It’s like Boston on the Pacific!!!

U.S. Sen. Edward “Teddy” Kennedy, D-Mass., who endorsed Barack Obama on Monday, will host a town-hall meeting on the candidate’s behalf at 2 p.m. Friday, Feb. 1 in Beebe Memorial Cathedral, at 3900 Telegraph Ave. in Oakland; it’s free and open to the public.

And U.S. Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., will host a canvass kick-off rally at 9:30 a.m. Saturday in the auditorium at Everett Middle School, 450 Church St. in San Francisco — also free and open to the public.

Wanna bet who’s a bigger draw? Opinions vary on the power of political endorsements, but the Kennedy family name could carry weight with several key California constituencies.

For one, younger voters: While making his endorsement Monday, Kennedy said Obama represents the same youthful vigor and generational change that his elder brother, John Kennedy, brought to 1960’s presidential campaign. Yet this endorsement from a Senator who has served since 1962 — only Robert Byrd, D-W.Va., has more seniority — also could help quell the concerns of those who believe Obama too inexperienced.

The Obama campaign almost certainly hopes Latinos will recall Robert Kennedy marching with labor and civil rights leader Cesar Chavez, and African Americans, Robert Kennedy’s commitment to civil rights. And Ted Kennedy’s blessing ought to help with organized labor, too.

Obama also has been endorsed by Caroline Kennedy, who is Ted Kennedy’s niece and the daughter of former President John F. Kennedy; the campaign on Wednesday launched a television ad featuring Caroline Kennedy, airing in the San Francisco and Los Angeles markets as well as on national cable.

The Senator’s son, Rep. Patrick Kennedy, D-Rhode Island, has endorsed Obama too, but Robert Kennedy Jr. and his sisters, Kerry Kennedy and Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, have endorsed Clinton, as has Anthony Kennedy Shriver — another of Ted Kennedy’s nephews, and the youngest brother of California’s first lady, Maria Shriver.

BTW, The Washington Post had an interesting item today about how Kennedy’s endorsement of Obama might’ve had something to do with his personal ire at Hillary Clinton.

Oh, sure, he’s the governator, an international superstar, a guy who made a mockery of Democrats’ voter registration edge twice. The Associated Press story says Schwarzenegger’s endorsement of John McCain tomorrow in Los Angeles is “giving a certain boost to the Republican presidential front-runner six days before California’s high-prize primary” and is “yet another setback for Mitt Romney.”

But consider a few things:

(1.)Survey USA says the governor’s approval rating is at 47 percent, after having lingered in the 50s for all but one month since his November 2006 re-election. (The Field Poll put that number considerably higher in December, at 60 percent, so maybe this isn’t much of a consideration; on the other hand, that was before we were staring at a $14.5 billion deficit and 10 percent across-the-board budget cuts.)

(2.)The California Republican primary is closed, meaning only registered Republicans can vote — no independents. And although this is a presidential year and turnout is expected to be high, closed party primaries tend to represent that party’s true believers, the ideological core, and less so the moderates. Yet both Schwarzenegger and McCain have made careers out of trying to secure not only their own party’s voters, but unaffiliated ones as well. (Of course, a closed primary didn’t seem to stop McCain from clinching Florida.)

(3.)Some elements of the Republican Party are not so happy with Schwarzenegger right now. He has endorsed Proposition 93, the term-limits reform measure on next week’s ballot which his party staunchly opposes. He favors abortion rights, and although he has twice vetoed gay marriage, he has signed a slew of bills granting rights to domestic partners. Some have never been happy with his choice of advisers, including a Democratic chief of staff. Remember, Arnold Schwarzenegger has never had to win a Republican primary — he was elected in the raucous recall of 2003, and had no primary challenger in 2006.

Do I believe Schwarznegger will bring some votes McCain’s way? Yes. I’m quite sure any candidate would prefer to have this endorsement rather than see an opponent get it.

I also believe McCain will win in California; the latest polls show he has a substantial lead over Romney and Mike Huckabee, and most of the people who were planning on voting for Rudy Giuliani are more likely to migrate to McCain than to either of the others. California’s GOP primary isn’t winner-take-all — rather than the statewide popular vote winner getting all of the state’s delegates, the candidates are competing in each and every Congressional district; the winner in each district gets three delegates — that’s 159 — and then the statewide winner gets 11 more. I’m sure Romney and maybe even Huckabee might walk off with a few, but I’m betting McCain will get the lion’s share.

All I’m sayin’ is, maybe Arnold isn’t the powerful people-mover he once was — maybe his endorsement is far from making a big difference.

