by lindasutton [courtesy of Calitics - Front Page]

OPEN LETTER CONCERNING OUR CALIFORNIA CONGRESSIONAL REPRESENTATIVES:  

Joe Baca (CD-43), Brian Bilbray (CD-50), Jane Harman (CD-36), Devin Nunes (CD-21), Dana Rohrabacher (CD-46), Loretta Sanchez (CD-47), Henry Waxman (CD-30), John Campbell (CD-48), Jim Costa (CD-20), David Dreier (CD-26), Darrell Issa (CD-49), Gary Miller (CD-42), George Radanovich (CD-19), Edward Royce (CA-40), Adam Schiff (CD-29), Brad Sherman (CD-27), Mike Thompson (CD-1)

It was with great disappointment that we learned that these California Congressional Representatives have chosen to co-sponsor the bill that could take our country into yet another war-- H.Con. Res. 362 increasing sanctions against Iran (complete text below).

by DFA Staff [courtesy of Blog for America]

The question is: what took him so long?

McClatchy reports on Conservative Republican Rep. Devin Nunes' decision to vote for a global AIDS relief package:

Conservative U.S. Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Calif., joined some of his most liberal colleagues in the House of Representative on a recent trip to Africa. What he saw there changed him, at least a little.

Struck by the unrelenting poverty in a South African slum, Nunes this week joined Democrats in supporting a $50 billion global AIDS relief package. Most of his fellow Republicans opposed the bill

While it is nice that Rep. Nunes did not side with his craven and cold-hearted Republican colleagues, I have to wonder why it took a trip to Africa for this guy to do the right thing.  Can he only contemplate suffering when he sees it up close and personal? 

For the past thirty years, AIDS has been a worldwide health care crisis and African poverty has been a problem for far longer than that.  Where has Rep. Nunes been during this time?  Has he never read an article or seen a news report on the devastating effects of AIDS and poverty?  Has he never had a constituent who was diagnosed with HIV/AIDS?  Is there no poverty in his district?

I do not like patting people on the back for doing the right thing, so, I will just say this to Rep. Nunes: welcome to the human race, my friend.

[courtesy of California Progress Report]

By Paul Hefner

Responding to recall petitions signed by more than 60,000 voters, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has formally set the date of the Jeff Denham recall for June 3.

Let’s get something straight about politics and California’s budget: it was Republicans who made voting on the budget a career-ender.

In 2001, the last time a significant number of Republicans broke ranks and voted with Democrats to pass the budget, they were targeted at turncoats and run out of town:

Remember Mike Briggs?

Threatened with a primary challenge, Briggs didn’t seek a third term in the Assembly for his Fresno-area seat. He lost a Congressional primary for the seat now held by Rep. Devin Nunes.

Remember Anthony Pescetti?

The Sacramento Bee famously portrayed him as a prostitute on the stroll following his budget vote. With Republicans promising to challenge him in the primary, he too chose not to run for a third term.

Remember Dick Dickerson?

Then Senate Minority Leader Jim Brulte took special pains to carve Dickerson out of the 2001 redistricting following his budget vote. It worked. Dickerson lost his bid for a Senate seat.

[courtesy of California Progress Report]

By David Dayen
d-day

Congressional Democrats are now trying to move legislation that would overturn the EPA's anti-scientific decision which denied California a waiver to regulate their own tailpipe emissions. Arnold Schwarzenegger is suing the EPA. It seems that the only group of people who aren't on board with this policy are Republican members of Congress:

“Most GOP members of the state's congressional delegation are siding with the Bush administration in trying to keep states from imposing stricter regulations on greenhouse gas emissions than the federal government. Without bipartisan support from the state's representatives, the bill's proponents say, the measure's prospects are dim.

"I don't support California thinking that it can act alone effectively," said Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Vista), noting that climate change is a problem that extends beyond state lines.

by David Dayen [courtesy of Calitics - Front Page]

by Lucas O'Connor [courtesy of Calitics - Front Page]

Turnout from Tuesday's primary by party.  Every district with a Republican leaning PVI plus Barbara Lee just for fun and comparison's sake. Of the Republican leaning districts, Dem turnout was higher in 8 and close in several others.  Might be an interesting November. Just sayin.

Numbers on the flip.
CA-02; R+13

Wally Herger (R)

R 80,090

D 70,563

CA-03; R+7

Dan Lungren (R)

R 70,544

D 80,070

CA-04; R+11

Open (R)

R 107,757

D 89,717

CA-09; D+38

Barbara Lee (D)

R 13,384

D 124,070

CA-11; R+3

Jerry McNerney (D)

R 69,766

D 81,650

CA-19; R+10

George Radanovich (R)

R 63,766

D 62,331

CA-21; R+13

Devin Nunes (R)

R 51,272

D 44,053

CA-22; R+16

Kevin McCarthy (R)

R 86,234

D 61,123

CA-24; R+5

Elton Gallegly (R)

R 78,422

D 82,293

CA-25; R+7

Buck McKeon (R)

R 60,837

D 64,048

CA-26; R+4

David Dreier (R)

R 73,144

D 74,934

CA-40; R+8

Ed Royce (R)

R 66,027

D 59,372

CA-41; R+9

Jerry Lewis (R)

R 68,055

D 59,833

CA-42; R+10

Gary Miller (R)

R 79,622

D 63,182

CA-44; R+6

Ken Calvert (R)

R 57,083

D 57,317

CA-45; R+3

Mary Bono (R)

R 53,635

D 59,067

CA-46; R+6

Dana Rohrabacher (R)

R 81,427

D 74,084

CA-48; R+8

by David Dayen [courtesy of Calitics - Front Page]