Senate Bill 1, passed last year, raised the base excise tax on gasoline by 12 cents per gallon. This initiative would require a majority of voters to approve any increases on the taxes on gas – and it would apply retroactively. 

“This is a message to the millions of forgotten Californians ignored by the Sacramento political elite, help is on the way,” Republican gubernatorial candidate John Cox said in a written statement. “Let this also be a message to every special interest in Sacramento, we’re coming for you. You can outspend the people, but you can’t outvote the people, because there are more of us than there are of you.”

Cox worked with other Republican leaders in organizing and providing funds for the repeal effort.

Democrats in the state argue that the higher tax on fuel is needed to fund repairs to crumbling infrastructure in the state, while conservative opponents note that Californians are already highly taxed and that it’s unnecessary spending – like the long-plagued bullet train project – that prevents funds from reaching road repairs.

“The gas and car tax hikes will cost the typical family of four $700 more per year in higher taxes, but the roads will not get fixed because the politicians will continue to divert the funds as they always have in the past,” Carl DeMaio, chairman of Reform California and a leader of the Gas Tax Repeal campaign, explained in a statement.

For Gov. Jerry Brown, a repeal would be a major blow to his budget and legacy as he departs office, with the outgoing governor offering a blistering critique of the move.

“This flawed and dangerous measure pushed by Trump’s Washington allies jeopardizes the safety of millions of Californians by stopping local communities from fixing their crumbling roads and bridges. Just say no,” Brown said.

For Republicans nationally, having the repeal measure on the ballot is thought to be able to increase turnout and could be key in saving vulnerable congressional seats in the 39th and 49th districts, where longtime GOP representatives Ed Royce and Darrell Issa are retiring.

“While my service to California’s 49th district will be coming to an end, I will continue advocating on behalf of the causes that are most important to me, advancing public policy where I believe I can make a true and lasting difference, and continuing the fight to make our incredible nation an even better place to call home,” Issa said in a statement.

Issa, who has been in the House since 2001 and is one of the wealthiest members of Congress, called his tenure “the privilege of a lifetime.”

The 64-year-old, who represents California’s 49th district, was thought to be vulnerable heading into 2018, as the 49th District voted heavily for Hillary Clinton in 2016.

Issa is one of the most well-known Republican representatives nationally, as he regularly appears on cable news shows and is a regular panelist on HBO’s “Real Time With Bill Maher.” Furthermore, he chaired the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee from 2011 to 2015 and was a consistent critic of the Obama administration and Hillary Clinton in the aftermath of the 2012 Benghazi attacks.

“His retirement is a great loss for the institution and the American people,” NRCC chairman Steve Stivers said in a statement. “We are truly grateful for his service.”

Issa’s announcement comes on the heels of Royce’s decision to step aside from his seat in California’s 39th district, which includes parts of Los Angeles, Orange and San Bernardino counties. Royce has been in Congress since the early 1990s.

With the pair gone, Democrats see an even greater opportunity to pick up the seats, as they’re two of seven GOP-held seats in California that Clinton won.

The Cook Political Report, after the news of Royce’s departure, moved the district from “Lean R” to “Lean D,” citing demographic changes and Clinton’s success there in 2016.

Royce has endorsed former state legislator Young Kim for the seat.

The retirements only increase the attention on the Golden State heading into the midterm races. With longtime incumbents out, Democrats feel emboldened to pick up seats in purple districts, solidifying their control of the state – even in traditionally red areas like Orange County.

“California Republicans clearly see the writing on the wall and realize that their party and its priorities are toxic to their re-election chances in 2018,” Drew Godinich, a spokesperson for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, said.

Additionally, California billionaire and environmental activist Tom Steyer this week pledged $30 million for Democratic candidates in an effort to flip the House in 2018.

On election day, the rest of nation may very well be watching California to find out if there’s a change of power in the lower chamber.

