U.S. Politics

San Diego Mayor Endorses Jury Nullification In Medical Marijuana Cases

In the midst of a major crackdown on California's medical marijuana movement, where most city officials are either working with the federal government to eradicate storefront dispensaries or directing police to raid these clubs, San Diego Mayor Bob Filner is taking another tack. He's not only speak ... More >>

Diane Harkey Seeks State Tax Board Seat as Husband's Company Goes Belly Up to Stop Suits

After many starts and stops, the day in court seemed to finally arrive Thursday for 80 investors who felt they'd been hornswoggled by the husband of Assemblywoman Diane Harkey (R-Dana Point).But now a fatal blow to the $43 million lawsuit against Dan Harkey and his Point Center Financial has likely ... More >>

Capitol Steps

Carpenter Center

Newt Gingrich, "Wrong" and "Dumbfounded," Stumbling into Nixon Library

A "wrong" and "dumbfounded" Newt Gingrich is coming to the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum in Yorba Linda later this month. The former House speaker and 2012 candidate for the GOP presidential nomination used those adjectives to describe his pre-election prediction that Mitt Romney wou ... More >>

Diane Harkey Faces Assembly Voters Tuesday, Those Suing Her for Fraud and Abuse Always

Those suing state Assemblywoman Diane Harkey and her husband for alleged elder abuse and investor fraud learned last week the civil court trial has been delayed yet again. That spared the Dana Point Republican the indignity of having to face jurors while facing voters Tuesday, when she seeks reelect ... More >>

Rush the Vote

[Ask Exene] Is it better to take a side in a presidential election sooner rather than later?

Governor Jerry Brown's Actions on Immigrant Legislation Draws Ire from Advocates

With a midnight deadline looming, Governor Jerry Brown vetoed the Trust Act yesterday calling it "fatally flawed" while singing into law legislation on driver's licenses for undocumented immigrants who obtain work permits under President Obama's deferred action policy. The National Day Laborer Organ ... More >>

Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom To Address Orange County Democrats Tonight in Anaheim

Gavin Newsom--the onetime San Francisco mayor, current California lieutenant governor and possible future governor or U.S. senator--is scheduled to give the keynote speech tonight at the 18th Annual Truman Awards Dinner in Anaheim for the Democratic Party of Orange County.Newsom follows Barney ... More >>

Carlos Bustamante: The Great Brown Flop

Disgraced Santa Ana councilman is the latest OC GOP Latino golden boy gone pendejo

[UPDATED with More Delegates Join Revolt:] Is a GOP Goon Squad Intimidating Ron Paul Delegates into Voting Romney at Convention?

See update at end of this post about 40 more national convention delegates seeking to join the 123 who have filed suit and "hundreds more" possibly ready to do the same. ORIGINAL POST, JUNE 13, 12:39 P.M.: The Republican National Committee (RNC) is using violence, intimidation and ballot stuffing t ... More >>

Will Untapped Latinos Sink Mitt Romney?

You may have missed it on the tele, but apparently Latinos are being counted on to play a huge role in determining who will be elected president in November.To that end, the liberal Center for American Progress is singling out the top 10 states with the most unregistered eligible voters as well a n ... More >>

The Billionaires' Club Gets a Visit From Mitt Romney

Dropping by for campaign funds, the Republican candidate inspires equal loathing from Occupiers and Tea Partiers

Why Do Mexicans Have So Many Names?

[¡Ask a Mexican!] And your last reminder to buy 'Taco USA' before Gustavo gets deported!

Poets and Politicians: Laureate Juan Felipe Herrera and Governor Jerry Brown

​Governor Jerry Brown named Juan Felipe Rivera, UC Riverside poetry professor of Chair of Creative Writing, as California Poet Laureate on Wednesday, but he's just getting to know the wordsmith. The appointment is a first ever for a Latino in the state and the poet's writings articulate the life e ... More >>

Barack Obama Goes Rogue, Ventures into Corona del Mar to Scoop Up Campaign Cash

​Barack Obama will tread where Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich have already been this presidential election season: Corona del Mar.You read that right: this month our Democratic Prez Dog is venturing deep into Newport Beach, which for decades and decades has served as an ATM machine for Republican o ... More >>

Michele Bachmann's Fallon Intro Music: "Lyin' Ass Bitch" by Fishbone, Chosen by House Band The Roots

As Michele Bachmann, congresswoman and GOP presidential contender, walked across the stage to sit next to Jimmy Fallon on Monday night, house band the Roots chose to play Fishbone's "Lyin' Ass Bitch." While the audience only heard a "la la" refrain, the message was pretty clear.

