State Sen. Gloria Romero, D-Los Angeles, has dropped out of the congressional campaign for the seat of Rep. Hilda Solis and will instead run in 2010 for state superintendent of public instruction. Solis has been tapped to become President-elect Barack Obama’s labor secretary.

Assemblyman Tom Torlakson, D-Antioch

The announcement may not  gladden the heart of Assemblyman Tom Torlakson, D-Antioch. He has been running for the state’s top education post for more than a year. Torlakson, who termed out of the state senate in 2008 and won a final term on the Assembly, spent $122,000 on the schools chief campaign last year.

It’s a big jump to run from legislative seat in a county of one milion to a statewide office. It takes substantial cash to put your name before voters across this vast state.

Romero has a couple of built-in advantanges — she is a woman, a Latina and has a very large voter base in Los Angeles.

On the other hand, Torlakson is a tenatious campaigner and it would be unwise to underestimate him if he decides to stay the course.

Martinez Councilman Mark Ross

Martinez Councilman Mark Ross says he is exploring a run for state Assembly in 2010.

He has his eye on a seat that will open after incumbent Tom Torlakson terms out.

“It’s a wide open race at this point,” Ross said. “There are a lot of qualified people out there and I think I am one of them.”

Ross is a veteran local politician who also serves on the Bay Area Air Quality Management District.

Without an incumbent, the 2010 primary could draw a crowd. Interest rose recently after Contra Costa County Supervisor Susan Bonilla made it known she would not run; Bonilla was viewed as the most promising successor.

Other names out there include Antioch Councilman Brian Kalinowski and former Antioch Mayor Don Freitas. Contra Costa Superintendent of Schools Joe Ovick may no longer be interested.

The key is to watch and see who Torlakson, D-Antioch, and state Sen. Mark DeSaulnier, D-Concord, endorse. They carry a tremendous level of influence over the Democratic Party aparatus.

And for those who will ask about the GOP prospects, there are none. This seat is heavily Democratic and Republicans stand little or no chance of success here.

San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom

California gubernatorial hopeful and San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom will talk in Concord next week about California’s future.

Imagine that. A gubernatorial candidate in Concord nearly two years before the election. Does Newsom’s appearance signal that Concord will become a key campaign stop for all 900 people who have declared an interest in running for California governor in 2010? (Yes, I know there are not 900 but it feels like it.)

Shall we start a pool on which local official Newsom taps to introduce him?

If you are interested in seeing what he has to say, Newsom will speak at 7 p.m. on Jan. 15 at the Concord Senior Center. Read more for the email invite and how to RSVP.

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Assemblywoman Joan Buchanan, D-San Ramon

Fox and Hounds Daily conservative blogger Patrick Dorinson, also the former state GOP communications chief, incinerated four newly elected Assembly Democrats including Joan Buchanan in District 15 for failing to cast either yes or no votes on recent state budget votes.

In a piece titled “Profiles in Cowardice,” he accuses the four of abstaining on the critical votes in order to avoid attack ads in those inevitable 2010 re-election campaign tying them to “tax and spend” Democrats.

“Vote your conscience but vote,” Dorinson said via telephone today. “The people sent you to Sacramento to get something done.”

Dorinson’s biting commentary begins with with:

Congratulations to new Democratic Assembly members Alyson Huber of El Dorado Hills, Marty Block of San Diego, Joan Buchanan of Alamo and Manuel Perez of Coachella. In the first important vote of your careers, you demonstrated that all the fancy words from your campaigns about “changing the system” and “not a career politician” as well as “ready to go to work” and “performance not politics” were as empty as California’s bank accounts.

The four of you, joined by wily political veteran Charles Calderon of Whittier, abstained from voting on the tax hikes proposed by your own party. You didn’t vote yes or no, you abstained. Merriam-Webster’s online dictionary says that to abstain means, “to refrain deliberately and often with an effort of self-denial from an action or practice”.

Is it because you all got elected from swing districts and you fear the wrath of the voters in two years? Is this about maintaining “political viability” for higher office and are worried about future campaign attack ads that would include you vote for higher taxes? Did Speaker Bass give you “get out of jail free” cards on the vote because she knew it would not pass without three Republicans, and therefore you would not have a “tax increase” vote on your record? Or is it that you don’t have the guts to stand up and vote “yes or no” because you believe it is the right thing to do, political consequences be damned?

I don’t know your motives, but I would bet dollars to doughnuts that it was, dare I say the word, politics - pure politics.(Click here to read full column.)

Abram Wilson

Prepare for Act 2: San Ramon Mayor Abram Wilson says he will run for the state Assembly again in 2010.

Wilson, the GOP nominee in District 15, lost on Nov. 4 to his Democratic opponent, Joan Buchanan, by 4 percentage points.

“Am I interested in running against in 2010?” Wilson said. “No. But will I? Yes. I believe I will run again in 2010. I ran to make a difference and when you are out there always trying to make a difference, you keep going.”

The 2008 election was among the most competitive Assembly contests in the state and most expect it will set spending records after all the financial reports have been calculated. Wilson and Buchanan, and their supporters, spent millions on mailers and TV ads.

Prior to Buchanan’s victory, it was the sole Republican-held partisan seat in the Bay Area.