Nestande

By PE Politics
May 22, 2012 12:15 PM

Calling for an “honest conversation” about spending cuts, Assemblyman Brian Nestande and others Tuesday proposed a constitutional amendment to prohibit lawmakers from deferring scheduled payments to schools from one fiscal year to another.

The state has built up more than $10 billion in school-funding deferrals as lawmakers try to avoid permanent general-fund cuts.

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Tuesday, May 22, 2012 – 08:30 a.m.

Another Super-PAC committee has weighed in on the hotly-contested 8th Congressional District.

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By Jim Sanders
jsanders@sacbee.com
Published: Tuesday, May. 22, 2012 – 12:00 am | Page 1A

One week after Gov. Jerry Brown proposed slicing state workers’ pay by 5 percent, the Democratic governor and legislators find themselves targeted for a “share the pain” salary cut.

Members of California’s Citizens Compensation Commission said Monday that a pay-cut proposal for statewide officeholders will be on the table when the panel meets May 31.

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Capitol Alert
The latest on California politics and government
May 21, 2012

Four months after a California assemblyman was cited and released for carrying a gun into an airport, the Assembly passed legislation today that would require offenders to be taken into custody in such situations.

Democratic Assemblywoman Norma Torres said her Assembly Bill 2182 did not stem from the January incident involving Republican Assemblyman Tim Donnelly, which occurred at an Ontario airport on the first day of this year’s legislative session.

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BY JIM MILLER
SACRAMENTO BUREAU
jmiller@pe.com

Published: 20 May 2012 05:38 PM

In San Bernardino County’s safely Democratic 47th Assembly District, Joe Baca Jr. wants to return to the job he held for a single term several years ago.

And in the county’s safely Republican 33rd Assembly District, Assemblyman Tim Donnelly is trying to avoid becoming a one-term lawmaker himself.

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Election 2012

Neil.Nisperos and Benjamin Demers, Staff Writers
Created: 05/20/2012 07:05:00 AM PDT

Donna Lowe will have her work cut out for her if she wants to represent the newly redrawn 41st Assembly District.

The Claremont resident and Tea Party supporter will be going up against three well-connected and better-funded Democrats – Pasadena Councilman Chris Holden, South Pasadena Mayor Michael Cacciotti and businesswoman Victoria Rusnak.

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Election 2012

Neil Nisperos and Benjamin Demers, Staff Writers
Created: 05/19/2012 07:08:49 AM PDT

Democrats Cheryl Brown and Joe Baca, Jr. could easily be considered the favorites to make it though June’s primary for Assembly District 47 and face each other in November.

The have name recognition in local communities.

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Capitol Alert
The latest on California politics and government
May 16, 2012

A political committee that Service Employees International Union California created to support moderate Republican candidates for the Legislature reported its first expenditure of the 2012 election Wednesday, dropping more than $15,000 on mail pieces opposing Republican Assemblyman Tim Donnelly’s bid for re-election.

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Tuesday, May 15, 2012 – 04:50 p.m.

Here is some news reverberating across the transom this week.

Brown wants portion of Harris foreclosure settlement

You gotta love it.

California Governor Jerry Brown, in an effort to cobble together more money to blow, wants to steal hundreds of millions of dollars meant to help distressed homeowners. The dough, a part of a national foreclosure settlement obtained by Attorney General Kamala Harris, is meant for distressed homeowners.

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Assemblyman Tim Donnelly (Anne Cusack/LA Times)

Neil Nisperos, Staff Writer
Posted: 05/13/2012 01:52:32 PM PDT

A flap over a gun has provided fodder for Assemblyman Tim Donnelly’s opponents in a battle for the hearts and minds of voters in the 33rd Assembly District.

For his opponents in the June 5 primary election, Donnelly’s arrest for carrying a loaded gun into an airport was a vital lapse in judgment.

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Norma Torres

Neil Nisperos, Staff Writer
Created: 05/13/2012 01:54:51 PM PDT

Assemblywoman Norma Torres, D-Chino, faces three opponents in the June 5 primary race for the 52nd Assembly District seat, including a former Republican who has now registered as a Democrat.