Marilyn Davenport: The Evolution of a Scandal

[Moxley Confidential] How that racist Obama-family-chimpanzee email has driven the OC GOP apeshit

Silva and Wagner in Lonely Company Voting for Arizona-Style Anti-Immigrantion Bill for California

Silva​Assemblymen Donald Wagner (R-Irvine) and Jim Silva (R-Huntington Beach) provided two of the three committee votes in favor of anti-immigration legislation in California modeled after Arizona's SB 1070.But seven Democrats lined up against Hesperia Republican Assemblyman Tim Donnelly's AB 26 ... More >>

[UPDATED] Irvine 11 Charged With Misdemeanors, Face Jail, Probation, Community Service if Convicted

Photos by Christopher Victorio/OC WeeklySeven of the Irvine 11​UPDATE, MARCH 11, 4:08 P.M.: The arraignment of the Irvine 11 was continued this morning until April 15 so the court can consider defense motions to seal grand jury documents, remove the Orange County District Attorney (OCDA) from the ... More >>

Five Union Songs for Wiscosin Workers

​In Wisconsin, a bill stripping public unions of most collective bargaining rights awaits the signature of Republican Governor Scott Walker. It's the latest phase in an ongoing legislative saga that intensified a month ago when all 14 Democratic state Senators fled to Illinois to prevent quorum on ... More >>

As State Supremes Vow to Rule on Prop 8 Backers' Standing, Tom Harman Tries to Make Matter Moot

Presumably non-gay State Sen. Tom Harman​The California Supreme Court yesterday agreed to analyze whether Proposition 8 proponents have standing to appeal a federal judge's ruling that lifted the ban on same-sex marriages in the Golden State--a legal detour that could delay an appellate decision o ... More >>

Sarah Palin Fingers Ed Royce For Powerful House Financial Post

Royce​Ed Royce, the Fullerton Republican congressman dreaming of taking over Rep. Barney Frank's House financial services committee, has captured a powerful ally: Sarah Palin.The new alliance apparently wasn't based on Royce's competence but because he is not Spencer Bachus, a more senior Alabama ... More >>

Election 2010: Gustavo Drinks Through the Election, Or: Trashing the Dems and Bashing Whitman

​Updated throughout the day, with the freshest post on top. Click after the jump for vignettes on Barbara Coe, Loretta Sanchez, Meg Whitman, and Borat!Midnight. Drink of choice: Alka-Seltzer...my pockets hurt. Loretta Sanchez has pulled away by thousands of votes, but we'll wait until the official ... More >>

Grinding Justice

Operation Streamline costs millions, tramples the Constitution, treats migrants like cattle, doesn't work

Loretta Sanchez Pounds Van Tran Again For Sleeping At His Desk

A different sleeping robot​Van Tran must be feeling sore under his chin after Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez slugged him again today with another hostile mailbox piece that capitalizes on the unfortunate picture of a closed-eyed Tran apparently sleeping at his state assembly desk."California's econ ... More >>

[UPDATED:] Will Maid's "Explosive Allegations" Sink Meg Whitman's Latino Outreach?

​UPDATE: New details throughout . . . Billionaire Meg Whitman exploited a Latina housekeeper the GOP nominee for California governor knew was in the country illegally, alleged celebrity lawyer Gloria Allred this morning, setting off an array of charges and counter-charges.

Jose Solorio, Assemblyman Recommends Governor Drop Sale of OC Fairgrounds

​When it comes to the Orange County Fairgrounds, state Assemblyman Jose Solorio (D-Santa Ana) is "now recommending to the Governor that he consider dropping the sale altogether," according to a statement released by his office.Solorio had been working to get legislation passed in the Legislature ... More >>

Loretta Sanchez and Hugh Hefner--Together, At Last. Again.

​U.S. News and World Report (they still exist) reported yesterday on a manufactured controversy by the Republican Party against their eternal llorona, Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez. Seems Playboy founder and publisher Hugh Hefner tweeted earlier this week that he was having lunch with Loretta at t ... More >>

Governor Loretta Sanchez?

