoff election, has made a race of it despite Hahn's 18-point Democratic voter registration edge, and some analysts have given the direct mail marketing executive an outside chance of an upset.

Gene Maddaus, covers politics for the LA Weekly, says in a post today on Calbuzz that Hahn faces "a substantial enthusiasm gap, which has brought Huey within striking distance of an upset. Huey is a Tea Party guy with a 30-year background in direct marketing, and he's employing all the tricks of the trade in his campaign."

Huey has gotten much traction from an Internet video that alleges Hahn has close connections to Los Angeles Street gangs.

"As a result," Maddaus writes, "his supporters seem to be more motivated - more riled up - than Hahn's, which is important in a super-low-turnout, mid-summer special election. But it's still not clear there's enough of them to overcome Hahn's overwhelming registration advantage."

Maddaus predicts that Hahn will "win ugly" in the 36th Congressional District, which covers a stretch of coastline in southern Los Angeles County and a new poll published by Daily Kos, a liberal website, seems to underscore that prediction.

The poll, conducted for Daily Kos and the Hahn Service Employees International Union, says that Hahn holds a 52 percent to 44 percent lead over Huey going into Tuesday's voting, but as with all special elections - especially those conducted during the summer doldrums - turnout will be the key.

Does California's death row protect the state? Is it worth the cost?

Sen. Loni Hancock doesn't think so. The Berkeley Democrat's Senate Bill 490 would abolish the death penalty. It gets its first hearing today in the Legislature.

The proposal would close death row and replace the death penalty with life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. If the Legislature passes the measure, voters would have to agree in order for it to take effect.

The Santa Rosa Press Democrat is reporting that Democratic Rep. Lynn Woolsey is set to announce her retirement on Monday.

The 73-year-old Democrat has publicly said for months that she was considering not seeking an eleventh term in Congress, telling reporters she would likely make a final decision in June.

The Press Democrat piece, which relies on unnamed sources, lays out how the draft maps released earlier this month by the Citizens Redistricting Commission could be playing into Woolsey's decision:

Her compact district, which covers Marin County and most of Sonoma County, appears headed for a dramatic reconfiguration in the 2012 election.

The first draft of new congressional district maps released by the California Citizens Redistricting Commission includes a coastal district running from the Golden Gate Bridge to the Oregon border, but excluding Santa Rosa.

Were she to run next year with those boundaries, Woolsey would have to introduce herself to thousands of voters from Windsor to Crescent City.

Assemblyman Jared Huffman, D-San Rafael, and Norman Soloman, a writer and political activist, are expected to run for the open seat. The San Francisco Chronicle reported yesterday that Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom has temporarily moved in with his in-laws in Marin County, suggesting he could also be eyeing the North Coast seat. His advisors have said he intends to focus on serving out his lieutenant governor term.

Click here to read the full Press Democrat piece.

Sen. Alan Lowenthal and Assemblyman Isadore Hall are joining the growing list of state legislators planning to run for Congress in 2012.

Lowenthal, D-Long Beach, announced today that he plans to run for a Long Beach congressional seat included in the draft district maps released last week by the Citizens Redistricting Commission. He is termed out of the state Senate in 2012.

Democratic Reps. Laura Richardson and Linda Sánchez also live in the proposed district, but they have not yet announced whether they will run in next election and, if so, where.

Hall, D-Compton, says he'll run for a new seat created in Los Angeles County as long as Democratic Rep. Maxine Waters, who lives outside the district, doesn't decide to run for that seat. No incumbents currently live in the draft district that Hall is eying, which could include Carson, Compton and Gardena.

The commission won't release its final maps until mid-August, but that hasn't stopped a flurry of state legislators to declare plans to seek a new job in Washington.

Some could barely contain their excitement.

"I'm in, I'm in, I'm in, I'm in," Sen. Gloria Negrete-McLeod, D-Chino, told the Los Angeles Times last week.

At least five other state lawmakers have signaled they'll run for Congress:

• Sen. Juan Vargas, D-San Diego.
• Assemblyman Roger Hernandez, D-West Covina
• Assemblyman Jeff Miller, R-Corona
• Assemblyman Jared Huffman, D-San Rafael
• Assemblyman Anthony Portantino, D-La Cañada Flintridge

Several Sacramento-area flood control projects gain funding, under a preliminary spending bill approved by a key House panel.

The largest chunk, some $23.1 million, would go to American River projects, including design of levee improvements in Natomas. An additional $19 million would go toward construction of an auxiliary spillway at Folsom Dam. South Sacramento flood protection would gain $4.5 million and plans to raise Folsom Dam would gain $906,000.

The money would be part of the Fiscal 2012 energy and water appropriations bill, which must still survive both the full House and Senate.

"Even in this austere budget environment, it is critical that Sacramento's basic flood protection needs are met," said Rep. Doris Matsui, D-Sacramento.

Juan Vargas has long yearned to be a congressman, and he'll have his chance next year in a newly redrawn district that sprawls along the state's border with Mexico from the Pacific Ocean to Arizona.

A former state assemblyman, Democrat Vargas was elected to the state Senate just last year after a bruising primary battle with then-Assemblywoman Mary Salas. He defeated her by just 22 votes. His 40th Senate District overlaps with virtually all of the congressional district now being drawn by an independent redistricting commission.

Bob Filner, the veteran congressman who now represents the 51st Congressional District, announced this week that he would run for mayor of San Diego rather than seek re-election in the newly redrawn district. Vargas once challenged Filner, and the duel between the two was particularly heated and personal.

If Vargas goes to Congress, he would have to resign from the Senate, setting up a special election for his Senate seat in 2013.

The San Diego Union-Tribune's Michael Gardner has the story.

Stephen Colbert had a proposal for Rep. John Garamendi that the Walnut Creek Democrat just, well, had to refuse.

"I'm not sure you're my type. ... Don't take that as an insult. I'm quite happily married now," Garamendi responded when Colbert hypothetically popped the question to the same-sex marriage supporter during an interview that aired last night on "The Colbert Report."

