Sunday, February 5, 2012 – 06:00 p.m.
Last Modified: Monday, February 6, 2012 – 10:55 a.m.

San Manuel Band of Mission Indians Chairman James Ramos must be wanting a seat on the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors in the worst way.

Since 2010, a whopping $592,000 has been funneled to two Ramos-controlled campaign committees.

By whom you ask?

Indian gambling interests.

An amount making up 82.41% of his total campaign war-chest raised.

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Supervisor Neil Derry left. San Manuel Tribal Chairman James Ramos right.

FROM STAFF REPORTS

Published: 05 February 2012 07:09 PM

Fun time is over in the increasingly rough race between San Bernardino County Supervisor Neil Derry and San Manuel tribal Chairman James Ramos for the 3rd District seat.

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Carter

By Jim Sanders and Phillip Reese
jsanders@sacbee.com
Published: Monday, Feb. 6, 2012 – 12:00 am | Page 1A
Last Modified: Monday, Feb. 6, 2012 – 7:10 am

With California billions behind on its budget and public services shrinking, the Assembly collectively tightened its belt last year – but not all of its members did.

Records released under court order show that Assembly Speaker John A. Pérez boosted the budgets of six members by tens of thousands of dollars apiece despite the fiscal emergency.

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Dan Walters

By Dan Walters
dwalters@sacbee.com
Published: Sunday, Feb. 5, 2012 – 12:00 am | Page 3A

Gov. Jerry Brown and his fellow Democrats in the Legislature settled on a hastily revised state budget last June – after Brown had vetoed legislators’ first version – and pronounced it to be balanced and timely.

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Dan Walters

By Dan Walters
Published: Friday, Feb. 3, 2012 – 12:00 am | Page 3A

Many years of partisan wrangling over the state budget reached a climax in 2010 when public employee unions and Democratic politicians persuaded voters to pass Proposition 25, eliminating the two-thirds vote for budgets.

It gave the Legislature’s majority Democrats the power to pass budgets without having to garner Republican votes. But that’s not all it did.

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Neil Derry left. James Ramos right.

By Joe Nelson, Staff Writer
Posted: 02/01/2012 07:16:08 PM PST

Document: James Ramos Flier

San Bernardino County Supervisor Neil Derry has launched an assault on the character of his major opponent, San Manuel tribal chairman James Ramos, in a campaign mailer tying Ramos to “gang members,” “drug dealers” and “killers for hire.”

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BY JIM MILLER
SACRAMENTO BUREAU
jmiller@pe.com

Published: 31 January 2012 07:12 PM

SACRAMENTO — The major parties’ share of the Inland Southern California electorate dipped in 2011, new state figures show, with a significant increase in the percentage of voters who lack a party affiliation.

Read the rest of this entry »

BY BEN GOAD
WASHINGTON BUREAU
bgoad@pe.com

Published: 31 January 2012 05:44 PM

Candidates for contested Inland House seats raked in hundreds of thousands of dollars in campaign cash at the end of 2011 as they jockeyed for position heading into the current election year.

Read the rest of this entry »

Dan Walters

By Dan Walters
Published: Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2012 – 12:00 am | Page 3A

Gov. Jerry Brown is scaling back the state’s highly controversial bullet train project to keep it alive.

Just three months ago, his administration unveiled – with great fanfare – a revised “business plan” for building the north-south bullet train system to answer the embryonic project’s many critics.

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Tuesday, January 31, 2012 – 12:30 p.m.

It’s only February and the first serious blow has been leveled in the race to represent San Bernardino County’s Third Supervisorial District.

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Rep. Joe Baca, D-Rialto, second from left, earned a aisle seat to greet President Barack Obama before the State of the Union speech./AP

THE PRESS-ENTERPRISE
Published: 29 January 2012 06:51 PM

They don’t call him “Working Joe” for nothing.

For at least the fourth consecutive year, U.S. Rep. Joe Baca outmaneuvered a host of his Democratic colleagues and worked himself into a coveted center aisle seat at last week’s State of the Union address. Baca, who was already in position several hours before the speech, again nabbed a primo spot and fought through the scrum of lawmakers to greet President Barack Obama on his way to the podium.

