Speakership politics was front and center Tuesday -- in a behind-the-scenes kind of way -- as momentum seemed to build for a John Perez candidacy.
"First-term Assemblyman John Perez, an ally of organized labor and cousin of Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, has launched a campaign to capture the Assembly speakership, and many members of the house are quickly rallying behind his bid.
"Perez entered the race after a number of his Assembly colleagues mounted an effort to draft him as a speakership candidate. Capitol sources said if Perez is able to secure a majority of his caucus, the vote on a new speaker could come by next week, when the Assembly reconvenes to vote on education legislation.
One of those involved in the Draft Perez movement was Assemblyman Jared Huffman, D-San Rafael. Huffman told Capitol Weekly Tuesday, "I believe John now has the votes. I think it's over."
Sen. Gil Cedillo told Capitol Weekly Tuesday that he plans to run against Perez in next year's primary for the 46th Assembly District, whether or not Perez is speaker.
That should be fun to watch...
Abel Maldonado said Tuesday he's in the Lite Gov's race to stay -- whether or not he's allowed to take the post after being selected by Gov. Schwarzenegger. The Fresno Bee's John Ellis reports Maldonado told the Fresno Bee editorial board, "If I'm good enough to be nominated, I'm good enough to run."
"In addition to that statement, Maldonado, 42, said he could work with Jerry Brown -- a Democrat -- if he is elected governor next year and Maldonado wins the lieutenant governor's post.
"Part of Maldonado's pitch for the job is that he and Schwarzenegger -- both Republicans -- would work better as a team because they are from the same political party."
Timm Herdt chimes in with a tale of public investments gone bad, and what it means for the Strickland family.
"It is not something she puts on her résumé or prints on her campaign brochures, but it is a reality that Camarillo City Councilwoman Charlotte Craven has lived with every day for the last 22 years: Under her watch, the city lost $30 million on speculative investments initiated and overseen by the city’s top financial officers.
"While Craven doesn’t brag about that history, neither does she shy from it. Over the years, she’s attended a handful of conventions of government officials to tell Camarillo’s embarrassing story — and to caution them how to avoid such a disastrous mistake.
"The county’s investment officer works for the treasurer-tax collector. There are no minimum qualifications for someone to hold that office. Assemblywoman Audra Strickland, who has no training in finance or investments, has said she wants to run for the job. At least two county supervisors say they want to establish minimum qualifications — an act that would disqualify Strickland as a candidate."
Martin Wiscol reports on the official death of the Bob Huff recall movement . "The effort to recall GOP Sen. Bob Huff, whose district includes parts of Orange, Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties, was pronounced dead today by the Secretary of State’s Office, because of inadequate valid signatures on the petition seeking to place the measure on the ballot.
"In fact, it appears that no signatures were gathered at all.
"Although Huff, who lives in Diamond Bar, was not one of the six Republicans who crossed the aisle in May to approve a state budget that included temporary tax hikes, a group of hard-core Republicans went after Huff anyway. The cause for the recall effort was Huff’s vote to put Proposition 1A on the ballot. The measure, which was rejected by voters in November, would have extended the temporary tax increases."
Meg Whitman hit the airwaves yesterday with a new radio ad. You can listen to the ad here.
And finally, from our Jesus on the Jury files, AP reports, "Court officials say a Birmingham woman who changed her name to Jesus Christ didn't live up to it when she reported for jury duty this week. The woman, previously named Dorothy Lola Killingworth, was sent to Judge Clyde Jones's courtroom for a criminal case Monday.
"Court officials told The Birmingham News Tuesday that the 59-year-old was excused because she was disruptive and kept asking questions instead of answering them."
Efforts to reach Christ for comment were unsuccessful.