Torres, a former Pomona mayor, is being challenged by Chino resident and restaurant owner Ray Moors, a Democrat; Pomona Planning Commissioner Kenny Coble, a Republican; and Ontario-Montclair School District board member Paul Vincent Avila, a Democrat.

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By Jean Merl, Los Angeles Times
May 14, 2012

In the first broad test of California’s new “top-two” election system, many candidates in heated races for Congress and the state Legislature have been campaigning earlier, spending more money and downplaying their party affiliation as they try to widen their appeal.

Gone are the party primaries, except in the presidential race. Now all state candidates appear on a single ballot. Only those who come in first or second on June 5 will move on to the November general election, in which no write-in or other added candidates will be allowed.

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Friday, May 11, 2012 – 10:00 a.m.

It was a bright, sunny and hot Thursday afternoon in the city of Highland, California.

When sightings of a campaign sign crew emerged.

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Six candidates for state-level office in California have been arrested within the last two years. But do voters care?

By Patrick McGreevy, Los Angeles Times
May 5, 2012

SACRAMENTO — It isn’t enough these days for certain state lawmakers to defend their voting records when seeking reelection. Some also have to explain arrest records.

Within the last 20 months, five state legislators and one former state senator with active campaigns have been arrested on suspicion of crimes including drunk driving, perjury, voter fraud, shoplifting and trying to carry a loaded gun through airport security.

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BY JEFF HORSEMAN
STAFF WRITER
jhorseman@pe.com

Published: 03 May 2012 07:09 PM

Riverside’s League of Women Voters, The Group, The Latino Network and the Riverside NAACP chapter are hosting candidate forums on Wednesday, May 9, for the 61st Assembly and 31st State Senate districts.

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PolitiCal
On politics in the Golden State
May 2, 2012 | 2:52 pm

Faced with worsening budget problems, chances are growing that the Legislature won’t vote on comprehensive pension reform until the end of the session in August, some officials said Wednesday.

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Wednesday, May 2, 2012 – 10:30 a.m.

Fundraising two hotly-contested races for San Bernardino Board of Supervisors and U.S. Congress is still continuing at crawl this week, with many candidates concerned about collecting on previous commitments.

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Sunday, April 29, 2012 – 09:30 a.m.

Here’s some interesting factoids from across the financial and political transom:

First Quarter GDP Revised Lower

First quarter Gross Domestic Product (GDP) was revised lower last week to 2.2%. The revised number was mainly supported by strong auto sales. A component that may not be sustainable looking ahead.

Why? Consumer spending has been outpacing non-existent wage growth.

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Wyatt Buchanan
Saturday, April 28, 2012

One of the biggest mysteries at the Capitol these days is whether lawmakers are really going to make any substantive changes in the pension system for public employees.

This week didn’t do much to answer that, even though there were hearings on bills that were taken word-for-word from proposals Gov. Jerry Brown had sent to the Legislature. The apparent problem? Republicans introduced the bills.

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Cook

Friday, April 27, 2012 – 09:00 a.m.

As expected, two measures proposed by Assemblyman Paul Cook (R-Yucca Valley) related to pension forfeiture and disqualification from office have stalled in an Assembly committee.

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Capitol Alert
The latest on California politics and government
April 26, 2012

A drive to convert the California Legislature to part-time won’t make it onto the ballot this year.

The campaign will continue to collect voter signatures, however, in hopes of placing the issue before voters in 2014, said Ted Costa of People’s Advocate, a co-leader of the drive.

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Thursday, April 26, 2012 – 09:45 a.m.

Here’s some interesting news on the transom this week.

Retirement savings plans under attack.

Yes, it’s finally happening. The feds are discussing the taxation of various retirement savings accounts to generate revenue. As their coffers dwindle, expect federal, state and local government to squeeze taxpayers.

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George Skelton

By George Skelton
Capitol Journal

April 26, 2012

Sometimes an old movie line says it best. Such a line came to mind when I read the Assembly speaker’s assertion that political money doesn’t influence legislative voting.

