Capitol Alert

One day after a civil rights leader accused him of using racially charged politics in his criticism of California's prison realignment, former Lt. Gov. Abel Maldonado said this afternoon that Gov. Jerry Brown and "his buddies are trying to make it about race."

Maldonado, who is preparing to challenge Brown in next year's gubernatorial election, told The Bee he will "probably" stop using the image of a felon to which a leader of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People objected, but that he will continue to cite the case.

Maldonado came under criticism after a news conference Wednesday at which he highlighted a photograph of an offender who was not released from prison under realignment -- the program Maldonado organized the event to criticize. Maldonado announced he will file a ballot initiative to repeal the 2011 law in which the state shifted responsibility for certain low-level offenders from the prison and parole system to counties.

Democrats are lining up for the race in Assembly District 4 next year, when termed-out Assemblywoman Mariko Yamada leaves office.

Davis Mayor Joe Krovoza, right, announced Friday morning that he intends to run in the Democrat-dominated district, joining Lake County Supervisor Anthony Farrington and Napa County Planning Commissioner Matt Pope in the race. Davis City Councilman Dan Wolk, son of Sen. Lois Wolk, D-Davis, confirmed Friday that he will be announcing his candidacy in the coming weeks.

Assembly District 4 includes Napa and Lake Counties and parts of Sonoma, Solano, Colusa and Yolo counties. Sixty percent of voters in the newly redrawn district reside in Napa and Yolo counties. Women Democrats from Davis, including Lois Wolk, have represented Davis in the Assembly for two decades.

Abel Maldonado's campaign for governor has stumbled even before the former lieutenant governor officially declares his candidacy.

After an adviser acknowledged this week that a felon Maldonado highlighted at a news conference Wednesday was not released under California's historic prison realignment - the program Maldonado called the news conference to criticize - the president of a civil rights group has accused Maldonado of engaging in racial politics.

Alice Huffman, president of the California state conference of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, said in a letter to Maldonado on Thursday that his use of Jerome Anthony Rogers' photograph at his event in Sacramento appears to be a "despicable attempt to drag the Willie Horton-style racial politics of the past into California."

Two California congressional hopefuls are among the beneficiaries of a new Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee program aimed at nurturing promising candidates for 2014.

The DCCC effort, called Jumpstart, has identified an initial batch of eight candidates to support with financial help and strategic advice, including Californians Michael Eggman and Pete Aguilar.

Beekeeper and farmer Eggman, who's the brother of Democratic Assemblywoman Susan Eggman of Stockton, announced recently that he will challenge Rep. Jeff Denham, R-Turlock, in the 10th Congressional District.

Aguilar, now mayor of Redlands, is taking another shot at the 31st Congressional District seat held by Republican Rep. Gary Miller of Diamond Bar.

So far, Eggman doesn't face any opposition from other Democrats -- astronaut Jose Hernandez, who lost to Denham last year, has not yet declared his intentions. But Aguilar has already come under attack from former Rep. Joe Baca, who lost his congressional seat last fall to fellow Democrat Gloria Negrete McLeod. She's backing Aguilar in his bid for Miller's seat.

Jumpstart is distinct from a similar Democratic initiative, Red to Blue, that seeks to bolster the campaigns of key Democratic candidates. Six of the seven California Democrats backed by Red to Blue last year won their campaigns.

"(DCCC) Chairman (Steve) Israel began making calls to prospective candidates on Election Night 2012, and has assembled an aggressive Recruitment Committee chaired by Congresswoman Donna Edwards," says a memo announcing the program. You can take a look at the memo here:

First Jumpstart Candidates for 2014

PHOTO CREDIT: Californians Michael Eggman and Pete Aguilar are among a crop of DCCC-supported candidates trying to make it to Congress, whose dome is pictured here on Dec. 28, 2012. Susan Walsh / Associated Press

Abel Maldonado, who is preparing to challenge Gov. Jerry Brown in next year's gubernatorial race, said today he will file a ballot initiative to repeal California's prison realignment, an issue Republicans consider a potential liability for Brown.

The former lieutenant governor provided few details about the initiative, but the circumstances of his announcement suggested Maldonado will make the issue a centerpiece of his campaign.

"I'm here to address an issue that threatens the lives of every Californian, an issue that is the most important issue in California in a generation," Maldonado said. "It is an issue that affects the quality of life and the safety of every citizen of my home state of California."

