Free Republic

GOP Sen. Sam Blakeslee has started publicly signaling that he might not run for re-election this year. The San Luis Obispo Republican told Bee sister paper The San Luis Obispo Tribune that his decision is tied to the fate of the new district maps drawn by the independent Citizens Redistricting Commission. Democrats now hold a 16-point registration edge over Republicans in the central coast swing seat Blakeslee won in a 2010 special election. But critics of the new Senate maps have collected hundreds of thousands of voter signatures in an attempt to ask voters to reject the districts next fall....

Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, on a fundraising trip through California this week, has rolled out endorsements from a bunch of GOP lawmakers. ... House Armed Services Committee Chairman Buck McKeon, R-Santa Clarita, said in Romney’s news release that President Obama’s policies have failed California and the nation, while Romney “has a proven record of job creation in both the private sector and as a governor.” Similarly, state Senate Republican Leader Bob Dutton, R-Rancho Cucamonga, said Romney’s record as governor “speaks for itself.” “He created jobs, balanced budgets, and cut taxes,” Dutton said. “Mitt Romney knows how the economy works...

State GOP convention: Blowup, outgoing chair accused of "thuggery" Republican State Sen. Sam Blaskeslee of San Luis Obispo, leading the charge against a conservative move to revise the party's endorsement of candidates, sharply criticized the outgoing GOP chair Saturday as a failed leader who has "resorted to thuggery." Blakeslee made the comment after walking out of a heated meeting of the state GOP Rules Committee at the start of a 3-day day statewide Republican Convention which brought 1,000 delegates to the Sacramento Hyatt. His comments come on the heels of efforts by outgoing GOP chair Ron Nehring, who has lead...

Assuming he can hold Democrats in the Legislature in line, Brown needs four Republican votes--two from each chamber of the Legislature--to place a measure before voters in June that would extend income, sales and vehicles tax increases for five more years. So who are the three Republicans who haven't signed either pledge? Senators Anthony Cannella and Sam Blakeslee and Assemblyman Bill Berryhill. Last Friday, Brown acknowledged ... that Cannella and Blakeslee are key Republicans for getting the tax measure on the ballot. “But there are other ones,” he said.

Laird vs. Blakeslee-California 15th Senate District Special Election I couldn't find a thread for this race so I decided to create one. I feel so empowered.The race is tight so far at 0% to 0%

Ballots were still being counted late Tuesday in a high-stakes election along the Central Coast that could swing the balance of power in the state Senate. John Laird, a former Democratic assemblyman from Santa Cruz, and Sam Blakeslee, a Republican assemblyman from San Luis Obispo, continued to campaign as the polls closed Tuesday night, each capping a hard-fought bid that would strengthen their party's foothold in the state Legislature...

SACRAMENTO — The stakes are high and contrasts stark in Tuesday's special election to fill a vacant state Senate seat for a district that stretches from San Jose to Santa Maria, in Santa Barbara County. Democrats can inch closer to a two-thirds majority in the Senate with a victory, a prospect that has pitted powerful interests against each other in a bruising and costly battle over who controls the Capitol. The race features two candidates who represent the opposite ends of the partisan spectrum: former Assemblyman John Laird, an openly gay and liberal Democrat who is backed by labor unions...

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has called an Aug. 17 special election to fill the 15th Senate District seat vacated by Lt. Gov. Abel Maldonado's appointment to that post. Schwarzenegger's move bucks both legislative Democrats and county election officials, who urged the governor to consolidate the contest with the November general election to save costs. Democrats, of course, also wanted a consolidation because they believe the higher turnout in a general election will boost their shots at picking up the seat.

Assemblyman Roger Niello, who cast a key vote to pass a state budget that raised taxes this year, has been replaced as the GOP's point man on the Assembly Budget Committee. The Fair Oaks Republican will hand his committee post to Assemblyman Jim Nielsen, R-Gerber, who is a freshman in the lower house but served a dozen years in the Senate, leaving in 1990. The switch was made by the Assembly's new Republican leader, Sam Blakeslee of San Luis Obispo, who has stressed that taxes cannot be raised again in tackling a $24.3 billion shortfall.

Assemblyman Sam Blakeslee, a Central Coast Republican in his third term in the Assembly, was chosen to succeed Assemblyman Mike Villines as the GOP leader of the lower house. The moved to replace Villines came less than two weeks before the May 19 special election, in which voters will be asked to approve a controversial mix of taxes and cuts to help shore up the state budget. The 29-member Assembly Republican Caucus selected Blakeslee in a closed-door meeting that lasted more than an hour. He is expected to formally take over on June 1. The caucus had become restive in...

When Assemblyman Sam Blakeslee speaks, everyone listens -- that was the message sent last year in one playful verbal volley. During contentious floor debate, Republicans complained that their policy views routinely are ignored. One Democrat, disputing the complaint, noted that a hush comes over the floor whenever Blakeslee talks. For the next few days, as a joke, legislators would demand silence throughout the Assembly chambers -- loudly murmuring "shhh!" -- whenever Blakeslee grabbed a microphone. The lighthearted wordplay was a symbol, perhaps, of the respect that the San Luis Obispo Republican has within both parties. A lame-duck lawmaker termed out...

Assemblyman Sam Blakeslee was elected Thursday as Assembly Republican leader, effective June 1. "Our team is looking forward to working with everyone in the Legislature to find responsible solutions that balance California's budget and returns prosperity to our communties," the San Luis Obispo Republican said in a written statement. Blakeslee vowed to fight for high-performing schools, safe streets, a healthy business climate, and for reform and streamlining of state government. Blakeslee will replace Assemblyman Mike Villines, R-Clovis, who held a news conference earlier Thursday morning to announce that he will step down at the end of this month. Villines, attacked...