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Dan Walters

By Dan Walters
dwalters@sacbee.com
Published: Monday, Jan. 30, 2012 – 12:00 am | Page 3A

When a political party achieves dominance of any government, one expects that it would use its hegemony to enact its public policy agenda.

That’s the way democracy is supposed to work.

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Norma Torres

Assemblywoman Norma J. Torres
Created: 01/28/2012 06:06:11 AM PST

The state Supreme Court’s ruling which eliminated redevelopment agencies has created uncertainty for cities and counties engaged in redevelopment activities. Redevelopment has been used as a tool by many cities and counties to successfully revitalize communities. The court’s decision throws into question how cities and counties will pay for infrastructure, housing and retail projects in blighted communities.

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By Jim Sanders
jsanders@sacbee.com
Published: Saturday, Jan. 28, 2012 – 12:00 am | Page 3A

A California Supreme Court ruling Friday significantly raised Democratic Party prospects of gaining the supermajority needed in the state Senate to pass tax or fee increases.

The high court decided that Senate maps drawn recently by a 14-member citizens commission will be used for this year’s legislative elections, even if a pending referendum qualifies for the ballot.

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PolitiCal
On politics in the Golden State
January 26, 2012 | 8:12 pm

Gov. Jerry Brown on Thursday urged 1,500 Los Angeles political and business leaders to back his proposal for higher taxes and implored them to pressure lawmakers in Sacramento to overhaul the state’s pension system this year.

Read the rest of this entry »

Dan Walters

By Dan Walters
Published: Friday, Jan. 27, 2012 – 12:00 am | Page 3A

Last Tuesday, the Public Policy Institute of California issued a new poll that found, among other things, just 17 percent of the state’s voters like the Legislature’s performance.

Simultaneously, the Legislature’s top leaders provided another reason for Californians to harbor such scorn.

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Most of his appointments in the first year went to people who live in Northern California, but 20 Inland residents got posts

BY JIM MILLER
SACRAMENTO BUREAU
jmiller@pe.com

Published: 25 January 2012 09:45 PM

SACRAMENTO — As Gov. Jerry Brown put his stamp on California government in the past year, his appointments leaned heavily toward the state’s less-populated northern half.

Since taking office in January 2011, Brown had made almost 580 appointments to administration jobs and state boards and commissions through last week. Of those, two-thirds listed residences in 10 Northern California counties, with a third, 194, from Sacramento County alone. Almost 70 percent are Democrats.

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Details of the president’s annual speech to Congress came under harsh fire from members of the Inland region’s Republican delegation./AP

BY BEN GOAD
WASHINGTON BUREAU
bgoad@pe.com

Published: 24 January 2012 09:18 PM

WASHINGTON — The central initiatives laid out in President Barack Obama’s State of the Union address Tuesday night seem tailored to address Inland Southern California’s largest problems: unemployment and the home foreclosure crisis.

Yet the details of his plan raised concerns from some area officials and came under harsh fire from members of the region’s predominantly Republican congressional delegation, signaling a contentious election year in Washington and a tough road ahead for the president’s agenda.

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California State Controller John Chiang

PolitiCal
On politics in the Golden State
January 24, 2012 | 1:51 pm

Democratic lawmakers sued state Controller John Chiang on Tuesday seeking limits on the controller’s right to withhold lawmakers’ pay during a budget stalemate.

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Rep. Nancy Pelosi needs a gain of 25 House seats.

Carolyn Lochhead, Chronicle Washington Bureau
Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Washington — House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi is predicting that Democrats will recapture the House in November, a move that could open the possibility of the San Francisco Democrat regaining the speakership and becoming the first politician to return to that office after a defeat since Texas Democrat Sam Rayburn in 1955.

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Looming retirements, especially of the Inland area’s Rep. Jerry Lewis, could leave the region without political heft for years

BY BEN GOAD
WASHINGTON BUREAU
bgoad@pe.com

Published: 22 January 2012 08:39 PM

WASHINGTON — When Inland Rep. Jerry Lewis leaves office at the end of the year, he’ll take with him one attribute that none of his potential successors can promise to replicate: seniority.