“I know people love to try to create that impression,” Speaker John A. Pérez (D-Los Angeles) was quoted as saying in a Times article Sunday about AT&T’s wide-ranging lobbying operation.

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The State Worker
Chronicling civil-service life for California state workers
April 24, 2012

A key legislative committee isn’t going to act on a package of public pension reforms proposed by Gov. Jerry Brown and adopted by Republicans in their own bills.

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Capitol Alert
The latest on California politics and government
April 24, 2012

Post has been updated throughout the afternoon with responses and additional reporting.

A Sacramento Superior Court judge has tentatively ruled that the state controller has no authority to judge whether the state budget is balanced or block lawmakers’ pay as he did last June.

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Dan Walters

By Dan Walters
dwalters@sacbee.com
Published: Monday, Apr. 23, 2012 – 12:00 am | Page 3A

With the state budget mired in deficits, Gov. Jerry Brown and legislators, especially his fellow Democrats, are searching under every fiscal rock for money to spend.

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Donnelly, Derry lag behind
April 19, 2012 5:18 PM
By SAM PEARSON, Staff Writer

Despite the advantages of incumbency, challengers are raking in more funds than the candidates they oppose in two High Desert races.

Both Big Bear Lake Mayor Bill Jahn, who is seeking to defeat Assemblyman Tim Donnelly in the new 33rd Assembly District, and James Ramos, who stepped down from his post as Chairman of the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians Monday and continues to campaign against incumbent 3rd District Supervisor Neil Derry, have significant cash advantages over their rivals.

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Capitol Alert
The latest on California politics and government
April 18, 2012

Opposed by powerful business and finance groups, key mortgage reform bills sponsored by Attorney General Kamala Harris are headed for a joint legislative conference committee.

The six-member conference committee will consist of two Democrats and one Republican from each house, according to multiple legislative aides who had been notified of the plan.

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BY JIM MILLER
jmiller@pe.com

Published: 17 April 2012 06:03 PM

SACRAMENTO — Scandal-scarred San Bernardino County wants to become the first local government in California to outsource an ethics program to the state Fair Political Practices Commission.

First, though, the county needs legislation allowing the state watchdog agency to provide the service, and a key deadline is in less than two weeks.

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PolitiCal
On politics in the Golden State
April 17, 2012 | 1:26 pm

A proposal by Assemblyman Tom Ammiano (D-San Francisco) that could make it easier to open medical marijuana shops in California was approved by the Assembly’s Public Safety Committee A proposal that could make it easier to open medical marijuana shops in California was approved Tuesday by the Assembly’s Public Safety Committee despite objections from cities and law enforcement agencies that it unreasonably ties their hands.

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By David Siders
dsiders@sacbee.com
Published: Saturday, Apr. 14, 2012 – 12:00 am | Page 3A
Last Modified: Saturday, Apr. 14, 2012 – 12:10 am

Gov. Jerry Brown urged the Legislature on Friday to “man up” and make spending cuts, acknowledging the state budget deficit is likely larger than he previously thought.

The Democratic governor, in an interview on Bay Area talk radio station KGO (810 AM), said the deficit is “probably bigger now” than the $9.2 billion he estimated earlier this year.

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Liset Marquez, Staff Writer
Created: 04/12/2012 08:41:05 PM PDT

SAN BERNARDINO – From the viability of L.A./Ontario International Airport to ongoing progress at San Bernardino International Airport, legislators from the Inland Empire held a hearing on Thursday evening to discuss the importance of air transportation in the region.

The Select Committee on Inland Empire Transportation, led by Assemblywoman Wilmer Amina Carter, D-Rialto, met Thursday evening at the main auditorium at the Norton Regional Events Center.

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Riverside County Supervisor Bob Buster/FILE PHOTO

BY JEFF HORSEMAN AND DAVID DANELSKI
STAFF WRITERS
jhorseman@pe.com | ddanelski@pe.com

Published: 09 April 2012 03:14 PM

Assemblyman and Riverside County supervisor candidate Kevin Jeffries can describe himself as a small business owner on the June 5 ballot but must drop or revise language about his voting record on taxes, a court commissioner ruled Monday.

