Democrat Santa Ana City Councilwoman and OC Deputy District Attorney Claudia Alvarez is running for the 69th Assembly District. Her campaign just released the results of a new poll conducted Feb. 22-26 among 402 likely Democratic Primary voters. The survey conducted by Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research shows Alvarez leading opponent (council colleague) Jose Solorio by a margin of 50% to 25%. The other potential rival de la Libertad fails to break the 10% mark according to the poll.

The poll memo says: Alvarez’s support in the district is broad-based. Her support transcends geographic and ethnic lines as she leads among every ethnic group, and she attracts solid support throughout the district. In fact she is even in a statistical tie with Solorio in his own city council district (Santa Ana’s 1st City Council District).

BALLOT TEST

We’ve been following attempts by federal lobbyist, and former Member of Congress Brian Bilbray (pictured) to characterize himself as something other than a lobbyist in his ballot title. Bilbray, who has taken in hundreds of thousands of dollars in feels over the last six plus years lobbying for many interest filed a ballot title of Immigration Reform Advocate because one of his client (about 1/3 of his business) is a federal immigration reform group. The Secretary of State balked at this, and settled on Immigration Reform Consultant.

The matter has been taken to court by a voter in the district who believes that this settled-upon language still hides Bilbray’s profession as a lobbyist… Read More

This just in courtesy of FR friend Chris Reed who is on the editorial team down at the San Diego Union-Tribune — Reed spoke today with the esteemed Nathan Barankin (another friend), Attorney General Bill Lockyer’s spokesman, who confirmed that the Attorney General has punted the investigation into Rob Reiner (you know, where he used his official state commission post to launch a multi-million dollar spending spree on pro-preschool ads at the same time that he was collecting signatures for a universal preschool ballot measure).

Where did he punt it to? That’s the GOOD NEWS. He has referred the case over to his colleague,… Read More

At San Francisco’s big gala Oscar Party/AIDS fundraiser last night, the crowd was horrified when “Crash” beat out “Brokeback Mountain” for Best Picture last night (here’s the full story in the San Francisco Chronicle). I’m sorry, but I am so glad that the Oscars are over, just so we can be done with the whole “Brokeback” hoopla.

If you listen to the folks at the SF party last night, “Brokeback Mountain” all at once “brought Americans together over issues of homophobia” and yet when it didn’t win, it was “an… Read More

Oakland had its 24th homicide yesterday–triple the number of murders at this time last year. The big question is: what is Mayor Jerry Brown going to do about it? These are not the headlines or stats you want when you’re running for attorney general. It’s time for Jerry to stop campaigning for AG and to start getting a handle on the city’s violent crime problem.… Read More

The campaign for the 59th Assembly District continues to heat up with the endorsement of Chris Lancaster by Senator Bob Margett, the previous Assemblyman from the old pre-gerrymandered 59th District. See my past link on this race starting hereand fellow FR poster Brad Mitzelfelt’s start here. See the press release below.… Read More

WHALEN ON WESTLY Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has a lot of things going for him as he runs for re-election this year. But certainly one of the best things going is the poor quality of the two Democrats seeking the Democratic Party nomination – State Treasurer Phil Angelides, and State Controller Steve Westly. Last Monday, FR correspondent Dan Schnur wrote a great piece on Angelides, and today we feature a column penned by our own Bill Whalen on Steve Westly, who Whalen points out is ‘too cute by half’ – a definate ‘must read’ for today! WILL THOMAS RETIRE? WE HOPE SO! … Read More

14 term (yes, 28 years to you and me) moderate Republican Congressman Bill Thomas of Bakersfield has formally announced that he is retiring from the United States House of Representatives at the end of this year. Thomas is a high-ranking member of the House, this year finishing up his third term (sixth year) as Chairman of the power Ways & Means Committee.

I’ve obviously made no bones in my past writings about Thomas that I think he has been a poor member of Congress. At a time when we have seen federal spending rise 33% since the GOP liberated Congress from the Democrats in the 1994 "Contract with America" elections that propelled Newt Gingrich into the Speaker’s chair, Bill Thomas has symbolized, to me, our spending problems.

Well, with Thomas’ announcement, I am sure that much will be written about him (I will… Read More