The latest update of Roll Call’s

Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Vista, is rated as a toss-up to win a 10th term. His 49th District covers north and northwest San Diego County and south Orange County. Last election, Issa defeated lawyer and retired Marine Col. Doug Applegate by 1,621 votes – the smallest margin of victory of any House race in 2016.

Applegate is running again and is joined by at least three fellow Democrats: San Juan Capistrano environmental lawyer Mike Levin, Rancho Santa Fe businessman Paul Kerr and Del Mar native Sara Jacobs, a former official in the Obama State Department and the granddaughter of Qualcomm founder Irwin Jacobs. Levin has a solid lead in fundraising, according to the most recent reports.

Issa has sought to distance himself from Trump and to present himself as more of a moderate, but his Vista office has been the target of dozens of protests over the past year.

Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, R-Huntington Beach, is rated as being in a “tilt GOP” race – defined by Roll Call as an essentially even race in which Rohrabacher may have a very small edge to win his 16th term in the House. Rohrabacher’s 48th District covers most of coastal Orange County and some inland communities.

Rohrabacher won 58 percent to 42 percent in 2016 over Democrat Suzanne Savary, a retired USC professor and business owner. But he’s since had a rough year in the national media over his unusual enthusiasm for Russia and friendships with Russian officials. A Nov. 21 New York Times story noted that “the Kremlin likes him so much it gave him a code name.”

Several Democrats are expected to challenge Rohrabacher in 2018. The one who appears to have generated the most excitement among national party officials is Hans Keirstead, a Laguna Beach resident who is a stem cell pioneer and entrepreneur. But Keirstead trails Laguna Beach businessman Harley Rouda in fundraising, according to the most recent reports.

Multiple Democrats line up to challenge each incumbent

Three other California House GOP incumbents are rated as having 2018 “lean” in their direction – meaning that while a very close race is likely, they appear to have a slight advantage.

Rep. Ed Royce, R-Fullerton, is seeking a 14th term. His 39th District is centered in central northeast Orange County, with some communities in south Los Angeles County and a sliver of San Bernardino County. In 2016, he won by 14 percent over Democrat Brett Murdock, a former Brea mayor.

He’s also likely to face several Democratic challengers. The list includes former Obama administration official Sam Jammal, philanthropist Gil Cisneros, pediatrician Mai Khan and Villa Park health insurance executive Andy Thorburn, who has a huge lead in fundraising because he loaned his campaign $2 million.

Rep. Steve Knight, R-Palmdale, is seeking a third term. His 25th District covers northern Los Angeles County and a chunk of Ventura County. In 2016, he won by 6 percent over Democratic attorney Bryan Caforio, who is running again. There are several other Democrats running, but it is Caforio and anti-homelessness activist Katie Hill who have gotten the most financial support. Caforio raised more funds than Knight over a recent three-month stretch, and Hill raised nearly as much.

Rep. Jeff Denham, R-Turlock, is seeking his fifth term. In 2016, he won his seat in the 10th District in the northern San Joaquin Valley by 2.4 percent over farmer Michael Eggman. At least eight Democrats, including former House candidate TJ Cox, are running against Denham. Josh Harder, a venture capitalist, has a huge early lead in fundraising, with Cox a distant second.

Denham has already been targeted with harsh TV ads paid for by a super PAC linking him to bankers associated with the Great Recession, which hit the Central Valley particularly hard.

President Donald Trump is under fire in Northern California not for the usual reasons – that Trump loathing is so intense in the region that many liberals think Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s saying Trump might someday turn out to be a good president is a

Last week, Rep. Mike Thompson, D-St. Helena, and Rep. Jared Huffman, D-San Rafael, blasted the White House for omitting Northern California fire victims from a request for Congress to appropriate $44 billion for disaster relief. Thompson told the San Francisco Chronicle that the Trump administration was “playing political games.”

This week, the White House fired back. White House spokeswoman Helen Ferre said the administration is “fully committed to assisting the victims of the California wildfires in their hour of need,” according to a report from the Chronicle’s Washington bureau.