Colbert spent a good portion of the interview dinging Garamendi, calling him a "Democrat and rejected Microsoft Word font," on the fact that his residence lies just outside the 10th Congressional District he represents.

'I don't mind representing them but, ugh, I wouldn't want to live there. I live in the Third. Bradley, bring me more caviar," Colbert mocked, referring to the 3rd Congressional District address Garamendi calls home.

Watch the full segment, part of the Comedy Central show host's "Better Know A District" series, here.

Democratic senators Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer on Tuesday came out foursquare against legislation that would end a San Joaquin River restoration program.

In a joint letter to the House water and power subcommittee, Feinstein and Boxer denounced the legislation backed by Reps. Devin Nunes, R-Visalia, and Jeff Denham, R-Atwater. The senators' opposition underscores the difficulties the legislation still faces, even though it appears on track for House approval.

Feinstein called the bill "dramatic overkill," while Boxer called it "radical." The legislation would block the river restoration program, which settled a long-running lawsuit, and it would also curtail environmental protections for fish and wildlife in order to boost irrigation water deliveries.

The House water and power panel, chaired by Rep. Tom McClintock, R-Elk Grove, will be holding another hearing on the bill before lawmakers start voting on it.

UC Berkeley law professor Goodwin Liu withdrew his nomination to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco today, writing in a letter to President Barack Obama that he and his family wanted to "regain the ability to make plans for the future."

U.S. Senate Republicans blocked Liu's confirmation last week. It was unclear when the Senate would take up Liu's nomination again. Republicans saw Liu's view as too liberal and feared turning the federal appellate court more to the left.

Citing the court's dire need to fill vacancies, Liu wrote, "It is now clear that continuing my nomination will not address that need any time soon."

Republicans and Democrats agreed while President George W. Bush was in office not to block judicial nominees except in "extraordinary circumstances."

Withdrawal Letter to POTUS - 11.05.25

PHOTO CREDIT: Goodwin Liu testifies during his confirmation hearing by the Senate Judiciary Committee on Friday, April 16, 2010, in Washington. (Kris Connor/ Abaca Press/ MCT)

Republican businessman Craig Huey's lead over Democrat Debra Bowen in the 36th Congressional District special primary has grown to 750 votes.

The two are battling for the second spot in a July runoff election to fill the Los Angeles County congressional seat vacated by the retirement of Democratic Rep. Jane Harman. Democrat Janice Hahn, a member of the Los Angeles City Council, was the top vote-getter in Tuesday's 16-way primary contest, winning 24 percent of the vote.

Initial returns put Huey, a conservative website publisher, and Bowen, the secretary of state, in a tight race, with Huey holding an edge of roughly 200 votes. His lead widened today after thousands of remaining absentee and provisional votes were processed. Los Angeles elections officials, who plan to post a final tally tomorrow, say about 200 provisional and damaged ballots remain uncounted.

Bowen earlier in the week asked supporters for contributions "to make sure our campaign can fight for every vote," suggesting she could seek a recount. Her campaign said she would be sending out a statement on the updated results soon.

Democrats' double-digit registration advantage over Republicans would likely give Hahn a strong advantage over Huey in the runoff.

Click here to see the semi-final results.

Republicans on Thursday blocked the Senate from considering the appellate court nomination of Goodwin Liu, a University of California, Berkeley law professor whose judicial prospects are now in doubt.

In a 52-43 face-off, Democrats failed to reach the 60-vote margin needed to overcome what amounts to a GOP filibuster. Though Democrats can try again later, Republicans show no sign of relenting against a man they cast as a liberal activist. Liu grew up in Sacramento.

"He became one of the stars of the left-wing liberal universe," declared Republican Sen. Orrin Hatch of Utah. "I'm really concerned about this nomination."

What happens next will shape both politics and the law, particularly if Liu's nomination remains stymied. Asian-American interests say Republicans will pay a price for opposing a highly accomplished Asian-American, while the Senate is likely to see more filibusters against judicial nominees.

"I think the ramifications of this filibuster are going to be long and difficult," Democratic Sen. Barbara Boxer predicted, adding that "this is going to go down hard."

PHOTO: Goodwin Liu, courtesy University of California, Berkeley School of Law

Democrat Janice Hahn appears headed to a second round of balloting for the vacant 36th Congressional District seat, though her challenger for the July 12 runoff is yet to be determined.

Hahn, a member of the Los Angeles City Council, was the top vote-getter in yesterday's special election to replace Democratic Rep. Jane Harman, who retired in late February. With 100 percent of precincts reporting, Hahn led the field of 16 candidates with 24.66 percent of the vote.

Hahn's chief Democratic rival, Secretary of State Debra Bowen, trailed conservative website publisher Craig Huey for the No. 2 spot by roughly 200 votes. Huey, who lent his campaign $500,000, posted an edge of less than one percentage point over the Marina Del Rey Democrat, leading 21.87 percent to 21.48 percent.

If Huey's lead stands, the results will be considered a major upset for Bowen, a former state legislator from the area who was widely considered a front-runner in the Democratic-leaning district. Many had expected the contest to result in the first same-party runoff since Proposition 14, the state's new top-two primary system, took effect this year.

But the results were far from final -- the Los Angeles County registrar pegs the number of uncounted ballots at about 9,800. Counting of those ballots was set to begin this morning.

See the full results at this link.

The Obama administration on Wednesday reinforced efforts to set up a special commission that will help get rid of some 14,000 surplus federal properties, including more than 1,150 in California.

By using a non-partisan panel resembling those that closed military bases, administration officials hope to sidestep the impediments that until now have hindered surplus property disposal.

"Having an independent board of experts can push through political gridlock," said Jeffrey Zients, deputy director of the Office of Management and Budget, adding that "it will change how Washington works."

Though President Barack Obama proposed a surplus property commission earlier this year, as part of his fiscal 2012 budget plan, officials on Wednesday provided specific legislative language for the first time.

The surplus properties range from empty lots and unused roads to empty warehouses and office buildings. Many of the sites have little or no market value, administration officials acknowledge.

