Don Perata has no ability to end the recall, mind you, but in his mind he's done it.
First off, let's say that I'm happy to have been on the right side of Prop. 93, the outcome of which will send Don Perata into the sunset. What a laughable bit of incompetence this is.
Let's start with the fact that he doesn't get to say what's on the ballot and what's not. The authoritarian style of "what I say goes" is the only thing that would've doomed this otherwise perfectly justifiable recall of a legislator who forgot his district and went along with an obstructionist GOP that is harming the state to a severe degree. A real Senate leader would have broadened the race into a referendum on state Republicans and would have done very well. You either do something like this full-speed or you never start it in the first place. This half-step just furthers the narrative of Democratic weakness.
Combined with the stab in the back on SD-15, where Perata demanded that nobody contest Abel Maldonado in another winnable seat, the Senate Pro Tem has assured that there is no way we reach a 2/3 majority in 2008. It's still possible by 2010, but this is a wave election, a realignment year and we're waving the white flag in two prime Senate races. That's just stupid politics. I appreciate the need to speed along the budget; the state is broke. But this recall is over by June 3, and it's not like everything's going to be wrapped up by then. And the stupidest part is that Perata RECOGNIZES that the threat of the recall was helping provide leverage for the Republicans.
In a statement, Perata credited the recall for recent legislation that passed out of the Senate:
"The vote we couldn't get last year to close the tax loophole for yacht owners -- we got that vote," he said. "The vote we couldn't get to help homeowners facing foreclosure - we got that vote. You put everyone here on notice -- and I don't think people are going to forget that anytime soon."
No, you now let everyone off the hook because you've proven you can be bullied by a Republican hissy fit and tut-tuts from the conventional wisdom crowd in the media. No Republican will EVER take a Democratic threat seriously in the near future, crippling the leadership of Darrell Steinberg. And all the leverage on getting legislation passed in the Senate just ended.
Great friggin' job, Don. If you want to just go ahead and quit now and let any stray cat from Berkeley finish out your term, that'd be just fine with me.
...the thought has crossed my mind that Perata is just taking his name and aura off the recall because it'd be easier to pass without him, but if any organization associated with him donated a dime there'd be an even bigger hissy fit cry of "hypocrite," so his dropping the recall really signals a drop of any financial infusion, and I'm not seeing how Simon Salinas or the Dump Denham group will raise the necessary funds (especially considering that Denham is not restricted by any fundraising limits in a recall).
The intellectual inconsistencies are impossible to miss in this story on the Denham recall. It'd be a lot more effective to cry and whine about a power grab and unfair tactics, for example, if you DON'T tip off that you're planning on doing it yourself.
Jon Fleischman, vice chairman of the California Republican Party, said Perata was misusing the recall process, which is meant to boot people from office for serious misconduct. Fleischman and other activists in Orange County said that if the Denham recall succeeds, a similar campaign might be launched against Lou Correa, a Democratic state senator from Santa Ana.
Actually, the right answer is to reform the recall process, not to vow to "misuse" it again, if you want to remain on the intellectual and moral high ground.
But that's not surprising, of course, since the same people whining about the recall today are the ones who benefited from it in 2003.
Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who supported the budget Denham refused to vote for and even traveled at the time to Denham's district to pressure him, has disparaged the recall that's on the June 3 ballot.
"Obviously, it is political," Schwarzenegger said when asked about the effort at a recent Sacramento news conference, adding that the budget vote as "a reason for recall I think is ludicrous."
Riiiight, because Gray Davis wasn't recalled because of a budget deficit.
Like Fleischman, Denham says Perata was abusing the recall process, which is meant to remove from office people who act illegally. But backers of the recall effort note that Denham contributed $17,000 in 2003 to the Republican-led effort to recall Gov. Gray Davis, who was under criticism for the budget mess but had not been accused of criminal conduct.