Ferre said the fine print on the $44 billion request showed that Golden State wildfire victims could expect to get part of $23.5 billion requested for the Disaster Relief Fund, which is overseen by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Unlikely political couple: California Dems, Texas Republicans

But Ferre’s comments were unable to calm a larger furor over the administration’s disaster-relief request – one in which Texas Republicans and California Democrats made for a most unusual political couple, with both upset over what they see as a White House unable to grasp their needs.

Texas has sought $61 billion to help the Houston region recover from Hurricane Harvey – more than eight times the $7.4 billion that Gov. Jerry Brown sought for California wildfire relief. With damages from Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico expected to be bigger than Texas’ and California’s requests combined, there’s fear that the Trump administration will balk at the federal government footing huge bills in the wake of disasters.

Texas newspapers have had days of headlines in which Republican Gov. Greg Abbott and GOP Sens. Ted Cruz and John Cornyn have teed off on the Trump White House. Abbott said its plan was “completely inadequate,” the Dallas Morning News reported.

But a House Republican from Southern California could end up with a big say over the size of the relief package. That’s because Congress will ultimately decide how much disaster relief is appropriated, not Trump. While the president can veto a relief package, he can’t directly shape it.

That’s why Rep. Thompson and officials from Sonoma and Santa Rosa counties have already begun lobbying Rep. Ken Calvert, R-Corona, who sits on the House Appropriations Committee, for his help.

Only one House Republican signed the governor’s letter requesting $7.4 billion in federal aid – and it was Rep. Ed Royce of Fullerton, who represents the district just west of Calvert’s.

But after a Thompson-escorted tour of a devastated area in Sonoma County, Calvert offered reassuring words, telling the Chronicle he would work to ensure all disaster areas get “the relief they need.”

Asm. Ling Ling Chang

Assemblywoman Ling-Ling Chang, R-Diamond Bar, has announced her campaign to replace termed-out State Senator Bob Huff.

Chang’s campaign for the 29th State Senate district sets up a showdown with former Irvine Mayor Sukhee Kang for a seat that Democrats see as an opportunity to reclaim their supermajority in the upper house. Her campaign came at the urging of the Senate Republican Caucus, which sees the former mayor of Diamond Bar as the strongest candidate to replace the termed-out Senate Republican leader.

On Friday morning, the Republican Assemblywoman, who has been on the job for less than six months, announced her campaign with endorsements from Huff, Rep. Ed Royce and Asm. Young Kim. With a united front behind a top-tier candidate, Republicans hope to take the 29th Senate seat off the table in 2016.

Chang: Self-Described Tech Geek

In just her first term in the State Assembly, Chang has quickly risen to the top of the freshman class. A powerhouse fundraiser, Chang raised more than $632,000 for her 2014 Assembly campaign.

That fundraising prowess helped her land a spot on Asm. GOP leader Kristin Olsen’s leadership team as Republican Whip. In addition to serving as Vice Chair of the powerful Assembly Rules Committee, Chang holds key spots on the Appropriations Committee, Business & Professions Committee and the Privacy & Consumer Protection Committee.

Senator Bob Huff

Her current district includes substantial portions of the 29th Senate district. Prior to representing the 55th Assembly District, she served on the Diamond Bar City Council and Walnut Valley Water District Board of Directors.

“My mom didn’t understand why a young girl would be so obsessed with computers, so she would try and prohibit me from going online. I found my way around it until my mom started removing the keyboard,” Chang told the Sacramento Bee earlier this year. “Now she completely regrets it. Technology, to me, it’s like second nature. I can actually work something without having to read the user manual.”

The self-described “tech geek” has endeared herself to her colleagues by being a team player. In advance of the 2014 general election, she contributed more than $60,000 to party committees and legislative targets, including colleagues Kim, David Hadley, Tom Lackey, Marc Steinorth, Catharine Baker and Eric Linder. However, she’s also stumbled in her first few months in the state legislature, backing a plan to bring back redevelopment that is strongly criticized by property rights advocates.

