[courtesy of The California Majority Report]

Earlier this week, we brought you the state's leading editorial endorsements. Today, we'll take a look at endorsements from California's Constitutional officers, Congressional delegation, Assembly, and State Senate. We've included Edwards' endorsements, even though he is no longer in the race. If and when his endorsements migrate elsewhere, we will update the list accordingly. Please feel free to leave a comment if there is an error or update.

Senator Hillary Clinton:

Sen. Dianne Feinstein
Lt. Governor John Garamendi
Treasurer Bill Lockyer
Controller John Chiang
State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O’Connell ...

Senator Barack Obama:

Rep. Xavier Becerra
Rep. Barbara Lee
Rep. Zoe Lofgren
Rep. George Miller
Rep. Linda Sanchez ...

Undeclared Support:

Sen. Barbara Boxer
Secretary of State Debra Bowen
Attorney General Jerry Brown
Sen. Ellen Corbett
Sen. Lou Correa ...

Complete lists over the flip...

by Brian Leubitz [courtesy of Calitics - Front Page]

[courtesy of The California Majority Report]

Two heavy hitters from California's Democratic Congressional delegation weighed in with endorsements on Monday.Congressman Mike Thompson, who represents a swath of northern California from the North Coast down through Napa, threw his backing to Sen. Hillary Clinton. "I have worked with Senator Clinton since she was First Lady and she has always shown herself to be an intelligent, hard-working, and compassionate public servant who really cares about the people of our country," said  Thompson. "Her lifetime of experience, including her most recent work in the United States Senate, has given her a deep understanding of issues critical to rural communities like those throughout our district -- including the difficulty in accessing quality healthcare and the challenges and benefits of sustainable agriculture."In Silicon Valley, Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren, a close ally of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, backed Sen. Obama. "This year, above all, we need inspiration," said Lofgren. "We need a candidate and president who will summon us to unity, who will allow us to believe that America is a country whose ideals and principles matter and a country whose exceptional history can once again serve as a beacon of hope for the world."

[courtesy of The California Majority Report]

Federal investigatorsare considering criminal charges against the crew members of thefateful ship that caused last week's oil spill. The NationalTransportation Safety Board's investigation could take up to a year.

Two Californian representatives acknowledgethat legalizing the country's illegal immigrants will have to wait.Rep. Howard Berman (D-Van Nuys) and Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-San Jose), thechairwoman of the House Judiciary subcommittee on immigration, say thatmajor reform is impossible until after the presidential election.

Rival groupsare gearing up for a major campaign on gay rights and same-sexmarriage. Proponents are spending millions on a TV ads promotingmarriage equality, while religious conservatives aim to overturnSB-777, which protects students against discrimination by faculty.Incidentally, the latter are the only ones who think that the law will ban theuse of the words "mom and dad" and lead to bathroom peeping.

There's more... 

Image courtesy of Sacbee.com

[courtesy of The California Majority Report]

Despite a razor-thing margin in both the Senate and House, the new Democratic Congress is beginning to deliver for California. Aside from our delegation now controlling chairmanships and working the ever-so-slow appropriations process to send more of our tax dollars our way, there are a number of areas where the flip to a Democratic Congress is making a difference. Here are a few examples, including a few samples of increased appropriations (Please note, however, that many of the bills are stil working their way through each house.)
 
State Criminal Alien Assistance Program (SCAAP) Appropriations -- In the House, Rep. Zoe Lofgren successfully added $55 million to the SCAAP appropriation reported out of committee, raising the appropriation from $405 million to $460 million. This is an improvement over the FY 2007 appropriations that provided $401 million for SCAAP. Republican Preisdent Bush allocated zero dollars for the program in his proposed budget. California receives about 40 percent of the total SCAAP appropriation, so an increase in the program specifically benefits California.

by Bob Brigham [courtesy of Calitics - Front Page]

I'm guessing that at tonight's Calitics' Actblue Celebrations there will be a lot of discussion about the votes to condemn MoveOn. The CA delegation split 50-50 in the senate and 16 yea and 17 nay in the house -- wedged successfully by the GOP in half. After the flip is the scorecard.

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

Not wanting to miss out on the growing uproar over the Dirty Tricks Initiative plan, The Hill breaks down the plans of California's Congressional Delegation to get involved.  Representative Darrell Issa sounded less than enthusiastic about members of the Republican delegation getting involved, saying "We barely mention them until they qualify...Usually they're just talked about to get us to spend money."

Democrats on the other hand sound ready to battle.  Rep. Waxman leads off:

"We'll all be part of an effort to fight it," Rep. Henry Waxman said of his fellow California Democrats. "We've been successful in beating back efforts in the past."

And then Rep. Lofgren starts talking strategy:

Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.), the chairwoman of the state's Democratic delegation, estimated that all California Democrats in Congress "are going to oppose it."

She emphasized that the campaign is a long way away but said Democrats are taking the effort very seriously and plan to let their constituents know about its true intent: helping Republicans elect the next president.

On the flip, analysis and a Republican acknowledges reality, even in passing.