It's just so hard to keep things straight, and figure out which are the RIGHT recalls and which are the WRONG ones. So good that we have honest brokers like Jon Fleischman and Jeff Denham to set us straight.
It's also a bad thing, we're told, that people in Sacramento and abroad are telling the good people of the 12th District what to do. Good thing there's none of that happening among Denham supporters:
Denham has raised $1.1 million to fight the recall. Major contributions include $50,000 from the Los Angeles Casinos Political Action Committee and $25,000 from the Pechanga Band of Mission Indians, which has a casino in Temecula.
Most of the members of the Los Angeles Casinos PAC, we all know, live in Stanislaus County.
Yesterday I noted that even Dan Walters was coming around on budget solutions that addressed the revenue problem. Today there's news that Republicans in the State Senate crossed party lines to pass a mortgage relief bill.
SB 1137 would give notice to property residents that the foreclosure process has begun, provide tenants additional time to move from a foreclosed property, and mandate maintenance of foreclosed properties to diminish the impact on the value of neighboring homes.
A previous version of this bill, SB 926, failed on the Senate floor in January when it fell one vote short of passage and faced opposition from the financial services industry. Since then, Senator Perata has addressed industry concerns and produced a more workable bill that has broad support and no known opposition.
One of those Senator who voted for the bill? Senator Scared as a Chicken in a Fox Cage Jeff Denham. He actually spoke on the Senate floor in favor of the bill. That's no accident: two of the worst-hit counties in terms of foreclosures are in his district (Stanislaus and Merced). Cox, Maldonado and Wyland joined the majority as well. The final vote was 28-10.
This is a compromise bill, to be sure (only loans from January 1, 2003 and December 31, 2007 are included), but would provide more transparency and the ability for homeowners to get help before foreclosure, as well as increased notification for renters whose property heads into foreclosure, which is an increasing problem.
What's notable here is the Republican support, which suggests that they're starting to feel pressure on issues like the mortgage crisis from their constituents. The old saw in California politics is that these Republicans are so gerrymandered into their seats that they can't be moved by public outcry. I'm not sure that's true anymore, and it's something to be recognized as we head into the budget fight.
As for Denham, I think he's got a bigger problem with his racist campaign manager, but clearly he's trying to radically backtrack his Senate history and come off as a nice moderate. Since this week is the deadline for bills to move from the Senate to the Assembly, we're going to see him tested on a lot of votes in the coming days.
The recall was launched against Sen. Jeff Denham for one reason only.
He refused to vote for a budget billions out of balance. But then the non-partisan Legislative Analyst proved him right, forecasting an additional $10 billion in red ink.
Local newspapers label this recall an "Abuse of the ballot box." (The Monterey County Herald 2/17/2008)
-- a "sham." (The Madera Tribune, 3/21/2008)
"Petty politics" (Hollister Freelance 2/19/2008)
And "Unjustified" (Fresno Bee 3/20/2008)
Saying this recall is "Just plain wrong." (Merced Sun-Star 2/11/2008)
The recall war is continuing to deliver drama, with Senator Denham dropping a radio ad a few days ago which implicitly suggests that he shouldn't even be eligible for recall. As Capitol Alert recounts, "The ad...says: 'When a public official is guilty of malfeasance or criminal conduct in office, the California Constitution provides for the right to recall.'"
But as Capitol alert and Don Perata's spokesman both note, that's just one reason for someone to be recalled. CapAlert was good enough to track down the applicable portion of the law, which says: "Recall of a state officer is initiated by delivering to the Secretary of State a petition alleging reason for recall. Sufficiency of reason is not reviewable."
I don't recall any conduct by Gray Davis that was either criminal or contrary to law, but I guess that could be in the eye of the beholder. You may recall (ha!) that the petitions circulated back in 2003 said in part:
[Governor Davis's actions were a] "gross mismanagement of California Finances by overspending taxpayers' money, threatening public safety by cutting funds to local governments, failing to account for the exorbitant cost of the energy, and failing in general to deal with the state's major problems until they get to the crisis stage."