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PolitiCal
On politics in the Golden State
April 9, 2012 | 6:35 pm

For Tim Donnelly, the revolution is no tea party.

The outspoken Republican from San Bernardino was elected to the Legislature two years ago on a pledge to rein in regulations and shrink the bureaucracy that he said was strangling the state’s economy. So far, his signature initiatives — importing Arizona’s controversial immigration law to California and rolling back state financial aid to undocumented students — have failed.

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By Ed Mendel
Monday, April 9, 2012

SANTA ROSA — A two-house legislative committee is working with Gov. Brown’s Department of Finance on a ‘hybrid’ retirement plan for new state and local government hires, a committee member told a forum here last week.

Assemblyman Michael Allen, D-Santa Rosa, twice referred to a “cash balance” plan while talking about a cost-cutting hybrid, proposed by Brown, that combines a lower pension with a 401(k)-style individual investment plan.

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Torres

Wes Woods II, Staff Writer
Created: 04/05/2012 06:20:21 PM PDT

To view Assembly Bill 2552 introduced by Assemblywoman Norma Torres, D-Chino, visit http://tinyurl.com/potbill.

To read a letter from the Law Enforcement Against Prohibition group asking Torres to withdraw the bill visit http://tinyurl.com/potletter.

A group of former California police officers, prosecutors and judges have asked Assemblywoman Norma Torres to withdraw her bill that would criminalize motorists who operate a vehicle with any level of marijuana in their blood or urine.

Law Enforcement Against Prohibition members said standards created by Assembly Bill 2552 have nothing to do with actual impairment behind the wheel and would criminalize California’s legal medical marijuana patients.

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BY JIM MILLER AND BEN GOAD
STAFF REPORTERS
jmiller@pe.com; bgoad@pe.com

Published: 03 April 2012 10:06 PM

California’s top-two primary will make its statewide debut June 5, more than three years after it emerged from state budget deal-making.

No one is sure how the new system will play out, as candidates and interest groups try to feel their way around the state’s reshaped political landscape.

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March 29th, 2012, 11:39 am
Posted by BRIAN JOSEPH, Sacramento Correspondent

Republican leaders in the state Legislature unveiled Thursday a $4.4 billion package of alternate budget proposals they say would eliminate the necessity for trigger cuts to education in the event voters don’t approve Gov. Jerry Brown‘s tax measure in November.

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By Kevin Yamamura
kyamamura@sacbee.com
Published: Tuesday, Mar. 27, 2012 – 12:00 am | Page 1A
Last Modified: Tuesday, Mar. 27, 2012 – 7:28 am

In a show of good faith one year ago, legislative Democrats slashed Medi-Cal, cut universities and reduced welfare grants to slice the state deficit 13 weeks before the constitutional deadline.

But this year Democrats are refusing to go along with Gov. Jerry Brown’s most controversial reductions, spurning his demand to have cuts in place by March.

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Donnelly

Monday, March 26, 2012 – 11:00 a.m.

State Assemblyman Tim Donnelly (R-Twin Peaks) received three years probation in a hearing Monday morning San Bernardino County Superior Court.

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State Sen. Bob Dutton, R-Rancho Cucamonga, is among legislators who have described themselves as small business owners on ballots. 2009/File Photo

BY JIM MILLER
SACRAMENTO BUREAU
jmiller@pe.com

Published: 25 March 2012 08:26 PM

SACRAMENTO — Inland Southern California lawmakers Mike Morrell, Jeff Miller, Bob Dutton and Kevin Jeffries spend a large chunk of their week in Sacramento, voting on bills and sitting through committee hearings as state legislators making base annual salaries of $95,291.

All of them want voters this year to view them as something different: businessmen.

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By Jim Sanders
jsanders@sacbee.com
Published: Monday, Mar. 26, 2012 – 12:00 am | Page 1A
Last Modified: Monday, Mar. 26, 2012 – 7:01 am

Salaries for California lawmakers remain the nation’s highest despite years of budget crisis and a belt-tightening backlash that sparked legislative pay cuts three years ago.