Brown has faced criticism for months from Republican lawmakers - and some Democrats - seeking to modify or repeal elements of realignment, the 2011 law in which the state shifted responsibility for certain low-level offenders from the prison and parole system to counties. As Maldonado did at his event today, they highlight crimes committed by offenders they say were released under realignment.

The Democratic governor has said he is considering "some ideas" about potential changes to the law, but his administration is also under a court order to reduce California's prison population. Jeffrey Callison, a spokesman for the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, said realignment has reduced the state's prison population while bringing "a more rational criminal justice system" to California.

The initiative Maldonado proposed would appear on the same ballot as the gubernatorial runoff election in November 2014, and his news conference had all the hallmarks of a campaign event. Maldonado addressed reporters from the top floor of a parking garage across the street from the Capitol. The location provided the Capitol dome as a backdrop, and Maldonado's strategist, John Weaver, was on hand.

Maldonado said his motivations are not political.

"This press conference is not about the governor's race," he said. "I said a couple of weeks ago that I was going to raise some resources to figure out if I was going to be a candidate for governor. I would venture to say that if you look at what I've been doing, there's a pretty good shot that I'm going to be running for governor. But I'm here to tell you today that this press conference is not about Abel Maldonado running for governor."

Former Assemblywoman Bonnie Garcia is looking to return to the Legislature.

The Palm Desert Republican announced this week that she will run for the 28th Senate District in the 2014 election, rolling out a list of local GOP endorsements along with word of her candidacy.

The Riverside County-centered district will be up for grabs next year.

Garcia represented the 80th Assembly District, which at the time covered Imperial County and part of Riverside County, from 2002 to 2008.

She was later appointed by GOP Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to a six-figure post on the California Unemployment Insurance Appeals Board. She now runs her own public affairs firm.

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PHOTO CREDIT: Then Assemblywoman Bonnie Garcia, R-Palm Desert, talks during a 2007 legislative briefing inside the state Capitol. Brian Baer / Sacramento Bee file, 2007

Sacramento City Councilman Kevin McCarty will run again for the Assembly in 2014, four years after losing a close race for a legislative seat.

McCarty, a Democrat, seeks to replace Assemblyman Roger Dickinson, who has formed a campaign committee to run for the state Senate when President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg is termed out next year.

"Targeting absentee landlords, creating green jobs, launching anti-truancy programs and getting illegal guns off our streets are just a few of the things that I focused on as a member of the City Council," McCarty said in a written statement. "I'm running for the state Assembly because I know I can do more."

A former California candidate for statewide office seen as a "rising star" in GOP circles is again running for office, but this time as an independent.

Damon Dunn, a former professional football player who described himself as "truly conservative" during his 2010 secretary of state run, announced earlier this year his plans to run for mayor of Long Beach. Dunn, who lost the 2010 race to Democrat Debra Bowen by 15 percentage points, said he changed his registration to decline to state ahead of joining the mayoral race.

Though he is critical of his former party's handling of issues like same-sex marriage and poverty, as well as its ability to attract women and minority voters, Dunn said his decision to shed his GOP registration ahead of this run was not intended to be a political statement.

"Local politics mandates that I stand for my own ideas," said Dunn, who was once registered as a Democrat years ago. "I've got to run as my own man. There are problems here in Long Beach and the fixes here are not ideological."

Dunn's bid for mayor is already attracting big-name support. Former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice headlined a reception to raise money for his race in Menlo Park Tuesday. The two met years ago at Stanford, when Dunn was a student and Rice was a provost.

"We've been friends for a long time," he said.

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PHOTO CREDIT: Damon Dunn, Secretary of State candidate, speaks at Solar Gard Window Films in San Diego on Friday, August 20, 2010. Hector Amezcua, Sacramento Bee.

Celeste Greig, the Republican activist who said this spring that rape rarely results in pregnancy, has lost her position atop the California Republican Assembly, organizers of the conservative group said.

By an 84-78 vote, CRA members at a convention over the weekend selected John W. Briscoe, of Fountain Valley, to be president, said Aaron Park, the conservative blogger and CRA official who ran Briscoe's campaign.

Park faulted Greig for "embarrassing headlines" and shrinking membership in the decades-old CRA, and he said the group "took decisive action to change course."