Now, Senator Denham may not personally or at least exclusively be responsible for "gross mismanagement" of anything, but last I checked, our current budget crisis (which is based on the budget that Denham's obstinacy helped create) is cutting funds to local governments (which threatens local education if not safety), has failed to account for the exorbitant cost of energy, and rather obviously failed in general to deal with the state's major problems before they got to the crisis stage. So basically, the one example of a major and modern recall election fits exactly with the premise driving the Denham recall attempt. But rather than actually defend himself, Denham has decided to to whine about being picked on.
It might be that there's a reasonable case for Denham to make on this, but he sure isn't making it with this "why is everybody always picking on me?" silliness.
Simón Salinas has pulled papers to run in the Denham recall. He has until 5 p.m. tomorrow to turn in papers and signatures.
One Republican has also pulled papers, but there is a question about residency which may disqualify John Nevill, a Monterey County health care compliance officer.
I'm sure there will be a few stragglers on the ballot, but if Salinas is it that would significantly increase the chances of the recall, since Denham is not on that part of the ballot. It's an expansive district and no candidate has a power base throughout it, but between Salinas' stronghold in the Monterey County area, and the new report that Stanislaus County has turned blue, with a 5,000-vote registration shift between 2006 and today, there is obviously a lot of movement here, and if Denham continues to whine about the process than his record, his days are numbered.
[UPDATE by Robert]Hank Shaw is reporting that Anna Caballero's brief flirtation with a run has ended, clearing the field for Salinas.
Assemblywoman Anna Caballero, D-Salinas, said Thursday that she may jump into the race to replace Sen. Jeff Denham, R-Merced, if he is recalled by voters.
Caballero had indicated she wouldn't enter the race, but said she's reconsidering because of calls from Democratic activists in the San Joaquin Valley, part of the sprawling 12th Senate District.
"These are cold calls, from people that I don't know," she said.
It would be quite interesting to know who is making these calls. Caballero might well be a strong candidate - before taking her seat in the Assembly she was the Mayor of Salinas, and has a good organizing presence in the Salinas Valley. Of course, most of the district is over in the San Joaquin Valley - hence these calls.
Caballero's profile is also VERY similar to the other potential candidate, former Assemblyman Simón Salinas:
Caballero joins Monterey County Supervisor Simón Salinas as a possible candidate. Salinas again said Thursday that he is considering whether to enter the contest, which will go before voters at the time of the June 3 primary.
"Frankly, it comes down to (whether) we can get enough resources to get our message out," Salinas said. "It is such a big geographical area."
The filing deadline for candidates in the hurry-up election is 5 p.m. Saturday.
As Randy Bayne explained yesterday, Salinas was believed to already be planning a run at Denham's seat in the 2010 election - which, if successful, would let him stay in the seat until 2018. But if he took Denham's place through the recall, he'd have to step down in 2014. Caballero, on the other hand, is only in her first term in the Assembly, and could presumably return there in 2014 if she chose.
Again, the filing deadline is Saturday at 5pm, and I'll bring you updates as I get them.
[UPDATE by Dave] I just want to add right at the top so he can see it that Denham flak Kevin Spillane is a worthless hack, and his little press release he wrote about me based on a recent blog post couldn't be more distorted and wrong. The media is buying in to his stupid hissy fit, apparently unarmed with any institutional memory that goes back to 2003, that any recall election against a Republican is an abuse of power. Grow some cajones, Kevin, and defend your candidate instead of inventing a boogeyman in the most hypocritical way possible. There will be a Democratic candidate, he'll come from the Central Valley, and he'll be a damn sight better than the unthinking automaton rubber stamp Jeff Denham turned out to be. If you can't defend your candidate you'll lose. Period.