This just in from Rep. Anna Eshoo, D-Palo Alto:

Barack Obama inspires me. He gives me hope. He appeals to the best in us and in doing so, he restores the sense of idealism that brought me to public service. He challenges us to dream bigger and reach farther.

He reminds me of the people in my district: innovative, collaborative, optimistic and dedicated to change as a way to make things better.

Senator Obama also reminds me of John Kennedy who inspired my generation to fight injustice at home and to be ambassadors for democracy around the world. And he recalls Robert Kennedy who sought to heal a dispirited and divided nation and touched those who saw him as their champion for social justice.

Senator Obama’s candidacy is historic, and so is the reaction to it. He has brought thousands of disaffected and skeptical people back into the political process and he has struck a chord with thousands of young voters. Still more are poised to participate in the days ahead.

Barrack Obama is a true son of America. The country needs the benefit of his extraordinary life experience, as well as his practiced policy and leadership skills. As someone who works in Washington, but who lives on the other side of the country, I know how deeply engrained the “old ways” of Washington are, and how they often exclude and dismiss the aspirations of our people.

His candidacy presents an opportunity we cannot afford to pass by. Years from now, I do not want to ask “what if….” That’s why I will do everything I can to see that Senator Obama wins the Democratic Party nomination and the Presidency of the United States.

Supporters of John Edwards seeking a new candidate following his withdrawal from the presidential race today should look to Hillary Clinton “based on substance and merit,” Oakland Mayor Ron Dellums said this morning.

Dellums, San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and Fullerton Mayor Sharon Quirk spent Thursday barnstorming Oakland, Sacramento and Los Angeles on Clinton’s behalf. They started the day at Merritt College, where they were briefed on a green jobs training program before addressing the press.

Dellums said he was impressed in 2004 by Edwards’ “courageous” and “articulate” focus on narrowing the divide between America’s haves and have-nots, “and it is my view that Senator Clinton has done exactly the same thing.” By embracing the ideas and recognizing the needs of America’s mayors, as well as by deeming “untenable, unconscionable and un-American” the continued racial disparities in education, ecomomic opportunity and other areas, Clinton has distinguished herself “based on merit, based on substance, based on clear ideas,” he said.

“Too much of this campaign has been about issues that are not issues,” he said.

Newsom said the mayors chose to highlight the green jobs training program Monday because it’s working to better working families’ lives, protect the environment and conserve energy, and “that’s the spirit of the Clinton campaign… She understands the importance of taking these ideals and working together to make progress.”

Dellums chimed in that “jobs are the byproduct of a society’s commitment to solve other problems,” be it environmental protection and energy conservation, or crumbling infrastructure, or inadequate health care, or affordable housing. “And guess what: You can’t export these jobs. They all have to be done in the United States.”

Clinton in October named Dellums chairman of her campaign’s urban policy committee.

Villaraigosa was asked why Latinos should support Clinton when only Obama has expressed support for granting driver’s licenses to illegal immigrants. He replied that Clinton “has a strong record in support of immigration reform” which would include a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants, but that Latinos “don’t define ourselves by just one issue… We make decisions based on the totality of issues and experiences.”

This just in from CNN:

Former Sen. John Edwards is dropping out of the race for the Democratic presidential nomination, CNN has learned.

Edwards has told top advisers about his decision. It is expected he will announce it at a speech in New Orleans, Louisiana, at 1 p.m. Wednesday.

Edwards had amassed 26 delegates in the race for the Democratic nomination.

New Orleans is the same city in which Edwards declared his run to be the 2008 Democratic presidential nominee.

Edwards’ campaign Web site said he was to deliver an address on poverty and work on a Habitat for Humanity project in New Orleans on Wednesday.

Edwards has trailed former first lady Hillary Clinton and Illinois Sen. Barack Obama in the early primaries, including a third-place finish in Tuesday’s Florida primary, with 14 percent of the votes. He also came in third in key races in New Hampshire and South Carolina.

An Edwards aide said that he does not plan to endorse either Clinton or Obama, at this time, but he may do so in the future.

And then there were two. Well, three if you count Mike Gravel.

From the Washington Post, regarding John McCain’s big win in Florida today:

Former New York mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani, whose status as “America’s Mayor” catapulted him to the head of the GOP field for most of last year, finished third. His speech to supporters had the feel of a goodbye, and top aides said he plans to drop out Wednesday and endorse McCain in California ahead of a debate there.

Speaking in Orlando as tears ran down his staffers’ faces, Giuliani said: “I’m proud that we chose to stay positive and run a campaign of ideas. We ran a campaign that was uplifting. You don’t always win but you can always try to do it right.”