Shaw expected to withdraw from the race

Chang’s candidacy changes the dynamics of the race and likely brings to an end the short-lived candidacy of fellow Republican Tim Shaw, who currently works as an aide to Huff. A La Habra City Councilman, Shaw has struggled to raise money since announcing his campaign in February. He had yet to file a campaign finance report, according to the state’s financial disclosure database.

As a result of Shaw’s perceived weaknesses, Democrats recruited former Irvine mayor Sukhee Kang to run for the seat. During his final term as mayor of Irvine, Kang won praise from liberal Democrats for his plan to ban single-use plastic bags. That’s helped him secure early backing from prominent statewide Democrats, including Senate Pr­­esident Pro Tem Kevin de León and former Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg.

Kang’s candidacy has its own baggage. Namely, he only recently packed his bags and moved into the district. He’s also weighed down by the ongoing audit of the Orange County Great Park. According to OC Weekly, while on the Irvine city council, in an alliance with former councilman Larry Agran and councilwoman Beth Krom, “Sukhee Kang diverted more than $174,000 per month in park funds to three political operatives — George Urch, Chris Townsend and Arnold Forde — allegedly performing ‘public relations’ for a government park that still hasn’t been built — and then shrugged their collective shoulders about why there was no money left for the noble endeavor.”

In 2012, Kang unsuccessfully challenged Rep. John Campbell for the 45th Congressional District. A first-generation Korean immigrant, Kang hoped to appeal to the district’s more than 89,000 Asian American voters in a uphill race against Shaw, a white Republican.

As the first Taiwanese-born woman to serve in the state Assembly, Chang undercuts the Democrat’s campaign strategy. According to voter registration statistics from Political Data, Inc., there are approximately 10,000 more registered voters with Chinese surnames than Korean surnames. Voters in the 29th Senate district have requested nearly twice as many Chinese language ballots than Korean ballots.

Kang’s campaign adviser Garry South seemed unfazed by Chang’s announcement. “See ya in a presidential year!” he said, welcoming the news.

Republicans hold a 3.5 percent edge in voter registration, with 37.3 percent of all registered voters in the district, according to AroundtheCapitol.com. The district’s high overall registration rate makes it difficult for Democrats to invest in a registration program to close that gap. The GOP has 15,000 more voters than Democrats. Orange County makes up more than 70 percent of the 29th State Senate district, which also includes portions of Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties. In 2012, Huff retained the seat with 55.1 percent of the vote, after spending minimal funds on his reelection campaign.

Under the state’s revised term limits law, Chang is eligible to serve two terms in the State Senate as well as one additional term in the State Assembly.

The only question remaining: How many seats will Democrats lose in the lower house?

Buoyed by low voter turnout and an effective ground operation, Republicans picked up two Southern California seats and held a slim lead in another Bay Area district, which was considered the top priority of the state’s labor unions. Those pickups, which aren’t expected to change with the counting of late absentee and provisional ballots, would be enough to make up for losing a coastal Ventura County seat currently held by a moderate Republican.

Entering yesterday night, Democrats held 55 seats in the Assembly, compared to 24 seats for Republicans, with one vacant GOP-leaning seat.

From the Bay Area to Los Angeles, the GOP recruited non-traditional candidates to prove the party means business about expanding its base and intends to adapt to the state’s changing demographics. Republican candidates for Assembly posted stronger-than-expected results, with some safe, off-the-radar Democratic seats remaining too-close-to-call for most of Election Night.

Young Kim wins in Orange County

In the 65th Assembly District, Assemblywoman Sharon Quirk-Silva, D-Fullerton, lost by double digits to Republican challenger Young Kim, a former congressional aide to Rep. Ed Royce. With 100 percent of precincts reporting, the first-generation Korean American immigrant held a commanding 12-point advantage.

A gracious Quirk-Silva conceded the race late Tuesday night and offered her best wishes to Kim. “We fought hard, we worked hard, but tonight is not our victory,” the former mayor of Fullerton posted on Twitter. “I wish my opponent #YoungKim the best in her new position, congratulations!”

