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Since just before the last California presidential primary, the proportion of voters registered as Republicans has fallen from 33.5 percent to 30.4 percent, according to new figures from the California Secretary of State.

Last fall, we pointed out that the California Republican Party was running a bit late in not being able to field — with all due respect — a “name” candidate to take on incumbent Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein. And now, we see one of the effects of that. DiFi is lapping the GOP field in the latest fundraising disclosures. . . . DiFi is outraising the entire Republican field by about a gazillion to one in the latest fundraising totals. That includes includes her closest GOP rival — Danville autism activist Elizabeth Emken, who was endorsed by the CA GOP....

Shocker: One of CA’s most promising young Republicans abandons GOP in midst of heated SD mayoral raceCalifornia State Assemblyman and San Diego mayoral candidate Nathan Fletcher, seen as one of the California Republican Party’s most promising future possibilities for statewide office, announced today he’s abandoning the GOP and “partisan politics” to become an independent. The defection of Fletcher, who served in the Marine Corps for more than a decade and is an Iraq war veteran as well as a spouse of a prominent GOP activist — Mindy Tucker Fletcher, the former campaign spokeswoman for George W. Bush — is an...

The Tehama County GOP announced it has disinvited California Republican Party Chairperson Tom Del Beccarro from speaking at its May Lincoln-reagan Dinner. Apparently the Tehama GOP does not appreciate the CRP Chair’s hamfisted disregard for party bylaws and the state party’s controversial endorsement process that picks favorites before the California Primary. Not like we’ve never heard these complaints before. And brushing off bylaws concerning endorsements is just the tip of the iceberg.CRP Chairman Tom Del Beccaro,After serious discussion of the endorsement actions taken by the California Republican Party Board of Directors during their March 11th meeting, the Tehama County Republican...

SACRAMENTO, Calif.—Republican state lawmakers stood in united but futile opposition Thursday to the practice of approving empty bills that contain no real legislation but will be amended later to include budget legislation. Democrats, who control both houses, each approved several so-called "shell" bills—the Senate 40 of them, and the Assembly 38. The bills contain no actual budget details but will be amended later to include specific language needed to enact the budget for the fiscal year that begins July 1. Passing the bills now makes it quicker and easier to approve a state spending plan before the constitutional deadline in...

Republican Assembly hopeful Andy Pugno kicked off his campaign today with a pledge that could leave him backing his rival over his own candidacy in November. The Folsom Republican is challenging Assemblywoman Beth Gaines, R-Rocklin, in the 6th Assembly District. Under the state's new top-two primary rules, voters could send both Republicans to the general election. But voters in the safe GOP district might be spared a second round of a same-party slug fest if that happens. Pugno said today that he would support whichever Republican gets the most votes in the June 5 primary -- even if he secures...

California Republicans Get Behind Mitt Romney The national front-runner has a substantial lead in the state over Rick Santorum, with other rivals trailing in the distance. But there's little enthusiasm for the GOP field overall. By Seema Mehta March 25, 2012 Republican voters in California have swung behind Mitt Romney, with the national presidential front-runner crushing his rivals by double digits and substantially expanding his support in the state, a new poll has found. Romney won 42% of registered Republican voters, with his closest rival, Rick Santorum, trailing by 19 points, according to the USC Dornsife/Los Angeles Times poll. Newt...

California Could End Up Deciding Republican Presidential Nomination Megan Goldsby, CBS Local - San Francisco SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS) – The Republican presidential contest remains unsettled, and California could be the state that finally decides it. Super Tuesday turned out much like a children’s birthday party – everybody left with a prize, according to former California Republican Party chair Ron Nehring. “Everyone is going to stay in this contest throughout the month of March,” said Nehring. “I’d be very surprised if anyone dropped out.” KCBS’ Doug Sovern Reports: Republican Presidential Nomination Could Be In California's Hands Even though he didn’t land...

The race for the newly drawn 6th Assembly District is shaping up as a potential political – and personal – Republican slugfest. GOP Assemblywoman Beth Gaines could face two challengers from her side of the aisle in her re-election bid for the safe Republican district. The Rocklin Republican's potential rivals – Folsom attorney Andrew Pugno and Roseville school board member Linda Park – both have ties to Gaines' former rival, Roseville Councilman John Allard. Pugno, who has filed a statement of intention to run but has made no formal announcement, used the same campaign consultant in 2010 that Allard did...