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Assemblyman Paul Cook, R-Yucca Valley/The Press-Enterprise

THE PRESS-ENTERPRISE
Published: 22 January 2012 07:52 PM

Workin’ It

When Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif. visited Riverside last week, a lot of the discussion was about the jobs created by goods movement and related construction projects such as the Magnolia Avenue underpass.

Add Laurence Parker to the job-creation list. Parker, waving an American flag and dressed as the Statue of Liberty, crashed Boxer’s presser to get a little attention for Liberty Tax Service, which has an office on Magnolia just north of the underpass. Usually he just stands in front of the office to draw the attention of drivers, much like a sign-spinner.

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Neil Nisperos and Benjamin Demers, Staff Writers
Created: 01/22/2012 06:22:41 PM PST

For two Rancho Cucamonga businessmen, the road to victory on Election Day in November got a tad easier in the wake of Rep. Jerry Lewis’ retirement earlier this month.

But before being able to represent the newly drawn 40th Assembly District, Republican Mike Morrell and Democrat Russ Warner will have to get past each other.

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Wyatt Buchanan, Chronicle Sacramento Bureau
Sunday, January 22, 2012

Sacramento –Gov. Jerry Brown’s plan to finally fix California’s finances relies on several dubious assumptions, including that voters approve his proposal to raise taxes in November and that the revenue from those come in at the level the administration projects.

Read the rest of this entry »

Dan Walters

By Dan Walters
Published: Sunday, Jan. 22, 2012 – 12:00 am | Page 3A

Jerry Brown evidently does not want to join the nascent movement to overhaul – perhaps radically – California’s dysfunctional political structure.

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U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer

BY DUG BEGLEY
STAFF WRITER
dbegley@pe.com

Published: 18 January 2012 06:35 PM

Riverside’s Magnolia Avenue underpass served as the backdrop Wednesday for a push by Sen. Barbara Boxer to encourage more federal investment in local projects that create jobs, ease traffic and get trucks and trains to their destinations quicker.

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Canan Tasci, Staff Writer
Created: 01/19/2012 02:19:53 PM PST

CHINO HILLS – It was a celebration of his life rather than mourning for the late Sen. Ruben Ayala during his memorial service on Thursday.

More than 150 gathered in the multi-purpose room of Ruben S. Ayaya High School listening to multiple speakers describe Ayala as an “American first and Democrat second,” someone who lead by example, a citizen’s politician, a man of many accomplishments and “a giant among giants.”

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Warner

Staff report
Created: 01/17/2012 10:11:29 AM PST

Russ Warner announced Monday he had dropped out of the race for Congressional District 31, and will instead run for State Assembly District 40 against Republican Mike Morrell.

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Capitol Alert
The latest on California politics and government
January 17, 2012

Republican legislative leaders rolled out their response to Gov. Jerry Brown’s 2012 State of the State address Tuesday, slamming the Democratic governor for telling Californians that the”sky will fall” without higher taxes.

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Canan Tasci, Staff Writer
Created: 01/17/2012 12:41:37 PM PST

CHINO HILLS – Services have been finalized for former state Sen. Ruben Ayala.

The rosary service has been scheduled for 2:30 p.m. Thursday at St. Paul the Apostle Catholic Church, 14085 Peyton Drive, Chino Hills.

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In this early 1980s photo, Former state Sen. Ruben Ayala, wife Irene Ayala and granddaughter Sarah at the Chino Christmas Parade. (Courtesy Photo)

Canan Tasci, Staff Writer
Posted: 01/14/2012 06:07:45 AM PST

Ruben Ayala was more than just a man who served as a state senator, or a person who has had a park, school and streets named after him – he was a devoted husband, father and a person who loved his community.

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Neil Nisperos, Staff Writer
Posted: 01/13/2012 07:42:42 PM PST

When Rep. Jerry Lewis retires, he’ll apparently have at least one admirer on the other side of the aisle.

Rep. Joe Baca, D-San Bernardino, said that they’ve had disagreements over the Dream Act and on immigration issues, but he and Lewis found common ground on many issues that pertain to the area.