In California, for instance, the surplus properties identified on a new federal interactive map range from irrigation facilities in the Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge and to a small field office in Los Banos and a modest building in Yosemite National Park.

Yosemite alone has had 35 distinct pieces of property -- housing units, warehouse, utility systems and roads -- declared surplus by federal officials. Overall, the surplus properties in California span some 1.5 million square feet.

The surplus property commission will need approval from Congress, where the concept already has some supporters. Freshman Rep. Jeff Denham, R-Atwater, has used his chairmanship of the House subcommittee that oversees federal buildings to urge faster disposition of what's excess.

Here's one way to announce that you're running for office: Attend an event hosted by your rival to inform him that you have a challenge in the works.

That's exactly what Calaveras County Supervisor Darren Spellman did this week during the Q-and-A portion of a Frogtown forum hosted by Rep. Dan Lungren, R-Gold River.

"I was asked to make an announcement that while it may not be 100 percent certain, there's a high probability that I will be running for election in this congressional district in 2012," Spellman, a Valley Springs Republican, said during the town hall.

After a brief pause and some laughter from the audience, Lungren responded, "I guess you know what the congressional district lines will be today and no one else does."

Spellman was critical of Lungren's performance answering voters' questions, including his own query about Federal Emergency Management Agency flood maps, according to a Calaveras Enterprise account of the town hall. But the first-term supervisor and former high school teacher seemed a bit unsure about his own credentials when asked by a reporter whether he thinks he is qualified to run for the 3rd Congressional District seat.

"Yeah, no I don't... I mean you know what I'm saying, how could I possibly say I could be qualified for something like that. I don't know what it, I have no clue what it all entails," he said.

Watch the video posted by the Calaveras Enterprise below or read their full recap of the town hall here.

Darren Spellman Congressional Bid Announcement from Calaveras Enterprise on Vimeo.

Editor's note: This item has been updated to clarify Lungren's "congressional district lines" quote.

First quarter fundraising reports for federal campaign accounts were due on Friday, giving a glimpse at how California's congressional members and their past and could-be future challengers are faring in the very early phase of the 2012 campaign cycle.

Rep. Kevin McCarthy, who snagged the No. 3 House leadership spot when Republicans took control of that chamber, led the Golden State delegation, raising $539,480 in the first few months of the year. Other incumbents posted less aggressive numbers this quarter. Democratic Rep. Lynn Woolsey, who has said she is contemplating retirement instead of running for reelection, reported raising only $39,214, for example.

Several current and former state politicians are also raising cash with an eye on running for Congress in 2012. Those include Democratic Assemblyman Anthony Portantino, ($93,869), Democratic Assemblyman Jared Huffman ($123,079) and former GOP Lt. Gov. Abel Maldonado ($10,199).

See how congressional incumbents as well as some of last year's challengers and other familiar faces stack up in the chart below.

The reports also included filings for candidates for the upcoming special election in the 36th Congressional District. Democrat Janice Hahn, a member of the Los Angeles City Council, led the crowded field of candidates by raising $275,443, while Republican Craig Huey boosted his own totals with a $250,000 personal campaign loan. See those figures at this link.

Click here to view the full table on a separate page.

A Washington Post blog has included California Reps. Jerry McNerney, D-Pleasanton, and David Dreier, R-San Dimas, on its list of ten congressional incumbents likely to lose out in the decennial redistricting process.

The effect redistricting in California will have on 2012 match-ups is especially hard to predict this year, as an independent Citizens Redistricting Commission has for the first time been assigned the task of redrawing of district lines to reflect population shifts. Here's what The Fix's Aaron Blake had to say about the two California representatives on the "likely redistricting victims" list:

10. Rep. Jerry McNerney (D-Calif.): McNerney is the only member in California's entire 53-person delegation to win a seat from the other party over the last decade. He was able to hold that GOP-leaning district in 2010 because of its tiny arm reaching up into Alameda and Contra Costa counties in the San Francisco Bay area. McNerney lives on that arm. The problem for him is that redistricting is now in the hands of a citizen's commission, and many people think the commission will have no regard for incumbents' residences. The fact that McNerney is from an extreme part of his district -- not to mention less than 10 miles from Rep. Pete Stark's (D) hometown -- means he's unlikely to live in his own home district. And in a primary against a longtime member like Stark, he'd be an underdog.

6. Rep. David Dreier (R-Calif.): Dreier got lucky 10 years ago, when a deal was cut to keep him safe for the next decade. After a decade's worth of demographic changes, though, it will be tough to keep his district even slightly friendly to a Republican -- even if the citizen line-drawers were looking out for Dreier (which they probably won't be). His current district is now more than 50 percent black and Hispanic, it voted for Obama in 2008, and he lives just a few miles from fellow GOP Rep. Gary Miller (R). Smart California observers suggest Dreier may face a primary with either Miller or Rep. Jerry Lewis (R), either of which would probably be in unfriendly territory for Dreier.

Read the full analysis at this link.

POLITICO takes a look today at how changes to the redistricting process and primary election system could impact the Golden State's congressional incumbents during the next election, positing that a "perfect storm of political forces is set to dramatically transform the nation's largest congressional delegation next year."

Alex Isenstadt reports:

Some change in the California delegation is already guaranteed. Rep. Jane Harman departed the House earlier this year to assume the lead position at the Woodrow Wilson Center for Scholars. Rep. Bob Filner is expected to run for San Diego mayor. A third Democrat, Rep. Lynn Woolsey, has suggested she plans to retire from the House, too.

Aside from those three, officials in both parties are closely monitoring the political activity of a handful of long-serving incumbents -- including (Democrat Howard) Berman, Democrat Pete Stark and Republicans Jerry Lewis, Elton Gallegly and David Dreier -- for signs they might also be headed for retirement.

"We're starting to see them look at the future and at other pastures," said Douglas Johnson, a fellow at Claremont McKenna College's Rose Institute, which studies state and local government.

"They've had the good life for the last 10 years. They've had good districts and had no competition," Johnson said. "I think you're going to see a big change -- I'm guessing nine to 10 members of the delegation may not run again."

