Looks like Vice President Cheney will be in the area tonight.  Best of luck to you, Congressman, for your event tonight:

By BEN GOAD
Washington Bureau

Vice President Dick Cheney, a known frequenter of undisclosed locations, is expected at another one tonight -- a private fundraiser for Inland congressman Ken Calvert.

Cheney will headline the event at a San Clemente home in the Orange County portion of Calvert's congressional district, which also includes Riverside, Corona and Norco. According to the vice president's schedule, released by the White House, he will speak at the event at 5:30 this evening.

Calvert, R-Corona, couldn't be reached Tuesday, and Billy Essayli, his campaign manager, declined to comment, citing White House-imposed rules prohibiting him from discussing events closed to the press.

During times of crisis, Cheney often is said to be at undisclosed locations, a phrase that has become a joke on late-night TV and the Internet. Although this occasion is more benign, Cheney's office released only the basic logistics of his trip to Southern California, which also will include a visit to Camp Pendleton.

Democrats seized on the private nature of the Calvert event, suggesting the lawmaker wanted to avoid a public association with the unpopular Bush administration while still capitalizing on Cheney's ability to bring in big bucks.

"Republicans are willing to host Vice President Dick Cheney at fundraisers, but won't appear in public with Big Oil's best friend," said Yoni Cohen, Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee spokesman.

Calvert, however, is far from desperate for cash. His war chest is almost 10 times that of his Democratic challenger, longtime Corona-Norco school board member Bill Hedrick. The most recent campaign finance reports filed with the Federal Election Commission showed Calvert with more than $318,700 on hand at the end of June. Hedrick had almost $36,000.

Now in his eighth term, Calvert has enjoyed relatively easy races in the past four election cycles, never winning less than 60 percent of the vote.

But Hedrick is banking on help from a gradual increase of registered Democrats in the fast-growing and traditionally conservative district.

The number of registered Democrats, Republicans and independent voters all increased in the first five months of the year, according to the California secretary of state's office.

But Democrats significantly outpaced the other two categories, claiming almost 10,000 new registrants. Republicans, independents or "decline to state" each went up by about 3,500.

Despite the shift, Republicans still held a 44 percent-to-33 percent edge over Democrats in the district as of late May, when the figures were released. Independents accounted for 18 percent.

Cohen said the committee is monitoring the race and is well aware of the increase in Democratic voters within the district. But the organization, which is flush with cash, hasn't committed to spending significant amounts to support Hedrick.

The 44th Congressional District isn't in the committee's "Red to Blue" program -- the top tier of congressional races targeted by Democrats -- or its list of "emerging races." Both designations indicate a likelihood that the committee will spend money to back Democratic candidates.

Calvert's camp has begun using mailers and phone calls to attract voters. Hedrick, a Corona resident, said he has received a "flood" of Calvert campaign literature, well beyond what he received from the lawmaker in previous election cycles.

"I've certainly received more in the last six weeks than I have in the last 16 years," he said.

Unable to match Calvert dollar for dollar, Hedrick said he has focused on holding coffees and other face-to-face meetings to woo voters. To date, he has held 63 such events, he said.