According to the top stories on Capitol Alert, it’s defined by the high-profile arrest of state Sen. Leland Yee, D-San Francisco; a controversial plastic bag ban that dominated the end of the Legislative session; and...the prospect of man’s best friend soon being able to join us at outdoor dining locations.
Here’s a look at the blog’s ten biggest headlines of the year, which features a surprising political player at the top of the list:
1. VIDEO: Boisterous GOP activists cheer Tim Donnelly (March, 16, 2014)
He may not have won the governorship, but during his sometime-quixotic run at the state’s highest office, former Assemblyman Tim Donnelly, R-Twin Peaks, rallied serious support among the California Republican Party’s disaffected conservative base. At the party convention in March, Donnelly received an enthusiastic reception from attendees, who were excited by his call to “retire Jerry Brown and replace him with Tim Donnelly for governor."
That tea party-backed fervor wasn’t enough to propel Donnelly past the primary, but perhaps another elected office lies ahead for Donnelly. After terming out of the Assembly this year, he is still mulling future political opportunities....
◼ TOP 25 CONSERVATIVE VOICES IN CALIFORNIA - Jon Fleishchman
While California has become a bastion of liberalism, the Golden State is not without conservative voices. It was actually a project to narrow this list to 25 people – my apologies to many who would have made the top 50.
JON COUPAL – President of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association, Coupal has a weekly column that is a “must read” for all those following California politics.
TOM DEL BECARRO – A regular columnist at Forbes.com, Del Becarro is the publisher of Political Vanguard. He is the former chairman of the CA GOP.
TIM DONNELLY – A retired assemblyman and former gubernatorial candidate, Donnelly is a strong writer who is quite articulate in his defense of first principles.
JON FLEISCHMAN – On the advice of some friends, I humbly include myself here, as Politics Editor of Breitbart California and publisher at FlashReport.org.
STEVE FRANK – A longtime conservative activist Steve has long toiled to produce his California Political News & Views, a “must read” for conservatives trapped in California.
STEVE GREENHUT – No columnist who covers California politics and policy writes as prolifically and as eloquently as Greenhut. He has several columns a week in the Union Tribune San Diego, but his works appear in many publications. KEEP READING