The piece, which you can read at this link, also suggests that the maps drawn by the Citizens Redistricting Commission could create room for viable challengers to Democratic Reps. Brad Sherman and Sam Farr.

An aging delegation could also create higher-than-usual turnover over the next election or two. GOP consultant Matt Rexroad looked at that factor in this February Flashreport.org piece.

Elk Grove Democrat Ami Bera is gearing up for a rematch against Republican Rep. Dan Lungren in the 3rd Congressional District, sending a fundraising pitch to could-be supporters for a 2012 bid.

"After a period of honest reflection and consultation with my family and members of the community, I have decided to run again for Congress in 2012," Bera wrote in an e-mail sent today to supporters.

"I am running because the issues we care about are no less important today than they were last November, and the dysfunction in Congress is only getting worse," he added.

Bera, who had blogged earlier about his decision to run again, demonstrated fundraising prowess and attracted national attention last year as one of the few Democratic challengers nationwide within striking distance of a Republican incumbent. He lost to Lungren by seven percentage points in November.

Republicans now maintain a slight registration edge in the district, which wraps around Sacramento and stretches east to the Nevada border. It's yet to be seen how redistricting will affect the seat's competitiveness.

With more than a year until the Democratic primary, the 46-year-old physician is seeking to kick his bid into gear by replicating the early fundraising success of his first campaign. His e-mail says that he is seeking 500 individual contributors by March 31 and that he will be hosting a series of town halls in the district in the coming months. Find the e-mail after the jump.

Sometimes, it seems like everyone gets their own congressional caucus on Capitol Hill. There's a Friends of Norway Caucus, an Afterschool Caucus, a Zero Capital Gains Tax Caucus. And then there are the really big ones, like the 200--plus member Congressional Wine Caucus, currently co-chaired by Rep. Dan Lungren, R-Gold River.

Now, high-speed rail aficionados will get a caucus to call their own.

On Wednesday, Rep. Zoe Lofgren, D-San Jose, will join with House and Senate members at Washington's Union Station to tout formation of what they call the new Bi-Cameral High- Speed & Intercity Passenger Rail Caucus.

Politically, the new group has its work cut out for it, as a number of congressional Republicans have voiced skepticism about high-speed rail projects, including California's multibillion dollar plan.

Gov. Jerry Brown has called a July 12 election to fill former Democratic Rep. Jane Harman's seat, triggering a May 17 special primary in the 36th Congressional District

Harman stepped down late last month to take a job as president of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars.

The field of candidates so far include Democratic Secretary of State Debra Bowen and two other Democrats -- Janice Hahn, a member of the Los Angeles City Council, and Marcy Winograd, the liberal activist who previously challenged Harman for the coastal Los Angeles County seat. Redondo Beach Mayor Mike Gin and City Attorney Mike Webb, both Republicans, have also announced campaigns.

It will be the first congressional election conducted under the state's new "top two" primary rules. Unless one candidate wins more than 50 percent of the vote in the May primary, the top two vote-getters, regardless of party, advance to the July runoff.

Brown had hoped to consolidate the contest with an early June statewide election on extending temporary tax increases, but a deal to put the taxes on the ballot did not materialize by today's deadline for setting the congressional election dates.

Roll Call newspaper in Washington, D.C., has put together a quiz to test readers' knowledge of California congressional delegation trivia.

See how well you score in the ten-question quiz at this link.

Federal judicial nominee Goodwin Liu was back this afternoon for another go-around with the Senate Judiciary Committee. The University of California, Berkeley law professor hopes the second time is the charm.

Liu has been nominated to serve on the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, but so far he's faced considerable resistance from Senate Republicans unhappy with his liberal positions. Liu's initial confirmation hearing, last April, was no love-fest.

In a narrowly divided Senate, and facing intransigent Republicans, Liu may still face an uphill battle, but no votes were taken today.

Update: This post was updated at 2:06 p.m. to reflect that the hearing concluded and no votes were taken.

GOP Rep. Darrell Issa of San Diego has fired his spokesman amid allegations that he improperly shared e-mails with a New York Times reporter working on a book about the Washington political world.

POLITICO had reported Monday that Issa, who chairs the powerful Oversight and Government Reform Committee, planned to investigate the alleged collaboration between 27-year-old spokesman Kurt Bardella and reporter Mark Leibovich.

POLITICO reports:

"After hearing Kurt's account, speaking with Mark Leibovich, and an initial review of e-mail correspondence there is no evidence to support speculation that internal committee or congressional documents or conversations were inappropriately shared, that Mark Leibovich ever inappropriately heard or recorded any phone conversation, or that any official rule violations occurred. The inappropriate information shared with Mark Leibovich appears to have been limited to Kurt's own correspondence with reporters," Chairman Darrell Issa said in a statement.

Read more here.

Former Lt. Gov. Abel Maldonado said today that he will run for a Central Coast congressional seat in 2012.

"Washington needs people who are independent and bipartisan and who are fiscally responsible, and I think I've demonstrated that. I'm prepared to go back to Washington and to show some results for the people of California," he said in an interview.

The Santa Maria Republican has formed a federal campaign committee to challenge Democratic Rep. Lois Capps in the 23rd Congressional District, which currently stretches along the coastline, though he acknowledged that the district and the matchup could change as a citizens commission redraws the district's boundaries.

"I will be a candidate for Congress representing my home town of Santa Maria and the Central Coast," he said. "I don't know what the district will look like, but I know I will be a candidate."

Maldonado, who was appointed lieutenant governor by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, lost a bid for a full term to Democrat Gavin Newsom in November. Though he struggled during the last election cycle to raise enough cash to fuel a successful statewide bid, he said his long ties to the area -- including serving as a state assemblyman, senator, city council member and mayor -- will boost his next campaign.

"I know I will have plenty of resources to run in a congressional district," he said. "The people of the Central Coast know who I am and know what I've done."

Maldonado, who brokered the legislative deal that put Proposition 14 on the ballot and campaigned extensively for the new top-two primary system, said he plans to list his party preference as Republican on the ballot.

