Dems sweat the top-two fight to replace Rep. Lois Capps

Ain’t democracy grand. We open with the uncertainties of the top-two primary and the high cost of direct democracy, and focus on the need for open government. Check out Shawn Hubler’s column on mobile homes like you’ve never seen, and National Review columnist Jim Geraghty’s take on Donald Trump and the Supreme Court.

Take that

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee still seems to be trying to figure out California’s wild top-two primary system. Down on the Central Coast, the race to replace Rep. Lois Capps is causing Dems to sweat.

The DCC issued a “Primary RED ALERT” fundraising pitch, warning Democrats are “in danger of not having a Democrat on the general election ballot in this Democrat-held open seat.”

The leading Democrat is Santa Barbara County Supervisor Salud Carbajal. But several other Democrats are running, including Santa Barbara Mayor Helene Schneider, the choice of our cousins at The San Luis Obispo Tribune.

The Dems’ House Majority PAC is hammering the leading Republican, Assemblyman Katcho Achadjian, with $50,000-plus in television ads and counting. The goal evidently is to knock him down a peg, helping the lesser Republican, Justin Fareed, and opening one of the top two slots for Carbajal. No one said democracy was tidy.

Take a number: $10 million

Gov. Jerry Brown has included an extra $10 million in his revised budget proposal to cover the cost of an extraordinarily long voter pamphlet this fall. Secretary of State Alex Padilla made a plea for the money, saying the pamphlet could be 208-256 pages long, the size of a phone book, back when people used phone books. No one said democracy was cheap.

Our take

Editorial: Assemblyman Miguel Santiago’s bill, sponsored by the Police Officers Research Association of California, would erode trust in law enforcement by making it easier for officers to tie up the release of body-cam recordings.

Editorial: Jerry Brown’s administration is offering to open more child abuse records but then muzzle them. The SEIU likes the proposal.

Shawn Hubler details Los Angeles County Assessor Jeffrey Prang’s crusade against tax breaks for Malibu mobile home mansions. What starts in L.A. doesn’t stay in L.A.

Mark Drew: Maybe we can protect Sierra meadows by using them as part of the cap-and-trade program.

Their take

The Orange County Register endorses Ling-Ling Chang for the state Senate’s 29th District and calls Democrat Sukhee Kang a compelling candidate.

The San Diego Union-Tribune says Gov. Jerry Brown sees the light on California housing policies.

The L.A. Times says Gov. Jerry Brown may be lowballing Proposition 47 savings.

Debra J. Saunders of The San Francisco Chronicle writes about Donald Trump’s thugs and Bernie Sanders’ bros.

The Miami Herald says Congress must muster the political will to give Puerto Rico access to the same rescue tools used by American states and municipalities in the same fix.

The Fort Worth Star-Telegram asks why is it so hard to get medical care for mental health in Texas.

Jim Geraghty (@jimgeraghty) writes in the National Review that Donald Trump’s handling of the Supreme Court is worrisome on three fronts.

Syndicates’ take

Dana Milbank: Now it’s Bernie Sanders vs. the Democrats.

Thomas Friedman: Donald Trump, save your golf greens and the planet, be huge on climate change.

E.J. Dionne: Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders need to come together with visionary gradualism.

And finally,

In case you missed it, our editorial about Bernie Sanders’ response – or lack thereof – to violence by his supporters stirred quite a response. Check out the comments on our Facebook page. And add yours. While you’re there, please take the time to “like” our page.

This story was originally published May 19, 2016 at 5:31 AM with the headline "Dems sweat the top-two fight to replace Rep. Lois Capps."