For voters eager to target lawmakers as scapegoats for the state’s massive problems, California’s top ranking is sure to fuel debate this week over whether to cut deeper into legislative paychecks.

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Dan Walters

By Dan Walters
dwalters@sacbee.com
Published: Monday, Mar. 26, 2012 – 12:00 am | Page 3A
Last Modified: Monday, Mar. 26, 2012 – 6:33 am

California’s great public pension battles are heating up, and may be headed for some kind of political explosion.

The Legislature’s Democratic majority appears to be doing its best to ignore significant pension reform, even though Gov. Jerry Brown says the current system is “unsustainable” and an overhaul is needed to persuade voters to raise taxes this year.

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BOS 1st District AD-61 SD-31 CD-41

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

Published: 23 March 2012 06:35 PM

Voters in western Riverside County are about to find out what it’s like to be at the center of a campaign convergence.

Several overlapping – and highly contested – local, legislative and congressional races this year will focus unprecedented attention and spending on the area as campaigning escalates before the June and November elections. Voters will be buried in TV ads, mailers, yard signs and visits to their front doors.

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STAFF REPORTS
Published: 23 March 2012 07:29 PM

State lawmakers had a debate last week about nothing.

Nothing, as in the contents of some six-dozen sparsely worded “spot,” or shell, bills that someday will contain hundreds of pages of legislation implementing California’s 2012-13 budget.

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Donnelly

BY IMRAN GHORI
STAFF WRITER
ighori@pe.com

Published: 22 March 2012 05:53 PM

A San Bernardino County Superior Court judge continued a case against an Inland assemblyman charged with two misdemeanors for bringing a loaded gun into Ontario International Airport.

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Dan Walters

By Dan Walters
Published: Friday, Mar. 23, 2012 – 12:00 am | Page 3A
Last Modified: Friday, Mar. 23, 2012 – 7:53 am

Its popularity has declined sharply, many of its details have yet to emerge, and independent authorities have questioned its financial and operational viability, but California’s bullet train project is very likely to get the green light from the Legislature soon.

That’s the consensus of those who have been counting votes among the Legislature’s dominant Democrats, who can give the California High-Speed Rail Authority authorization to sell bonds and begin construction of an initial segment in the San Joaquin Valley.

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Money & Politics | Daily Report
March 23, 2012 | Will Evans

Wealthy Californians are keeping the money flowing to super political action committees, even as some state lawmakers want to turn off the faucet.

Super PACs on the left and right drew hefty contributions last month from the rich and famous – such as controversial comedian Bill Maher and GOP mega-donor Jerry Perenchio – as well as from the merely rich.

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BY JEFF HORSEMAN
STAFF WRITER
jhorseman@pe.com

Published: 21 March 2012 06:40 PM

Riverside County Supervisor Bob Buster has filed a legal challenge to try to force election opponent and Assembly member Kevin Jeffries to revise his self-description on the June 5 ballot.

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Donnelly

Capitol Alert
The latest on California politics and government
March 15, 2012

Assemblyman Tim Donnelly is seeking a plea deal on misdemeanor charges stemming from the discovery of a loaded firearm in his hand-carry luggage by screeners at Ontario International Airport.

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John Tavaglione, who has been elected to the Riverside County Board of Supervisors five times in nonpartisan elections, finds himself in the unfamiliar realm of a partisan dogfight as he runs for Congress. He is opposed by Democrat Mark Takano. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times / February 15, 2012)

By Phil Willon, Los Angeles Times
March 16, 2012

For the first time in 20 years, a Republican running for Congress in Riverside needs help.

John Tavaglione huddled with supporters in the mirrored back room of a local Coco’s on a recent rainy evening, laying out a ground game for his first crack at federal office. As a Republican and political heir of a powerful Riverside family, the longtime county supervisor would have breezed into Washington, D.C., in past elections.

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BY JULIET WILLIAMS
ASSOCIATED PRESS

Published: 13 March 2012 07:56 PM

SACRAMENTO — Lawmakers in the Assembly will hit the campaign trail this year, touting their votes on all manner of bills. Can we believe them? What they say may not be a true reflection of the stand they took when the bill was being debated.

