Bill Berryhill

After managing Assemblyman-elect Bill Berryhill to victory in the 26th district race, campaign manager Carl Fogliani will return to Sacramento as his chief of staff.

Fogliani, who was also chief of staff to Republican Berryhill's predecessor in the 26th, termed-out Assemblyman Greg Aghazarian (R-Stockton), said the move is a return to familiar territory.

Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner got the backing Wednesday of several newly elected legislative Republicans in his bid for governor in 2010, giving him a majority of the GOP lawmakers serving in the next two years overall.

Just-elected Assembly members Bill Berryhill (R-Ceres), Connie Conway (R-Tulare), Danny Gilmore (R-Hanford), Curt Hagman (R-Chino Hills), Steve Knight (R-Palmdale), Jeff Miller (R-Corona) and Brian Nestande (R-Palm Desert) joined nine other assembly members who'd previously endorsed Poizner. Two other assemblymen just elected to new terms, Joel Anderson (R-El Cajon) and Bill Emmerson (R-Redlands) also endorsed Poizner for the first time.

Final registration numbers for the Nov. 4 election show that Democrats narrowed the lead Republicans had in some contested Northern California districts, but none of those districts outright flipped from one party to another in the last weeks of the race.

In the 4th Congressional District, Democratic registration was nearly unchanged from the 60-day election report, with just over 31 percent. Republican registration dropped from 40 percent to 39.8 percent, while decline-to-state voters - which rose in most districts - went from 17.8 percent to 18.4 percent.

A rumored Democratic target in the 3rd Congressional District saw slight Democratic gains, up from 37.2 to 37.6 percent, and a decline for Republicans, from above 40 percent to 39.8 percent. DTS voters rose as well, to 18.2 percent.

To 26th Assembly District candidate John Eisenhut's campaign, the more than $272,000 received from the Democratic State Central Committee of California in the last four days is both much needed, and a sign that Democrats believe they can win the Central Valley seat.

The campaign for Eisenhut's opponent, Republican Bill Berryhill, sees it another way: As outsider support for a campaign that's got no traction locally.

Another spate of independent expenditures saw money spent by outside groups in all four closely watched state Assembly races in Northern California.

The California Labor Federation's Committee for Working Families made the biggest splash, spending $129,921 on unidentified field expenses this week in support of Democrat Alyson Huber in her 10th Assembly District race.

Independent expenditures in legislative races this fall have topped $4.5 million, according to the state's Fair Political Practices Commission, adding to $12 million spent in primary races earlier this year.

Ten legislative districts account for most of the independent expenditures, with Assembly District 15, an open seat that's a target for both Democrats and Republicans, drawing $918,748 in IEs from outside groups unaffiliated with either campaign.

The Police Officers Research Association dropped $30,000 into three heavily contested Assembly races Thursday, twice to benefit the Democratic candidate and once in favor of the Republican.

In Assembly Districts 10 and 15, the group spent $10,000 each to support respective Democrats Alyson Huber of El Dorado Hills and Joan Buchanan of Alamo with a slate mailer of suggested candidates to back.

Independent expenditure groups continued to spend considerable amounts of money Wednesday in four hotly contested Northern California Assembly races, with Democrats the beneficiaries in all four and Republicans receiving support in two races.

Leading the list was the Peace Officers Research Association of California, which spent $40,000 each to support Democrats Alyson Huber and Joan Buchanan in Assembly Districts 10 and 15, respectively.

Independent expenditures in several closely contested state legislative races will get a close eye from the California Fair Political Practices Commission between now and Nov. 4

The commission will post online a daily tally of how much independent expenditure committees are spending in those races, and who's contributing to those committees.

Assembly candidate Bill Berryhill has received endorsements from the National Federation of Independent Businesses and the Modesto Chamber of Commerce in his 26th district race.

The executive director for NFIB/California said in a press release that Berryhill was the right candidate to help small businesses start, develop and grow.