An array of congressional races here is critical to the Democratic Party's effort to regain control of the House. Party leaders hope the state will give them six of the 25 additional seats they need to wrest away the majority won by Republicans in 2010.
Feeding the Democrats' optimism is the party's 13 percentage point advantage in state voter registration and the absence of a top-ticket race to energize conservatives in November — when both President Obama and Sen. Dianne Feinstein are expected to win handily here.
"The road to a Democratic majority in Congress runs right through California," is the mantra repeatedly uttered by Rep. Steve Israel (D-N.Y.), the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee chairman.
Israel predicts the party will pick up seats in the Inland Empire and Central Valley, areas once considered Republican havens. He also expects Democrats to receive strong backing from independent expenditure committees, unlike in 2010 when Republicans were the prime beneficiaries of outside spending. Super PACs and other outside groups already have poured more than $4.2 million into California congressional races overall.
Unlike presidential and U.S. Senate races, contests for congressional seats tend to be steeped in local politics and hometown alliances, swayed more by yard signs than by television advertising. On that level, Republican leaders are confident their candidates will do well in California — and keep the GOP in control of the House.
Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Bakersfield) said that for many of the competitive races the GOP recruited candidates with deep local roots who would appeal to moderate Democrats and independents as well as members of their own party. Those include Long Beach Councilman Gary DeLong, whose opponents include Democratic state Sen. Alan Lowenthal, also of Long Beach, in a crowded race.
McCarthy said the party is confident that Republican John Tavaglione, who has been elected to the nonpartisan Riverside County Board of Supervisors five times, also will do well against his toughest Democratic challenger, Mark Takano, a teacher and Riverside Community College trustee, despite the Democrats' slight edge in voter registration.
"Our candidates can reach across the aisle. Not all of them. But in these competitive seats they can," said McCarthy, a top member of the House Republican leadership.
McCarthy almost gleefully noted that the race attracting the most Democratic money so far is the slugfest between Democratic incumbents Howard Berman and Brad Sherman in the San Fernando Valley.
The Democratic Party's House Majority PAC also has spent more than $700,000 in hopes that Assemblywoman Julia Brownley (D-Oak Park) will survive a stiff primary election challenge by independent Ventura County Supervisor Linda Parks. The race also includes Republican state Sen. Tony Strickland of Moorpark, a favorite to secure one of the two spots in the November election, and six other congressional hopefuls.
"You don't pick up seats when you're worried about getting your candidate through the primary," McCarthy said.
Still, the Democrats are expected to pick up at least a few — though it won't be as easy as party leaders predict, said Nathan Gonzales, deputy editor of the nonpartisan Rothenberg Political Report, which follows congressional races.
"Usually, as handicappers, we could ignore California because there are so few seats at risk," Gonzales said. "The Democrats have to do well in California if they have any chance to win a majority. But almost every seat is going to be hard" to win.
One race closely watched by both parties is in the Central Valley, where first-term incumbent Republican Jeff Denham of Turlock is being challenged by Democrat Jose Hernandez, a farmworker turned astronaut. Independent Chad Condit, son of former Rep. Gary Condit, is one of the two other candidates in the running.
Nearby, Republican Rep. Dan Lungren of Gold River is in a battle with Democrat Ami Bera, a physician from Elk Grove; the contest also includes a Libertarian and independent candidate, both with scant financial support.
"They're stuck with having these Republican voting records that aren't in line with any but a few districts in the state," said John Burton, chairman of the California Democratic Party. "Those guys are going to have a very tough road."
The main catalyst in producing California's mad-scramble election season was the redrawing of political boundaries, done for the first time by a panel of citizens instead of politicians or the courts. Long-time incumbents find themselves vying for votes in unfamiliar territory or in districts merged with those of other House members.
"Republicans really hoped that when this independent redistricting commission created these districts, they would pick up some seats," said political scientist Larry Gerston of San Jose State University. "Now the state could be more blue. Indigo. You can't get any bluer than that."
Republicans have been on the decline in California because of the divisive policies embraced by the party, including those involving immigration and gay rights, said GOP consultant Richard Grenell of Los Angeles, former foreign policy spokesman for Mitt Romney's presidential campaign.
Republican candidates should stick to a message of limited government and economic prosperity, which appeals across party lines, he said.
"I think the president's unpopularity, the high unemployment numbers, the dismal budget prospects in Sacramento — all mean that the Democrats are scrambling to keep their coalitions together," Grenell said.