California is one of at least 10 states in which some lawmakers can cast or change their votes after a bill has passed or failed.

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Neil Nisperos, Staff Writer
Created: 03/11/2012 07:03:56 AM PDT

Three factors – California redistricting, incumbent retirement, and the new open-primary ballot – are making the 2012 elections in the Inland Empire much more dynamic and unpredictable than in the past, political experts said.

The new conditions, coupled with the top-two primary, also have the potential to reduce Republican power in the state and in Washington. It’s no wonder the party has been fighting to get the lines redrawn.

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March 11, 2012 9:35 AM
From Staff Reports

With the local 2012 election season now in full swing, candidate fields are finally firming up in what look to be some hotly contested races — especially for those seeking the posts of San Bernardino County 1st District supervisor and House representative for the newly drawn 8th District.

But there’s still time for late newcomers to throw their hats in the ring: The filing deadline for the most local races has been extended to Wednesday because incumbents are not seeking re-election.

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Assemblyman Tim Donnelly

Sunday, March 11, 2012 – 02:50 p.m.

State Assemblyman Tim Donnelly (R-Twin Peaks) has been endorsed by the San Bernardino County Republican Central Committee.

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Benjamin Demers, Staff Writer
Created: 03/09/2012 01:56:43 PM PST

Dozens of local candidates for Congress, state Senate and Assembly, and supervisorial districts returned nomination papers to county Registrar of Voters in time for Friday’s deadline to run in the June 5 primary election.

In a change from years past, all candidates will be on one ballot, regardless of political affiliation. The top two vote-getters – even if from the same party – will advance to the general election Nov. 6.

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PolitiCal
On politics in the Golden State
March 9, 2012 | 5:05 pm

Assemblyman Ben Hueso (D-San Diego) said Friday that he will not pursue a legislative vote to remove Daniel W. Richards from the state Fish and Game Commission for killing a mountain lion during a hunting trip to Idaho.

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Hueso

Thursday, March 8, 2012 – 09:45 a.m.

It appears that a San Diego County democrat Assemblyman may be feeling the heat.

Or maybe he figured out the votes aren’t there to remove California Fish and Game Commission President Dan Richards.

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March 07, 2012 4:23 PM
Natasha Lindstrom, Staff Writer

Three candidates have now declared bids to replace Assemblyman Steve Knight in the 36th Assembly District.

Two weeks ago Knight announced he wouldn’t seek re-election in the Assembly and is instead pursuing the 21st Senate District seat covering areas currently represented by Sharon Runner, who is bowing out of politics as she recovers from double lung transplant surgery.

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Carter

Point of View

Assemblywoman Wilmer Amina Carter
Created: 02/29/2012 06:15:10 PM PST

California’s public universities and colleges used to be a bargain for middle-class families. But thanks to the national recession and chronic state budget shortfalls, college fees have skyrocketed. Since the 2003-04 school year, Cal State University fees have increased 191 percent, University of California fees have increased by 145 percent, and community college fees have also jumped sharply.

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Norma Torres, D-Chino, left introduces bill pushing for arrest for anyone caught illegally bringing a concealed gun to an airport. Republican Assemblyman Tim Donnelly right.

Neil Nisperos, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin
Created: 02/28/2012 06:27:09 PM PST

Assemblywoman Norma Torres has introduced a bill that takes aim at those caught illegally bringing a concealed gun to an airport — the type of offense fellow Inland Empire Assemblyman Tim Donnelly has been charged with.

Read the rest of this entry »

Dan Walters

By Dan Walters
Published: Wednesday, Feb. 29, 2012 – 12:00 am | Page 3A
Last Modified: Wednesday, Feb. 29, 2012 – 8:31 am

Dan Richards, who chairs the California Fish and Game Commission, is under fire in the Capitol because he killed a mountain lion in Idaho and posed with his trophy for a picture that was later published on a hunting publication website.

