The Skinny

Looks like the speakership race is on in earnest. Taking a page from Cruz Bustamante, the first man out of the gate, Anthony Portantino, has created a new committee that is not subject to Proposition 34 campaign contribution limits. Karen Bass and Kevin De Leon, as members of Núñez’s leadership team, were “authorized” to open those committees during the effort to raise money for Proposition 93. But Portantino becomes the first non-Dan Weitzman speakership candidate to open one. For Portantino’s sake, here’s hoping the committee’s name, Moving California Forward, is not confused with Howard Kaloogian’s right-wing PAC Move America Forward. We imagine other wannabe speakers, or heck, anyone with any fundraising prowess at all, will be opening similar committees soon. … And a new anti-Obama 527 has some California flavor. Democratic strategists Roger Salazar and Jason Kinney will participate in a new, contribution-limit-free, independent expenditure committee focused on upending Barack Obama in Ohio. Looks like it will take a swift boat indeed to slow the Obama momentum now. Is it too little, too late? … From our Point of Clarification Files: Last week, we reported that Tara Getty, the newly departed Mary Hayashi staffer, was serving as the Assemblywoman’s chief of staff. Getty was a legislative aide who helped Hayashi transition between chiefs, but she never held the title herself. That honor belongs to Chris Parman. And while we’re on the subject, it should be noted that Getty says her decision to leave Hayashi’s office was nothing personal. Getty is leaving Capitol life altogether, opting to find her bliss as a civilian. Good luck on the outside, Tara. … And from our High Carb, High Stakes Files, Mike Villines is coming back for more, after getting out-sushied by Speaker Fabian Núñez. Núñez will defend his title as Sushi Master at the California Rice Commission’s legislative luncheon on March 12, where he bested Villines last year.