PHOTO CREDIT: Lt. Gov. Abel Maldonado gives his inaugural address Tuesday, May 4, 2010, on the east steps of the Capitol in Sacramento. Hector Amezcua, Sacramento Bee.

Assemblyman Anthony Portantino will lay the groundwork for a 2012 congressional campaign with a Sacramento fundraiser next week.

The Southern California Democrat has not officially announced his candidacy, but e-mail invitations tout Tuesday's event as his "Official Congressional Campaign Sacramento Kick Off."

Portantino, D-La Cañada Flintridge, will be termed out of the Assembly in 2012 and plans to run for the seat currently held by Republican U.S. Rep. David Dreier, chairman of the House Rules Committee.

Portantino's Sacramento fundraiser will be at the home of Jay Hansen, chief strategy officer for the California Medical Association. Supporters are asked to contribute $50 to $500.

Portantino served last year as head of the Assembly Committee on Revenue and Taxation.

The customary congressional debate pitting right-to-life versus freedom-to-choose took an abruptly personal turn this week, when Rep. Jackie Speier spoke on the House floor about once having had an abortion.

In an emotionally gripping and apparently spontaneous moment Thursday night, Speier used her own abortion experience to rebut conservative Rep. Chris Smith, R-N.J. Smith had been reading graphic accounts of what happens when women abort their fetuses.

"I'm one of those women he spoke about just now," Speier said. "I had a procedure at 17 weeks, pregnant with a child that had moved from the vagina into the cervix. I lost a baby."

The observation was not, as it turns out, the first time Speier had drawn from her own experience in supporting abortion rights. In May of 1996, contemporary newspaper accounts show, Speier cited her own abortion experience during debate in the state Assembly.

While Speier's comments Thursday night earned her applause from fellow Democrats, they did not sway the House majority. By a 240-185 margin, the House sided with Smith and voted to eliminate federal funding for Planned Parenthood for the remainder of Fiscal 2011.

"Congress has taken a stand for millions of Americans who believe their tax dollars should not be used to subsidize the largest abortion provider in America," declared Rep. Mike Pence, R-Ind.

Speier, 60, is the mother of two children. She was first elected to her Bay Area congressional seat following 18 years in the state Legislature. She has long been an abortion rights supporter.

What does outgoing Democratic Rep. Jane Harman's last day on the job have to do with the state budget?

Timing.

Harman, who was expected to step down yesterday to take a job as president of a Washington, D.C., think tank, has pushed back her resignation date so that a special primary election to fill her 36th Congressional District seat could be consolidated with the early June statewide election that Gov. Jerry Brown wants to call:

Brown's office released the following statement late yesterday:

"At Governor Brown's request, Congresswoman Harman has agreed to resign from Congress on February 28th. By resigning at the end of the month, the Congresswoman is increasing the possibility that the primary election to fill her seat can be consolidated into the statewide election that Governor Brown has requested for June."

Even with Harman's resignation delay, the money-saving consolidation strategy isn't a sure thing. The ability to coordinate election schedules is contingent on the Legislature approving Brown's plan to put proposed tax extensions on the ballot by early March.

Los Angeles City Councilwoman Janice Hahn and Secretary of State Debra Bowen, both Democrats, have announced they'll run for the seat.

Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein has endorsed Los Angeles City Councilwoman Janice Hahn's bid for the 36th Congressional District, the campaign announced today.

Hahn, a Democrat, is seeking to replace Democratic Rep. Jane Harman, who plans to step down tomorrow to become president of a Washington, D.C., think tank.

Hahn's campaign released a string of endorsements over the weekend, including the support of Assembly Speaker John A. Pérez.

A special election to fill the South Bay congressional seat will likely take place in June.

The Obama administration's $3.7 trillion budget proposal unveiled Monday includes myriad cuts for California programs. It also includes some increased funding for Sacramento-area flood control projects.

Obama, for instance, proposes cutting a reimbursement program that aids California and other states that imprison large numbers of illegal immigrants on other criminal charges. The so-called State Criminal Alien Assistance Program is providing states $300 million this year, with California getting the largest share. Obama proposes cutting this to $136 million.

The Fiscal 2012 budget document is just a starting point. With Republicans controlling the House, some lawmakers were quick to denounce the administration's proposal.

Obama also proposes some very targeted program cuts, including eliminating a $20 million air-shed quality program that has helped California's Central Valley farmers retrofit their dirty old diesel tractors.

Some broader cuts will affect California just by virtue of the state's size, like a 7.5 percent cut in Community Development Block Grants. In a similar vein, Obama's proposal to save $2.5 billion by stopping production of the C-17 military transport would resonate among Boeing's Southern California production plants.

The Central Valley's wealthiest cotton, rice, wheat and corn farmers could see reduced federal subsidies, as Obama proposes once again to set tighter standards for payments. Obama wants to limit subsidies to farmers who make less than $500,000 in farm income, compared to the current limit of $750,000. Similar ideas have fizzled in the past.

The Sacramento-area funding includes money to raise Folsom Dam, improve levees along the American River and improve flood control along South Sacramento streams.

The Fiscal 2012 budget document is just a starting point. With Republicans controlling the House, some lawmakers were quick to denounce the administration's proposal.

Two more Republicans could soon jump in the race to succeed resigning Democratic Rep. Jane Harman in the 36th Congressional District.

Redondo Beach City Attorney Mike Webb said yesterday he is "strongly considering" running for the seat.

The 48-year-old former prosecutor cited his lifelong ties to the district and experience on anti-terrorism advisory panels and initiatives as qualifications for running for the open seat. As for viability to mount a run in the Democratic-held district, Webb noted that he has broken local fundraising records in his six years as city attorney.

"I've lived most of my life in the South Bay," the Redondo Beach resident said. "I think that given the issues that we're facing, (the district's voters) clearly are well suited for a Republican given the fact that (the government is) just spending more money than we take in."

Nathan Mintz, last year's Republican nominee in the overlapping 53rd Assembly District, said yesterday he is "still collecting information and haven't made any decisions."

