Redding Record Searchlight
Keene will seek Republican nomination for Aanestad's seat
By Kimberly Ross
Saturday, January 24, 2009

Two former north state assemblymen will compete for the Republican nomination for state Senate in 2010, when 4th District Sen. Sam Aanestad will be termed out.

On Shasta County's courthouse steps in Redding, Hayfork native Rick Keene, 51, of Chico announced his candidacy against fellow Republican Doug LaMalfa on Friday.

Balancing the state budget is crucial to keeping California's finances from the dismal deficit they're currently in, Keene said. He supports creating a rainy-day fund to keep lawmakers from cutting vital programs in economically lean years. Likewise, a spending cap would prevent overspending when necessary, he said.

"If the state Legislature has to restrain itself every few years, it has proven that it can't," he said. "We need to stop this cycle."

Keene said his top priorities also include increasing north state water storage and fostering trade-training programs for high school graduates.

"If only one out of five goes to college, what are we doing for the other four?" he said.

Keene is an attorney with a Sacramento-based practice. He served as 3rd District assemblyman from 2002 to 2008, representing Lassen, Plumas, Butte and other eastern counties. Before that, he was a Chico mayor, city councilman and planning commissioner.

As an assemblyman, Keene said, he helped reduce the state budget deficit by 80 percent from 2002 to 2005. He wrote large parts of the workers compensation reform bill and was the lead negotiator for Proposition 1A, which keeps local dollars local, he said.

"It passed, and now it's the law that you can't rob local government," he said of state lawmakers.

Keene and LaMalfa will compete in the June 2010 Republican primary for the seat that represents 12 counties including Shasta, Siskiyou, Tehama and Trinity.

Among Democrats, Ray Hennemann of Redding said Thursday that he is considering a run for the state Senate post, as is Paul Singh of Live Oak, who lost his bid against Assemblyman Jim Nielsen in November. Singh could not be reached late Friday to confirm his plans, however.

Former Trinity County Supervisor Jeff Morris, also a Democrat, said Thursday that he's "recovered just enough" since his November loss to re-elected Congressman Wally Herger that he's seriously considering running for some kind of public office in 2010.

For now, he's wishing Keene and LaMalfa the best in their Republican race, he said.

"Talk about a couple of big cannons going against each other," he said. "That'll be fascinating to watch."

Reporter Kimberly Ross can be reached at 225-8339 or kross@redding.com.

Blogger's Note: Jeff Morris is only partially right (right about Keene) - Doug LaMalfa is bringing a screwdriver to a gun fight, not good.