From the Capitol Morning Report today (subscribe here):
Jason Kinney of California Strategies reports plans to launch a political website and blog for Democrats called The California Majority Report. The tag line on Kinney’s announcement reads, "THE political website for California Democrats who don’t play politics – they live it." It’s being published by three insiders of the former Gov. Gray Davis administration: Kinney, a former speechwriter; Steve Maviglio, Davis’ press secretary who is now Speaker Fabian Nunez’s deputy chief of staff on leave to help the Democrats’ gubernatorial efforts; and Roger Salazar, of Acosta Salazar public affairs who was also in Davis’ press shop. Davis himself is listed as a special guest at the site’s launch party Tuesday in Mason’s at The Park Downtown. The site is schedule to open at midnight Aug. 23 at www.camajorityreport.com. While Kinney’s announcement doesn’t describe the site, it’s safe to assume it will serve as a counterpoint to Jon Fleischman’s popular FlashReport, a collection of news stories with editorials by prominent Republicans and political observers. Fleischman, who has publicly encouraged Democrats to start a blog, said, "I’m excited for them. I’m very excited about having a free exchange of ideas." Fleischman’s not only is excited but has shared with his Democratic counterparts some tips on what has worked at his site and what hasn’t. "They’re putting together a good product," he said. Kinney’s announcement lists as site editors Lily Ho, formerly with the New America Foundation and currently a project manager for Barbary Coast Consulting in San Francisco; Donald Lathbury, an intern in Nunez’s office who is deputy editor in chief of UC Berkeley’s Berkeley Political Review magazine; and Donald Ruff, a Sacramento attorney who is the son of Davis’ former deputy legislative secretary Ann Richardson. Listed as contributors to the blog are: Andrew Acosta, Jude Barry, David Binder, Bart Broome, Bill Carrick, Alex Clemens, David Dixon, Dario Frommer, Larry Grisolano, Paul Hefner, Eric Jaye, Gale Kaufman, Sam Lauter, Chris Lehane, Katie Merrill, Andre Pineda, Dave Rand, John Shallman, Ace Smith, Steve Smith, Darry Sragow, Crystal Strait, Ben Tulchin, Cristina Uribe, and John Whitehurst.
