July 27, 2014

Mitt Romney 2014?

Americans are so down on President Obama at the moment that, if they could do the 2012 election all over again, they’d overwhelmingly back the former Massachusetts governor’s bid. That’s just one finding in a brutal CNN poll, released Sunday, which shows Romney topping Obama in a re-election rematch by a whopping nine-point margin, 53 percent to 44 percent. That’s an even larger spread than CNN found in November, when a survey had Romney winning a redo 49 percent to 45 percent.

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By Charles Krauthammer, Opinion Writer
July 24, 2014

The president’s demeanor is worrying a lot of people. From the immigration crisis on the Mexican border to the Islamic State rising in Mesopotamia, Barack Obama seems totally detached from the world’s convulsions. When he does interrupt his endless rounds of golf, fundraising and photo ops, it’s for some affectless, mechanical, almost forced public statement.

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July 25, 2014

Riverside City Councilman and Republican congressional candidate Steve Adams went to the U.S./Mexico border this week to learn about border security.

Meanwhile, Rep. Mark Takano, the Democratic incumbent Adams hopes to defeat in November, is doing without to learn what life is like for minimum-wage earners.

To read post by Jeff Horseman in the P-E Political Empire Blog, click here.

By Jim Miller and Christopher Cadelago
jmiller@sacbee.com
Published: Friday, Jul. 25, 2014 – 2:16 pm
Last Modified: Saturday, Jul. 26, 2014 – 12:00 am

Federal prosecutors have added a charge of racketeering to the corruption and gun-running case against state Sen. Leland Yee, filing an amended indictment this week that includes new allegations that the San Francisco Democrat traded official favors for campaign cash.

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A local Democratic club is hosting a forum featuring the two Republican candidates vying to succeed Rep. Howard P. “Buck” McKeon, shown above. (J. Scott Applewhite / Associated Press)

By Jean Merl contact
Ju;y 24, 2014

In another manifestation of how the political landscape is changing under the state’s top-two election system, a Democratic club in the Antelope Valley is scheduled to host two Republican congressional candidates at its forum early next month.

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By Melanie Mason
July 23, 2014

Gov. Jerry Brown has a nearly 20-point advantage over GOP challenger Neel Kashkari, according to a poll released Wednesday, which also found strong support among Californians for the state’s landmark global warming law.

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Carla Marinucci
Updated 7:55 am, Thursday, July 24, 2014

President Obama hit the Bay Area for a fast cash-and-grab fundraising drive Wednesday, but there were signs that even in one of the nation’s most reliable Democratic ATMs, donor fatigue is setting in.

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But Obama has attended three super PAC events in the past week. | AP Photo

By EDWARD-ISAAC DOVERE and JOSH GERSTEIN | 7/23/14 9:02 PM EDT Updated: 7/24/14 12:00 AM EDT

SAN FRANCISCO — President Barack Obama went to the West Coast to meet donors from two top Democratic super PACs, but the press wasn’t invited.

Tuesday, the reporters and photographers traveling with the president on Air Force One and in his motorcade were left on the gravel path not even within sight of former Costco CEO Jim Sinegal’s house in the Seattle suburbs where Obama sat for a Senate Majority PAC fundraiser with a $25,000 entrance fee.

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Speculation is swirling that the first family is purchasing a $4.25 million, 8,232-square-foot hilltop estate in the gated community of Thunderbird Heights. (Terry Pierson/Staff Photograher)

Published: July 21, 2014 Updated: July 22, 2014 9:59 a.m.

More than a month after President Barack Obama vacationed in the opulent desert community of Rancho Mirage, speculation is again swirling that the first family is in the process of buying a home there.

To read story by Luke Ramseth in the Press-Enterprise, click here.

Monday, July 21, 2014 – 09:30 a.m.

Here’s some news flowing across the transom Monday morning. In case you missed it!

Jerry Brown for President?

We’ll start off with this morning’s humor.

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From top left, clockwise: Jerry Brown, Dianne Feinstein, Barbara Boxer, Antonio Villaraigosa, Gavin Newsom and Kamala Harris are pictured in this composite. | Getty

By ALEXANDER BURNS | 7/20/14 5:29 PM EDT – Updated: 7/21/14 6:37 AM EDT

LOS ANGELES — The rumblings are early but unmistakable: A political earthquake is — finally — headed to California.

