NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — In an accelerated election for a new U.S. senator from New Jersey, the Democratic field is Cory Booker vs. everyone else.

Manuel Martin, a 25-year-old Republican, is scheduled to announce his candidacy for the 9th Assembly District seat at Monday’s meeting of the Lodi Citizens in Action, the community’s Tea Party Patriots affiliate.

Richard Pan’s constituents in Lodi and Galt are just getting to know him in the reconfigured 9th Assembly District. Now he’s seeking the 6th State Senate District seat in Sacramento.

Pope Benedict XVI's admirable decision to resign from the papacy may have inspired at least one of our elderly United States senators, New Jersey's Frank Lautenberg. On Thursday, Lautenberg, who is 89, announced that he would not seek re-election in 2014.

Cathleen Galgiani, who became state senator for the Lodi-Galt area in December, describes herself as more moderate than most Democrats at the State Capitol.

Each year, the state's main press group, the California Newspaper Publishers Association, holds a session in Sacramento where political and media types offer updates and insights.

The new year began with good news and bad news, both pertaining to the same subject.

New State Sen. Cathleen Galgiani, D-Stockton, has been named chairwoman of the Senate Agricultural Committee.

What were the biggest stories of 2012? We've scoured our archives and reflected on the stories we covered across our beats. Here is our list of the top 10:

It took nearly a month, but Democrat Cathleen Galgiani has finally been declared the winner of the 5th State Senate race against Republican Bill Berryhill.

Although Democrat Cathleen Galgiani leads Republican Bill Berryhill in the race for the open 5th State Senate District seat, it looks like a probable winner won't be determined until Saturday.

According to the California Secretary of State's Office, Galgiani had 140,673 votes (50.4 percent) as of Thursday afternoon, while Berryhill had 138,470 votes (49.6 percent).

Although Democrat Cathleen Galgiani has already begun plans for her new seat in the State Senate, San Joaquin County's registrar of voters says that Galgiani hasn't won just yet.

Although she trailed in the 5th State Senate District for days following Election Day, Democrat Cathleen Galgiani now leads Republican Bill Berryhill by about 1,500 votes.

As the post-presidential election dust settles, let me present a fact-based analysis of why Mitt Romney lost.

More than a week after Election Day, the race for an open seat in the California State Senate's 5th District is still neck-and-neck.

Lodi is Republican country, and so it's easy to forget how heavily Democratic the rest of California and America are.

Democrat Cathleen Galgiani has overtaken Republican Bill Berryhill in the 5th State Senate District race.

Democrat Jerry McNerney was re-elected in the 9th Congressional District on Tuesday, defeating Republican challenger Ricky Gill of Lodi.

 Are you anxious to find out who wins the 9th Congressional District race between Jerry McNerney and Ricky Gill? Or the 5th Senate District race between Bill Berryhill and Cathleen Galgiani?

You might recall that just a few months after President Obama took office I submitted that I was throwing in the towel. I didn't vote for him, but since he won, I was holding out that this out-of-nowhere junior senator from Illinois we knew nothing about was going to live up to the hype. I don't think any sane citizen fancies their leadership to fail thus, further hurting their country.

Republican Bill Berryhill faces Democrat Cathleen Galgiani in the 5th State Senate District.

State Sen. Mark DeSaulnier, D-Concord, has endorsed Rep. Jerry McNerney, D-Stockton, for re-election to Congress.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California lawmakers have approved legislation that would double the state's cockfighting fines.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California would become the first state to write into law much of the national mortgage settlement negotiated this year with the nation's top five banks, and expand it to all lenders, under wide-ranging legislation state lawmakers approved Monday.

Two veteran politicians who currently serve in the Assembly will compete for the 5th State Senate seat in the November election, and both are emphasizing their ties to San Joaquin County.

Democrat Cathleen Galgiani received 42,380 votes, or 41 percent, during last Tuesday's primary. Republican Bill Berryhill received 38,481 votes, or 37.2 percent.

Galgiani is currently finishing her third term in the 17th Assembly District and previously lived in Livingston. Earlier this year, she moved to a house in Stockton she already owned. She grew up in Stockton and was a 1982 Tokay High School graduate.