THE POLITICAL LANDSCAPE:

The California branch of the Veterans of Foreign Wars recently named Assemblyman Chuck DeVore as one of its Legislators of the Year for his efforts to boost educational and funeral benefits to veterans in the state.

DeVore serves on the Assembly Committee on Veterans Affairs and co-wrote Assembly Bill 187 last year, increasing the amount a county can pay for a veteran’s funeral from $50 to $350. DeVore also proposed Assembly Bill 1758, which would start an education assistance program to bolster membership and retention in the California National Guard.

DeVore also teamed up with State Sen. Lou Correa (D-Santa Ana), to write Assembly Bill 1814 to authorize the Department of Veterans Affairs to contract with Veterans Service Organizations for the assistance of veterans and families in applying for federal benefits and services. Correa and DeVore also wrote Assembly Bill 282, making it a misdemeanor to fake a military decoration. The veterans group named Correa as its other Legislator of the Year.

CAMPBELL RAILS AGAINST CONGRESSIONAL SPENDING

U.S. Rep. John Campbell has long been an outspoken critic of what he views as irresponsible spending in Congress. Now he has joined forces with a taxpayer watchdog group to promote the latest edition of a book highlighting some of the most blatant congressional spending transgressions.

Campbell is releasing the 2008 edition of the “Citizens Against Government Waste’s Congressional Pig Book” on his website. Citizens Against Government Waste has been releasing its annual exposé of what it views as wasteful spending for the past 18 years. The new version of the book is available in PDF format at www.campbell.house.gov.

“I applaud the Citizens Against Government Waste for once again releasing this outstanding report, which shines a spotlight on the most egregious pork-barrel spending in our nation’s capitol,” Campbell said in a written statement. “It’s time this Congress listens to the cries of the American people to reign in runaway spending, and to create more accountability and transparency in our federal government.”

Campbell is one of 38 members of the House of Representatives — four Democrats and 34 Republicans — who have voluntarily taken a pledge to halt their requests for congressional earmarks, according to his website. Earmarks typically are elements of a spending bill that ask for money for a specific project. Critics of the process label earmarks as pork-barrel spending and say lawmakers abuse earmarks to curry favor in their districts by funding frivolous projects.

Some recent earmarks criticized by Campbell and Citizens Against Government Waste include $211,509 for olive fruit fly research in Paris; $196,000 for the renovation and transformation of a historic post office in Las Vegas; $188,000 for the Lobster Institute in Maine; and $148,950 for the Montana Sheep Institute.

Citizens Against Government Waste found 11,610 separate projects in 12 appropriations bills it claims are examples of pork barrel spending in the 2008 fiscal year. This marks the second highest total ever of pork projects, totaling $17.2 billion, according to the group.  

GENTLEMEN, PLACE YOUR BETS: SCHROEDER MAY GO FOR THE TRIFECTA

Republican activist Michael Schroeder got a pretty lame birthday present last week, when the lawsuit he filed on behalf of Orange County Republican Treasurer Keith Carlson to stop Debbie Cook from using her title as Huntington Beach mayor on the congressional ballot was tossed out for the second time.

Schroeder, who unsuccessfully argued Cook couldn’t legally use the title on ballots intended for the June 3 statewide primary because she was appointed mayor by her fellow council members not elected at-large, now says he won’t rule out suing again in the November general election. While the bill has already been thrown out of two courts on both its merits and legal technicalities, Schroeder remained defiantly confident the case may have a chance on the third go.

“At this point, we’re still examining our options and looking at the judge’s decision,” he said. “[A suit] for the general election is conceivable; we’re looking at everything right now.”

A number of Republican activists and strategists had expressed mixed feelings about the suit when speaking on background, saying the risk of failure and preponderance of favorable press for Cook was troubling. Schroeder again declined to comment on some of the criticisms of the suit, from both in and outside his party.

“It’s hard to respond to something said on background,” he said. “My perception is not that the party thinks that.”

Both Cook and her staff were reluctant to comment on Schroeder’s considerations.

“I don’t have any comment,” Cook said. “I may take the high ground on this one.”

“Nothing has happened,” her Communications Director, Joe Shaw said.

“If it actually happens, I’ll have a lot to say, but for now, he hasn’t given me anything to react to.”

BRIANNA BAILEY may be reached at (714) 966-4625 or at [email protected]. CHRIS CAESAR may be reached at (714) 966-4626 or at [email protected].