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PolitiCal
On politics in the Golden State
January 13, 2012 | 1:47 pm

By election guru Allan Hoffenblum’s reckoning, there could be a record number of open seats up for grabs in this year’s elections, including 33 of the 80 state Assembly posts.

Read the rest of this entry »

By PE Politics
January 12, 2012 2:20 PM

The Inland area will have no shortage of candidates for two open congressional seats following today’s announcement by Rep. Jerry Lewis, R-Redlands, that he will retire.

Read the rest of this entry »

Thursday, January 12, 2012 – 05:30 p.m.

Whew…..

Congressman Jerry Lewis (R-Redlands) has finally announced he won’t seek another term in the republican-controlled House of Representatives.

An expected move based on the congressman’s recent indecision.

Read the rest of this entry »

U.S. Rep. David Dreier

Capitol Alert
The latest on California politics and government
January 9, 2012

With less than six months to go until the June primary, viable Republican challengers to Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein aren’t exactly rushing to file nomination papers.

Rep. Kevin McCarthy, the No. 3 ranking House Republican, suggested Monday that fellow House Republican David Dreier could be a formidable challenger.

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Assemblyman Paul Cook, R-Yucca Valley

Monday, January 9, 2012 – 10:00 a.m.
Last Modified: Monday, January 9, 2012 – 11.24 a.m.

According to the Z107.7 website in Morongo Basin, Assemblyman Paul Cook (R-Yucca Valley) has dropped his bid for a seat on the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors.

The radio station apparently let the cat out of the bag early.

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Lawmakers will take on legislation sure to please most constituents and unlikely to alienate many at election time

BY BEN GOAD
WASHINGTON BUREAU
ben.goad@yahoo.com

Published: 08 January 2012 08:26 PM

WASHINGTON — Entering a contentious 2012 election season, Congress isn’t expected to tackle many of the nation’s most divisive issues.

Inland lawmakers hope to take advantage of the void left by shelved debates over immigration reform, health care, climate change and other battles by pressing forward with less controversial legislation focused on improving the region.

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Capitol Alert
The latest on California politics and government
January 6, 2012

Complying with a court order, the California Assembly released thousands of pages of documents about its members’ expenditures today that it fought against providing to the public.

Read the rest of this entry »

By Michael B. Marois and James Nash – Jan 5, 2012 9:01 PM P

California (STOCA1) Governor Jerry Brown proposed a budget that would lop off the equivalent of three weeks from the public school year if voters reject his proposal for $7 billion in temporary tax increases.

Read the rest of this entry »

Capitol Alert
The latest on California politics and government
January 5, 2012

California’s top Senate Democrat today shut the door on Gov. Jerry Brown’s budget proposal to make deep cuts to social services programs in the first few months of the year.

Read the rest of this entry »

Former state Sen. Ruben S. Ayala.

BY DUANE W. GANG
STAFF WRITER
dgang@pe.com

Published: 05 January 2012 01:38 PM

Former Democratic state Sen. Ruben S. Ayala, author of the Peripheral Canal bill who for two decades represented parts of San Bernardino County in the Legislature and was the first Latino mayor of Chino, died Wednesday. He was 89.

Read the rest of this entry »

By Torey Van Oot
tvanoot@sacbee.com
The Sacramento Bee
Published: Thursday, Jan. 5, 2012 – 12:00 am | Page 3A

Lawmakers returned to Sacramento with a bang Wednesday, kicking off 2012 with a flurry of new bills, a leadership transition and no shortage of drama involving members’ personal troubles.

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By Jim Sanders
jsanders@sacbee.com
Published: Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2012 – 12:00 am | Page 1A
Last Modified: Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2012 – 7:03 am

Happy new year, lawmakers?

Don’t bet on it.

The California Legislature will reconvene Wednesday amid a flood of red ink, a long history of partisan bickering, and a coming statewide election using newly drawn districts and a new way of choosing the top two candidates for legislative seats.

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The Legislature will consider unresolved budget and pension issues when members reconvene this week.

