IT REALLY IS A TREND

In the last post here on Aug. 25 (I've been out of town attending to family issues since), it was noted that voter registration in Ventura County since the March primary has heavily favored Democrats. It turns out that trend is being repeated around the state, in large part as the result of an aggressive voter registration program run by Assembly Democrats in key districts.

In a news release today, spokesman Steve Maviglio, who was press secretary to former Gov. Gray Davis, details voter registration numbers in 8 important Assembly districts, including the 35th, which includes Ventura and much of Oxnard. In each district, Democratic registration grew as a percentage of the whole and Republican registration declined.

In the 35th, Democrats gained .98 percent, to 44.32 percent of all voters. Republicans fell 1.07 percent, to 32.59 percent — a gain of more than 2 percentage points in the Democratic margin.

Most impressive, however, was the shift in the 80th Assembly District, expected to be the most contentious campaign in the state as Democrats attempt to take out Republican freshman Bonnie Garcia, who Democrats feel won by a fluke in 2002. In that district, which includes Imperial County and portions of Riverside County, Democrats gained 2.32 percent and Republicans fell 2.19 percent — a 4.5 percentage point swing.