A fine new report from the Public Policy Institute of California updates what we know about the state's political geography. For decades, the political divide in California was between the Democratic north and the Republican south. But in recent times, analysts have talked about a blue Democratic coast vs. the red Republican inland. PPIC's new report concludes that the coast vs. inland explanation isn't exactly right. When you dig deeply into the numbers, the state's real political divide puts the two former rivals -- Los Angeles County and the Bay Area -- on one side of the partisan divide, and...

Suddenly June 5 doesn't seem so far away. With a muddled outcome from the 10 Super Tuesday states, there's no sign the GOP presidential primary process will be resolved before California Republicans hold a vote that pundits once said was too late to matter. In fact, June 5 -- when California and four other states will vote -- is now "one of the key dates between now and the convention" in late August in Tampa, Fla., said renowned election prognosticator Larry Sabato, who directs the University of Virginia Center for Politics. "As it turns out, every state is relevant, just...

Livestream to the California GOP Convention. Newt is scheduled to speak right now; as I right this, stream is running, and people are milling about before the speech. (Some twit seems to be harassing the camera operator with dumb questions.)

Long written off as too late to matter, California's Republican primary June 5 may turn out to matter a lot. A new Field Poll shows former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum just six points behind front-runner Mitt Romney, the former governor of Massachusetts. California's mother lode of 172 delegates has long been considered Romney's firewall against a contested or even brokered national convention in Tampa, Fla., in August. A contested convention is the ultimate nightmare scenario for the GOP, which has savored this year as its best chance since Jimmy Carter to deny a second term to an incumbent Democratic president."It's...

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — The California Republican Party will host presidential candidate and former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich during its convention later this month. Party Chairman Tom Del Beccaro said Tuesday that Gingrich will address the twice-annual gathering in Burlingame on Feb. 25th. Del Beccaro calls Gingrich one of the most dynamic figures in GOP politics in the last 50 years....

The Chronicle has learned that former House Speaker Newt Gingrich will be speaking at the Saturday lunchtime slot — that’s priiiiiiiimetime at these things — at the California Republican convention in lovely Burlingame. The Feb. 25 gig will be part of a three-day presidential campaign swing through California for Newt. Details are still coming together, but he may do a public event in the Bay Area along with a fundraiser, which of course is the point of coming to California.

Since just before the last California presidential primary, the proportion of voters registered as Republicans has fallen from 33.5 percent to 30.4 percent, according to new figures from the California Secretary of State.

Jon Fleischman, the conservative blogger, was brooding the other day on Facebook, underwhelmed by the presidential candidates he has left to choose from. It's "pretty alarming to me," the former executive director of the California Republican Party wrote, "how dispassionate, or non-interested I am in this new battle for the Republican nomination between Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich." For like-minded Republicans – a cheerless majority of the party in California, according to a recent poll – a virtual therapy session ensued. One friend recommended a prescription for Xanax, another a vote for Ron Paul. Joe Ludlow, who helps run a...

The California Republican Party keeps making matters worse as it struggles against what seems inevitable. On Friday, the California Supreme Court unanimously decided to leave in place state Senate district maps drawn by the voter-created California Redistricting Commission. This was the second time the GOP turned to the court for help, and the second time it was slapped down. The Republicans spent – and probably wasted – $2 million on its drive to qualify a referendum challenging the maps. It's not certain that the measure will qualify for the November ballot.

While blue California is almost certain to go for President Barack Obama come November, California Republican Party Chairman Tom Del Beccaro sees opportunity for the GOP to be a major force from the presidential race down.Del Beccaro laid out his strategy and expectations for the 2012 election in a Wednesday interview with The Bee Capitol Bureau.>Can the Republican Party play at all against Obama in California? The Republican Party historically in California has sent money to other states. So we do have an impact, regardless of whether this particular state is in play. … It will look like a competitive...

With 17-term Republican Rep. Jerry Lewis of San Bernardino announcing his retirement Thursday, following retirements of two GOP veterans this week, California's huge Congressional delegation could see its biggest shakeup in two decades. The state's new map of congressional districts, drawn by a 14-member citizen redistricting commission, is expected to yield more open seats, more competitive elections and possibly three to five new Democrats in the House, reflecting California's long-term trend toward the Democratic Party. That has some Democrats salivating at the prospect that they could regain the House majority and reinstall San Francisco Democrat Nancy Pelosi as speaker.