More than $5.2 million had been spent on the race by the candidates, political parties and independent expenditure committees. Although Democrats have a 1.7-point advantage in voter registration, the district is considered a “lean Republican” seat, according to the ATC Partisan Index, which ranks districts based on their competitiveness. Kim performed well among absentee voters and benefited from strong support from thousands of Korean-American voters in the district.

In the 36th Assembly District, Asssemblyman Steve Fox, D-Palmdale, another first-term Democrat, lost reelection by a wide margin. With 100 percent of precincts reporting, Republican challenger Tom Lackey held an impressive 23-point lead in a district that Republicans let slip away in 2012 during late absentee and provisional counting.

This time, Republicans dispatched their top ground operatives to the Los Angeles County-based district to make up for a disastrous 2012 campaign. Fox, who won in 2012 by less than 200 votes, was pummeled this election with damaging mailers that reminded voters of his ongoing legal troubles.

The losses by Quirk-Silva and Fox marked the first time in two decades that a Democratic incumbent has lost reelection to the Legislature, according to GOP political consultant Matt Rexroad.

“1994 was the last time a Democrat incumbent lost to a Republican in CA Legislature,” Rexroad, an award-winning political consultant, tweeted. “Two will lose tonight.”

Parties split open targets

The two parties split a pair of open seats at opposite ends of the state.

In the 16th Assembly District, moderate Republican Catharine Baker, an attorney from Pleasanton, defeated Democrat Tim Sbranti, the mayor of Dublin, by four points with all precincts reporting. It is unlikely that Baker would lose the race with the remaining absentee and provisional ballots left to be counted. Her win will give Republicans enough seats to block the Democrats from reaching a super-majority.

Republicans, who traditionally struggle in the Bay Area, dedicated millions of dollars of their limited campaign funds to the competitive race after a brutal June primary. Aided by millions of dollars in independent expenditures from labor unions, Sbranti was ultimately weighed down by his ties to the unions, especially after a vicious primary against moderate Democrat Steve Glazer.

Other Democratic incumbents in trouble

At least one other Democratic lawmaker remains in danger of losing reelection.

In the 66th Assembly District, Assemblyman Al Muratsuchi, D-Torrance, was losing to Republican challenger David Hadley by more than 2,000 votes. The South Bay district was expected to be competitive, in part, because of low voter turnout.

Asm. Adam Gray

In the 21st Assembly District, Assemblyman Adam Gray, D-Merced, defeated a late challenge from Republican Jack Mobley. With all precincts reporting, Gray had 52 percent to Mobley’s 48 percent.

Republicans largely ignored Republican Jack Mobley’s challenge to Gray. A moderate Central Valley Democrat, Gray endeared himself to the state’s business community by occasionally delivering pro-business votes on hot-button issues. But the weak incumbent needed more than $310,000 in support from the party to beat back a last-minute campaign push orchestrated by CA GOP Chairman Jim Brulte.

Big upset: Democrat defeats Democrat

The biggest potential upset of the night was in the 39th Assembly District. Assemblyman Raul Bocanegra, D-Pacoima, was losing to unknown Democratic challenger Patty Lopez by 182 votes. However, with late absentee and provisional ballots left to count, that race remains too close to call.

In two other safe Democratic districts, the results were closer than expected.

In the 57th Assembly District, Assemblyman Ian Calderon, D-Whittier, held a slim lead over Republican Rita Topalian. Calderon, the son of former Assemblyman Charles Calderon, was weighed down by corruption charges filed against his uncle, outgoing state Sen. Ron Calderon.

In the nearby 48th Assembly District, Assemblyman Roger Hernandez, D-West Covina, defeated Republican Joe Gardner by single digits.

The panel was moderated by FCD Chair Chris Cox, a former chairman of the Security and Exchange Commission and former longtime U.S. congressman from Orange County. Cox said the Nov. 4 election “will have an impact on everything, from health care to financial regulation.”

