California: Bill Durston

More news outside of the budget

• Despite a week's worth of rain in Southern California, Los Angeles is still unsustainably dry, and the Department of Water and Power is contemplating water rationing for the first time in two decades.  Homes and businesses will be charged double for "excessive" water use.  I'm not sure this will work, as you don't see the meter running in the shower.

• In response to the shooting of Oscar Grant, Asm. Ammiano and Sen. Yee have introduced legislation to create a civillian oversight body. AB 312 should create some accountability where there was no formal structure in the past.

After making two unsuccessful tries at knocking off incumbent U.S. Rep. Dan Lungren (R-Gold River), Democrat Bill Durston said he plans on making a third bid in 2010.

Noting how his support in the 3rd Congressional District race improved between 2006 and 2008 - from 37.9 percent to 43.8 - Durston said he believes Lungren could be vulnerable in two years.

State Sen. Tom McClintock (R-Thousand Oaks), leading by about 400 votes over Democrat Charlie Brown, expressed confidence Wednesday that the final tally of ballots will send him to Congress as the representative for the 4th Congressional District.

"I am gratified and thankful that my campaign emerged after election night with the lead," McClintock said in a statement issued to the media. "I have full confidence in the hard-working and dedicated election officials who are counting the remaining absentee and provisional votes."

U.S. Rep. Dan Lungren (R-Gold River) will be in good shape tonight as long as his party's members come out big, said campaign spokesman Tim Clark.

"If we match the Democrats, we'll be doing just fine," Clark said of the incumbent, who's being challenged by Democrat Bill Durston.

Clark said party turnout is important as a contingency against trends elsewhere that a campaign can't control.

That's true whether the national trend is in John McCain or Barack Obama's favor in the presidential race, he said.