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By Dustin Volz
July 20, 2014

Senate Intelligence Committee Chairwoman Dianne Feinstein thoroughly condemned Russian President Vladimir Putin for his role in empowering Ukraine’s pro-Russian separatists, during an interview with CNN on Sunday, largely laying the blame at his feet for the downing last week of a Malaysia Airlines passenger jet.

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By Kyle Smith
July 19, 2014 | 12:28pm

There’s probably never been a time when humanity wasn’t collectively in a torment and uproar about what its young folk were up to. (Gur to Urp, 10,000 B.C.: “Can you believe how short the girls are wearing their bearskins these days?”)

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By Jim Miller and David Siders
jmiller@sacbee.com
Published: Friday, Jul. 18, 2014 – 11:08 pm

Assemblyman John A. Pérez abandoned his recount in the California controller’s race Friday, ending an effort to overcome a narrow third-place finish after picking up only a handful of votes amid increasing impatience from Democratic activists and others worried about its impact on the fall election.

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By Chris Megerian
July 17, 2014

The recount in the California controller race has produced only a handful of new votes for Assemblyman John A. Pérez, the candidate who launched the review.

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By Dan Walters
dwalters@sacbee.com
Published: Thursday, Jul. 17, 2014 – 9:25 pm
Last Modified: Friday, Jul. 18, 2014 – 6:52 am

The Legislature’s Democrats voted to place an advisory measure on the Nov. 4 ballot, asking voters whether Congress should pass a constitutional amendment to overturn the U.S. Supreme Court’s highly controversial ruling removing barriers on corporate contributions in federal campaigns.

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Rep. Raul Ruiz, D-Palm Desert.

Published: July 16, 2014 Updated: 5:11 p.m.

WASHINGTON – Rep. Raul Ruiz, D-Palm Desert, reported a stunning $1.9 million cash on hand as of June 30, more than eight times the war chest of his challenger, Republican Brian Nestande, who had $234,632, newly released Federal Election Commission documents show.

To read story by Cathy Taylor in the Press-Enterprise, click here.

L.A. County supervisorial candidate Hilda Solis, center, is joined by supporters after getting the endorsement of current Supervisor Gloria Molina, right, during a news conference at L.A. County/USC Medical Center on May 8. Solis won the primary election last month. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

By Abby Sewell
July 16, 2014

A White House spokesman said Wednesday that there is an “ongoing law enforcement investigation” related to a recording released earlier in the day by a Republican congressman who alleged it showed improper fundraising activity by former U.S. Labor Secretary Hilda Solis — now a Los Angeles County supervisor-elect.

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By Chris Megerian
July 15, 2014

Controller candidate Betty Yee is getting new financial support from the California Democratic Party as she faces a recount challenge from Assemblyman John A. Pérez, her Democratic opponent in the primary.

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Paul Chabot (R-Rancho Cucamonga) left. Pete Aguilar (D-Redlands) Right.

July 14, 2014

Pete Aguilar and Paul Chabot each are making the case for favored candidate status in the race for a San Bernardino County congressional seat.

To read post by Jeff Horseman in the P-E Political Empire Blog, click here.

By Alexander Bolton – 07/12/14 06:00 AM EDT

Immigration reform has fizzled as an issue for Democrats, who are barely mentioning it on the campaign trail despite making the issue their top domestic priority in 2013 and 2014.

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By Neil Nisperos, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin
Posted: 07/11/14, 9:44 PM PDT | Updated: 25 secs ago

The crisis involving tens of thousands of migrant young people and mothers with children from Central America crossing over the border into the United States has provided a source of widely differing views among the candidates running for the 31st Congressional District in November.

Read the rest of this entry »

By Dan Walters
dwalters@sacbee.com
Published: Tuesday, Jul. 8, 2014 – 12:00 am
Last Modified: Tuesday, Jul. 8, 2014 – 7:45 am

California politics is meandering into uncharted procedural and legal territory with former Assembly Speaker John A. Pérez’s go-for-broke decision to seek a vote recount in his duel with Board of Equalization member Betty Yee for a spot on the November state controller ballot.