He pointed to the 2010 Dodd-Frank financial reform, which passed without a single Republican vote in the Senate or House. Although the bill was supposed to make another financial crash less likely, instead it imposed 2,379 new pages of regulations on banks and other businesses – yet just yesterday spurred the relaxation of housing lending.

The spotlight passed to Daniel Gallagher, one of two members of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission who yesterday objected to the new relaxation. “Three U.S. agencies signed off on relaxed mortgage-lending rules Wednesday, helping complete a long-stalled provision of the 2010 Dodd-Frank financial law,” the Wall Street Journal reported this morning. “Two Republican SEC commissioners, Daniel Gallagher and Michael Piwowar, objected to the rules.” The three approving agencies were the Federal Reserve Board, the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

The paper quoted Gallagher, “Today’s rule-making takes the untenable housing policy that injected irrational exuberance into mortgage lending and, as a result, caused a catastrophic financial crisis and chisels that failed policy into the stone tablets of the code of federal regulations.”

At the event in Costa Mesa, Gallagher said that, when reforms were proposed in 2011, a 20 percent down payment was going to be required for loans. But yesterday’s action dropped that to zero percent. “Here was a chance to make right what was wrong in the sub-prime bubble” of a decade ago, he said, when a similar easy-money policy first hit the housing market, then cascaded through the capital markets.

Gallagher also said the Dodd-Frank bill made the mistake of regulating the capital markets, which raise investment money, the same as banks. Which means bank regulators will be in charge of investments. The problem, Gallagher said, is that “bankers don’t understand other types of regulation.”

Fatal Conceit

Dodd-Frank’s deficiencies also were highlighted by Paul Atkins, CEO of Patomak Global Partners and a former SEC member. He referred to “The Fatal Conceit: The Errors of Socialism,” the final book of Nobel economics laureate Friedrich Hayek.

For Hayek, the “conceit” was that a group of really smart people could run millions of people’s lives better than they can themselves. Dodd-Frank’s fatal conceit, Atkins said, was to “get all the best people in Washington together and make the capital markets stable. But they’re inherently unstable. That’s the underlying falsity of the Financial Stability Oversight Council,” one of the new bureaucracies Dodd-Frank created.

Atkins was seconded by Brian Cartwright, a senior advisor at Potomak and former general counsel at the SEC. “The powers of the FSOC are broadly and vaguely enumerated,” he said. He pointed back to 50 years ago, when banks were the primary investment vehicle in America. By contrast, today “80 percent of financing comes from capital markets, not banks. There is a tension between traditional banking and capital markets, and it’s not just the U.S., it’s global.”

He said banking regulation was “fairly good,” and has to be because banks “leverage” deposits – meaning leading out money – at 10 times deposits. So stiffer regulation is needed to make sure the deposits are lent out responsibly.

By contrast, capital market leveraging is much smaller. “The notion you would impose bank regulation on this is pretty wild stuff,” he cautioned. “I’m hoping this won’t happen.”

Rep. Ed Royce

“This is worse than the Fatal Conceit,” charged Rep. Ed Royce, R-Calif., the senior member of the House Committee on Financial Services and the chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs. “It’s not just a bank-centric model of regulation, it’s more like a utility.”

By that, he meant government was allowing banks to gain a certain profit for a highly regulated service, such as electricity or water. But that means, “You’re not allowing bankers to be bankers. And you’re putting such additional costs on local community banks, you’re allowing them to be gobbled up” by the big banks that more easily can absorb regulatory costs.

Royce said now is the time for reforming the Dodd-Frank reform because “my Democratic colleagues are getting skittish about waiting for the economic recovery.” His analysis of the economic situation was confirmed a couple hours later at the latest Cal State Fullerton Center for Economic Analysis forecast. “Mediocre growth seems to be the new norm,” said director Anil Puri, as reported in the Orange County Register.

Royce continued that the over-regulation of Dodd-Frank was “seeping out into the rest of the capitalist system,” retarding growth.