Park said membership in the CRA, which Ronald Reagan once called the "the conscience of the Republican Party," has declined to "several thousand statewide." He declined to be more specific.

Greig did not immediately return a telephone call Monday for comment.

She suggested to a San Jose Mercury News reporter in the run-up to last month's California Republican Party convention that a woman is less likely to become pregnant if she is raped because "the body is traumatized." At the time, she was criticizing a Missouri U.S. Senate candidate who made a similar remark.

PHOTO CREDIT: Celeste Greig, then president of the California Republican Assembly, speaks to reporters at the California Republican Convention in San Diego on Friday, August 20, 2010. Hector Amezcua / Sacramento Bee

A beekeeper who is the younger brother of a Democratic state legislator has announced plans to run against GOP Rep. Jeff Denham in a Central Valley swing seat next year.

Turlock Democrat Michael Eggman, whose sister is Stockton Assemblywoman Susan Eggman, has managed finances for his family's Turlock farm for 10 years. In a news release about his candidacy, he emphasized his longtime ties to communities in the 10th Congressional District and his experience as a farmer.

"Farmers, small businesses and our Valley families are hurting and we are really disgusted about the inability of our elected leaders to work together on the issues facing us," he said in a statement. "I'm not a politician, I'm a small family farmer so people will know where I stand and can trust that I'll put our communities first."

Denham, a former state legislator, defeated Democrat Jose Hernandez, who was considered a strong recruit by many political observers, by about five percentage points in 2012, a year that delivered victories to California Democrats in several other swing districts in the state.

Still, Democrats believe a slight registration advantage and winning performance by President Barack Obama in the district, which covers all of Stanislaus and part of San Joaquin counties, put the seat in play. The National Republican Congressional Committee recently added the GOP congressman to its incumbent protection program for the 2014 election.

Denham's camp didn't seem too concerned Tuesday.

"Jeff was only CA Rep on Dem target list in 2012 who didn't lose," Denham adviser Dave Gilliard tweeted. "If they cant beat him in 12, they cant beat him."

Editor's note: This post was updated with a comment from Dave Gilliard.

PHOTO CREDIT: Michael Eggman, courtesy of the campaign.

A Southern California Republican who runs a public policy institute is getting in the race to succeed outgoing Secretary of State Debra Bowen as the state's chief elections official.

Pete Peterson, executive director of Pepperdine University's Davenport Institute for Public Engagement and Civic Leadership, announced his candidacy in a statement released today, saying the state "is in desperate need of reform."

"With many Californians struggling to make ends meet or worrying about their economic future, it is crucial we encourage public engagement inside and outside of the voting booth," Peterson said in the statement. "Using technology to encourage voter registration, voter turnout, and government transparency will increase public involvement in the democratic process."

Peterson is the first Republican to formally announce his candidacy for the office, which will be up for grabs in 2014 when Bowen steps down due to term limits. Democratic state Sens. Alex Padilla and Leland Yee have already joined the race, while campaign finance reform advocate Derek Cressman, also a Democrat, is considering a bid. Several other current and former Democratic legislators have filed paperwork for a potential run.

Peterson, who lives in Santa Monica, took a dig at the political resumes of those rivals, saying he sees "this office as a means to change the direction of California, not as a stepping stone for professional politicians."

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Editor's note: An earlier version of this post incorrectly stated that Peterson is a first-time candidate. He ran for a local position in New Jersey in 2005.

PHOTO: File photo of Pete Peterson via Associated Press.

The field of possible contenders to succeed Debra Bowen as the state's chief elections officer is growing by the day.

Derek Cressman, an activist with the nonprofit Common Cause, told The Bee today he is "seriously considering" running for secretary of state in 2014, when Bowen will step down because of term limits.

Cressman said he is currently looking at whether he can fulfill existing commitments at the political watchdog group, which advocates for stricter campaign finance rules and increased transparency in politics, in time to launch a campaign for next year's election.

The Sacramento Democrat, a longtime critic of the role of money in politics, is currently leading a national effort to overturn the U.S. Supreme Court's Citizens United decision on campaign spending. He said his experience with Common Cause has prepared him to tackle problems with the state's campaign finance, voter and business filing system.

"Working over the last several years to improve California's voting systems and campaign finance issues, I have come to realize that the next secretary of state is going to be a really important job, probably more important than that job usually is, because there are a number of improvements that need to be made," Cressman said, adding he finds it "embarrassing for the home state of Silicon Valley to be so behind the times in the technology."