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By KENNETH P. VOGEL | 7/7/14 9:00 PM EDT Updated: 7/8/14 5:41 AM EDT

At first, it seemed like just another example of Harry Reid being Harry Reid.

The Senate majority leader, whose unscripted attacks can veer into bellicosity and take liberties with facts, spoke on the Senate floor last October and appeared to blame billionaire industrialists Charles and David Koch for the government shutdown.

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By Dan Walters
dwalters@sacbee.com
Published: Monday, Jul. 7, 2014 – 12:00 am

At any given moment, dozens of comatose bills float around the Legislature – vessels to be filled with whatever the powers-that-be want to enact quickly and semi-clandestinely.

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Hillary Clinton and former President Bill Clinton at a May dedication ceremony for the National September 11 Memorial Museum. (Richard Drew/Press Pool)

Politics and Policy
Presumed Presidential Candidate Makes Clear She Won’t Be Running for de Facto Third Obama Term
By Peter Nicholas
July 6, 2014 – 8:13 p.m. ET

Hillary Clinton has begun distancing herself from President Barack Obama, suggesting that she would do more to woo Republicans and take a more assertive stance toward global crises, while sounding more downbeat than her former boss about the U.S. economic recovery.

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By Jessica Calefati
jcalefati@bayareanewsgroup.com
Posted: 07/05/2014 04:00:00 PM PDT
Updated: 07/06/2014 06:47:14 AM PDT

SACRAMENTO — After state Sen. Leland Yee’s stunning arrest earlier this year, the Legislature’s highest-ranking member urged his colleagues to finally fix a long-standing problem in California politics — the corrupting allure of money.

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President Obama’s diminished popularity and recurring questions about government competence have been a drag thus far on Democratic candidates, polls show.

Michael A. Memoli
July 4, 2014

Democrats headed into the Fourth of July recess facing stiff head winds in their quest to maintain a Senate majority this fall, contending with voters’ unease over the economy and a slew of Washington controversies.

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June 26, 2014

Now that Lesli Gooch has dropped her request for a recount in the 31st Congressional District, Republican Paul Chabot and Democrat Pete Aguilar can now focus on the Nov. 4 general election.

To read post by Jeff Horseman in the P-E Political Empire Blog, click here.

Opinions
Charles Krauthammer Opinion writer
June 26 at 8:08 PM

The Supreme Court this week admonished the Environmental Protection Agency for overreaching in regulating greenhouse gases. The Clean Air Act covers polluters that emit 250 tons per year (or in some cases, 100 tons). This standard makes no sense if applied to greenhouse gases. Thousands of establishments from elementary schools to grocery stores would be, absurdly, covered. So the EPA arbitrarily chose 100,000 tons as the carbon dioxide threshold.

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Torres

By Joe Nelson, The Sun
Posted: 06/24/14, 8:45 PM PDT | Updated: 1 min ago

A pair of legislative bills drafted by Sen. Norma Torres, D-Chino, in response to San Bernardino County’s Colonies corruption case passed two Assembly committees on Tuesday, continuing their path to Gov. Jerry Brown for final review and possible signing into law.

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By Jerry Roberts and Phil Trounstine
June 25, 2014

Democrat Jerry Brown has little to fear from his GOP challenger, Neel Kashkari, according to the latest Field Poll that finds the governor leading by 20 points – 52-32% — including 13% among Republicans.

Read the rest of this entry »

By Dan Walters
dwalters@sacbee.com
Published: Tuesday, Jun. 24, 2014 – 9:31 pm

Jerry Brown may not be universally admired, but polls indicate that he’s virtually certain to win a record fourth term as governor, perhaps even in a landslide, and thus four more years to cement his place in political history.

However, that place depends largely on how well these major acts, all works in progress, of term No. 3 pan out:

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By JAMES HOHMANN | 6/25/14 1:16 AM EDT Updated: 6/25/14 7:22 AM EDT

Tuesday night was bad for Democrats, good for the GOP establishment and great for incumbents of both parties.

