In case you missed it, the Sacramento Bee turned 150 on Saturday. The first edition, published February 3, 1857, marked a transition from the prior paper, the California American. In that first SacBee, founder James McClatchy wrote this gem:

They (the "conductors" of both papers) have too long seen the evils which have crept into all the party organizations of this State, not to feel fully aware of the dignity and the power of an independent position. In the Democratic party they have seen, too often, bad men supremely dominant, and using the party as an instrument for executing the most selfish of purposes, regardless of the honor of the State or the happiness of the people. They have seen the American organizations crushed beneath the weight of corruption which it was compelled to bear, in the persons of men who thrust themselves forward as the friends of reform, when they were in fact the most loathesome moral and political lepers, that ever tainted the atmosphere of the world with their presence. They have seen all parties more or less cursed with the influence… Read More

I’m on the fly right now — but two quick updates for FR readers. In the donnybrook for CRP Vice Chairman, candidate Jalene Forbis has DROPPED OUT, and she has told CRP members that she is backing rival Tom Bordonaro for Vice Chairman…

In the race for the Orange County Board of Supervisors 1st District, the victor appears to be Trung Nguyen who has a SEVEN vote lead over Janet Nguyen, based on the unofficial tally after the absentee and provisional ballots have been counted. Can you say, "Recount?"

We may hear more about what Janet Nguyen’s campaign is up to when FR blogger Adam Probolsky gets to a computer – he is part of Janet’s political kitchen cabinet…… Read More

No matter how the impending recount comes out in the final results of the Orange County special election to succeed Democrat Lou Correa on the Board of Supervisors, the winner is more than just Republican candidate Trung Nguyen, it is also Assemblyman Van Tran, who threw his formidable Orange County organization behind Trung to win this important victory for the Republican party. Van Tran has now demonstrated his very formidable clout in southern California politics. The odds were steep: Santa Ana Councilman Carlos Bustamante had the early support of key members of the prestigious Orange County Lincoln Club, and as predicted in this column many weeks in advance, the Lincoln Club endorsed Bustamante. ButBustamante finished a disappointing and distant 4th place in the race, with just a little over 16% of the vote. Democrat Tom Umberg was in the money, finishing third, and Garden Grove Councilmember Janet Nguyen is currently second but neck-and-neck with Trung. Janet had the advantage of the very capable Dave Gilliard as her consultant.

Whichever Nguyen is the ultimate elected official in this race, Van Tran has proven himself to be alocalpolitical power to… Read More

It has been a long standing tradition of this column, going back to 2001, to publish the "Winners and Losers of the CRP Convention" column the week after the California Republican Party Convention. If you are going to be going to the convention, this is a reminder that as a FR reader, you can make your own suggestions on who should be recognized with high (or low) honors.

There are two ways to make suggestions — the first is to simply send in e-mail to me, or send an anonymous tip (the link is above to the right). The other is to let me, or any of the other FR bloggers that you see at the convention, know of your suggestions.

I will be conferring with my colleagues before publishing the column!

So, keep an eye out! Remember that there is a lot that happens at these events, and more eyes and ears help us to identify more notable ‘people and events’ at the convention… Read More

When my husband and I were talking about Mayor Gavin Newsom’s public relations problems the other day, I told him that I would not be surprised if he announced a drinking or drug problem as an excuse for his, as Newsom puts it, “personal lapse of judgment.” Surprise, surprise, the mayor announced yesterday afternoon that he has a drinking problem and will seek counseling through the Delancey Street program.

That should play nicely in San Francisco where Delancey Street is a deservedly popular non-profit program. But unless they’ve radically changed their program in the past few years, Delancey Street is a live-in rehabilitation program for people coming out of prison. They go cold… Read More

So you haven’t had a chance to meet Nathan Fletcher in person? Now you can "meet him" by watching this video! Of course, you can find out more about his campaign on his website. Today, Nathan will announce his candidacy for State Assembly in AD 75 (Plescia). … Read More

This just in…

The California Republican National Hispanic Assembly endorsed Jon Fleischman for California Republican Party Vice Chairman South.

They join the overwhelming majority of GOP legislators from the region and hundreds of big donor and party activist in supporting Jon’s campaign for CRP office.

The press release from the Republican National Hispanic Assembly didn’t cite any specific reason for their support for Jon but I assume like most of Jon’s supporters they appreciate how well versed he is on the issues that affect our party and that he is so willing to speak out for what is right and good. Jon’s supporters most appreciate his ideological passion.… Read More

For those who couldn’t attend but were interested in what was said at the UC Berkeley’s Institute of Governmental Studies seminar, "The 2006 Governor’s Race: An Inside View" can watch the two-day seminar on a web cast here. The web cast is divided into segments–Schwarzenegger, Angelides and Westly teams. Those who are interested in learning more about how the governor’s political staff thinks should watch the Schwarzenegger segment, "Laying the Groundwork." The team talks candidly about how they helped the governor shift from the 2005 special election loss to the 2006 gubernatorial win. … Read More