The 27-year-old aerospace engineer lost a November contest to now Democratic Assemblywoman Betsy Butler, of Marina del Rey. The then first-time candidate made a strong showing in the Democratic district, coming within seven points of Butler.

Mintz said though he had received more than 50 calls urging him to run by yesterday, the registration split in the congressional district makes it "a much harder district than the one I ran in." But he said his background as an aerospace engineer could attract voters seeking to protect and create additional aerospace, manufacturing and port industry jobs in the district.

"This district really needs somebody who is going to be a tireless advocate for aerospace and certainty the other manufacturing jobs in this area," he said.

A slew of potential candidates for the coastal Los Angeles County district have been emerging in the wake of Monday's news that Harman will step down.

Los Angeles Councilwoman Janice Hahn, a Democrat, has announced her candidacy for the seat. Secretary of State Debra Bowen is also considering a run, as are 2010 Democratic primary candidate Marcy Winograd and Republican Craig Huey, who publishes conservative voting guides.

A publisher of conservative election guides is considering entering the fray in the 36th Congressional District.

Republican Craig Huey runs several websites, newsletters and forums that aim to "help Evangelical Christians vote their values," including ElectionsForums.org and JudgeVoterGuide.org.

Huey said local party leaders and Tea Party groups have approached him about running for the seat being vacated by Democratic Rep. Jane Harman, who plans to step down to lead the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars.

"I'm talking to some people right now and getting a lot of encouragement to (run)," he said this morning.

Huey, 60, lives just outside the district in Rolling Hills Estates, but said he might move if he decides to enter the race. He said he grew up in the area covered by the seat and runs an advertising company, Creative Direct Marketing Group, that is located in Torrance.

Los Angeles City Councilwoman Janice Hahn has announced that she will seek to succeed Democratic Rep. Jane Harman in the 36th Congressional District.

The Los Angeles County coastal seat is expected to be up for grabs amid reports that Harman will resign to become president of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars later this spring.

Hahn, who represents an overlapping city council district, threw her hat in the ring this afternoon.

"I'm running for Congress to create new jobs, expand clean energy technologies and ensure that local small business owners get the help and opportunities they need to flourish in a global economy," she said in a statement.

The San Pedro Democrat, who lost a primary bid for lieutenant governor last year, ran as the democratic nominee for the seat under previous district lines in 1998.

Hahn, who has served on the city council since 2001, has high name identification in the area due in part to her family's political prominence in Los Angeles. Her father was the late Los Angeles County Supervisor Kenneth Hahn and her brother, James Hahn, was mayor of Los Angeles.

Secretary of State Debra Bowen is also considering running in the special election, which will be conducted under the state's new top two primary rules. If no candidate wins more than 50 percent of the vote in the primary, the top two candidates, regardless of party, will advance to a run-off election to fill the seat.

A special election to fill the seat will be set by Gov. Jerry Brown once the seat is vacant.

PHOTO CREDIT: Los Angeles City Councilwoman and candidate for Lieutenant Governor Janice Hahn talks with an attendee at the California Democratic Convention in Los Angeles Saturday, April 17, 2010. (AP Photo/Reed Saxon)

Rep. Jane Harman, D-El Segundo, is poised to leave Congress and take over a Washington, D.C. think tank, published reports said Monday.

Harman, formerly a senior member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, will become president of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, according to an online report by National Journal.

Calls to Harman's office were not immediately returned Monday morning.

One of the wealthiest members of Congress, through her marriage to businessman Sidney Harman, the 65-year-old Harman was first elected to the House in 1992. She served through 1998, leaving for a failed gubernatorial bid, and then returned to the House in 2000. She has not had warm relations with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who declined to appoint her as chair of the House intelligence committee.

Harman's departure would set off a special election in the 36th Congressional District. Democrats have a strong registration advantage in the Los Angeles County coastal district, which includes the cities of Torrance, Manhattan Beach and El Segundo.

Overseeing House dining facility procedures aren't the only culinary-related responsibilities Rep. Dan Lungren has gained in the new Congress.

The Gold River Republican was recently named co-chair of the Congressional Wine Caucus, a bipartisan group of lawmakers aiming to "educate and engage colleagues in legislative and regulatory matters pertaining to the wine community."

Lungren, whose 3rd Congressional District is home to more than 100 growers and vintners, was offered the post by Rep. Mike Thompson, D-St. Helena, who co-founded the caucus with former GOP Rep. George Radanovich, R-Mariposa, in 2000.

In a release announcing the post, Lungren praised the wine industry's economic force in California, noting that the growing of wine grapes accounts for "virtually half" the agriculture economy in Amador County alone.

"Though we have some very large wineries in the Third District the majority are small businesses with unique challenges and needs," he said in a statement. "I visited with Amador County vintners last year and am planning a listening session with wineries and growers in Calaveras County next month and will plan future meetings with other groups in the District."

Lungren plans to continue a series of visits with local wineries and growers in the district in his capacity of caucus co-chair. But don't expect to see the congressman tasting the local varietals at those and other caucus events.

"He prefers something white, but since he doesn't drink alcohol it's usually milk," Lungren staffer Robert Ehlert wrote in an e-mail.

Republican Rep. Dan Lungren is using the power of his new leadership post to throw out a composting initiative started under former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's watch.

Lungren, named chairman of the Committee on House Administration after Republicans gained control of the House last November, announced this week that he has asked the House Chief Administrative Officer to halt the waste disposal program, citing increased costs and unrealized energy savings.

The program, part of the past Democratic leadership's "Green the Capitol" push, put compostable trays and utensils in House dining facilities in an effort to reduce landfill-bound waste.

But the Gold River Republican issued a press release saying that a review concluded the program wasn't making a big enough mark to merit its $475,000-a-year price tag. He also cited a report finding increased "energy consumption through the use of additional electricity for the pulping process and the increased hauling distance to the composting facility."

"While I am suspending this program because it is costly and increases energy consumption, I would like to assure the House community that this Committee will continue to evaluate all components of House operations and will work with the appropriate agencies to incorporate environmentally sustainable practices when feasible," he said.