By Patrick McGreevy, Los Angeles Times

January 2, 2012

Reporting from Sacramento—- When state lawmakers convene again Jan. 4, their plates will be filled with leftovers.

Their agenda is expected to be dominated by issues that have been unresolved in the last few years: state budget problems, pension reform, a new water supply system and legalizing poker on the Internet.

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California Gov. Jerry Brown talks about milestones and accomplishments from 2011 with reporters in his office at the State Capitol in Sacramento, Calif., December 27, 2011.

Wyatt Buchanan, Chronicle Sacramento Bureau
Monday, January 2, 2012

Sacramento –In his first year back as California’s leader, Gov. Jerry Brown was unable to get what he wanted.

Voters returned Brown to the Capitol for a third term after he campaigned as a seasoned, no-nonsense veteran who knew how to get things done. But Brown didn’t anticipate how much Capitol politics had changed in his 28-year absence.

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By David Siders
dsiders@sacbee.com
The Sacramento Bee
Published: Saturday, Dec. 31, 2011 – 12:00 am | Page 1A
Last Modified: Saturday, Dec. 31, 2011 – 12:29 am

For 11 months Gov. Jerry Brown raised almost no money and conducted few political exercises outside the Capitol.

But in a spate of private meetings and fundraisers in recent weeks, his political apparatus stirred. Brown quietly raised more than $1.2 million in two weeks for his campaign to raise taxes.

Read the rest of this entry »

PolitiCal
On politics in the Golden State
December 30, 2011 | 1:13 pm

In just a couple of weeks, California Gov. Jerry Brown’s campaign to convince voters to raise taxes has raked in $1.2 million from deep-pocketed donors.

Read the rest of this entry »

By Jim Sanders
jsanders@sacbee.com
The Sacramento Bee
Published: Friday, Dec. 30, 2011 – 12:00 am | Page 3A

Attorney General Kamala Harris’ first year in office saw her dive into a massive financial crisis by ordering an investigation into mortgage meltdowns, attracting a national spotlight for California’s top cop.

Read the rest of this entry »

Debra J. Saunders

Debra J. Saunders
Thursday, December 29, 2011

“You don’t normally end on a triumphant note. You enter in triumph and you leave on tiptoe,” quoth Jerry Brown at a Tuesday press conference to sum up the first year of his second stint as California governor.

For one hour, Brown was highly quotable: “I’m a reformed reformer,” he offered. And: “Just because a bill is useless doesn’t mean I should veto it.”

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Redistricting and the state’s new primary system are shaking up Inland congressional election scenarios

BY BEN GOAD AND JIM MILLER
STAFF WRITERS
bgoad@pe.com | jmiller@pe.com

Published: 27 December 2011 09:10 PM

WASHINGTON — Days away from a pivotal election year, Inland Southern California’s congressional races are beginning to take shape.

The region is seen as a vital battleground between Republicans, who have long dominated traditionally conservative Riverside and San Bernardino counties, and Democrats, who want to pick up some of the 25seats they need to wrest control of the House from the GOP.

Read the rest of this entry »

By David Siders
dsiders@sacbee.com
The Sacramento Bee
Published: Wednesday, Dec. 28, 2011 – 12:00 am | Page 3A
Last Modified: Wednesday, Dec. 28, 2011 – 7:49 am

Gov. Jerry Brown said Tuesday that he expects the first half of the new year to be dominated again by California’s budget problems, as he proposes more spending cuts and tries to clear the November ballot of tax measures that might compete with his.

Read the rest of this entry »

Redrawn inland Assembly and State Senate districts could foster competitive Democrat vs. Republican contests

BY JIM MILLER AND BEN GOAD
STAFF WRITERS
jmiller@pe.com | bgoad@pe.com

Published: 26 December 2011 08:59 PM

SACRAMENTO – For the past 20 years, most legislative elections in Inland Southern California have been ho-hum affairs.

Republicans dominated the region, and Democratic caucuses had better prospects elsewhere.