Read the rest of this entry »

U.S. first lady Michelle Obama delivers remarks at a Naturalization Ceremony at the National Archives in Washington, June 18, 2014. (REUTERS/Yuri Gripas)

By Annika McGinnis
WASHINGTON Mon Jun 23, 2014 7:25pm EDT

(Reuters) – U.S. first lady Michelle Obama will not go into politics after leaving the White House, she said on Monday, dismissing rumors she might follow in the footsteps of predecessor Hillary Clinton and run for the Senate after her husband leaves office.

Read the rest of this entry »

Senate Majorirty Leader Harry Reid is pictured. | Getty

By MANU RAJU and BURGESS EVERETT | 6/23/14 11:26 PM EDT Updated: 6/24/14 5:26 AM EDT

Harry Reid has a new dilemma on his hands: restless Senate Democrats who are frustrated they aren’t casting enough votes.

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In his new book, “Blood Feud,” journalist Edward Klein gets inside the dysfunctional, jealous relationship between Bill and Hillary Clinton and Barack and Michelle Obama — and how it could explode in 2016. (Photo: (Left) Getty Images, (right) WireImage)

By Edward Klein
June 21, 2014 | 6:48pm

In his new book, “Blood Feud,” journalist Edward Klein gets inside the dysfunctional, jealous relationship between Bill and Hillary Clinton and Barack and Michelle Obama — and how it could explode in 2016.

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Obama’s approval rating on foreign policy sets a new low.

By JONATHAN TOPAZ | 6/18/14 6:18 AM EDT

President Barack Obama’s approval rating is tied for the lowest mark since the beginning of his presidency, a new poll says.

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Dan Balz
June 18, 2014 at 7:42 PM

It is a near-perfect storm that has come together as Hillary Rodham Clinton tours the country promoting her new book and preparing for a possible presidential campaign in 2016.

Read the rest of this entry »

Gov. Jerry Brown, accompanied by his wife, Anne Gust Brown, walks outside the Old Governors Mansion on election night in Sacramento, Calif., Tuesday, June 3, 2014. Brown easily advanced to the November general election with early returns showing him with 57 percent of the vote. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)

By Josh Richman, jrichman@bayareanewsgroup.com
Posted: 06/17/14, 9:04 PM PDT |

Gov. Jerry Brown in a steamy political scandal? Unlikely.

Another national economic collapse? Also a long shot.

After this month’s primary election, the real question is: Does a rookie Republican like Neel Kashkari have any chance of toppling a popular governor in an ultrablue state?

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Capitol Alert
The latest on California politics and government
June 16, 2014

The California Senate reversed course Monday by approving a fundraising ban it rejected last week.

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By Dan Walters
dwalters@sacbee.com
Published: Monday, Jun. 16, 2014 – 9:45 pm
Last Modified: Tuesday, Jun. 17, 2014 – 7:16 am

The political infighting over the next state budget began Sunday night, just minutes after the Legislature passed one that would spend $156.4 billion – $200 billion-plus when federal funds are included – in the fiscal year that begins July 1.

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By Dan Walters
dwalters@sacbee.com
Published: Monday, Jun. 16, 2014 – 12:00 am

The Capitol has a long, sometimes unsavory, history of attaching extraneous matters of uncertain lineage to the state budget at the last minute.

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Phillip Matier And Andrew Ross
Updated 2:01 pm, Sunday, June 15, 2014

Rarely has a major court decision been met with such stony silence by California politicians as the ruling declaring that the state’s teacher tenure laws hurt poor and minority-heavy schools and are unconstitutional.

Read the rest of this entry »

By Dan Walters
dwalters@sacbee.com
Published: Sunday, Jun. 15, 2014 – 12:00 am

The state constitution bans changing voter-passed initiatives unless voters agree, or the initiatives themselves allow legislative amendment.

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Capitol Alert
The latest on California politics and government
June 13, 2014

Gov. Jerry Brown and legislative leaders made it clear Friday that they have reached an agreement on a new state budget.

