by Brian Leubitz [courtesy of Calitics - Front Page]

Over the flip you will find the full text of the Governor's State of the State.  Hat tip to Capitol Alert. Very shortly, the Governor's site will have video.  Also, over the flip you will find the Democratic response. I think that will be up on Cal Channel soon as well.

So, flip it.

by Brian Leubitz [courtesy of Calitics - Front Page]

It's now time to re-coronate the Gav. With Chris Daly  out and Matt Gonzalez not so much interested, and well, the entire laundry list of other serious contenders out of the mix, meet your new Mayor. The filing deadline of 5PM this afternoon seems to have gone by without a peep.

Ladies and Gentlemen of San Francisco...Gavin Newsom.  Oh well, at least we have three more years of Daly v. Newsom fights.

[courtesy of The California Majority Report]

If someone were to dream up a scenario where Republicans could be more irrelevant in California, could it possibly be any more clever than what legislative Republicans and their party apparatus are doing right now themselves?
 
Hiring immigrants for top positions. Refusing to let independents vote in their primary. A  plan to cut the budget that likely includes education cuts. Stiff-arming the governor of their own party, arguably the most popular in recent history.
 
As one commenter noted on New West Notes yesterday: "At the next Republican caucus, I expect all these guys to pile-out of a little clown car."
 
Ladies and gentlemen, it doesn't get any better for Democrats than this. Catering to the uber-right, legislative Republicans have boxed themselves into a corner that insures they will be the minority party for years to come.
 
Everyone knows the fastest-growing voter block in California voters are independents (DTS). So why are Republicans going out of their way to throw them to our side?