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By Jim Sanders
jsanders@sacbee.com
Published: Saturday, Feb. 25, 2012 – 12:00 am | Page 3A

Assemblyman Tim Donnelly has been charged with two misdemeanors for bringing a briefcase containing a loaded .45-caliber firearm into Ontario International Airport last month.

The 45-year-old Twin Peaks Republican was charged Friday with illegal possession of a loaded firearm and possession of a prohibited item in a sterile area.

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Dan Walters

Capitol and California – Dan Walters
Published: Friday, Feb. 24, 2012 – 12:00 am | Page 3A

Were California Republicans a biological genus rather than a political one, they could demand special protection under laws protecting endangered species like the kangaroo rat, to wit:

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Neil Nisperos, Staff Writer
Created: 02/22/2012 06:30:42 PM PST

State Sen. Republican leader Bob Huff, R-Walnut, and Assembly Republican leader Connie Conway, R-Tulare, on Wednesday introduced legislation that duplicates Gov. Jerry Brown’s pension reform plan.

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Runner steps down while battling illness
February 22, 2012 5:07 PM
ShareThis| Print Story | E-Mail Story
Natasha Lindstrom, Staff Writer

Hours after state Sen. Sharon Runner announced Wednesday she won’t be seeking re-election, Assemblyman Steve Knight declared his bid to replace her in the Senate.

Read the rest of this entry »

Newberry Springs educator launches campaign for new 33rd district
February 20, 2012 5:20 PM
Sam Pearson, Staff Writer

Newberry Springs resident John Coffey wants to turn the High Desert blue.

Coffey, a lifelong Democrat, is campaigning for the High Desert’s new 33rd Assembly District.

Read the rest of this entry »

Cook

Neil Nisperos, Staff Writer
Posted: 02/15/2012 12:14:24 PM PST

Legislation that aims to discourage corruption by elected officials’ staff members by denying them public pension benefits if they’re criminally convicted has been introduced by Assemblyman Paul Cook, R-Yucaipa.

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Norma Torres, D-Chino, wants emergency calls protected from online, media dissemination

By Neil Nisperos, Staff Writer
Created: 02/14/2012 10:31:06 AM PST

Legislation that would keep emergency 911 dispatch calls from being spread through traditional or online media has been introduced by Assemblywoman Norma Torres, D-Chino.

The policy proposal comes in the wake of widely disseminated audio from 911 dispatch calls related to a medical emergency involving actress Demi Moore.

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Dan Walters

By Dan Walters
dwalters@sacbee.com
Published: Sunday, Feb. 12, 2012 – 12:00 am | Page 3A
Last Modified: Sunday, Feb. 12, 2012 – 9:41 am

Shannon Grove, a Republican assemblywoman from Bakersfield, is sponsoring an embryonic ballot measure to return the Legislature to a part-time body, which it was before 1966.

It’s one of dozens of proposals for the November ballot and, like most, faces an uphill struggle to qualify and win. But it could resonate with voters because of chronic dysfunction on the budget, water and other issues, and lawmakers’ very low stature in polls.

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By Jim Sanders
jsanders@sacbee.com
Published: Wednesday, Feb. 8, 2012 – 12:00 am | Page 4A

A Democratic political strategist and a former Democratic assemblyman will help lead opposition to a proposed ballot initiative that would reduce California’s Legislature to part-time.

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PolitiCal
On politics in the Golden State
February 6, 2012 | 5:36 pm

A proposal by Assemblywoman Shannon Grove (R-Bakersfield) probably won’t make her many friends among her colleagues. She wants to reduce the Legislature to part-time status and cut its pay from $95,000 annually to $1,500 a month.

Read the rest of this entry »

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
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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Capitol Alert
The latest on California politics and government
January 31, 2012

Rural and urban school districts in California that make heavy use of buses appear safe — for now.

State lawmakers are fast-tracking legislation that would transform a $248 million midyear school bus cut into a general-purpose reduction that hits each K-12 district evenly. The Assembly Budget Committee passed Senate Bill 81 with bipartisan support Tuesday, while an aide to Gov. Jerry Brown testified that the governor supports the proposal.

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