Royce said some action could come in the lame-duck session of Congress after the Nov. 4 election. But if Republicans take over the Senate, the real action would come next year. President Obama could veto any potential straightening out of the Dodd-Frank regulations. But if some Democrats join with the potential Republican majority to comprise 2/3 of both houses, “presidents tend to take a second look at such legislation.”

By JOHN SEILER

The lines on the maps just released by the California Citizens Redistricting Commission could force a fierce dogfight for a new congressional district in Northern Orange County.  Assuming the map’s final contours remain much as that of the preliminary First Draft, this is a solid Republican seat. So the battle will be among GOP candidates. One potential candidate, incumbent Rep. Ed Royce of the current 40th District, reportedly will seek a new district to the southeast.

That means a possible race between Rep. Gary Miller, the incumbent congressman from the current 42nd District, and Orange County Supervisor Shawn Nelson. Miller told the Los Angeles Times that he and his staff still are reviewing the maps. I called his office for an update, but haven’t heard from him yet.

Allan Bartlett, a member of the Orange County Republican Party’s Central Committee, is predicting that Miller will run in this new district. That would mean Miller would have to establish some kind of residence in the Buena Park-La Habra-Fullerton-Yorba Linda area that makes up the proposed new district.

According to Miller’s Web site, “Mr. Miller currently resides in the city of Diamond Bar,” which is at the top of the current 42nd District:

But Diamond Bar would not even be near the new District, as currently proposed:

Nelson Challenge

Nelson won his supervisor’s seat last year when he beat Harry Sidhu, an Anaheim councilman who did not have his primary residence in the district. Nelson’s charge of “carpetbagger” range true with voters. In that race, Miller supported Sidhu.

Nelson told me he’s definitely running for the congressional seat. He made the decision after Assemblyman Chris Norby decided not to seek the seat. “I would never run against my good friend Chris Norby,” he said.

He charged that “Gary Miller is a scandal-ridden congressman.” According to Wikipedia, “In December 2006, the Los Angeles Times reported that Miller had used ‘congressional muscle’ for ‘personal business matters’.” And, “In May 2010, the FOX affiliate MyFOXLA interviewed Miller over claims led by Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) that he ‘directed millions of dollars in government money to non-profits headed by one of his campaign contributor[s], developer Jeffrey Burum’.”

“I grew up in Buena Park and was mayor of Fullerton,” Nelson said. “Now I’m a supervisor representing this area. Miller is from Diamond Bar and should stay there.”

Nelson also contrasted his policy views to those of Miller. Miller long has supported the Iraq War and the Afghanistan War. Nelson takes a Tea Party position opposing these wars and their great cost.

“It’s outrageous,” he charged. “Why are we paying for all this? Saddam’s gone.” He said he opposed the U.S. policy of “nation building,” in which the United States, instead of just vanquishing enemies, tries to establishing function democracies and civil societies. “I don’t think it’s possible,” he said.

Fullerton businessman and political activist Tony Bushala promised a strong campaign against Miller should he run in the Fullerton area. Bushala, a Fullerton native with strong family roots there, ran independent anti-carpetbagging campaigns against Sidhu last year; and against Linda Ackerman, an Irvine resident, when she ran against Norby in 2009. He also owns and edits the popular blog, Friends for Fullerton’s Future.

Carpetbagging Charges

“Gary Miller would be definitely carpetbagging,” Bushala told me. “He does live in Diamond Bar.” Bushala promised an independent campaign that would “hammer” Miller on the carpetbagging issue should Miller run in the new district.

Of course, other candidates than these two will run in the district, including other Republicans, Democrats and members of third parties.

Another unknown factor is how the new Top Two election method, imposed by Proposition 14 last year, will operate. According to Ballotpedia: “Proposition 14 requires that candidates run in a single primary open to all registered voters, with the top two vote-getters meeting in a runoff.”

Potentially, a Democrat could face a Republican in the runoff.

Or, two Republicans could face one another — possibly Nelson vs. Miller. That would be a real dogfight.