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Post Politics
By Sean Sullivan
June 13, 2014

At least three polls released this week showed President Obama’s favorability rating hitting new lows.

In his first term, his favorable rating held steady even as his job approval rating slipped. But that’s no longer true.

Read the rest of this entry »

Friday, June 13, 2014 – 03:00 p.m.

It’s official!

Mayor Pete Aguilar (D-Redlands) will face Paul Chabot (R-Rancho Cucamonga) in a November runoff to decide who will replace retiring Congressman Gary Miller (R-Rancho Cucamonga).

Read the rest of this entry »

By Jim Miller and David Siders
jmiller@sacbee.com
Published: Thursday, Jun. 12, 2014 – 11:16 pm

Two years after Gov. Jerry Brown first proposed using carbon-reduction revenue to prop up California’s beleaguered high-speed rail project, Brown and legislative leaders reached budget agreements Thursday that include the controversial funding plan, as well as money to pay overtime for in-home supportive services and increase welfare-to-work grants.

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By Dan Walters
dwalters@sacbee.com
Published: Friday, Jun. 13, 2014 – 12:00 am

In the pecking order of statewide offices, controller falls somewhere in the middle – below the governor or the attorney general, certainly, but higher in political stature than the insurance commissioner, the state schools superintendent or, at the very bottom, the lieutenant governor.

Read the rest of this entry »

Capitol Alert
The latest on California politics and government
June 12, 2014

Against the backdrop of a ruling declaring California’s teacher dismissal rules unconstitutional, the Assembly on Thursday unanimously passed and sent to Gov. Jerry Brown legislation speeding the teacher firing process.

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By Dan Walters
dwalters@sacbee.com
Published: Tuesday, Jun. 10, 2014 – 12:00 am
Last Modified: Tuesday, Jun. 10, 2014 – 12:49 am

Months ago, without saying it publicly, Democrats gave up hopes of regaining control of the House of Representatives and began concentrating resources on saving their command of the U.S. Senate.

Read the rest of this entry »

By BURGESS EVERETT | 6/9/14 8:26 PM EDT – Updated: 6/10/14 6:28 AM EDT

She stood beside President Barack Obama through the politically damaging revelations over NSA data-mining, but Dianne Feinstein can’t seem to stay on the White House’s call list.

Read the rest of this entry »

By Jim Miller
jmiller@sacbee.com
Published: Monday, Jun. 9, 2014 – 12:00 am
Last Modified: Monday, Jun. 9, 2014 – 6:13 am

With less than a week before the constitutional deadline to pass a budget, the Democrats in control at the California Capitol are at odds on the big questions: how much money the state will take in, how it should be spent, and how major programs should be structured.

Read the rest of this entry »

By Josh Hicks
June 8, 2014 at 11:58 am

The heads of the Senate Intelligence Committee suggested Sunday that the White House has done a poor job of sharing information with Congress about Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl and his recent release from Taliban captivity.

Read the rest of this entry »

Republican Paul Chabot left. Democrat Pete Aguilar right.

Sunday, June 8, 2014 – 11:30 a.m.

Pete Aguilar (D-Redlands) will now face Paul Chabot (R-Rancho Cucamonga) in the runoff election to decide who will represent the 31st Congressional District.

What a choice!

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At the Races — Roll Call’s Politics Blog
By Emily Cahn Posted at 8:22 p.m. on June 6

In California’s 31st District, Redlands Mayor Pete Aguilar maintained a 181-vote lead over Republican Lesli Gooch Friday, after the San Bernardino County Elections Office released an updated vote tally.

Read the rest of this entry »

By Dan Walters
dwalters@sacbee.com
Published: Sunday, Jun. 8, 2014 – 12:00 am

Approval ratings of the California Legislature, as measured in periodic polling, were in the teens a few years ago but have since improved.

Read the rest of this entry »

Hillary Rodham Clinton: A political life: Looking back at the career of the former secretary of state, senator and first lady.

By Dan Balz
Sunday, June 8, 2014

Are you ready for Hillary? If not, this is a week to turn off the television, put aside your morning paper, get off the Internet, never look at your Twitter feed, avoid Facebook and stay out of bookstores.