Pelosi's office disputed the review's energy-related findings to the Washington Post and said it hopes the program can be reintroduced at a lower cost in the future.

PHOTO CREDIT: Rep. Dan Lungren participates in a 2008 debate. Brian Baer/SacBee.

Santa Cruz ice cream makers Kendra Baker and Zachary Davis will be the sole Californians sitting with first lady Michelle Obama tonight at the State of the Union speech. It's a YouTube moment.

Baker and Davis opened the Penny Ice Creamery last August with the help of a $250,000 Small Business Administration loan. They subsequently took to YouTube with a video thanking the Obama administration for the help; the news reached Vice President Joe Biden in November. He called the ice cream makers to thank them, and now they are to be sitting with two dozen or so other guests. It's an eclectic group, including a Medal of Honor winner, a war amputee and some feisty students, among others.

Post updated at 11:20 a.m. with statement from State Treasurer Bill Lockyer.

Our message boards and voice mailboxes have been filled over the years with the b-word - bankruptcy - in various forms of prognostication about where California's budget situation is headed.

Each time, the retort has been simple: bankruptcy is not an option for states.

But what if it were?

The New York Times reports today that some members of Congress are quietly discussing ways in which states could pursue bankruptcy or a bankruptcy-like avenue that would allow them to restructure their debts. The focus seems to be less about states' current operating deficits and more about long-term pension obligations that are so vast that states may at some point determine they cannot pay them.

The Times notes that proponents have been "going about their work on tiptoe." That's because the mere talk of states declaring bankruptcy could make bond markets nervous, municipal securities expert, Paul S. Maco, told the paper.

Mr. Maco said the mere introduction of a state bankruptcy bill could lead to "some kind of market penalty," even if it never passed. That "penalty" might be higher borrowing costs for a state and downward pressure on the value of its bonds. Individual bondholders would not realize any losses unless they sold.

The story also suggests that the proposal may be a device for states to use in pension negotiations with public employee unions, given that bankruptcy "could permit a state to alter its contractual promises to retirees, which are often protected by state constitutions."

Alex Anderson, a municipal bond expert as portfolio manager with Los Angeles-based Envision Capital Management, told us the Times story has been "the talk of the market today" and he's seen more retail investors trying to sell municipal bonds in recent weeks. But he cautioned that "at this point, it's all talk. There's no sign of anything being drafted right now, and this would take years to enact."

California's credit rating remains the worst in the nation, but state fiscal officials have taken pains to assure the market that threat of default is slim. Expect another response today.

Update (11:20 a.m.): State Treasurer Bill Lockyer responded with this statement:

"To the folks in Congress cooking this baloney: Don't bother. States didn't ask for it. We don't want it. We don't need it. Bankruptcy would devastate states' ability to recover from the recession and make the infrastructure investments that create good jobs. It would inflict severe injury on taxpayers. Advocates of this preposterous idea want one thing above all - to see government go up in flames and, with it, the lives of a certain class of working people they don't like."

"The people making this dangerous suggestion - and those who lend it credibility it doesn't deserve - confuse states' near-term budget deficits with long-term funding obligations. The latter, including pension obligations, are serious problems. We are dealing with them by reducing benefits and increasing employees' contributions, among other moves. With respect to our budget shortfalls, we have the tools to fix them without taking a wrecking ball to our economies and taxpayers. Thanks, but we'll pass on the Gingrich Kool-Aid."

The guest list for tonight's White House state dinner for visiting Chinese President Hu Jintao includes a handful of current and former politicians from California.

Democratic Reps. Nancy Pelosi, Howard Berman, and Judy Chu, Oakland Mayor Jean Quan, and San Francisco's new mayor Edwin Lee are expected to be in attendance, as are former state controller and gubernatorial candidate Steve Westly and former U.S. Secretary of State George P. Shultz, a major player in California's last election cycle.

Other notable California residents on the list include actor Jackie Chan, singer Barbara Streisand, jazz musician Herbie Hancock, cellist Yo Yo Ma, Olympic figure skater Michelle Kwan, Walt Disney Company President and CEO Robert Iger and Intel President and CEO Paul Otellini.

A full list of the 200-plus attendees, released by the White House today, is posted on POLITICO. Culinary-minded readers can salivate over the planned menu at this link.

California Rep. Nancy Pelosi got to keep just one of the three E. Marinella scarves given to her by Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi.

But a pair of Murano glass candlesticks and a matching footed bowl of gold iridescent glass from the Italian leader -- worth $950 -- were kept for official display in the House speaker's office that the San Francisco Democrat then occupied.

Those items were among scores of gifts that foreign government sources gave to federal employees in 2009, according to State Department records released in the Federal Register this week.

Pelosi, who returned two scarves because they exceeded gift limits, also reported receiving a 4-by-6-foot silk screen of the Yangtze River gorge from Chinese official Wu Bangguo. Her office was granted permission to keep that $500 piece of art for official use, too.

Democratic Rep. George Miller of Martinez, the only other California member listed in the report, was given eight ties from Berlusconi worth an estimated $560, four of which he reported keeping for personal use.

In all cases, the report notes, accepting the gift was justified because "non-acceptance would cause embarrassment to donor and U.S. government."

Click here to see the full gift report.

PHOTO CREDIT: Then- U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, right, shakes hands with Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi at the Villa Madama residence, in Rome, Tuesday Feb. 17, 2009, during her weeklong visit to Italy. (AP Photo/ Pier Paolo Cito)

Amid the upheaval of the new 112th Congress, some things are staying the same. Rep. Zoe Lofgren, the San Jose Democrat who has been the elected chair of California's Democratic congressional delegation since 2003, looks to be up for a return engagement in the new Congress.

Lofgren is the only known candidate for the position, which will be selected Jan. 12. The position brings with it one additional staff member, whose salary is paid for by contributions from each of the state's 34 Democratic House offices. It's still unclear, though, whether Lofgren will be returning to membership on the House Committee on Standards of Official Conduct, also known as the House ethics committee. Democratic committee positions are still being worked out, as party leaders wrangle for more slots on choice committees.