Ouch, that’s gotta hurt (though it can’t be too surprising, given how Giuliani’s “Florida or bust” strategy clearly wasn’t working out in recent weeks) for America’s Mayor’s staunchest supporters here in California: former Giuliani subordinate and 2002 gubernatorial candidate Bill Simon; Silicon Valley venture capital mogul E. Floyd Kvamme; Hoover Institution senior fellow Abraham Sofaer; an array of California businesspeople; some Bay Area folks who were advising him on health care; and others.

No, there’s no good reason for me to be re-running this photo from last March. I just like the hand gesture.

Oakland Mayor Ron Dellums, San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa will barnstorm three cities tomorrow, Wednesday, Jan. 30, to hold press events promoting Hillary Clinton’s economic stimulus package. They’re bound for Oakland’s Merritt College in the morning, Sacramento’s Quinn Cottages at midday and Clinton’s East Los Angeles campaign headquarters in the late afternoon, talking on themes including the foreclosure crisis and the needs of working families.

In fact, don’t even think about it. This just in from Secretary of State Debra Bowen’s office:

SACRAMENTO – A Weed man was charged today with one felony count accusing him of casting two ballots in the November 2005 Special Statewide Election following an investigation by Secretary of State Debra Bowen’s fraud unit. The voter allegedly cast one ballot by mail a week before that election and voted a second time at the polls on Election Day.

After conducting her official canvass for the special election, Siskiyou County Clerk Colleen Setzer noticed the apparent double voting and alerted the Secretary of State’s office. An investigation by the Secretary’s Election Fraud Investigation Unit concluded that Dennis Roy Roberts had indeed voted by mail and also at the polls. A forensic handwriting expert confirmed the signatures on the ballot and precinct documents both belong to Roberts.

The November 2005 special election ballot contained eight statewide initiatives. Also on the ballot in Siskiyou County was a Measure A, a local bond benefiting the Siskiyou Joint Community College District, which voters approved. Roberts is Athletic Director at College of the Siskiyous.

“The Presidential Primary Election is a week away and the message here is if you vote more than once in California, you will be caught,” said Secretary Bowen, the state’s chief elections officer. “Voter fraud is not acceptable, and I applaud Colleen Setzer and her staff for their vigilance in helping keep California elections clean.”

Siskiyou County District Attorney J. Kirk Andrus charged Roberts with one count of Elections Code Section 18560(b), voting more than once. It is punishable by up to three years in prison.

One week to go… and here they all come!

Former U.S. Senator and 2000 Democratic presidential primary candidate Bill Bradley is stopping by Barack Obama’s San Francisco campaign office this afternoon to rally the troops.

Hillary Clinton got an endorsement today from Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Los Angeles, a notable boost from someone with the credibility to blunt accusations of racial politics lingering from South Carolina. Clinton also is launching a new Spanish language television ad in markets up and down the state today. (UPDATE @ 2:54 P.M. TUESDAY: Obama has a new Spanish-language ad, too.)

John McCain today rolled out his California leadership team, headed up by former Secretary of State Bill Jones and including GOP VIPs such as Fresno Mayor Alan Autry; Los Angeles Sheriff Lee Baca; former state Senate Republican Leader Jim Brulte; Rep. Dan Lungren, R-Gold River; former Reps. Doug Ose and Steve Kuykendall; and others. McCain will be in California on Thursday raising funds: a $1,000-a-plate breakfast at the Omni Hotel in San Francisco, and a $2,300-a-head evening reception in Los Angeles.

Mike Huckabee will address the Commonwealth Club of California at noon Thursday in San Francisco’s Fairmont Hotel.

John Edwards will be in Los Angeles on Friday, joining striking Writers Guild members on a picket line at midday before taking part (with Clinton and Obama, of course) in the CNN/LA Times/Politico.com Democratic candidates’ debate that evening. And at 9:45 a.m. Friday, he’ll hold a “special community event” at San Jose State University’s Barret Ballroom.

Yep, you guessed it…

Previous SVOTWs: January 22, January 15, January 8, January 1, December 25, December 18, December 11, December 4, November 27, November 20, November 13, November 6, October 30, October 23, October 16, October 9, October 2, September 25, September 18, September 11, September 4, August 28, August 21, August 7, July 31, July 24, July 17, July 10, July 3, June 26, June 19, June 12, June 5, May 29, May 22, May 15, May 8, May 1, April 24, April 17, April 10, April 3, March 27, March 20, March 13, March 6, February 27, February 20, February 13, February 6, January 30.