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Gov. Jerry Brown outlines proposals to roll back public employee pension benefits during a news conference at the Capitol in October. (Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press / October 27, 2011)

News analysis

By Nicholas Riccardi, Los Angeles Times
December 27, 2011

Reporting from Sacramento — In swing states across the country this year, an emboldened group of new Republican governors teamed with GOP legislatures to remake government from top to bottom.

Read the rest of this entry »

The ‘top-two’ primary system and legal challenges to redrawn districts have created much uncertainty. But experts say the new election environment will help keep officeholders and candidates on their toes.

By Jean Merl, Los Angeles Times
December 26, 2011

Ask most people what’s significant about Dec. 30 and you may get a puzzled look. But politics junkies know that’s the official start of California’s next election season.

It opens on a markedly altered stage, set with a new primary system and different voting districts. Lingering uncertainties about some of those districts, thanks to a federal lawsuit and a possible state referendum aimed at overturning them, are adding to the drama.

Read the rest of this entry »

Capitol Alert
The latest on California politics and government
December 23, 2011

Responding to concerns by Gov. Jerry Brown, Democratic leaders and budget stakeholders, civil rights attorney Molly Munger today submitted a new version of her initiative to increase income taxes for California schools.

Read the rest of this entry »

BY JIM MILLER
SACRAMENTO BUREAU
jmiller@pe.com

Published: 22 December 2011 04:52 PM

SACRAMENTO – Riverside business attorney Richard D. Roth said this week that he is “very, very strongly” weighing a candidacy for Riverside County’s redrawn 31st Senate District.

Read the rest of this entry »

Neil Nisperos, Staff Writer
Created: 12/22/2011 01:48:53 PM PST

House Republicans on Thursday folded to the demands of President Barack Obama, Congressional Democrats and fellow Republicans for a short-term extension of payroll tax cuts and unemployment benefits.

The deal spares workers an average of $20 a week tax increase and the truncation of jobless insurance.

Read the rest of this entry »

Dan Walters

By Dan Walters
Published: Friday, Dec. 23, 2011 – 12:00 am | Page 3A

California political junkies are all atwitter about an article on the website ProPublica about a clandestine campaign by Democratic apparatchiks to influence the state’s redistricting commission congressional map-drawing.

Republicans are crying foul, while Democrats say it’s pure fiction.

Read the rest of this entry »

By Olga Pierce and Jeff Larson
ProPublica, Dec. 21, 2011, 3:38 p.m.

This spring, a group of California Democrats gathered at a modern, airy office building just a few blocks from the U.S. Capitol. The meeting was House members only — no aides allowed — and the mission was seemingly impossible.

In previous years, the party had used its perennial control of California’s state Legislature to draw district maps that protected Democratic incumbents. But in 2010, California voters put redistricting in the hands of a citizens’ commission where decisions would be guided by public testimony and open debate.

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Carla Marinucci

Politics Blog
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
By Carla Marinucci

California Democratic Party chair John Burton, asked moments ago for his comment about the new ProPublica story that contends Democrats here manipulated the state’s redistricting process, was pretty direct: “It’s complete bull…t, an absolute f…ing fabrication.”

Read the rest of this entry »

House lawmakers prepare to follow their Senate colleagues on a holiday recess, with no sign of a compromise that would save the expiring tax break for workers.

By Lisa Mascaro and Kathleen Hennessey, Washington Bureau
December 20, 2011, 8:50 p.m.

Reporting from Washington— The Senate is gone, the House is packing up, and for now that means working Americans will see their taxes rise in January.

Read the rest of this entry »

Ramos

Sunday, December 18, 2011 – 01:00 p.m.

San Manuel Band of Mission Indians Chairman James Ramos, candidate for the Third District seat on the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors, received some unwanted results from a poll he recently commissioned.

One would think a poll revealing problem results would be kept quiet. Especially if the candidate was on the receiving end of bad news.

But in this case, it appears the Redlands political crowd can’t keep anything under wraps.

Read the rest of this entry »

Capitol Alert
The latest on California politics and government
December 14, 2011

John Burton, chairman of the California Democratic Party, is adding his own tax proposal, on oil production, to an already crowded field.

