Joe Baca

WASHINGTON - House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco) can tighten the screws on her members, but it doesn't always work - even amongst members of her own California caucus.

Earlier this week, Pelosi sent an e-mail to her Democratic caucus identifying some 30 members who have been tardy in paying their dues to the party's House campaign arm this cycle.

The message was loud and clear: Badger away.

"Enclosed, please find a list of our colleagues who have only fulfilled 50 percent or less of their dues obligations," Pelosi and her fellow Democratic House leaders wrote in the e-mail. "Please encourage them to be a part of the team. The number of seats we gain will depend on the resources we have to compete in these closing days."

Seven of the 10 congressional districts most hard hit by foreclosures are in California, according to a firm that tracks foreclosure data and other real estate information.

HotPads.com, a map-based real estate search engine, noted that California's 18th Congressional District leads the nation with foreclosures, at a rate of 4.59 percent, or nearly 10 times the national average of .47 percent.

Below is transcript of remarks made by U.S. Rep. Joe Baca (D-San Bernardino) at the Democratic National Convention Monday evening, as prepared for delivery.

A handful of Californians are scheduled to speak today during the first day of the Democratic National Convention in Denver.

House Speaker and Permanent Chair of the 2008 Democratic National Convention Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco) and U.S. Rep. Doris Matsui (D-Sacramento), one of the convention parliamentarians, will both address the convention on Monday.