Republicans are halting their efforts to overturn California's newly drawn congressional districts, at least in part because many in the GOP believe the districts aren't that bad after all. A separate Republican attempt to block the state Senate districts, however, is going ahead.
From Capitol Weekly's Malcolm Maclachlan: "Republicans backing a voter referendum to overturn California’s new congressional maps are on the verge of dropping the effort, sources say."
"One reason is a lack of enthusiasm among California’s GOP congressional delegation. One of the newest but most-prominent members of that delegation — Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy, R-Bakersfield — reportedly led those arguing that it wasn’t worth fighting the new maps."
"At a recent meeting of the National Republican Campaign Committee, several strategists argued that the statewide referendum wasn’t a good use of campaign resources. And some noted that the congressional maps, drawn by a voter-approved independent commission, are more favorable to Republicans than they would have been under a Democrat-controlled gerrymander."
"Meanwhile, a separate ballot effort to toss out the state Senate maps is going forward and raising money, according to sponsors. That group has also filed a lawsuit to block the Senate maps and enjoys strong support from current GOP state senators."
Out in the real world beyond the state Capitol, Republicans are supporting the move of all initiatives to the November ballot -- something that inside-the-Capitol GOP members are not happy with, according to the latest Field Poll.
From the Bee's Torey Van Oot: "Republican legislators in Sacramento are crying foul over an eleventh-hour push to limit future initiatives to November general elections."
"But the idea behind the union-backed legislation doesn't seem so bad to a majority of GOP voters, according to a new Field Poll."
"Registered Republicans supported the proposed change by a 15-point margin, 52 percent to 37 percent. Overall, 56 percent of voters back the proposal, which was approved by the Legislature and is now awaiting action by Democratic Gov. Jerry Brown."
U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, who earlier told reporters she feared her campaign coffer may have been "wiped out" by Democratic accountant-under-fire Kinde Durkee, says she's putting $5 million of her own money into her campaign fund. Politico's John Bresnahan and Manu Raju have the story.
"Sen. Dianne Feinstein, who is up for reelection in 2012, will put $5 million of her own money into her race, the latest sign that a mega-fraud case involving a top Democratic campaign treasurer is roiling California politics."
"Feinstein, first elected to the Senate in 1992, raised more than $5 million for her reelection campaign as of June 30, according to a Federal Election Commission report."
"But that was before Kinde Durkee, a top Democratic political consultant who served as the treasurer for dozens of Democratic political committees and campaigns throughout the state, was accused by the Justice Department of improperly diverting more than $670,000 from the campaign account of a California state assemblyman."
In the battle over high-speed rail funding, a new twist has emerged: Southern California is trying to swipe the Central Valley's money, reports the Fresno Bee's Jim Boren.
"A secret deal is reportedly being brokered to shift $3.3 billion in federal high-speed rail funds designated for the San Joaquin Valley to Southern California. Those behind the SoCal maneuver are using opposition to HSR by Valley Republican lawmakers as their main talking point: "The Valley doesn't even want this money."
"While the money can only go to the Valley under the federal rules, Southern California transportation officials are lobbying the feds to change the restriction to allow it to go to Southern California."
"Lawmakers from the Southland also are considering not issuing state HSR bonds unless the federal money is spent in Southern California. The conspirators are trying to buy Northern California support for the hijacking of the Valley's federal money by agreeing to divert some of the money for BART projects in the Bay Area."
Rep. Darrell Issa, the Obama administration's premier critic in Congress, is launching a probe into government loan programs in the wake of the Solyndra collapse.
From the LA Times' Neela Banerjee: "Solyndra was the first recipient of a loan guarantee under a program authorized by the Bush administration in 2005 and beefed up under President Obama's stimulus act. But in the last few weeks, the company has shuttered its operations, laid off nearly all of its 1,100 workers and filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Energy Department's Inspector General have launched investigations of the company, raiding its offices in Fremont, Calif., and the homes of their executives. The Treasury Department is looking into the role one of its units -- the Federal Financing Bank -- played in the debacle. In the end, the bank lent Solyndra $527 million.
Congressional Republicans pounced on the scandal, asserting that the program did not perform the necessary due diligence for the Solyndra guarantee. They have alleged that the lax oversight may have been due to the fact that the largest investor in Solyndra has ties to an Obama donor, George Kaiser.