Read the rest of this entry »

By IE Business Daily
June 7, 2014

Democrat Pete Aguilar survived the race for second place to make the runoff against Republican Paul Chabot in the 31st Congressional Race.

Read the rest of this entry »

Pete Aguilar still holds second in the 31st Congressional District; the same goes for Bonnie Garcia in her state Senate campaign. Their rivals aren’t conceding.

Published: June 6, 2014 Updated: 10:46 p.m.

Two of the tightest Inland races from Tuesday’s primary election could be headed for recounts, as candidates hoping for a coveted November ballot spot have yet to concede.

To read story by Jeff Horseman in the Press-Enterprise, click here.

Aguilar

By Ryan Hagen, The Sun
Posted: 06/06/14, 7:50 PM PDT | Updated: 1 min ago

Another batch of votes added to the total Friday made it less likely though still statistically possible that Republican Lesli Gooch will knock Democrat Pete Aguilar out of the 31st Congressional District race, but already the campaigns are moving to the next stage.

Read the rest of this entry »

Seema Mehta, Phil Willon
June 6, 2014

GOP gubernatorial candidate Neel Kashkari, who struggled to raise money in his primary bid, said Friday he would need to raise at least $20 million to compete with Gov. Jerry Brown in the fall.

Read the rest of this entry »

Feinstein says the administration is obligated to investigate Bergdahl’s capture. | Getty

By JONATHAN TOPAZ | 6/6/14 1:32 PM EDT

Senate Intelligence Chairwoman Dianne Feinstein said she has not seen any evidence that the Taliban would have killed Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl if details of an agreement had leaked, contrary to what Obama administration officials have said.

Read the rest of this entry »

California Republican gubernatorial candidate Neel Kashkari addresses supporters during a primary-night party June 4 in Newport Beach. (Chris Carlson / Associated Press)

Seema Mehta
June 5, 2014

California GOP gubernatorial candidate Neel Kashkari on Thursday challenged Gov. Jerry Brown to a series of debates, echoing a tactic Brown deployed four years ago against then-rival Meg Whitman.

Read the rest of this entry »

Thursday, June 5, 2014 – 04:05 p.m.

Pete Aguilar (D-Redlands) will likely be the candidate, who will face Paul Chabot (R-Rancho Cucamonga), in a November runoff to decide who will represent the 31st Congressional District.

Read the rest of this entry »

Maeve Reston
June 4, 2014

Neel Kashkari launched his general election campaign Wednesday by charging that California Gov. Jerry Brown had failed the middle class, and insisting that he could win his uphill race by expanding the appeal of the Republican Party — creating “the biggest tent you’ve ever seen in your life.”

Read the rest of this entry »

Capitol Alert
The latest on California politics and government
June 4, 2014

Last election cycle, the main story was Democrats claiming a decisive two-thirds supermajority in both houses of the Legislature.

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By EDWARD-ISAAC DOVERE and CARRIE BUDOFF BROWN | 6/4/14 7:07 PM EDT Updated: 6/5/14 10:31 AM EDT

President Barack Obama’s Rose Garden appearance Saturday afternoon with Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl’s parents was an attempt to humanize the prisoner swap to deflect potential criticism of letting five Taliban leaders out of Guantánamo Bay, White House aides say.

It didn’t work.

Read the rest of this entry »

Wednesday, June 4, 2014 – 09:00 a.m.

Here’s a recap of the June 3 Primary Election results for contests of interest.

Record low, and we mean low, turnout was projected, and it happened!

But no one expected it to be this low.

Read the rest of this entry »

Melanie Mason, Patrick McGreevy
June 3, 2014

Republicans were the top vote-getters in early election returns for key legislative primary races Tuesday, indicating an uphill battle for Democrats seeking to regain their supermajority in November.

Read the rest of this entry »

Posted on Tuesday, June 3 at 2:43pm | By Carolyn Lochhead

Sen. Dianne Feinstein, the California Democrat who chairs the Senate Intelligence Committee, told reporters Tuesday that she got a call from the White House apologizing for not letting Congress know about its exchange of Taliban prisoners for Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, a prisoner of Afghan rebels since 2009.

