politics

John Edwards admission that he lied and dismissed reports of an affair with Rielle Hunter, a filmmaker hired to cover his presidential campaign, may have ended his public life, but did it also signify an end to the era in which the mainstream media controlled the agenda for national political journalism?

Just days after the California Secretary of State’s office issued a report showing Republicans losing registrants in the state, the California Republican Party, with the help of State Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner, is launching a voter registration drive designed to pump up the number of Republican voters in the state.

For each Republican voter signed up by one of the volunteer organizations chartered with the state Republican Party, Poizner, the state’s second-highest elected Republican and a wealthy businessman, is pledging $3 to the organization – matching the $3 the California Republican Party already provides.

"Republican activists and volunteer clubs are the backbone of our party and are key to developing and expanding the Republican Party in California," said Poizner."Registering new Republican voters, while executing our traditionally successful get out the vote activities, maximizes our opportunities for victory on Election Day."

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has paid $4.7 million for 25 acres of land in Santa Barbara, the AP reports today.

The land is described as “a former ranch dotted with waterfalls and lush canyons.”

The Governor also owns a home in the Brentwood section of Los Angeles.

In other Schwarzenegger-related news, the Governor is scheduled to make his seventh appearance on “The Tonight Show” with Jay Leno on Thursday evening, says the San Jose Mercury News.

Former Assemblyman Paul Koretz is walking precincts and canvassing neighborhood street fairs rather early for the Los Angeles City Council seat he hopes to win next spring.

“I grew up in the 5th council district for 20 years,” Koretz said.  read more »

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors’ 2nd District race heats up Thursday night with a debate between L.A. City Councilman Bernard Parks and 26th District State Senator Mark Ridley-Thomas. The race has proven a bit bruising as business, labor and African-American leaders have had to choose between endorsing one of the two black politicians.  read more »

California Democrats said today that a new report on the state’s voting registration trends is proof that the Party is gaining momentum ahead of the June and November elections.

According to the report, Democrats added 170,918 voters to the rolls, Decline to State voters increased by 26,532, and Republicans lost 8,759 registrants. The number of Democrats in the state now number 6,920,324 and account for 43.54 percent of the electorate. There are 3,069 Decline to States, which comprise 19.31 percent. The 5,220,666 Republicans make up 32.84 percent of the electorate.

“The Democratic voter registration train in California continues to accelerate, while the Republican train has jumped off the tracks,” said Art Torres, the chair of the California Democratic Party. “183,189 voters registered during those 73 days, and 93.3% of them are Democrats. This is a number not seen since the days of Watergate in the mid-1970s,” he said.

A state commission said today that it is exploring the possibility of freezing and possibly reducing the salaries of California elected officials, the Sacramento Bee is reporting.

California Compensation Commission Chairmen Charles Murray and member Kathy Sands, citing the state’s $7 billion deficit, said they would meet again in May or June to decide on a salary cut for state legislators.

"We have a deficit of $7 billion" that news reports say will double by this summer,” said Murray, according to the paper. "Everybody has to take a cut."

The AP, in its write-up of the event, notes Murray as saying that a salary scale-back would be the first of the Commission’s kind since its formation in 1990.

Republican Dean Andal, running against U.S. Rep. Jerry McNerney in Congressional District 11The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has launched a new Web site targeting Republican Dean Andal, who is challenging Democratic incumbent U.S. Rep. Jerry McNerney in Congressional District 11.

The site, called “RadicalAndal.org”, takes Andal to task for what the DCCC says is his “extremist” views on everything from education, to health care, to family values issues.

“Radical Dean Andal’s record is incredibly out of step with people in the district,” said DCCC spokesman Yoni Cohen. “RadicalAndal.org shows that extreme Dean consistently and repeatedly cast far-right votes against common sense legislation. In Congress, instead of representing mainstream American values, radical Andal would work for extremist policies and the special interests.”

Sen. John McCain at a campaign rally with Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger in February.Republican presidential candidate John McCain is headed to the Golden State, the Stockton Record is reporting.

McCain’s late May visit, which will include a stop in Stockton for a campaign rally and a fundraiser with developer Alex Spanos, comes after the Arizona Senator’s last visit to California in March.

The last time a Republican presidential candidate won the state of California was in 1988 when George H.W. Bush faced off against Democrat Michael Dukakis.

Yesterday, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, a McCain ally, told Fox News that McCain would likely be competitive in the state.

"I think that the Republican can win (the state),” Schwarzenegger said. “Especially a McCain Republican can win. McCain has a good shot of winning California."