Democratic state Sens. Alex Padilla and Leland Yee have already announced plans to run, while several other Democrats have opened campaign committees to raise money for a possible 2014 campaign. Cressman, who ran for a spot on a proposed Sacramento Charter Commission that voters opted not to create last year, said he believes his role as an outsider will give him credibility with voters should he decide to run.

"California needs somebody who actually wants to be secretary of state, rather than using that office as a stepping stone for higher office or just a place to land after term limits," he said.

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PHOTO CREDIT: Derek Cressman. Sacramento Bee file photo.

It's official: Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Los Angeles, formally announced his candidacy to be California's next secretary of state.

In a press release, Padilla emphasized boosting election turnout and called for tougher campaign finance laws. He also mentioned reducing a backlog in new business filings that has been hovering over the secretary of state's office.

"The strength of our democracy depends on the active involvement of all of our citizens," Padilla said. "Last November, more than 10 MILLION Californians did not vote. I'm running for Secretary of State to change that."

The announcement isn't a big surprise. The term-limited veteran legislator had already opened a committee seeking the office that current Secretary of State Debra Bowen will vacate at the end of her second term in 2014.

Padilla also has a campaign website up and running.

He will be vying with Sen. Leland Yee, a San Francisco Democrat who is also taking aim at the secretary of state gig. Yee got the jump on Padilla in terms of campaign launches, declaring his candidacy back in November. Yee struck a collegial tone in a Thursday morning press release.

"I welcome my colleague from Pacoima to the race for Secretary of State," Yee said. "I look forward to this campaign and discussing with Alex ways we can modernize the office of Secretary of State, improve our elections, and bring a more transparent government to California."

PHOTO CREDIT: Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Los Angeles, during a floor debate on Feb. 18, 2009. The Sacramento Bee/Brian Baer

Editor's note: An initial version of this post incorrectly spelled Pacoima.

Former Lt. Gov Abel Maldonado has secured a contribution - but not an endorsement - from one of California's most influential GOP donors as he moves closer to a possible 2014 run for governor.

Charles T. Munger, Jr. confirmed today that he plans to contribute an undisclosed amount to a committee Maldonado is opening to explore a gubernatorial bid, but said he is refraining from endorsing any of the possible GOP candidates at this point because of his role as chairman of the Santa Clara County Republican Party.

Two dozen Republicans considering a run for state Legislature are spending the weekend in campaign class.

Trailblazers, a candidate recruitment and training program started by House Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy, Assembly GOP leader Connie Conway and GOP Senate leader Bob Huff ahead of the 2012 election, is holding its first candidate bootcamp of the 2014 cycle Saturday.

The daylong program in Sacramento will bring together 24 potential legislative candidates from districts across the state for what Trailblazers CEO Jessica Patterson called a "nuts and bolts" training session. Top GOP strategists will cover topics like how to put together a campaign team and budget, conducing effective field operations and making a long-term communication plan.

"What we really want to do is make sure the candidates know what they're supposed to be doing from beginning to end," Patterson said.

Participants will be eligible for future workshops, which will take closer looks at essentials like fundraising and communicating with Latinos and other voter demographic groups as the campaign picks up. Strong candidates are recognized for reaching different levels of the program, which is modeled after House Republicans' recruitment efforts.

Many of the possible candidates were introduced to the program through outreach by Trailblazers and its partner organizations, including GROW Elect, an effort aimed at electing Latinos to public office.

"We've been out there since December working on the recruitment sides of things, in particular the strong-leaning Republican districts and the toss-up districts," Patterson said. "We want to find good candidates that can make those districts competitive."

With the primary election 14 months away, that recruitment work isn't done. Patterson said the group plans to hold at least one additional "nuts and bolts" overview session later in the year in hope of attracting a wide range of candidates to run in open GOP seats or against Democrats next year.

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

The proportion of Californians eschewing party politics continued to gradually increase over the past two years, with nearly 21 percent of the electorate now registered to vote with no party preference, according to a report today by the California secretary of state.

The increase is less than half a percentage point over the last off-year registration report, in 2011.

Meanwhile, the proportion of voters registered to vote Democratic declined to 43.93 percent from 44.04 percent in February 2011, while Republican registration dropped to 28.94 percent from 30.88 percent two years ago, according to the report. In 2005, the GOP could claim 34.5 percent of registered voters.

