Obit: Allan Hoffenblum, premier California political analyst

Top political analyst Allan Hoffenblum, who co-founded the California Target Book more than 20 years ago, died in his sleep, his colleagues said Friday. Hoffenblum was 75.

The Target Book, often described as the bible of political campaign professionals, analyzed the history, demographics and players — district by district — in the state’s legislative and congressional seats.

The native Californian was involved in California politics since 1968, when he served on the staff of the Los Angeles County Republican Party

Hoffenblum, a Republican, was a familiar figure to political reporters and for three years appeared in Los Angeles as a political commentator for KCAL-9 TV. He previously managed a number of state, local and federal campaigns, and served as a part-time faculty instructor on political management at UC Davis and UCLA Extensions.

Hoffenblum opened his own consulting firm in 1979 and later served as staff director for the GOP Caucus in the state Assembly.  He co-founded the California Target Book in 1994 with Al Pross, providing detailed analyses that, at the time, were available nowhere else.

“Allan was a mentor and counselor going back to my days in the College Republicans back in the 80’s. A fixture in California politics, he will be missed by many,” said Jon Fleischman, a Republican activist and author of the Flash Report, a major news and commentary blog.

The Target Book, a non-partisan, multi- volume subscription service, tracks and analyzes all federal and state legislative races in California. The subscribers include major corporations, labor unions, professional trade associations, political action committees (PACs), broadcast and print media, universities and libraries, along with elected officials, lobbyists, political consultants and pollsters.

A graduate of the University of Southern California, Hoffenblum had a bachelor’s degree in telecommunications. After college, he served four years in the U.S. Air Force as an intelligence officer, and twice served in Vietnam.  During his second tour, he was awarded the Bronze Star Medal for meritorious service.

The native Californian was involved in California politics since 1968, when he served on the staff of the Los Angeles County Republican Party. In 1972, he served as field director in Los Angeles County for the California Committee to Re-elect President Nixon, responsible for overseeing a staff of fifteen area directors.

In 2011, Los Angeles County Supervisor Mike Antonovich appointed Mr. Hoffenblum to serve on the Supervisorial District Boundary Review Committee, responsible for recommending how supervisorial district lines should be redrawn to account for population and demographic changes. He also served on this committee in 2001, 1991 and 1981.