With freshly drawn districts and a mysterious new primary system, more than the usual number of California legislative races provide intrigue this year.
Voters in the new state 27th Senate District, the nicely shaped, Democratic-leaning blob that stretches from Malibu to Santa Clarita, could see a four-way shuffle among three current lawmakers and former Assembly Speaker Bob Hertzberg.
Redistricting has presented a number of possible scenarios, including current Sen. Fran Pavley, D-Agoura Hills, seeking the nearby 19th Senate District to make room for a Hertzberg run.
But the 19th district has already attracted a crowded and competitive field of candidates, and it looks like Pavley is staying put with backing from Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg.
Hertzberg recently said that he has yet to make a decision, pointing out that the field and maps could still change.
On the Republican side, meanwhile, Sen. Tony Strickland, of Moorpark, may pass on a shot at a second term in the Senate to run for Congress.
If Strickland takes that route, Assemblyman Cameron Smyth, a moderate Republican from Santa Clarita who may benefit from the "top-two" primary system, could step up as the GOP's top candidate.
– Torey Van Oot
THE STATE WORKER
State Controller John Chiang's office has issued an update on the Social Security payroll tax, assuring state employees that anyone owed a refund for excess tax withheld this month will see the money by Feb. 29. Of course, that's when the two-month extension is now scheduled to expire, so this isn't likely to be Chiang's last update on the matter.
– Jon Ortiz
WORTH REPEATING
"I don't speak for Nancy Pelosi – I was merely projecting my own personal opinions."
ALEXANDRA PELOSI, the House minority leader's daughter, in an email to Politico. The filmmaker had told Andrew Breitbart's conservative blog Big Government that the California Democrat "would retire right now if the donors she has didn't want her to stay so badly."
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