Lois Capps

Independent state senate candidate Jim Fitzgerald accused incumbent Sen. Abel Maldonado (R-Santa Maria) of wanting to have it both ways, running as a Republican but appearing on slate mailers for Democratic and independent voters.

"I wonder if John McCain would have let him speak at the RNC if he knew that Abel would be paying for flyers that tell voters to vote for Barack Obama," said Fitzgerald, a retired UPS worker who is self-financing his campaign, in a press release. "I wonder if the Republican Party would have contributed over $50,000 to Abel's campaign if they knew that he was going to pay $12,000 to appear on literature that promotes the Democratic ticket."

Golden State Congresswoman Lois Capps applauded Sen. Joe Biden's performance Thursday night in his debate with Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, the GOP's vice presidential nominee.

In fact, following party lines, the Santa Barbara Democrat didn't mention Palin's performance once in this statement:

Below is a transcript of remarks made by U.S. Rep. Lois Capps (D-Santa Barbara) at the Democratic National Convention Wednesday evening, as prepared for delivery.

California is slated to have a busy day at the Democratic National Convention on Wednesday, with four speakers representing the state - including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi - scheduled to talk.

Other speakers include Reps. Hilda Solis, Maxine Waters and Lois Capps. All four legislators are scheduled to speak between 4 and 5 p.m.

DENVER -- Golden State Congresswoman Lois Capps will speak to the Democratic National Convention this afternoon at 4 p.m., members of her staff announced.

Spokeswoman Sarah Ethington said Capps (D-Santa Barbara) will participate in a showcase of female members of the House of Representatives.

She said Capps will close out the short presentation that discusses how an Obama Administration will address the many issues facing women across the country.

Speaker of the House and Bay Area Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi spoke out Thursday during a rally about getting federal legislation approved that would guarantee equal pay for women.

"Equal pay is an issue of fundamental fairness. As families grapple with difficult economic times, it is also often about daily survival for millions of families," Pelosi (D-San Francisco) said in a statement. 

Joining Pelosi was Central Coast Congresswoman Lois Capps.

In what amounted to a legislative dog pile on a lame-duck president, a vast majority of Congress today voted to override a veto by President Bush of a proposal to cut services to Medicare patients and to fees paid to practicing Medicare physicians.

In the House, the veto override passed by a vote of 383 to 41. In the Senate, the vote was a bullet-proof 70 to 26. 

Many of the Golden State's congressional pols joined in the fun.

Even before President Bush formally delivered his Monday Rose Garden announcement that he will lift the executive ban on outer continental shelf oil drilling, California lawmakers were jumping on the action as a profoundly bad idea.

First out of the gate (naturally) was U.S. Rep. Lois Capps, D-Santa Barbara:

U.S. Rep. Lois CappsDemocratic U.S. Rep. Lois Capps, a superdelegate, has lent her endorsement to Barack Obama in the Democratic presidential race.

“This wasn’t an easy decision for me. Democrats were blessed this year with many talented and capable candidates, and I believe both Sen. Clinton and Sen. Obama would make fine presidents. But Sen. Obama’s proven judgment, his hopeful vision for America, and his unmatched ability to motivate millions of Americans eager for change made the choice for me,” said Capps in a release announcing the endorsement.