Lots of news today on the Denham recall, including Randy Bayne's pessimistic view over in the recent diaries list. And here is some more: two new ads backing the recall are going to begin airing locally, paid for by the CDP. The TV ad is called "Sleeping":
We sent Jeff Denham to Sacramento.
So how did he wind up with jet lag?
He spent thousands on travel - while the Senate was in session.
Airline tickets. Trips to Vegas. And a Sedona spa.
When he does show up, he's sleepwalking.
Denham held up the budget, hurting our schools
Denham said he wasn't taking raises - then secretly raised his pay by 20 percent.
The Fresno Bee called it "not quite honest."
Don't you deserve better?
Vote yes on the recall
A radio ad will also be aired - the copy of it, also provided by FDR, is over the flip.
Poor planning may be what ultimately spells disaster for proponents of recalling Senator Jeff Denham. They were so gung-ho about collecting enough signatures to place the recall on the ballot, they seemingly forgot part two of the plan - a candidate to replace Denham if the recall was successful.
Of two seriously mentioned candidates, Merced County DA Larry Morse and Monterey County Supervisor Simón Salinas, only Salinas remains, and he has not committed. Morse has declined to be a candidate.
As I was discussing this with someone else, I realized that a significant problem this campaign had from the start was planning for the gathering of signatures while not planning steps if the recall actually qualified. It leaves me wondering if they really thought they would get enough signatures in the first place.
They should have understood that a recall is really two questions. First, should someone be recalled. Second, who replaces him or her. Proponents seem to have focused on the first without thinking much about the second. Now they are left scrambling to meet a Friday deadline to get a candidate.
Further complicating matters is term-limits. Since Denham has already served two years his recall replacement will only get the remainder of his terms, six years, at most. Sources tell me Salinas was going to challenge Denham in 2010 anyway. He would then be eligible for the full eight years, or until 2018. If he wins in the recall he can stay until 2014. Salinas, or any candidate, will need some kind of assurances into the future if they are expected grab the immediate six years rather than wait another two to get eight. Make sense?
Recall proponents have little time to find a candidate who would be willing to come in for the short term. It would have to be someone willing to just give Democrats an extra budget vote this summer, one that perhaps will be the difference. It will truly have to be someone who has little, if any, interest in remaining in politics, and possibly someone who is willing to just fill out the remain two years on Denham's first term then step aside in favor of a party favorite.
Underlying the lack of planning on the part of recall enthusiasts, is the question of out-of-state signature gatherers involved in the petition collection. Hank Shaw notes:
What is highly amusing is that the Denham folks are asking local law enforcement to investigate the matter. Why is this amusing? Because the man who would be responsible for such an investigation would be none other than ... Larry Morse, the Merced County District Attorney. Yes, the same Larry Morse who would have clearly been Denham's most formidible opponent in the recall, had he chosen to pull the trigger. For the record, he didn't.
There seems to be evidence a plenty to get signatures kicked, but that may not be needed. Poor planning and a lack of a candidate may be enough to doom the recall.
As noted yesterday in the Capitol Alert, Merced County DA Larry Morse has said he will not be a candidate to replace Denham in the June recall election. That would seem to leave Monterey County Supervisor and former member of the Assembly Simón Salinas as the most likely candidate, although he has not yet made any official statements to that effect.
Meanwhile Denham's aggressive defense against the recall has shifted toward questioning the paid signature gatherers - charging that some were from out of state, in violation of CA law, and that most were not from SD-12 - another error. In an interesting maneuver, the Denham campaign went to the very same Larry Morse to ask for an investigation of these charges. Morse refused, but I wonder if that played a role in his decision to not run against Denham in the recall.
Regardless of whether Morse or someone else investigates the matter, it's a little odd that the Dems would leave so many bread crumbs for the Denham folks. It appears that the majority of the petition-gatherers were not from Denham's 12th District, as they needed to be. The Denham folks also note that other listed as paid signature-gatherers registered at non-existent addresses or hotels. Add this to the tapes of gatherers telling voters that they're from Detroit or somesuch and it seems like there's enough evidence to hang your hat on...
