Politics, Government and Business in Southern California's Inland Empire
March 11th, 2013, 3:38 pm
Posted by MARTIN WISCKOL
Orange County is known as an ATM for political fundraisers – Mitt Romney came for the dough four times in 2012 – but the sums brought in by the county’s own Congress members are relatively middling.
By Jonathan Strong
Roll Call Staff
Jan. 18, 2013, 3:42 p.m.; Corrected 5:42 p.m.
The chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee said constitutional problems may doom a debt ceiling plan announced earlier Friday by House leaders, but the Republican lawmaker said he has a replacement in mind.
Carla Marinucci
Updated 11:22 pm, Sunday, January 13, 2013
While California did not determine the outcome of the 2012 presidential election, the state had no shortage of political dramas last year, from the state’s budget woes to the debut of the “top two” primary election ballots that send candidates with the most votes, regardless of political party, to the general election in November.
BY BEN GOAD
WASHINGTON BUREAU
bgoad@pe.com
Published: 20 June 2012 01:24 PM
WASHINGTON — A House panel led by Inland Rep. Darrell Issa voted to hold U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder in contempt of Congress, a rare move that could lead to a criminal probe into the Justice Department’s handling of a botched anti-gun trafficking operation.
The House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform’s vote to issue a contempt citation came Wednesday, June 20, during a dramatic hearing in which the White House attempted to sidestep the contempt vote by invoking executive privilege.
THE PRESS-ENTERPRISE
Published: 20 May 2012 07:52 PM
You know that old political joke, “Vote early, vote often”?
Yeah, Riverside City Councilman Mike Gardner’s heard it. And he’s been hearing it more lately, after his first mailer in his mayoral campaign assured people their vote counts … on June 4. (The election is June 5.)
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.
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.
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.
ROLL CALL REPORT SYNDICATE
Published: 03 December 2011 05:25 PM
Here is how area members of Congress voted on major issues in the week ending Dec. 2.
HOUSE
RULES FOR UNION ELECTIONS: Voting 235 for and 188 against, the House on Nov. 30 passed a Republican bill (HR 3094) to block a proposed National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) rule to quicken the pace of union elections. Now before the Senate, the bill targets a labor-relations rule that could take effect by year’s end. Under the rule, elections on whether to form into a collective-bargaining unit could be held as soon as 10 days after the NLRB certifies the election petition. The bill would require a wait of at least 35 days to give employers more time to attempt to persuade workers to reject unionization, and it would give employers more say in determining which workers are eligible for the bargaining unit.
FROM STAFF REPORTS
Published: 27 November 2011 07:24 PM
Once again, Inland Rep. Darrell Issa has been placed atop a list of the richest members of Congress.
Issa, R-Vista, whose invention of the Viper car alarm helped him amass a fortune, is worth at least $195 million and possibly more than $700 million, according to a report released this month by the Center for Responsive Politics.
09:15 AM PDT on Monday, September 26, 2011
BY BEN GOAD
WASHINGTON BUREAU
bgoad@pe.com
WASHINGTON – With the U.S. Postal Service hemorrhaging money and fast approaching insolvency, Inland lawmakers are backing competing plans to overhaul the beleaguered institution.
Romney
Friday, September 23, 2011
U.S. Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Vista, endorsed former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney for president on Thursday, a month after assailing his chief rival in a speech in San Diego.
10:00 PM PDT on Sunday, September 18, 2011
The Press-Enterprise
At last week’s during Chinese Moon Festival in Riverside, state Sen. Gloria Negrete McLeod and Rep. Joe Baca crossed paths as the region’s senior elected Democrats.
Now they’re also rivals for the same congressional seat.
10:00 PM PDT on Sunday, September 4, 2011
The Press-Enterprise
Inland lawmakers state Sen. Joel Anderson and Rep. Ken Calvert would seem to have had their prayers answered in the Senate and congressional remaps approved last month.
Issa
By PE Politics
August 26, 2011 7:10 AM
Under pressure from Inland Rep. Darrell Issa, The New York Times this morning issued another correction to the unflattering front-page story the newspaper published last week about the wealthy lawmaker’s business dealings.
10:00 PM PDT on Monday, July 18, 2011
By BEN GOAD
Washington Bureau
WASHINGTON – Inland Southern California’s congressional incumbents are busy amassing their war chests for a 2012 election season filled with uncertainty, federal campaign finance reports show.
10:00 PM PDT on Tuesday, July 5, 2011
By BEN GOAD
Washington Bureau
WASHINGTON – Six months into his tenure as Congress’ chief investigator, Inland Rep. Darrell Issa has overseen 81 hearings, issued nearly 20 subpoenas and released five lengthy reports criticizing Obama administration policies and actions.
But whether the sheer volume of Issa’s activity has translated to achievement is up for debate — and, unsurprisingly, opinions differ along partisan lines.
Rep. Joe Baca
10:00 PM PDT on Sunday, June 19, 2011
The Press-Enterprise
Between the U.S. Open at Congressional Country Club and the rabid anticipation of this past weekend’s “golf summit” between President Barack Obama and House Speaker John Boehner, Washington has been consumed with the sport.
