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Well, the rumors have born some fruit with California Assemblywoman Julia Brownley announcing over the long President’s Holiday weekend that she will run for Congress. Rep. Brad Sherman had coincidentally announced that he was remaining in CA-30 to duke it out with fellow Democrat Rep. Howard Berman for that Congressional seat.

Brownley lives in Santa Monica, but told Timm Herdt of the Ventura County Star that she would rent an apartment in Oak Park (unincorporated, Ventura County, but in CA-26) yesterday.

Assemblywoman Julia Brownley, stepping in after Supervisor Steve Bennett dropped out last week, said Sunday she will be a Democratic candidate in Ventura County’s new 26th Congressional District.

Brownley, who lives in Santa Monica, has represented much of Ventura County in the Assembly for the past five years. Her district includes Port Hueneme, about half of Oxnard, Westlake Village and Oak Park — areas that make up about 16 percent of the congressional district.

Brownley said she will move to an apartment in Oak Park this week.

Most, if not all of CA-26 is in Ventura County and Democrat Brownley, while she represented Oxnard and Port Hueneme in the California Assembly is from Santa Monica in Los Angeles County. Her carpetbagger status (renting an apartment, in order to run for office in the Congressional District – although federal law allows non-resident candidacy, in any case) will be an issue.

With Ventura County Supervisor Steve benefit precipitously withdrawing from the race, there was a Democratic Party void (i.e. a well known Democratic POL candidate) and apparently Brownley will fill it.

Now, whether Brownley can beat Thousand Oaks based Ventura County Supervisor Linda Parks and/or Republican California State Senator Tony Strickland in the June primary election (remember the top two advance to the November general election) is another story. Plus, there are other Democrats in the race which may dilute the Democratic vote.

Here are all of the candidates – so far (filing opened Monday, February 13 and will close on March 9):

• Republican California State Senator Tony Strickland
• Independent/Republican Ventura County Supervisor Linda Parks
• Democrat Moorpark Councilman David Pollock
• Democrat Oxnard Harbor Commissioner Jess Herrera
• Democrat Westlake Village businessman David Cruz Thayne
• Libertarian/Republican Akiva Werbalowsky
• Democrat California Assemblywoman Julia Brownley

Tony Strickland remains the front-runner in this race.

With the withdrawal of Ventura County Supervisor Steve Bennett from the race, Moorpark City Councilman Pollock is one of the few Democrats left in this race.

But, it has been rumored that Democrat Assemblywoman Julia Brownley, who lives in Santa Monica, but represents Oxnard and Port Hueneme in the California Assembly is looking at the race.

So, who is left in the CA-26 race (filing opened Monday, February 13 and will close on March 9).

• Republican California State Senator Tony Strickland
• Independent/Republican Ventura County Supervisor Linda Parks
• Democrat Moorpark Councilman David Pollock
• Democrat Oxnard Harbor Commissioner Jess Herrera
• Democrat Westlake Village businessman David Cruz Thayne
• Libertarian/Republican Akiva Werbalowsky

David Pollock will have his hands full with this field and Linda Parks is already chortling on Facebook that she will beat Tony Strickland when she gets into the top two at the June primary election.

However, although Linda Parks is well known in Thousand Oaks, unless she re-registers as a Democrat, Pollock or the others will likely win Democratic Party voters – whereas Tony Strickland will win the Republican vote.

Pollock has a huge Democratic Party mountain to climb, especially if Julia Brownley or Rep. Brad Sherman should decide to enter this race.

Stay tuned….

No big surprise to me since Bennett was rumored to be getting an inordinate amount of pressure from the Ventura County Public Employee Unions to stay in his safe Ventura county Supervisor District. Filing today for Congress, I believe opens today.

A top Democratic recruit for the swing 26th Congressional District shocked supporters Saturday by dropping out of the race, one day after party leaders touted his race as a top pick-up opportunity.

Ventura County Supervisor Steve Bennett, who was the top candidate for a pre-primary endorsement recommendation, announced during the state Democratic Party Convention in San Diego that he will drop his congressional candidacy to run for re-election to the Board of Supervisors.

So, now will Rep. Brad Sherman jump into this race?

Or, will Democrats coalesce around Ventura County Supervisor Linda Parks? Might Parks re-register as a Democrat?

My bet is that Rep. Brad Sherman takes a real hard look at this race.

The remaining announced candidates are Republican California State Senator Tony Strickland, Independent/Republican Ventura County Supervisor Linda Parks, Democrat Moorpark Councilman David Pollock, Democrat Oxnard Harbor Commissioner Jess Herrera, Democrat Westlake Village businessman David Cruz Thayne and Libertarian/Republican Akiva Werbalowsky.

There is also a rumor that California Assemblywoman Julia Brownley, a Democrat, who represents most of Oxnard and Port Hueneme is also looking at the race.

Filing closes March 9, so stay tuned.

Again, an endorsement like this by the Ventura County Republican Party would never have occurred in year’s past, but like with the California Republican Party Chairman Tom Del Beccaro, California Proposition 14 allows for this endorsement.