PHOTO CREDIT: Then California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, right, meets with then House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, left, and Rep. Zoe Lofgren, D-Calif., center, on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Feb. 27, 2007. (AP Photo/ Dennis Cook)

Republican Rep. Tom McClintock offered the House a history lesson today as he urged members to wrap up their business and get out of town.

"This lame duck session is rapidly descending into farce," McClintock, of Elk Grove, said in a speech on the House floor. "I believe this House is now in danger of becoming a caricature of everything the American people rejected in November: incompetence, arrogance, and a complete detachment from reality.

"Nearly two months ago, the American people said very clearly they don't want this Congress legislating for them any longer. And instead of graciously and humbly accepting the public's verdict, the Democratic leaders seem intent to thumb their noses at the American people."

McClintock said "the most bitter indictment of a malingering legislative body was delivered by Cromwell to the Rump Parliament." That was a reference to Oliver Cromwell, who expelled the English Rump Parliament in 1653.

"His words seem appropriate now to this Rump Congress," McClintock said. "You have sat here too long for any good you have been doing. It is not fit that you should sit here any longer. You shall now give way to better men. Now depart and go, I say, in the name of God, Go."

To see the video, click here.

Sarah Pompei, the press secretary for Republican Meg Whitman's gubernatorial bid, has landed a job as communications director for Republican Rep. Kevin McCarthy.

The Bakersfield congressman, a former state Assembly Republican leader, will serve as the Republican whip in the 112th Congress.

McCarthy announced the hire in a press release issued today. He also named Time Warner lobbyist Tim Berry, a former top aide to embattled former Republican Majority Leader Tom DeLay, as his chief of staff.

News that Rep. Lynn Woolsey could retire in 2012 has already sparked talk of a crowded field of contenders for the 6th Congressional District.

The array of potential candidates to succeed the 73-year-old Democrat includes Democratic Assemblyman Jared Huffman, who the Press Democrat reports has opened up an exploratory committee to start fundraiser for a potential 2012 bid.

From the Press Democrat:

Huffman, 46, who will be termed out of the Assembly in 2012, said other Democrats are "out there jockeying for a run" and he wanted to be the first to make his plans public.

"I'm not going to be coy with people," said Huffman, whose district is encompassed by Woolsey's. "I think people are entitled to know my intentions."

Anticipating stiff competition and a $500,000 cost to compete in the 2012 primary, Huffman said he wants potential backers to know he is running "before they commit to another candidate."

If Woolsey seeks re-election in two years, Huffman said he will "absolutely support her."

(Democratic state Sen. Noreen) Evans, 55, who served three terms in the Assembly and won the 2nd District Senate seat in November, is widely rumored to be eyeing Woolsey's job.

"It's a little premature," said Evans, a former Santa Rosa councilwoman and planning commissioner. "The ink isn't even dry on my certificate of election."

Read the full story here.

Democratic Rep. Jim Costa is one of a dozen House Democrats targeted in the first post-election ad blitz byCrossroads GPS, the conservative issue advocacy group with ties to former Bush strategist Karl Rove.

The group, which in conjunction with American Crossroads spent tens of millions to boost Republicans in the midterm elections, has launched a nationwide radio ad campaign in support of the recent agreement to extend tax cuts implemented during George W. Bush's presidency. The deal reached between President Barack Obama and congressional Republicans, which includes extending tax cuts for top-earning Americans along with the middle- and upper-middle class, has drawn fire from liberals.

The issue advocacy ads, which start today, will run in districts where Democrats eked out slim victories, including Costa, who beat Republican Andy Vidak by just 3,050 votes in the 20th Congressional District barn burner. Crossroads spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on independent ads opposing Costa in that race.

The Fresno Democrat has already said he supports the agreement.

"This deal isn't perfect and of course there are improvements I would like to see. But that's reality and that's how life works. You have to compromise to get things done," he said in a press release issued Friday.

Spokesman Will Crain said Costa has been calling for a similar deal to the one currently on the table for months, citing a letter to House leadership he signed in September.

"It's a little ironic that a Republican attack group who claims to stand for fiscal responsibility is wasting so much money The Crossroads people and their DC lobbyists must not read the news," he wrote in an e-mail.

Crossroads spokesman Jonathan Collegio said the ad is intended to inform voters of the deal and urge Costa to push House Speaker Nancy Pelosi for floor action on the deal in the wake of reports last week that House Democrats had voted to block a floor vote.

Editor's note: This post was updated at 1:37 p.m. with a statement from Costa's spokesman.

Hat tip: POLITICO.

PHOTO CREDIT: Jim Costa listens to supporters during an election night party at Grizzlies Stadium on Tuesday night November 2, 2004. (Darrell Wong/The Fresno Bee).

Republican Rep. Darrell Issa is getting a gavel as chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee.

House Speaker-Designate John Boehner, of Ohio, praised Issa, previously the ranking member of the committee, which investigates federal programs and issues relating to federal policies.

"Darrell has built a strong record of conducting vigilant and meaningful oversight that has exposed a federal bureaucracy over-run by inefficiency and waste," he said. "He understands how critical it is to address the waste, fraud and abuse from within government so that we can be better stewards of the taxpayer's dollars and as we work to deliver to the American people a government that is more transparent and accountable."

Issa, often called in the press President Barack Obama's chief antagonist, blasted the current state of government spending in a statement announcing his selection by the House Republican Conference.

"It's always easier to be careless with other people's money and the fact that Washington has somehow institutionalized waste, fraud and abuse is indicative of how broken this place has become," the Vista Republican said in a statement.

PHOTO CREDIT: U.S. Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Vista speaks at the Hyatt in San Diego during the California Republican Party 2010 Convention. Hector Amezcua, Sacramento Bee.

Democratic Rep. Maxine Waters' trial in front of a House ethics panel has been indefinitely postponed in light of new documents connected to the charges, according to the Associated Press.

The AP reports:

Waters, a senior member of the Financial Services Committee, was set to go on trial Nov. 29 before a jury of eight House colleagues. She has vigorously fought the charges, saying she did nothing more th