The total number of registered voters now stands at about 18.1 million, down from 18.2 million in fall 2012. In the last off year report, two years ago, total registration was about 17.2 million.

PHOTO CREDIT: Elections officials in Sacramento County on Oct. 1, 2012. The Sacramento Bee/ Renée C. Byer

Former Republican Rep. Doug Ose might make another run at returning to Congress by challenging freshman Democratic Rep. Ami Bera in a competitive Sacramento County seat.

The Sacramento Republican, who left Congress in 2005 and lost a primary bid for another seat in 2008, told The Bee that he and his wife are "deliberating on it but have not made a final decision" on seeking the 7th Congressional District seat

"It's very easy to say 'I'm going to run for Congress,' but having done it four times now, it's not a simple task," he said. "There's a lot that goes into it."

Bera unseated incumbent GOP Rep. Dan Lungren last year in one of the state's closest and most expensive House races. The 2014 race for the seat is expected to be a top priority for both Democrats and Republicans, given the narrow registration gap in the east Sacramento County district. The National Republican Congressional Committee has been on the offensive for weeks already, blasting the Elk Grove Democrat on everything from gas prices to the sequestration in emails and new Web ads.

Looking for your state legislator? Check the house next door.

That's the promise one Republican who attended the GOP's state party convention in Sacramento was touting over the weekend as he promoted a proposed ballot initiative to create what he's calling a "Neighborhood Legislature."

Under the measure, each of the state's 120 state legislative districts would be broken into 100 precinct-level mini districts. The change would mean that each legislator is elected by several thousand voters instead of several hundred thousand. The number of lawmakers serving in the Legislature wouldn't go up under the measure. Instead, the 100 candidates elected within the mini-districts would caucus to select one person to serve and vote in Sacramento.

John H. Cox, a businessman and investor backing the change, acknowledges that the idea is unconventional and, perhaps "counter intuitive," but he said breaking down state representation would break "the connection between money and being elected" and make lawmakers more accountable.

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.

A new proposal introduced in the California Legislature would let the state's teens cast their first ballot at age 17.

Assemblyman Kevin Mullin, D-South San Francisco, has authored legislation to amend the state Constitution to allow teens who will be 18 by the time the general election arrives to vote in the primary. Twenty states already allow such voters to participate in their primaries or caucuses.

"Most young people's first contact with politics is in their mandatory high school civics class; this is the perfect time to get them engaged and give them some ownership in the process by getting them to vote in primaries," Mullin said in a statement.

Former Assemblyman Joe Canciamilla is the Contra Costa Board of Supervisors' pick to be the county's next elections chief.

Canciamilla, a former Democrat who is now registered without a party preference, will fill out the term of longtime Clerk-Recorder and Registrar of Voters Steve Weir, who is retiring next month.

Bay Area News Group political reporter Lisa Vorderbrueggen has the details:

The board of supervisors unanimously chose Canciamilla over the retiring incumbent's brother and Pleasant Hill Councilman Jack Weir about 90 minutes ago after public interviews with both men. ....

The five supervisors praised Jack Weir's public service and his managerial and data management professional background.

But all said Canciamilla brought to the job a deeper understanding of county government and politics.

You can read Vorderbrueggen's full post here.

PHOTO CREDIT: Former Assemblyman Joe Canciamilla in 2006. The Sacramento Bee/Brian Baer

Republican Assemblywoman Diane Harkey has made her plans to run for state Board of Equalization in 2014 official, announcing her candidacy in a piece posted on the conservative FlashReport.org website today.

The Dana Point Republican, who has served in the lower house since 2008, has already opened a campaign account to run for a seat on the tax board when current Vice Chair Michelle Steel is termed out in 2014.

Harkey is one of several GOP members reportedly eyeing the Southern California seat.

In her announcement piece, Harkey talked not only about her own political future, but her ideas about rebuilding the Republican Party in the wake of 2012 losses. She urged fellow Republicans not to compromise their conservative principles, saying members "must 'expand' who we are, and not lose sight of what we stand for."

"While the hurdle is high, working together, with candidates that aren't afraid to engage outside Republican circles, we can win," he said. "People, especially the young, like winners; let's go forth and multiply to set the stage to win again.

