San Ramon Mayor Abram Wilson

San Ramon mayoral and council candidates in the Nov. 3 election will face voluntary campaign spending limits of $33,919 or $1 per registered voter. See Contra Costa Times reporter Sophia Kazmi’s story here.

What? San Ramon has an election this year? Yep, it’s the last odd-year election holdout in Contra Costa County. The rest of the cities consolidated with even-year elections, largely because it costs less to run an election in conjunction with other entities due to cost-sharing.

Mayor Abram Wilson is up for re-election along with councilmembers Dave Hudson and Jim Livingstone.

Wilson has said he will seek re-election and he has also said he will run again for state Assembly in 2010. Wilson, a Republican, is the city’s first directly elected mayor and he has never faced significant opposition. But it  one wonders if the Democratic Party will attempt to field an opponent in the mayoral contest in an effort to weaken Wilson’s chances for success in the Assembly.

Pete McCloskey

A film on the life of former California Congressman Pete McCloskey, the charismatic war veteran from the Bay Area who famously ran for president against Richard Nixon, will air on KQED public television next month.

The first showing is July 5 at p.m. Click here for KQED’s full airing schedule.

Filmmaker Robert Caughlan has been working on “Pete McCloskey: Leading from the Front” film for several years but his 81-year-old subject refused to slow down long enough for Caughlan to finish it. First, the former politician decided to run for Congress against Richard Pombo in 2006 and then McCloskey, an environmental lawyer, took on a high-profile case.

Caughlan’s efforts were further complicated with the death last year of the film’s narrator, Paul Newman.

I met McCloskey for the first time in 2006 when he ran for Congress and found him to be an extraordinarily charming man. I visited McCloskey at his Rumsey property, where he persuaded me to interview him while I drove a tractor through his orange grove. The tractor’s bucket was loaded with horse manure and he walked ahead of me and talked while he threw shovelfuls of the stuff onto his trees.

I also got to know Caughlan during that time period and found him a personable and good-humored foil to McCloskey’s sometimes mercurial personality. I had the chance at the time to see pieces of the McCloskey film that were adapted for use during the campaign.

I’m looking forward to seeing the final version. Someone remind me to set my DVR!

Rep. Ellen Tauscher, D-Alamo

Flanked by close friend and ally Sen. Dianne Feinstein, Rep. Ellen Tauscher, D-Alamo, received nothing but bipartisan praise and encouragement at her confirmation hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee this morning.

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO AUDIO FILE OF THE 90-MINUTE HEARING.

Tauscher has been nominated for a State Department job as Undersecretary for Arms Control and International Security. The full Senate confirmation vote has not been scheduled but it is generally expected to occur before Congress leaves for summer break.

House Majority Leader and Rep. Steny Hoyer, D-Maryland, spoke on Tauscher’s behalf and in the audience was her fiance, father and numerous friends.

Committee Chairman and Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., touted Tauscher’s extensive experience as a member of the House Armed Services Committee and cited what he called his tremendous personal and professional respect for the California congresswoman’s expertise.

But the most significant sign of bipartisan support came from Republican Sen. Richard Lugar of Indiana, a lawmaker who passionately promotes U.S. policies that help reduce worldwide threats from weapons of mass destruction.

Tauscher’s new job entails work on the next generation nuclear arms treaty with Russia, the development of a worldwide treaty on the containment of fissile nuclear materials, protection of sensitive technology, and nuclear nonproliferation policies particularly as they pertain to North Korea and Iran.

While few things in politics are done until they are done, Tauscher’s confirmation appears highly likely given the tone and tenor of this morning’s 90-minute hearing.

Once Tauscher is confirmed and she resigns her position in the 10th Congressional District, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger will call for a special election to select her replacement.

CLICK HERE TO READ TAUSCHER’S WRITTEN COMMENTS THIS MORNING.

CLICK HERE TO READ KERRY’S OPENING STATEMENTS

CLICK HERE TO READ LUGAR’S OPENING STATEMENTS.

We’re hearing that Rep. Ellen Tauscher, who was nominated earlier this month by President Barack Obama to serve as Undersecretary of State for Arms Control and International Security, will have a confirmation hearing Tuesday, June 9 before the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee. There hasn’t been much talk of opposition to her taking the post, and so confirmation would probably follow within a few weeks.

CD-10 candidates… start your engines.

As Lisa has reported, the first of the potentially two-part special election to replace Tauscher, D-Alamo, in Congress will take place about two months after she resigns from the seat. If a candidate receives 50 percent plus one vote, he or she will win the seat outright; if not, the top voter-getter in each party will compete in a runoff about two months later.

Bay Area folks who watched President Barack Obama’s press conference this morning on healthcare reform saw a familiar face standing directly behind the president’s right shoulder, that of Rep. George Miller, D-Martinez. (I pasted a link to an MSNBC video of the press conference below.)

