Rep. Loretta Sanchez wasn’t worried a few months ago when she found out that Tan Nguyen was the GOP nominee in her 47th Congressional District. Sanchez, the lone Democrat in Congress representing Orange County still had a double digit lead in registration and a strong following.

Flash forward to last week when a letter was sent to Latino voters telling them that immigrants can’t vote and that it is a crime if they do. Here is the latest article on the mess. Although Nguyen denies any connection to the letter it is assumed that he not only knew about it but even played a role in it mailing.

The whole debacle is no surprise to many of us who never understood Tan’s strategy (which included never hiring a consultant despite spending hundreds of thousands in personal money on the campaign). Tan was a Democrat until he had to re-register to run against Loretta. In fact, Tan ran as a DEMOCRAT against Rep. Dana Rohrabacher IN 2004!

It is my nature to find humor in almost any situation and Tan provides…

Here is the actual text of a mail piece… Read More

Tom McClintock and John Garamendi went head-to-head for the second time in a one-hour debate before the San Francisco Chronicle Editorial Board on Monday. The debate was filmed at KPIX-TV. (Watch it here.)

Executive Life, the Enron-type scandal that has haunted John Garamendi for more than 15 years, triggered a lively discussion between McClintock and Garamendi in the final 10 minutes of the debate. It’s really worth watching… Emmy award-winning political reporter Hank Plante asked the last question of the candidates, and it was about the Executive Life commercials that have been running statewide featuring Sue and Vice Watson.

[See Hank Plante’s video story on the debate… Read More

I just broke this story on Red County/OC Blog.

Otto Bade, who was the GOP nominee in the 69th Assembly District in 2004, has qualified as a write-in candidate in the 34th Senate District. The Secretary of State should certify him in the next day or two.

Since Otto has a snowball’s chance in hell of actually winning, the only impact he can possibly have is to hurt Lynn Daucher’s campaign.

So why is he doing this? Is it purely retaliation against Lynn Daucher — and by extension Dick Ackerman — for their lack of support for his doomed 2004 campaign? Or are extra-party factors involved?

Stay tuned…… Read More

Tom McClintock and John Garamendi went head-to-head for the second time in a one-hour debate before the San Francisco Chronicle Editorial Board on Monday. The debate was filmed at KPIX-TV. (Watch it here.)

Executive Life, the Enron-type scandal that has haunted John Garamendi for more than 15 years, triggered a lively discussion between McClintock and Garamendi in the final 10 minutes of the debate. It’s really worth watching… Emmy award-winning political reporter Hank Plante asked the last question of the candidates, and it was about the Executive Life commercials that have been running statewide featuring Sue and Vice Watson.

[See Hank Plante’s video story on the debate… Read More

The California Target Book today came out with one of their invaluable wrap-ups of who’s been spending what in the different legislative races.

For instance, the Indians have been doing lots of polling, mail and tv – while the Bay Meadows Land Company has gone to bat for two Dems in the Central Valley, but have done so more with lawn signs and radio buys.

I’m not judging, but with $300,000, I just think an IE committee can do better than lawn signs.

Most interesting, and I’m not kidding here, the ‘Legislative Black Coalition Committee’ has dropped $46,140 against Shirley Horton on ‘potholders production, postage, and distribution.’

Again, I’m not making this up. Nearly $50 grand. On potholders!

I could try to finish this post with some short little quip about what a waste of money this is, or how they just bought themselves Horton’s re-election… But really, it’s potholders. They wrote the punchline for me.… Read More

On the November Ballot, California voters are going to have a chance to make a loud statement about spending. On the ballot are nine different ballot measures that together would increase government spending in the Golden State by epic proportions. Today we are featuring the FlashReport’s 2006 General Election Ballot Proposition Voter Guide where we have tapped Board of Equalization Member Bill Leonard (pictured to the right) to assist us in walking FR readers through our recommendations for the November ballot measures. Of course, we strongly recommend casting nine strong NO votes against the NINE SPENDING MEASURES on the ballot — Propositions 1B, 1C, 1D, 1E, 84, 86, 87, 88, and 89. If these measures are all rejected by California voters, and we send a strong team of Republicans, including Arnold Schwarzenegger and Tom… Read More

On the November Ballot, California voters are going to have a chance to make a loud statement about spending. On the ballot are nine different ballot measures that together would increase government spending in the Golden State by epic proportions. Today we are featuring the FlashReport’s 2006 General Election Ballot Proposition Voter Guide where we have tapped Board of Equalization Member Bill Leonard (pictured to the right) to assist us in walking FR readers through our recommendations for the November ballot measures. Of course, we strongly recommend casting nine strong NO votes against the NINE SPENDING MEASURES on the ballot — Propositions 1B, 1C, 1D, 1E, 84, 86, 87, 88, and 89.

**There is more – click the link**… Read More

From today’s Wall Street Journal Political Diary E-mail:

‘I’m Barely a Lawyer’ Is Jerry Brown’s Popular Boast

Ever since he was governor of California in the 1970s, Jerry Brown has focused on the very big picture, earning himself the nickname "Governor Moonbeam." As mayor of Oakland in the 1990s, he did come down to earth and record some progress on crime and development issues, but still he was never known as a detail guy.

Now he faces an embarrassing lawsuit in his current race to become California’s attorney general. One of the requirements of the office is that anyone seeking it must be a lawyer… Read More