PHOTO CREDIT: Assemblywoman Diane Harkey looks at the roster during an Assembly vote on March 17, 2011. Hector Amezcua / Sacramento Bee.

Democratic state Sen. Leland Yee is looking to bolster the youth vote with legislation to establish more polling places on California's college and university campuses.

Senate Bill 240 would require at least one polling place on each University of California and California State University campus and seek to expand the number of polling stations on community college campuses across the state.

While some campuses, including UC Davis, do serve as voting sites, the final decision of where to locate the voting stations is up to the county registrars. Yee said the bill is aimed at making it easier for the hundreds of thousands of students enrolled in the state's UC and CSU systems to vote.

Republican Assemblyman Dan Logue has opened a campaign account to raise cash for a 2014 state treasurer bid.

But don't expect to see the Marysville Republican hitting the campaign trail any time soon.

He's not actually running.

In fact, Logue said he expects a statewide campaign to be "the last thing I do" when he leaves the Assembly due to term limits at the end of next year.

"I have no plans to run for treasurer," Logue told The Bee. "I'm using that to raise some resources to help some colleagues to bring more pro-business candidates to Sacramento down the road."

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 Democrat who currently serves as a West Sacramento councilman and is the son of a former state senator has created a campaign committee to run in 2014 for an Assembly seat covering much of Sacramento.

Mark Johannessen's formation of a 7th Assembly District campaign committee does not commit him to run, but he said Friday that he's "in it to win it."

"Now is a good time to start the dialog of reinforcing regionalism," he said.

Johannessen, 56, is an attorney and certified public accountant. His father is Maurice Johannessen, a Redding Republican who served in the Senate from 1993 to 2002.

Johannessen is jockeying to succeed Assemblyman Roger Dickinson, D-Sacramento, who has created a campaign committee to run for the Senate seat to be vacated by President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg in 2014.

The newly-elected Legislature has barely gotten back to work, but the jockeying for Sacramento-area seats up for a vote in 2014 is already underway.

Democratic Assemblyman Roger Dickinson created a campaign committee to run for the Sacramento Senate seat that will be open when Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg steps down due to term limits in 2014.

Bryan DeBlonk, a campaign adviser for the Sacramento Democrat, said while an official announcement is likely months away, the committee filing is "definitely a step in the process for running for Senate."

A conservative state legislator who is a former member of the anti-illegal immigration Minuteman Project is considering a run for California governor.

Assemblyman Tim Donnelly, R-Twin Peaks, shared his plans to open an exploratory committee for a 2014 run in an interview with PolitiChicks.tv, a web video posted to a conservative website.

Donnelly, whose conservative stances and sometimes combative tactics have made him a lightning rod for controversy in the state Legislature, said he decided to consider a run "because there's just, there's nobody out there fighting for us."

"I believe that we as Californians can do heck of a lot better than Jerry Brown or anyone who wants to step into his footsteps, I don't care whether its Kamala Harris or Tony Villaraigosa or Gavin Newsom," he said of the possible Democratic contenders in 2014. "They're all going to push for the same ideas and I think California can do a lot better.'

The author of California's new law allowing residents to use the Internet to register to vote wants to be the state's next elections chief.

Sen. Leland Yee, D-San Francisco, has announced that he will to run for secretary of state in 2014, when he is termed out of the state Senate.

Yee, whose plans were first reported by The San Francisco Chronicle, spread the news on Twitter this morning.

"Excited to announce that I'm running for California Secretary of State. I want to expand on our recent election, tech, and open gov success," he wrote.

The former state assemblyman and San Francisco supervisor, who lost a bid for mayor there last year, will seek to replace Democrat Debra Bowen, who must leave the post in 2014 due to term limits. In addition to the online voter registration system, which is widely credited with helping boost turnout in the general election, Yee authored legislation to generate more cash for Cal-Access, the state's aging online campaign finance and lobbying database.

Yee is the first major candidate to formally launch a 2014 secretary of state bid, according to the Chronicle, though seven other potential candidates have filed paperwork signaling they could run.

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State Sen. Leland Yee, D-San Francisco, addresses the Senate at the Capitol in Sacramento, Calif., Friday, Sept. 2, 2011. The state Assembly approved Yee's measure, Friday, to allow juveniles who have been sentenced to life in prison, to submit petitions for reconsideration of their sentences after serving 15 years.(AP Photo/ Rich Pedroncelli)