Read the rest of this entry »

Rep. Ken Calvert, R-Corona./The Press-Enterprise

The region’s politicians in Washington are split along partisan lines about how to extend tax cuts and jobless aid
BY BEN GOAD
WASHINGTON BUREAU

bgoad@pe.com

Published: 13 December 2011 08:28 PM

WASHINGTON — As the debate over extending a soon-to-expire payroll tax cut and benefits for the unemployed nears a crescendo in Congress, few corners of the nation have more at stake than does economically battered Inland Southern California.

Read the rest of this entry »

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Jerry Brown’s year one performance as governor has been satisfactory – but hardly stellar, according to the collective wisdom of California’s leading political consultants.

Read the rest of this entry »

Officials say they have had trouble finding a prosecutor without ties to the ubiquitous campaign treasurer, who already faces a federal charge of mail fraud.

By Patrick McGreevy, Los Angeles Times
December 13, 2011

Reporting from Sacramento— A state investigation has concluded that campaign treasurer Kinde Durkee provided clients with accounting services without a license, officials said Monday. But they have had trouble finding a prosecutor without ties to the ubiquitous political aide.

Read the rest of this entry »

Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg, right, said a new Senate seat that includes Moreno Valley is “winnable” for Democrats./AP

THE PRESS-ENTERPRISE
Published: 11 December 2011 06:55 PM

Senate Democrats think they have a great chance at grabbing the redrawn Senate district that extends from Corona to Moreno Valley.

But first they have to find a candidate they can rally behind. Only a few weeks remain before candidates can start collecting signatures to get on the ballot; the candidate filing period formally opens Feb. 13.

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House Rules Committee Chairman David Dreier (R-San Dimas) has seen big changes in his district boundaries that tilt its registration toward Democrats. (Charles Dharapak, Associated Press / January 6, 2011)

By Jean Merl and Richard Simon, Los Angeles Times
December 11, 2011, 9:39 p.m.

Reporting from Los Angeles and Washington— It’s no secret that deep blue California has been a tough place for Republicans, with GOP registration falling to less than one-third of voters and Democrats holding all the statewide offices. Now, new political maps threaten to cost several of the party’s prominent congressmen their jobs.

That is especially true for some of the California Republican delegation’s long-serving members.

Read the rest of this entry »

Congressman Joe Baca

BY BEN GOAD
WASHINGTON BUREAU
bgoad@pe.com

Published: 09 December 2011 08:13 PM

WASHINGTON — Seeking to improve an education system he says is failing Indian country, Inland Rep. Joe Baca introduced legislation this week to overhaul the nation’s tribal schools.

Read the rest of this entry »

Wednesday, December 7, 2011 – 12:10 p.m.

Sources tell InlandPolitics.com that San Manuel Band of Mission Indians Chairman James Ramos is conducting a push poll for his campaign to defeat Neil Derry on the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors.

Read the rest of this entry »

PolitiCal
On politics in the Golden State
December 6, 2011 | 2:59 pm

Kinde Durkee Three months after the arrest of campaign treasurer Kinde Durkee on suspicion of mishandling political funds from a state lawmaker’s account, federal prosecutors said Tuesday they need more time to complete their investigation to determine whether other politicians lost money.

Read the rest of this entry »

Tuesday, December 7, 2011

The only way Gov. Jerry Brown can win approval of his November initiative to raise $7 billion a year over the next five years is if he can convince other forces who are planning to qualify tax measures to drop their proposals and unite behind his. And even then, the odds are about 50-50.

Read the rest of this entry »

By David Siders
dsiders@sacbee.com
Published: Monday, Dec. 5, 2011 – 12:00 am | Page 3A
Last Modified: Monday, Dec. 5, 2011 – 6:24 am

Gov. Jerry Brown’s public approval rating is still relatively high after almost a year in office, but it has slipped slightly, and the specter of additional spending cuts could erode it further, according to a new Field Poll.

Read the rest of this entry »

By Joe Piasecki, Los Angeles Times
December 5, 2011

A Sacramento Superior Court judge has ruled that the California Assembly must disclose budget records of individual lawmakers, handing a victory to newspapers that filed a lawsuit accusing legislators of flouting the state’s open records laws.

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