Read the rest of this entry »

By Neil Nisperos, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin
Posted: 06/02/14, 8:27 PM PDT | Updated: 1 min ago

While it’s anyone’s guess who will move on past today’s primary election, local political analysts do know one thing for certain – voter turnout will be low this year.

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Nine sitting Democratic senators have plowed a total of $1.4 million

By BURGESS EVERETT and TARINI PARTI | 6/2/14 5:41 PM EDT
Updated: 6/3/14 10:16 AM EDT

Majority Leader Harry Reid and his caucus are bent on outlawing billionaire Koch-style political spending.

Read the rest of this entry »

Monday, June 2, 2014 – 05: 30 p.m.

The Democratic National Committee (DNC) hit Lesli Gooch (R-Rancho Cucamonga) in mailboxes again today.

Read the rest of this entry »

In poll, Republican Neel Kashkari makes gains against GOP rival Tim Donnelly

Seema Mehta, Michael Finnegan
June 1, 2014

Democratic Gov. Jerry Brown holds a commanding lead in his bid for an unprecedented fourth term, but the race among GOP candidates seeking to take him on in November has become a dead heat just days before Tuesday’s election, according to a new USC Dornsife/Los Angeles Times poll.

Read the rest of this entry »

By IE Business Daily
Saturday, May 31, 2014

What a difference a week makes, and a million dollars in independent campaign expenditures. Apparently, with the low returns on vote-by-mail ballots and expectations of even lower turnout on election day, no one is certain about what will happen in Tuesday’s California Primary.

Read the rest of this entry »

Patrick McGreevy
May 30, 2014

Just days before the June 3 primary, California’s chief elections officer reported Friday that the percentage of voters registered with no party preference has increased while the percentages for registered Republicans and Democrats declined.

Read the rest of this entry »

Democrats are reacting to Republican Lesli Gooch’s rise in recent polling numbers.

Friday, May 30, 2014 – 02:00 p.m.

The anticipated record low turnout for the June 3 Primary Election has made the contest for the 31st Congressional District seat an absolute “free-for-all”.

Read the rest of this entry »

Friday, May 30, 2014 – 01:30 p.m.

Conservative Democrat Veronica Franco (D) lashes out on Congressman Mark Takano (D-Riverside) on The Lou Desmond Show, broadcast on San Bernardino-based KTIE-AM 590, Thursday evening (5/29/14).

To hear the interview in the second segment of the podcast, click the following link: The Lou Desmond Show

Melody Gutierrez
Updated 1:03 am, Friday, May 30, 2014

(05-29) 18:40 PDT Sacramento — Calling last year’s minimum wage hike a good first step, the California Senate approved a measure Thursday that would further lift the pay floor to $13 an hour by 2017.

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Sunday, May 25, 2014 – 11:00 a.m.

No matter how you slice it, the contest to replace Congressman Gary Miller (R-Rancho Cucamonga), in the 31st Congressional District, has all the ingredients of fiercely competitive contest.

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May 24, 2014

Today’s episode of “Inland Attack Ads” takes us to the 31st Congressional District in San Bernardino County, where four candidates are greedy lobbyists and another is a tax deadbeat if you believe what’s in your mailbox.

To read post by Jeff Horseman in the P-E Political Empire Blog, click here.

Gov. Jerry Brown has received nearly $2 million from donors who gave to the GOP gubernatorial candidates in 2010. That’s more than three times what these donors have given to Brown’s 2014 Republican rivals. (Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press)

Seema Mehta
May 25, 2014

With Democratic Gov. Jerry Brown expected to romp to reelection this year against little-known rivals, many donors who gave Republican candidates more than $37 million in the last gubernatorial contest are now keeping their hands in their pockets.

But those who are writing checks are largely giving them to … Jerry Brown.

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By Christopher Cadelago
ccadelago@sacbee.com
Published: Sunday, May. 25, 2014 – 12:00 am
Last Modified: Sunday, May. 25, 2014 – 7:43 am

Bill Bloomfield, a businessman and real estate developer from Manhattan Beach, spent more than $7 million of his own money two years ago in a losing attempt to win a seat in Congress.

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