[courtesy of The California Majority Report]

We're not surprised to hear that the Club for Growth is pulling levers for favorite son Tom McClintock inhis carpet-bagging bid for California's Fourth Congressional District.The Sacramento Bee reports that the club's latest ad calls McClintockopponent Doug Ose, who spent three previous terms in Congress,a—gasp—liberal. We haven't heard that one before.

In an editorial endorsement, the Bee also gives the nod to Ose for the Republican nomination, and of the two, he is clearly the one we could live with, althoughDemocrat Charlie Brown would be a much better choice than either ofthem. Ose, despite his terrible record on taxes and the war, at leastunderstands the need to be practical.

Vallejo's unprecedented decision to declare bankruptcy would set a precedent for other municipalities looking to unload their responsibilities to public employee unions, theSan Francisco Chronicle reports. This is unfortunate. If a city doesn'tfeel it has the resources to commit to COLA or other increases, thatneeds to come up at the bargaining table, not in a Chapter 9 filing.

There's more... 

by David Dayen [courtesy of Calitics - Front Page]

? CA-03: Bill Durston may be unopposed in the June 3 primary, but he's running very hard and trying to pick up as many decline-to-state voters as possible.  He's actually running a GOTV operation.  The gambit here is to prove to donors and the political establishment that CA-03 is competitive.  I also think it makes sense just as practice for the general and for name recognition.

? CA-04: The Club for Growth, whose record this year in primaries is actually a little mixed, has released an ad attacking Doug Ose in his race against Tom McClintock.  There's plenty of outside money on both sides in this one.

? CA-42: Communications Workers of America, Southern California Council has endorsed Ron Shepston.  It's somewhat notable considering that Ed Chau got the Cal Labor Fed endorsement.

Anything else you're hearing, please put it in the comments.  This is an open-source elections thread.

by David Dayen [courtesy of Calitics - Front Page]

Now Doug Ose is alleging illegal coordination between Tom McClintock and a 501(c)(4) group headed by poster boy for Republican losers in the state:

A California-based group and other local officials filed a Federal Election Commission (FEC) complaint Monday regarding the alleged ties between an ex-aide to Rep. Richard Pombo (R-Calif.) and state Sen. Tom McClintock (R).

McClintock and former Rep. Doug Ose (R-Calif.) are in a bitter primary battle to face off against Democrat Charlie Brown this fall for retiring Rep. John Doolittle's (R-Calif.) seat.

At issue is the role of Steve Ding - an ex-McClintock consultant and former chief of staff for Pombo - and The Partnership for America, a 501(c)4 advocacy group headed by Pombo.

McClatchy recently reported that Pombo's group is organizing a $660,000 independent campaign in the 4th congressional district.

Whoever comes out of the primary is going to be tainted by multiple smears, and flat broke.  McClintock and Ose are both willing to risk that because they think the 4th District is automatically Republican, and they're underestimating the strength of Charlie Brown.

At their peril.

You can read on for McClintock's ties to Pombo and various Indian gaming groups.

[courtesy of The California Majority Report]

The Sacramento Bee reports that legislators have no fundraising limit for ballot measures, allowing them to skirt a 2000 law limiting campaign contributions."Politicians have used the funds for everything from TV ads featuringthemselves to family Christmas cards to leverage in policy negotiationswith well-heeled special interests."

Peter Stahl reminds us all why Proposition 98 is a bad idea in today's California Progress Report. In contrast, Proposition 99 limits eminent domain without destroying rent control.

The race to replace Rep. John Doolittle is getting ugly, saysthe San Francisco Chronicle. Former Rep. Doug Ose is painting hisopponent Senator Tom McClintock as a carpetbagger, while McClintock forhis part is calling Ose "a Republican that votes like a liberalDemocrat." Grab your popcorn.

There's more...

Image courtesy Sacbee.com 

[courtesy of The California Majority Report]

The battle between proponents of two competing property rights measures inCalifornia is already underway, with both sides getting ready to hitthe airwaves, the Los Angeles Times reports. One measure, Proposition99, is a common-sense initiative that would give basic protectionsagainst the seizing of homes. The alternative, Proposition 98, wouldundermine local government at every level, not to mention eliminaterent control.

Doug Ose (above) is ripping away at arch-right-winger Tom McClintock's reputation for fiscal conservatism with a new ad that slams the State Senator for taking a per diemdespite not living in his home district in Thousand Oaks, according tothe Sacramento Bee. Ose is by far the more moderate of two running inthis Northern California district, but we're still rooting for DemocratCharlie Brown.

John Doolittle's soon-to-be former Congressional district isn't theonly place where Republicans are beating each other up. Down inaffluent Southern California, Assemlymember Mimi "I always vote no"Walters is fending off what ought to be just a nuisance challenge fromAnaheim Councilmember Harry Sidhu. Walters' website says she exhibits "Orange County" values, but given what we have seen of the OC on TV, is that really a good thing?

There's more... 

[courtesy of The California Majority Report]

Today, thousands of Californians young and old are packing unionshalls, senior centers, churches and schools around the state to selectdelegates to the Democratic National Convention in Denver, and the number of candidates is unprecedented, theSan Francisco Chronicle reports. For instance, in Barbara Lee's EastBay Congressional district, 101 people are vying for four delegateslots for Barack Obama.

Balancing the budget is hard, as this Sacramento Bee article pointsout, and sometimes the kind of non-partisan solutions offered  byLegislative Analyst Liz Hill are ignored. The balance becomes harderwhen Republicans insist on calling every proposed tax increase "stifling."

For more on Republican budget hypocrisy, check out this Calitics piece, which breaks down what exactly the GOP means by "economic growth."

by Julia Rosen [courtesy of Calitics - Front Page]