finance

CA-03: Lungren & PB & J

October 17, 2011 by Calitics

by Brian Leubitz

House Majority PAC isn't necessarily a household name, but as one of the so-called "Super PACs" it will play a big role in the 2012 elections.  And in one of their first major ad buys, they are looking at our very own CA-03.  The new district is decidedly different than Lungren's old district, and Ami Bera continues to do well in the fundraising race.

Both Bera and Lungren reported large fundraising hauls in campaign finance filings due over the weekend. Lungren reported raising $596,228, closing the period that ended Sept. 30 with $421,888 in the bank. Bera raised $860,159, leaving him with $707,760 cash on hand. The Elk Grove doctor also reported about $250,000 in campaign debt, mostly from personal loans from 2010 his campaign has said he does not intend to get back. (SacBee)

Bera underperformed slightly in 2010 for the California race.

CGS closes its doors

October 14, 2011 by Calitics

By Brian Leubitz

Hey, the economy sucks, and all sorts of businesses are going under, and that is certainly true in the non-for-profit good government area.  The Center for Governmental Studies has been around for about theory years, but that doesn't mean it isn't vulnerable to the same economic forces as the rest of us.

The nonprofit Center for Governmental Studies in Los Angeles is shutting down after 28 years of researching and recommending improvements to political and government processes in California and other states.

Over the years, the center has helped develop reforms of campaign finance laws, state budgeting, ballot measures and higher education, often advising local and state agencies on improvements. (LA Times)

I certainly had my differences with CGS, but they were a valuable resource on any number of government reform issues. As many of the California government nerds said on Twitter last night, we are better off with more people watching our government.

Governor Brown vetoes another pro-transit bill

September 28, 2011 by Calitics

(Cross-posted from Groundswell, the California League of Conservation Voters blog.)

Every day for the past couple of weeks I've been checking Governor Brown's website to see if he's taken action on California League of Conservation Voters (CLCV) and Green California's priority legislation. I've also been following press stories closely to look for hints on whether he's going to sign or veto particular bills. And most days, not much happens. On Monday though, Brown posted an update on bill signings and vetoes. I had almost reached the end of the list, thinking he again hadn't acted on any of our priority bills, when I saw something very sad - our governor had vetoed AB 650 (Blumenfield), which would have established a task force to find solutions to California's transit funding crisis.

AZ Congressman Raúl Grijalva Endorses Eric Griego for Congress in NM-1

September 28, 2011 by Democracy for N...

In an email to Griego's supporters today, 5-term Democratic Congressman Raúl Grijalva (AZ-7) announced his endorsement of Eric Griego for Congress in New Mexico's First District. Rep. Grijalva Co-Chairs the Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC) and serves as Chair of the Education Task Force of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC). He also is a Vice Chair of the House LGBT Equality Caucus and Co-Chairs the Congressional National Landscape Conservation System Caucus.