After my third poor night’s sleep on...

After my third poor night’s sleep on a less than comfortable hotel

bed, I feel like a battle-hardened veteran. Legislators do have down

time, but none of it seems to be this week. Here’s how I spent

Wednesday.

7:50 a.m.: Pop in on Assemblyman Chuck DeVore’s legislative Bible

study and fellowship group, where members are a little media-shy.

Retreat for coffee. (Probably should have asked them to pray I make

deadline today.)

8:45 a.m.: Stick head into Assemblyman Van Tran’s office, looking

for him, but he’s not in yet. Notice staffers are all in jeans for

Denim Day, to raise awareness about rape. (DeVore said later he only

owns two pairs of jeans, but he managed to find one to wear

Wednesday.)

9:15 a.m.: Sit in on DeVore’s office staff meeting. Follow him

into a committee hearing down the hall. When his bill passes, DeVore

and his chief of staff are jubilant, giving each other high-fives in

the hallway, and they get his legislative director to do her

bill-passing dance.

11:45 a.m.: Quick photo op and impromptu interview with DeVore and

Tran, who are having lunch together at the Pyramid Ale House

microbrewery (neither ordered a beer).

12:15 p.m.: Time to get cracking on that story; deadline is less

than five hours away!

2:25 p.m.: Interview with state Sen. John Campbell, a former car

salesman who can find an auto-related analogy to just about

everything. Learn that he’s changed his mind about running for state

treasurer in 2006 and will bide his time in the Senate.

4:30 p.m.: Write frantically.

6:30 p.m.: File story. Head off to last hurrah at a fundraiser for

Laguna Niguel Assemblywoman Mimi Walters, where Newport-Mesa

legislators are expected to show up. Think about six-hour drive back

to Costa Mesa on Thursday and the horrible mustard-flavored pretzels

that are still in the car.