Miller, chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, is among the top House leaders involved in negotiations over changes in the nation’s healthcare system. Miller also appears in this New York Times blog piece today. The Times wrote, in part:

For the third straight day, the public focus of the White House was health care on Wednesday. A private meeting with the president and House leaders was intended to culminate the discussions among business leaders and health care providers about the urgent need to make changes to the system.

Mr. Obama said bringing down the cost of health care was critical to controlling the country’s debt. He sought to preempt Republican criticism of the cost of his health care plan - and how he would pay for it - by calling it an essential step in reducing lowering the deficit.

Sen. Mark DeSaulnier, D-Concord

The Contra Costa County Central Labor Council, which represents 90 unions, sent out today its official endorsement of Sen. Mark DeSaulnier for the 10th congressional district.

Word of the council’s decision leaked out a few days ago although it was interesting to learn that the council also interviewed Lt. Governor John Garamendi, who has expressed serious interest in the race but has not officially said he would run.

DeSaulnier has been extraordinarily successful in locking down early endorsements in this race to replace Rep. Ellen Tauscher, who is still waiting official U.S. Senate confirmation of her new job as Under Secretary for Arms Control. A special election will be held later this year after Tauscher resigns.

DeSaulnier already has the blessing of Tauscher and Rep. George Miller, D-Martinez, as well as the support of the Contra Costa Building Trades. While these endorsements cannot guarantee victory, they can translate into both campaign dollars and boots on the ground when it comes time to walk precincts and conduct get-out-the-vote activities.

Here is the council’s full statement:

CONTRA COSTA COUNTY CENTRAL LABOR COUNCIL ENDORSES DESAULNIER FOR CONGRESS

MARTINEZ, CA - The Contra Costa County Central Labor Council has unanimously endorsed Senator Mark DeSaulnier for California’s 10th Congressional District.

DeSaulnier seeks to succeed Congresswoman Ellen Tauscher should the seat become available.

In a special meeting, assembled delegates of the Council’s more than 90 affiliated unions heard from potential candidates. Senator DeSaulnier and Lieutenant Governor John Garamendi spoke to the assembled representatives before the vote.

Recounting the presentations from the potential candidates, Pam Aguilar, Executive Director of the Council remarked, “Mark understands the needs of workers in this district and has always fought to
maintain the wages and working conditions of the moms and dads trying to keep the mortgage current and food on the table.

“He knows that stronger workers in Contra Costa, Alameda and Solano mean stronger communities and a better economy for all Americans. We are confident that he will put those values to work in Washington.”

Read the rest of this entry »

Lt. Gov. John Garamendi

Democratic Lt. Gov. John Garamendi all but declared his candidacy tonight for the congressional seat held by outgoing Rep. Ellen Tauscher, D-Alamo.

Garamendi delivered a short but eloquent speech to several dozen members of the Contra Costa Democratic Central Committee in what turned out to be an impromptu candidates forum along with appearances by two of his potential challengers.

“A lot of you have told me that this congressional district is where I should run, that I have the experience and the background to have an impact in Washington, D.C.,” Garamendi said. “So, we’re considering it. I’d like you to seriously consider it, too.” (Update: 9:45 p.m. After the meeting, a Garamendi aide said the lt. governor had not yet made a final decision.)

Garamendi, who lives in Walnut Grove, made no mention of his gubernatorial campaign during the roughly 20 minutes he spoke.

Instead, he focused on federal issues such as the government bailout, his opposition to offshore oil drilling, his support for a single-payer healthcare system and what he called the global climate change crisis.

“Those changes are happening in Congress,” Garamendi said. “There is tremendous potential for change.”

Garamendi spoke following short speeches by declared congressional candidate and state Sen. Mark DeSaulnier, D-Concord, and Assemblywoman Joan Buchanan, D-Alamo, , who said she expects to make a decision in the next week.

But Garamendi’s presence at the monthly meeting of the county’s Democrats was the chief source of the buzz in the room.

Many of the county’s top Democrats were already struggling with a difficult choice between DeSaulnier and Buchanan. They have campaigned for both of them and have worked particularly hard for Buchanan, who ran in a nail-biter in November.

The addition of Garamendi into the mix will certainly spur a lot of debate in the ranks of the Democratic Party.

UPDATE 7:41 AM: In the editing process last night, I dropped a “you” from the last sentence of Garamendi’s quote. Also, a reader pointed out that Garamendi was referring to the generic “you” and did not mean specifically the people in the audience.

Anthony Woods delivered the graduate English address at Harvard's commencement in June 2008. Photo uploaded from Harvard Magazine at harvardmagazine.com/2009/01/anthony-woods-taking-stand

Anthony Woods, a gay West Point graduate who initiated his separation from the Army after two tours in Iraq under “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell,” may return to Northern California and run as a progressive Democratic candidate in the race to replace outgoing Rep. Ellen Tauscher, D-Alamo.