Issa
By PE Politics
June 6, 2011 11:54 AM
Inland Rep. Darrell Issa today introduced legislation meant to trim the ranks of the federal workforce through attrition by 10 percent in the next four years.
10:00 PM PDT on Saturday, June 4, 2011
By BEN GOAD
Washington Bureau
WASHINGTON – Congressional earmarks may be dead for the moment, but that isn’t stopping individual lawmakers from requesting federal funding for their favorite programs.
By PE Politics
June 1, 2011 12:40 PM
Inland Southern California’s five-member House delegation voted last night against a measure to lift the nation’s national debt ceiling.
10:00 PM PDT on Friday, May 6, 2011
By BEN GOAD
Washington Bureau
WASHINGTON – Inland Southern California’s congressional members don’t know what their districts will look like when a state panel finishes drawing new political lines.
But that isn’t stopping most of them from launching aggressive fundraising efforts in advance of what is expected to be a wild 2012 election season.
11:46 PM PST on Tuesday, March 8, 2011
By JIM MILLER and BEN GOAD
The Press-Enterprise
California’s political landscape lurched to the east Tuesday as new census numbers point to a major increase in representation for Inland Southern California over the next decade.
Issa
WATCHDOG: An expert says it’s not unusual for staffers to be close to subjects being examined.
10:35 PM PST on Sunday, February 27, 2011
By BROOKE WILLIAMS and MATT PEARCE
Watchdog Institute
WASHINGTON – First as ranking minority member and now as chairman of one of the most powerful watchdog committees in Congress, Inland Rep. Darrell Issa has built a team that includes staff members with close connections to industries that could benefit from his investigations.
Issa, R-Vista, took control of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform last month, and asked companies, nonprofit organizations and industry associations for guidance on federal regulations. The committee has broad powers to subpoena and investigate government and industry.
10:42 PM PST on Sunday, February 27, 2011
By BEN GOAD
Washington Bureau
WASHINGTON – It’s shortly after 9 a.m. on a Tuesday. The day’s first signs of life emerge on Capitol Hill, as staffers trudge to work with newspapers tucked underarm and their eyes glued to smart phones.
But inside the offices that house the Committee on Government Oversight and Reform, the Darrell Issa investigation machine is in full swing. Phones are continually ringing. Men and women with huge stacks of reports and thick binders dart in and out of meetings in still-undecorated conference rooms.
By Michael Doyle
mdoyle@mcclatchydc.com
Published: Wednesday, Jan. 5, 2011 – 12:00 am | Page 1A
WASHINGTON – Bakersfield is in, the Bay Area is out. But California as a whole could hold its own in the new Congress that starts Wednesday.
The shifting Capitol Hill currents are summed up in the demotion of soon-to-be former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the ascension of Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Bakersfield, as the next House majority whip.
10:00 PM PST on Monday, January 3, 2011
By BEN GOAD
Washington Bureau
WASHINGTON – After pledging to identify and eliminate as much as $200 billion in government waste and fraud in the next two years, Inland Rep. Darrell Issa on Monday laid out his agenda as the House’s top Republican investigator.
10:00 PM PST on Thursday, December 23, 2010
By BEN GOAD
Washington Bureau
WASHINGTON – Inland Southern California’s Republican House members are poised for action once their party takes control of the chamber next month.
Last month’s Election Day landslide delivered the GOP a comfortable House majority and, they say, a mandate to shrink government, slash federal spending and begin the work of undoing key initiatives undertaken by the Obama administration, including the sweeping health care law passed earlier this year.
By PE Politics
on December 17, 2010 8:24 AM
Inland Southern California’s congressional delegation voted early this morning to extend for two years a set of Bush-era tax cuts that had been scheduled to expire on New Year’s Eve.
The bill passed just after midnight by a tally of 277-148, and now heads to President Barack Obama, who is expected to sign it into law as early as today.
Issa
Capitol Alert
The latest on California politics and government
December 8, 2010
Republican Rep. Darrell Issa is getting a gavel as chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee.
House Speaker-Designate John Boehner, of Ohio, praised Issa, previously the ranking member of the committee, which investigates federal programs and issues relating to federal policies.
10:00 PM PST on Sunday, November 21, 2010
The Press-Enterprise
Riverside Mayor Ron Loveridge was in the nation’s capital last week to be formally inducted as a new fellow to the National Academy of Public Administration.
Loveridge, spotted strolling through the swanky lobby of the Washington Renaissance Hotel, called the induction an honor, given that few elected officials serve as fellows to the academy.
Rep. Darrell Issa
10:00 PM PST on Tuesday, November 9, 2010
By BEN GOAD
Washington Bureau
WASHINGTON – Inland Rep. Darrell Issa will have to wait until January to formally take charge of the House Oversight Committee, but the new Republican majority’s chief investigator is already busy laying the groundwork for an ambitious agenda.