...now of course in California you cannot tape someone without their acceptance, so those tapes would be illegal, too.
Regardless of whether or not the charges have merit, this is a good strategy for Denham to delegitimize the recall in the minds of SD-12 voters.
Over the weekend the CDP resolutions committee endorsed the recall of Jeff Denham in SD-12. The Republicans have thrown a massive hissy fit over this, similar to the hissy fit Yacht Party regulars like Sam Blakeslee have thrown, denouncing those who dare to identify his record in public. All of a sudden we're seeing op-eds throughout the region and across the state decrying what is routinely identified as a "Don Perata-engineered power grab." The latest comes from the fount of conventional wisdom in the California political media, George Skelton:
This is the time of year when the northern San Joaquin Valley is actually bucolic. Temperatures are bearable. The hills are green and the orchards are in full bloom -- almonds gussied in white, peaches in pink.
Too bad that this spring there's also a foul odor of Sacramento political pollution.
In a nutshell, the local state senator -- Republican Jeff Denham of Merced -- didn't vote for the state budget last summer. That contributed to a 52-day stalemate and angered the Senate leader, Democrat Don Perata of Oakland. So Perata now is trying to recall Denham.
Not just a payback, but the political death penalty.
Funny, I don't remember such high dudgeon back in 2003, when the recall of Gray Davis was viewed as a victory for democracy and an opportunity for the people to have their say.
Here's what's actually going on. Professional hack Kevin Spillane is good at getting his propaganda into the papers. And the media obliges without any historical perspective whatsoever. If Republicans want to put forth a measure ending recall petitions and allowing any state officer to finish out their term, go ahead; I'd probably support it. But they don't. They want to use the recall when it suits them and whine about "fairness" and "power grabs" when it doesn't. There could not have possibly been a bigger power grab than the Darrell Issa and Ted Costa-funded recall of Gray Davis. Anyone in the so-called liberal media dumb enough not to understand this notion of asymmetrical warfare isn't worth reading.
I fear that the Spillane hack-o-thon is bearing fruit in scaring off Democrats from pressing forward on this recall; there certainly wasn't a lot of talk about it or enthusiasm at the convention, nor was there any potential challenger in sight pressing the flesh. The Denham recall, in fact, is what the process was invented for: when legislators protect their own or their party's interest at the expense of the people they should be held accountable. Jeff Denham is part of an effort to stop California lawmakers from doing their jobs and eliminate, for practical purposes, the role of government in the state. The Iron Law of Institutions dictate that "people within institutions act to increase their own power rather than the power of the institution itself." The only way to deal with that from the outside is use the legal tools available to exact leverage on the institution. If it was OK for a Republican to use, so too for a Democrat.
So these media types and their hacktastic Republican spinmeisters can shut their whiny little mouths and defend their role in the shutdown of democracy in California to the voters. Jeff Denham ought to be able to defend himself instead of crying about the "process."
I've been perusing some of the reaction in the local papers on the qualification of the Jeff Denham recall on the ballot, and there's some interesting stuff in there. From Hank Shaw in the Stockton Record, we learn that Denham has been harvesting money for months, and given the lack of campaign finance limits in a recall election, expect more Chamber of Commerce members to fork over big novelty checks.
Denham has been raising money hand over fist to defend himself. He collected a $50,000 check from Oakdale Sierra Tel, a telecommunications company, late last week and has amassed more than $300,000 so far. As the target of a recall, Denham can raise cash in unlimited amounts.
Telecom company, ay? Not that Denham has anything to do with the FISA fight, but telecoms aren't exactly popular figures in districts with a 45-36 registration advantage for Democrats.
As for who the opponent will be, it looks like there are two potential candidates, former Assemblymember Simon Salinas and Merced County District Attorney Larry Morse. Morse claims that Perata contacted him last month about running.