Harvard Magazine’s January-February edition features a very interesting story about Woods’ decision to leave the Army. Woods has a masters degree from Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School of Government.

Woods was born on Travis Air Force Base and attended high school in Fairfield, according to a spokesman. He is now considering moving back home and running for Congress.

Woods was traveling and unavailable for comment today but as soon as I have an opportunity to speak with him at length, I will file an updated post about him.

If he runs, he will be the second person to run as a self-described progressive. Adriel Hampton, a former San Francisco political reporter now working as an investigator in the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office, is also running as a progressive candidate.

For those keeping score, here is the latest candidate tally: Read the rest of this entry »

Attorney David Harmer, son of Reagan author, former California lieutenant governor and Southern California state legislator John Harmer, confirmed a few minutes ago via phone that he is exploring a run for Congress in the seat held by outgoing Rep. Ellen Tauscher, D-Alamo.

And no, Harmer does not sound crazy, which some say is the only reason a Republican would consider a bid in a district where Democrats hold an 18-point registration advantage.

Harmer, a 46-year-old husband and father of four young children, is a former vice president and assistant general counsel at Washington Mutual Bank. He lost his job in January when the bank failed, although Harmer said he worked in the bank’s successful credit card division.

“There is a pervasive sense of unease about how the Obama and Bush administrations responded to imprudent behavior in the private sector by allowing profits to remain privatized while socializing losses,” Harmer said. “… I don’t see that as a partisan issue. I perceive the failures (of government) as thoroughly bipartisan.”

Sure, Harmer has heard what eight out 10 political consultants have said about a Republican’s chances of winning in CD10, chiefly that it will take a celebrity with bipartisan appeal, a lot of money and a big dose of luck. Harmer is neither famous nor wealthy.

“We’re not going to win in this district by snowing people into thinking that our celebrity is more popular than their politician,” Harmer said.

As for the consultants’ advice, Harmer says these are the same people telling him he will need $2 million to mount a competitive campaign.

“Not coincidentally, the consultants earn a percentage of what is spent on the campaign,” Harmer added.

Another sign that Harmer is playing with a full deck is that he knows how congressional campaigns work. He managed the campaign of a successful Utah congressional candidate in the early 1990s and then in 1996 ran for the seat himsel.

“If I run, it will be because I think I can thread the needle,” Harmer said.

And there is Harmer’s political family background. His dad, John, was a California Assemblyman from the Glendale area from 1966 to 1974. Then-Gov. Ronald Reagan appointed him lieutenant governor when Edwin Reinecke resigned in 1974 but Harmer senior was unable to win the seat in the next election. John Harmer wrote a book in 2002 called “Reagan: Man of Principle.”

Harmer says he will make a decision based on whether he views himself as the Republican with the best chance of success in the field and whether he will have enough funds to run a campaign — about $250,000, he figures.

Read more for David Harmer’s recent email to potential supporters: Read the rest of this entry »

Sen. Mark DeSaulnier

Ending days of speculation, Rep. Ellen Tauscher, D-Alamo, has publicly endorsed state Sen. Mark DeSaulnier, D-Concord, as her replacement in Congress.

“(DeSaulnier) is a seasoned, hardworking public servant who would do a great job,” Tauscher said.

Rep. George Miller, D-Martinez, has also thrown his support behind his longtime ally and friend.

“We have worked together at all levels of government and he is a tremendous advocate and representative for our constituents. He is a hard worker, has great integrity and will help move our country forward.”

Pending U.S. Senate confirmation, which could take weeks or months, Tauscher will leave Congress to take a position as Undersecretary of State for Arms Control and International Security.

Some predicted Tauscher would stay neutral on the matter of her successor given the federal vetting process and the likelihood that other Democrats she has supported in the past will run against DeSaulnier in the special election.

But Tauscher has served 13 years in Congress and it would have uncharacteristic for her to remain silent.

Tauscher’s blessing and that of the wildly popular Miller are a huge boost for DeSaulnier’s candidacy and may well dissuade potential opponents or at least dampen their fundraising prospects.

Other Democrats considering the seat include Assemblywoman Joan Buchanan, former Assemblyman Joe Canciamilla, former BART Director Dan Richard, San Francisco City Attorney’s Office investigator Adriel Hampton and one-time Lafayette Mayor Scott Talon.

Republicans are interested, as well, despite the Democrats’ 18-point registration advantage in District 10. The district encompasses portions of central and eastern Contra Costa County, Lamorinda and portions of Alameda, Sacramento and Solano counties.

Among Republicans eying a run are Contra Costa Sheriff Warren Rupf, Fairfield City Councilwoman and Move America Forward Executive Director Catherine Moy, California Republican Party Vice Chairman Tom Del Beccaro and 2008 GOP congressional nominee Nick Gerber.