This will definitely be an advantage for Tony Strickland over any other Republican who either enters or is already in the race (Ventura county Supervisor Linda Parks, is a registered Republican).

From the press release:

The Ventura County Republican Party Central Committee unanimously voted Wednesday night to endorse State Senator Tony Strickland for California’s newly drawn 26th Congressional District.

“There is no better choice to represent Ventura County in Congress than Tony Strickland,” said Ventura County Republican Party Chairman Mike Osborn, noting the unanimity of the endorsement vote. “Tony is the clear choice for Ventura County families concerned about the economy and the runaway spending in Washington. We stand united behind his campaign because of Tony’s record of distinguished service to our community. We’re proud to endorse his campaign for Congress.”

The Ventura County Republican Party joins California Republican Party Chairman Tom Del Beccaro in endorsing Strickland.

California State Senator Tony Strickland will now identify himself as the ONLY Republican endorsed by both the California Republican Party Chairman and the County Republican Central Committee.

Now, it will be up to Linda Parks to decide whether to run as a Republican or as an independent. Of course, she could always re-register as a Democrat.

In year’s past, this pre-primary election endorsement would never have occurred. But, under California Proposition 14′s Top Two system, this is allowed.

California Republican Party Chairman Tom Del Beccaro announced Wednesday his endorsement of state Sen. Tony Strickland in the campaign for California’s newly drawn 26th Congressional District.

“I’ve known Tony for a long time, and there is no one who can represent this community better than him,” Del Beccaro said. “He has a distinguished record of service to Ventura County families and will make a fantastic representative in Congress. We desperately need more people in Washington, D.C., willing to stand up for fiscal discipline and our shared values. I’m proud to endorse Tony Strickland for Congress.”

Del Beccaro’s endorsement of Strickland is his first of the election cycle.

“I’m humbled and grateful to have the support of Chairman Del Beccaro in this race,” Strickland said. “He’s been a tremendous advocate for responsible fiscal policy and a fantastic chairman.”

So far, California State Senator Tony Strickland is the ONLY “declared” Republican in the field for the California Congressional District 26 which is primarily in Ventura County. Ventura County Supervisor Linda Parks of Thousand Oaks is a registered Republican but has said she may run as an independent ballot designation.

There are five other presumed candidates in this race – all of the remainder are Democrats: Ventura County Supervisor Steve Bennett, Oxnard Harbor District Commissioner Jess Herrera, Moorpark City Councilman David Pollock, retired longshoreman Zeke Ruelas of Oxnard and businessman David Cruz Thayne of Westlake Village.

Go ahead, watch the video above and listen to the two challenges that Linda Parks gives to her challengers and the voting public.

I say good luck with that, when traditionally races for Congress have been very partisan and very expensive affairs.

A race for a highly contested Congressional District is NOT a local City Council or County Supervisor which are NON-Partisan and mainly low key races.

It is interesting that Parks who is a registered Republican, but is unclear whether she will run as one as designated on the June 2012 primary ballot, did not mention her opponents – all six of them (Democrats and Republicans a like).

By the way, when Parks beat former California Assemblywoman Audra Strickland (wife of California State Senator Tony Strickland, who has already announced for CA-26) in her 2010 re-election race for Supervisor, I received quite a few mail pieces in my mailbox and somebody paid for those. Parks knows how to campaign and will raise and spend campaign cash like the rest of the POLS.

Has anyone seen Ventura County Supervisor Steve Bennett lately? It has been rumored that he will withdraw from the race and support Parks at the behest of Ventura County Public employee unions.

Update:

Steve Bennett is now reporting $240K in political contributions and a California Democratic Party Pre-Endorsement Conference win.

With Republican Tony Strickland reporting over $300K in contributions on his first day, this is not a good sign for Linda Parks. Also, it shows that the rumor Bennett would get out of the race, maybe just a rumor.

Why is this important?

Scott Lay lays it out and how the laundering operation works for both Republicans and Democrats.

Tony Strickland, who recently decided to run for congress rather than re-election to the state senate has unusual support from the Republican Party 300 miles away in Stanislaus County. Unusual, that is, unless you know California’s campaign finance laws. In general in this cycle, donors to state candidates are limited to $7,800 ($3,900 each for the primary and general). However, donors can give $32,500 the state accounts of party county central committees, and spread it to several counties. In turn, party central committees wash the money and can give it in unlimited amounts to candidates.

Both parties use this laundering method, which was knowingly written into Prop. 34, so please don’t take this as an attack on Tony or Stanislaus RCC. However, it’s a mockery of state contribution limits.

The funny thing is that Strickland cannot use his state account for his federal Congressional run. Reportedly, Strickland will be returning some state account contributions to donors.

But, who is to say these donors will not turn around and cut new checks to Strickland’s FEC regulated CA-26 campaign account?

In any case, this illustrates a loophole in the law and why the supposed California campaign finance reform law, really is a crock.

How about unlimited contributions with instant internet dosclosure when the check, say over $1,000, is cashed?

Nahhhh, too simple.