After the meeting, Morse said he spoke with Denham about the offer as a courtesy because there are never any secrets in Sacramento; he didn't want the senator learning about it from someone else.
Morse ran for Assembly in 1996 and lost to Dennis Cardoza, and also considered a run for Senate in 2002, which would have pitted him against Denham.
Since becoming district attorney, Morse said he's made progress in office and hasn't considered any other elected slot.
"I'm not sure what set of circumstances could induce me to leave," he said. "When the president of the Senate asks to talk with you, you probably owe him the courtesy of talking to him."
Morse is apparently big on courtesy. If he did run, would he let Denham in on his ad information and oppo research because he "doesn't want him to learn about it from someone else"?
"The bad news for Perata, who started this recall, is this vote will take place right in the middle of the debate over the 2008-09 budget," Denham campaign consultant Tim Clark said.
Yes, exactly! And voters don't want their schools dismantled and their teachers fired. It was also amusing to hear hired gun Kevin Spillane say in the Fresno Bee that the recall has Sacramento ties. Right, because you're the salt of the earth from Stanislaus County, right?
I am liking the aggressive reaction from the Dump Denham folks.
Perata spokeswoman Alicia Trost referred calls to Paul Hefner, spokesman for the "Dump Denham" recall campaign.
"The voters have caught on to Jeff Denham. They're recalling him for the same reasons people take unsafe toys off the shelf and tainted meat out of supermarkets-because they're no good, and because we deserve better," Hefner said in a statement.
This is a pretty big deal. I really hadn't been paying much attention to this recall possibility, but it's come to fruition. There have only been 8 other recall elections of sitting state legislators to qualify for the ballot in the past 90 years. Jeff Denham becomes the ninth.
The recall attempt of Sen. Jeff Denham, R-Atwater, has gathered enough signatures to qualify for the ballot, California Secretary of State Debra Bowen announced Tuesday.
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger must set the recall election for a date 60 to 80 days from today, Bowen's office reports.
Once the Governor sets the date, (it seems almost certain that he'll pick June 3, which is 77 days away and also the day of the statewide primary) candidates can emerge. And given Sen. Perata's interest in this race, I think we'll see some strong Democrats contest this seat, unlike the somewhat shameful behavior in SD-15, where apparently Abel Maldonado's vote for last year's budget got him a reprieve from any challenge (right now there's no Democrat on the ballot to face Maldonado, though a write-in campaign still has time to emerge). However, this does put the Senate in play to flip to a 2/3 majority, given this race and the race in SD-19 with Hannah-Beth Jackson versus Tony Strickland.
Like the gubernatorial recall in 2003, there will be two questions on the ballot. The first will ask if Denham should be recalled, and the second will ask who among a list of challengers should replace him.
It seems to me that this is an excellent opportunity to message-test the major themes around the budget, revenues, and spending in advance of the nasty legislative fight and the November general election. While I don't expect this recall to be as exciting as Gray Davis', or to feature Gary Coleman, to the extent that it's a referendum on failed conservative ideology I think it could be extremely revelatory.
Robert is our resident expert in this neck of the state, I expect him to chime in.
UPDATE: Apparently, the old No on 93 team is getting back together to support Denham. So expect them to make this about Perata and a power grab. Whatever they choose, this will be extremely costly to the CRP at a time when they don't have the money. And they have to be extremely nervous about this stat:
The recall campaign, funded by the Democratic Party and a campaign committee linked to Senate President Pro Tem Don Perata, D-Oakland, turned in more than 61,000 signatures last month, nearly double the 31,084 need to qualify.
I would guess that 61,000 voters would be more than enough to dump Denham in June.
If (the recall) happens," said Salinas, a former assemblyman, "I am willing to say, look at my credentials, and certainly ask for (voters') support."...