"But that doesn't mean Republicans are going to win," he said. "Candidates who choose to be divisive are going to find themselves losing on election night."
Source: www.latimes.com
California Water Service Group's President & CEO Peter C. Nelson to Succeed Retiring Chair Robert W. Foy - Yahoo Finance
SAN JOSE, CA--(Marketwire -05/22/12)- California Water Service Group (CWT) today announced its Board of Directors' plan to combine the roles of Chairman and President & Chief Executive Officer and have President & Chief Executive Officer Peter C. Nelson succeed retiring Chairman Robert W. Foy, effective May 22, 2012. Douglas M. Brown will continue to serve as lead director.
Foy, a 35-year Board veteran who has reached retirement age for directors, expressed confidence in the decision: "Pete has demonstrated his leadership ability and we are confident that he will do a fine job as President, Chief Executive Officer, and Chairman of the Board. It makes good business sense to streamline decision-making and capitalize on Pete's extensive experience and expertise."
Nelson was elected President & Chief Executive Officer of California Water Service Group in 1996. Prior to joining the company, he had increasingly responsible positions in engineering, construction management, marketing, corporate and diversification planning, finance, operations, and general management at Pacific Gas & Electric Company.
Nelson holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of California, Davis, and a Masters of Business Administration from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. He serves as director of the California Chamber of Commerce and chairs the organization's Water Resources Committee. He is also a director of the California Foundation on the Environment and the Economy, a senior fellow of the American Leadership Forum, and an advisory council member at the Center for Public Utilities, New Mexico State University. Past affiliations include president of the National Association of Water Companies, director of the Bay Area Water Supply and Conservation Agency, and founding director of the Joint Venture: Silicon Valley Leadership Group.
Douglas M. Brown, who joined the California Water Service Group Board of Directors in 2001 and is currently the Dean of the Anderson School of Management at the University of New Mexico, will continue to serve as lead director.
California Water Service Group is the parent company of California Water Service Company, Washington Water Service Company, New Mexico Water Service Company, Hawaii Water Service Company, Inc., CWS Utility Services, and HWS Utility Services, LLC. Together these companies provide regulated and non-regulated water service to approximately 2 million people in more than 100 California, Washington, New Mexico and Hawaii communities. Group's common stock trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "CWT."
This news release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning established by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 ("Act"). The forward-looking statements are intended to qualify under provisions of the federal securities laws for "safe harbor" treatment established by the Act. Forward-looking statements are based on currently available information, expectations, estimates, assumptions and projections, and management's judgment about the Company, the water utility industry and general economic conditions. Such words as expects, intends, plans, believes, estimates, assumes, anticipates, projects, predicts, forecasts or variations of such words or similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance. They are subject to uncertainty and changes in circumstances. Actual results may vary materially from what is contained in a forward-looking statement. Factors that may cause a result different than expected or anticipated include but are not limited to: governmental and regulatory commissions' decisions, including decisions on proper disposition of property; changes in regulatory commissions' policies and procedures; the timeliness of regulatory commissions' actions concerning rate relief; new legislation; changes in accounting valuations and estimates; the ability to satisfy requirements related to the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and other regulations on internal controls; electric power interruptions; increases in suppliers' prices and the availability of supplies including water and power; fluctuations in interest rates; changes in environmental compliance and water quality requirements; acquisitions and our ability to successfully integrate acquired companies; the ability to successfully implement business plans; changes in customer water use patterns; the impact of weather on water sales and operating results; access to sufficient capital on satisfactory terms; civil disturbances or terrorist threats or acts, or apprehension about the possible future occurrences of acts of this type; the involvement of the United States in war or other hostilities; restrictive covenants in or changes to the credit ratings on our current or future debt that could increase our financing costs or affect our ability to borrow, make payments on debt or pay dividends; and, other risks and unforeseen events. When considering forward-looking statements, you should keep in mind the cautionary statements included in this paragraph. The Company assumes no obligation to provide public updates of forward-looking statements.
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(310) 257-1435
Source: finance.yahoo.com
California voters face redrawn ballot, new districts in Tuesday's election - Santa Rosa Press Democrat
A new top-two primary system and redrawn legislative and congressional districts are intended to blunt the heavy-handed influence of the two major political parties and produce more moderate candidates. Tuesday's election will test those assumptions.