Is Sacramento ready for Loretta?​Never underestimate Loretta Sanchez.Yesterday, the Sacramento Bee reported that the veteran Orange County congresswoman opened a bank account for a 2014 campaign to become California's governor.But is Sanchez, OC's lone congressional Democrat, serious about a race ... More >>

Schwarzenegger Signs Off on OC Fairgrounds Deal; Latino Legislators Still Vow to Spike It

​Stung by a failed auction in January, the Schwarzenegger administration announced Wednesday it has signed off on the deal to sell the Orange County Fairgrounds to Costa Mesa for $96 million.However, standing in the way of final approval is the state Legislature, which includes Latino members who ... More >>

Ed Royce Brings House GOP Leader Boehner to OC But Not His District

johnboehner.house.govHouse minority leader (and future speaker?) John Boehner.​It costs $200 to join Rep. Ed Royce's Congressional Club, but membership has its privileges. Among them, an invitation to the Fullerton Republican's April 6 "private briefing" on the 2010 elections with House minority l ... More >>

One Paper Questions Poizner's Fitness to Govern, Another Makes Same Case Against Whitman

Steve Poizner photo by Jack GouldWhitman for sale; heil, Poizner!​From Los Angeles Times Capitol Journal columnist George Skelton: Steve Poizner's Wild-Eyed Accusations Against Meg Whitman Don't Bode Well: The GOP gubernatorial candidate alleges his opponent used attempted bribery and extortion to ... More >>

Rohrabacher Goes Against Own Party on Behalf of Uyghurs

Photo by Jack GouldDo the best hopes for imprisoned Uyghurs rest with this man?Unless it involves legalizing medical marijuana, banning U.S. weapons sales to dictators or erecting a memorial statue for Doobie Brothers guitarist Jeff "Skunk" Baxter, Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-Huntington Beach) usually ... More >>

Chuck DeVore's Quixotic Attempt to Twitter and Parody-Video His Way Into the U.S. Senate

Red County Nearly Turns Blue!

. . . and if that happened, would the righty Red County blog have to change its name? Final election results from OC: PRESIDENT AND VICE PRESIDENT Completed Precincts: 2109 of 2109 Vote Count Percentage JOHN MCCAIN / SARAH PALIN (REP) 430,360 50.8% BARACK OBAMA / JOE BIDEN (DEM) 401,605 47.4 ... More >>

Mackerel Flats' Folks Leaning Toward Obama? Who Knew?

Around 11 this morning, KPCC 89.3 FM's AirTalk show presented a call-in segment called "I Didn't Know My Neighbor Was Voting For (Fill In The Blank)!" Host Larry Mantle wanted to know whether anyone's neighbors put political signs on their front lawns that surprised the listener. First caller Garr ... More >>

OC Vote: Final count

Well, the votes from all 2076 precincts have been tallied. No huge surprises, but here are the final numbers in the presidential race: Democrats:Hillary ClintonBarack ObamaVote Count: 141,668Vote Count: 96,967 55.47.9% Republicans:John McCainMitt Romney Vote Count: 117,333Vote Count: 109,877 39.77. ... More >>

OC Vote update: 9 PM

Top dogs are still the same as of 9 p.m. and only 106 of 2076 precincts are accounted for. It's gonna be a loooong night! Democrats:Hillary ClintonBarack ObamaVote Count: 52,854Vote Count: 25,543 58.5(.3% Republicans:John McCainMitt Romney Vote Count: 56,800Vote Count: 38778 42.1(.7%More here.

OC Vote update: 10 PM

Slowly moving. But CNN's already called California for Clinton. Democrats:Hillary ClintonBarack ObamaVote Count: 53,881Vote Count: 26,297 58.5(.5% Republicans:John McCainMitt Romney Vote Count: 57,378Vote Count: 39,481 42.0(.9%

OC Vote update: 11 PM

Democrats:Hillary ClintonBarack ObamaVote Count: 81,233Vote Count: 46,911 57.33.1% Republicans:John McCainMitt Romney Vote Count: 75,393Vote Count: 60,108 41.02.7%

No Party Favors

The county GOP gives beleaguered Republican board members at Capo Unified Schools a vote of no-confidence

Agran's Irvine Machine Gets Challenger

A majority of Irvine voters are Republicans and yet for years Larry Agran's progressive political machine has controlled the mayor's office. It's a reality Republican city councilwoman Christina Shea hopes to shatter next year. This morning Shea announced that she will run for the job herself. She ... More >>

Diary of a Mad County

Oct. 18 - Oct. 24

Now He's Worried

Kevin Phillips is worried. Perhaps the brightest of the version of "the Best and Brightest" who followed Nixon to the White House in 1968, Phillips looks at today's GOP and doesn't like what he sees. It's the subject of his new book, American Theocracy: The Perils and Politics of Radical Religion, O ... More >>

Im a Complete Intellectual Fraud

Viet Dinh reveals the truth about himselfand the USA Patriot Actin UC Irvine Speech

Burning Bush

The presidents conservative critics

Queer Eye for the GOP Guy

Gay activist sets the record straight about Log Cabin Republicans

The Grainy Face of Corporate Evil

Does Bill Simon really believe hes been exonerated by a Republican judge?

Drive-By Consultant

Frank Caternicchio runs the conservatives political campaigninto the ground

Fat Cat Nation!

Does this Party know how to party?