He said he's played no role in the signature gathering to qualify the recall for the ballot. But if it qualifies, Salinas said, the Democratic Party needs to be ready to offer an experienced candidate.
"My concern is, if it happens, we need effective representation," he said.
The county supervisor added that he is now ready to return to Sacramento state government.
"I have taken my break," he said. "My son is going to be going to college, so I figure I have the time."
And as we saw in 2003, the chances of a successful recall increase if you can get voters excited about someone waiting in the wings to replace the recall target. Salinas is, of course, a much better politician than Arnold, but if he can rally voters to his cause, then Denham is in even more trouble than it had appeared on Friday.
The Dump Denham effort submitted some 50,000 recall petition signatures Friday, enough to force Jeff Denham to answer to voters for breaking his promises to schools, secretly raising his own pay, and blocking legislation to help homeowners facing foreclosure.
"We've had enough of Jeff Denham's broken promises, his back-room deals with special interests and his dishonest way of treating the people who elected him - starting with his very own paycheck," said Gary Robbins, leader of the recall drive. "By signing these petitions, 50,000 voters are saying 'we can't wait three years for honest representation.' It's time to dump Jeff Denham."
...Despite the recall petitions circulated against him through the fall, Denham continued to treat his constituents with contempt, voting to kill urgent legislation to help homeowners facing foreclosure in the subprime mortgage crisis.
"For Denham to turn his back on us when thousands of us are losing their homes - just to curry favor with some of the very the bankers who caused this crisis - was the last straw," Robbins said.
Clearly the campaign has found its narrative, it's "elevator speech" explaining why a recall is necessary - that Denham broke his promises on education, misled constituents to get a pay raise, and most significantly, blocked efforts to provide relief to homeowners facing foreclosure.
That last item, said to be the "last straw" by the campaign, is significant. Denham's district, which includes Modesto, Merced, and Salinas is among the hardest hit places in the world by the bursting of the housing bubble (only Stockton is worse off). Perata obviously believes that this creates an opportunity to go after Denham, and it's hard to disagree.
Additionally, this may indicate that the Democratic leadership in Sacramento has decided to stand and fight on the budget crisis. Putting a recall on the ballot would seem to rule out any compromise with Denham, and might signal a deeper strategy of going after Republicans who might prefer to use the same delaying tactics that they used to delay the 2007-08 budget by two months.
I've always felt that Democrats were in the driver's seat on the budget this year, as opposed to last summer, and this merely adds to that view. Democrats have nothing to lose and everything to gain by refusing to destroy public education, health care, and state parks. Laying the blame for this crisis, and the housing crisis, at the feet of Republicans in this manner is very good politics and should be the basis of all Democratic campaigns against GOP candidates in the state this year.
Ultimately, this also helps us get that much closer to 2/3. We're only two seats away in the Senate - SD-12 would join SD-15 and SD-19, where Tom McClintock! is now being termed out, as the key battlegrounds. It's not clear when Arnold will schedule the recall (might I suggest November 4?), but the fight is now on for the state's future.
The Dump Denham campaign came to life in the midst of last year's budget wrangling, helped in no small part by Senator Don Perata. Well Jeff Denham may or may not ultimately face recall, but he'll be termed out in 2010 if he lasts that long, and it looks like Democrats have themselves a challenger ready. It seems that Assemblymember Cathleen Galgiani recently moved into Denham's Senate district.
Galgiani, who succeeded the ever-popular Barbara Matthews in 2006, says she just wants to live closer to the center of her Assembly District, but it certainly is convenient that she also happens to enter SD-12. Denham's district is at or near the top of nearly every Dem-target list for the near future, especially as the 2/3 rule collides with the year's budget crisis.
Just a hunch, but I'm guessing that budget flexibility is going to become a bigger issue over the course of the year, what with that whole budget shortfall thing. And healthcare funding. And Indian Gaming compacts. Might just be that ambition is finding a place in all this.