Beyond holding scores of hearings into the implementation of President Barack Obama’s $787 billion stimulus plan, the housing meltdown, the bank bailout and myriad other topics, Issa is considering structural changes for the committee charged with fighting government abuse and bloat.
McCarthy
Rep. Kevin McCarthy of Bakersfield is eyeing the post of majority whip. Others are expected to chair key panels. These moves could boost Democratic-leaning California’s clout among the new majority.
By Richard Simon, Los Angeles Times
November 3, 2010|5:25 p.m.
Reporting from Washington —
Rep. Kevin McCarthy of Bakersfield launched a bid Wednesday for majority whip, the third-ranking job in the new Republican-controlled House, as Rep. Ed Royce of Fullerton kicked off a campaign for the chairmanship of the Financial Services Committee.
If successful, the moves could further strengthen Democratic-leaning California’s clout among the new GOP majority.
11:05 PM PDT on Monday, October 11, 2010
By BEN GOAD
Washington Bureau
WASHINGTON – To hear leading Democrats tell it, few things are scarier this Halloween than the prospect of Rep. Darrell Issa, armed with a gavel.
As Democrats fight to hang onto control of the House of Representatives, party leaders and officials are painting the Inland congressman as a GOP bogeyman, ready to pounce on the White House if Republicans win a majority of seats in the chamber on Nov. 2.
10:00 PM PDT on Saturday, October 2, 2010
WASHINGTON
From Roll Call Report Syndicate, ©2010, Thomas Voting Reports, Inc. Here’s how area members of Congress were recorded on major roll call votes in the week ending October 1.
House
12:03 AM PDT on Sunday, September 19, 2010
By BEN GOAD
Washington Bureau
WASHINGTON – Inland Southern California’s federal lawmakers are divided over a plan to raise taxes for the wealthiest Americans amid a lingering economic crisis that has hit the region as hard as anywhere in the nation.
Back from its summer break, Congress is steeling for a pre-election fight over whether to extend George W. Bush-era tax cuts that are set to expire at the end of the year. Most Republicans want to extend all the cuts, while most Democrats, led by President Barack Obama, want to extend them for all but the rich.
10:00 PM PDT on Sunday, August 29, 2010
The Press-Enterprise
Just when does Senate Republican leader-elect Bob Dutton get to drop the “elect?”
The transition had long been set for Wednesday. Earlier this month, Senate GOP head honcho Dennis Hollingsworth said Dutton would be taking over then, “rain or shine, budget or no budget.”
Issa
By PE Politics
on August 16, 2010 3:08 PM
Inland Rep. Darrell Issa is asking Congress’s investigative branch to look into whether the Obama administration has improperly used taxpayer money to further its political agenda.
By PE Politics
on July 23, 2010 7:48 AM
As reported this morning by Jack Katzanek, the House on Thursday approved legislation to extend benefits for the nation’s jobless.
The 272-152 vote went mostly along party lines, with just 10 Democrats voting against the bill and 31 Republicans voting for it. Among those were Inland Rep. Mary Bono Mack, R-Palm Springs, whose eastern Riverside County district has been hit about as hard as anywhere in the country by the economic downturn.
Issa
10:00 PM PDT on Sunday, July 18, 2010
The Press-Enterprise
Rep. Darrell Issa’s crusade to hold the Obama administration accountable from his perch as top Republican on the House Oversight Committee has earned him a flurry of newspaper articles dubbing him the president’s “annoyer-in-chief.”
The White House has declined to comment for the articles. But, as Issa told a New York Times reporter in recent days, White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel weighed in himself when the two crossed paths outside the House gym on Capitol Hill.
Rep. Darrell Issa
10:00 PM PDT on Wednesday, June 16, 2010
By BEN GOAD
Washington Bureau
WASHINGTON – Love him or hate him, Inland Rep. Darrell Issa has emerged as a national figure during the past 18 months by launching a series of investigations seeking to expose waste, fraud and abuse in the Obama administration.
Though dubious of his findings — and motives — Democrats are beginning to take notice.
Darrell Issa
By PE Politics
on April 23, 2010 5:12 PM
Inland Rep. Darrell Issa’s call for an investigation into the timing of the government lawsuit against Goldman Sachs has been answered.
During a Fox News interview about the unrelated Securities and Exchange Commission porn scandal, Inspector General David Kotz announced today that he would launch a probe examining the SEC’s decision to move forward with action against Goldman Sachs.
By PE Politics
on April 23, 2010 8:22 AM
Days after Inland Rep. Darrell Issa issued a formal request for information about the timing of the Securities and Exchange Commission’s lawsuit against Goldman Sachs, a different kind of information related to the goings on within the agency has emerged.
As reported late last night by the AP, the SEC’s inspector general has issued a new report concluding that senior commission staffers spent hours surfing pornographic websites as the nation’s economy faltered.
By PE Politics
on March 5, 2010 6:29 AM
The U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday approved legislation that proponents say would pave the way toward thousands of new jobs in the nation’s struggling economy.
As has been the case for much of the current congress, Inland Southern California’s congressional delegation was divided along party lines on the $17.6 package.
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