For the first time, the boundaries for legislative and congressional districts were drawn by an independent panel of citizens, and only the top two vote-getters will advance, regardless of political party. That is likely to create several competitive and expensive contests in November, including some in which members of the same party will square off or face independents.
Allan Hoffenblum, publisher of the California Target Book, which analyzes races, said he does not expect the new system to dramatically alter the makeup of California's congressional delegation and Legislature.
"But maybe it will change the type of Democrats and type of Republicans who get elected," when candidates of the same party are forced to compete with one another, he said.
He forecasts as many as 34 congressional and legislative contests featuring candidates from the same party in November.
"We're going to have a plethora of same-party runoffs ... Most of them will be Democrats, because there are just so many more Democrats than Republicans in this state," Hoffenblum said.
Democrats continue to have the largest share of California's 17.1 million registered voters, with 43 percent, while Republican registration has slipped to 30 percent, according to state registration figures released Friday. But the fastest-growing segment of the electorate is made of voters who are not affiliated with any political party — now more than 21 percent.
Nine of the 53 congressional districts have no incumbent on the ballot, and the open seats have lured dozens of contenders, including a high-stakes contest in Northern California's 2nd Congressional District now held by departing Republican Rep. Wally Herger.
Democrats hope to pick up as many as six seats in California and have been working to register more voters, particularly in fast-growing areas of the Central Valley and Inland Empire.
Republicans lost their challenges to the newly redrawn state Senate districts, where Democrats are likely to win a supermajority. They are unlikely to cross that threshold in the Assembly, meaning they still will be unable to pass tax or fee increases without GOP votes.
Still, there are 35 Assembly seats with no incumbent, while Republican Assemblymen Tim Donnelly in San Bernardino County and Allan Mansoor in Orange County are among incumbents facing same-party challengers. Education groups have poured in nearly $2 million for and against Democrat Brian Johnson in a solidly Democratic San Fernando seat that features five same-party challengers.
The primary ballot will be unusual in another regard — the paucity of initiatives. Voters will decide just two after the Legislature passed a law saying all future initiatives must appear on the general election ballot.
On Proposition 28, voters will be asked whether they want to alter California's legislative term limits, which were approved by voters in 1990. The measure would reduce the total number of years lawmakers can serve in the Legislature from 14 to 12, but it would allow them to serve all of that in one house.
The current limits are among the strictest legislative term limits in the nation: three two-year terms in the 80-member Assembly and two, four-year terms in the 40-member Senate.
Voters also are being asked to add a $1-a-pack tax on cigarettes that would help fund cancer research and anti-smoking campaigns. Opponents of Proposition 29, which is backed by cycling legend and cancer survivor Lance Armstrong, have poured more than $46 million into their campaign against it, compared with $12 million in support.
Tuesday's election also is California's presidential primary. But with the GOP nominating contest all but decided, that race is an afterthought in the state with the greatest number of delegates.
With no hotly contested statewide races and no high-stakes ballot initiatives, voter turnout is expected to be low — perhaps even falling to 25 percent. Counties reported last week that more than 1.3 million absentee ballots had been returned so far, only about half the rate at the same time in the June 2008 primary.
Among the proponents of sending more moderate candidates to office is Charles Munger Jr., the wealthy physicist who sponsored and funded the redistricting campaigns. Munger, a Republican, is financing independent expenditures on behalf of a Democratic Senate candidate and two Republican Assembly candidates.
Republicans also are making runs at some incumbent Democrats. Ricky Gill, a well-financed 25-year-old, has attracted national attention in his race against Rep. Jerry McNerney, a Democrat who narrowly won his San Joaquin Valley district in 2010.
In the Central Valley, a former space shuttle astronaut and the son of former congressman Gary Condit are challenging Republican Rep. Jeff Denham. Condit lost his seat after the investigation into slain Washington intern Chandra Levy raised questions about whether he was having an affair with her.
In Ventura County, a county supervisor is hoping to be the first independent to join the state's congressional delegation.
Two Los Angeles congressional districts could provide political intrigue as current members of the Democratic delegation are locked in heated contests against one another. Reps. Janice Hahn and Laura Richardson have divided support, and Reps. Howard Berman and Brad Sherman are locked in a bitter primary fight as they seek to finish in the top two and move on to November.
U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein does not face opposition from a big-name opponent.
Source: www.pressdemocrat.com
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