THE POLITICAL LANDSCAPE:

Republican lawyer Michael Schroeder’s now dismissed lawsuit seeking to prohibit Democrat Debbie Cook from using the title “Mayor of Huntington Beach” on congressional ballots— a move he said was illegal under California election code — may have prompted some unexpected blowback for the GOP activist.

Right-wing critics said the suit relied on a narrow reading of election law and was a waste of time that makes the GOP look no better than schoolyard bullies.

From the left, opponents argue the suit is hypocritical (there are a number of other Republicans using the same title) and legally dubious.

Whatever the case, a judge in the 4th District Court of Appeals threw out the suit Wednesday, though the details of the decision were not available as of press time.

Prior to that, Schroeder’s suit took hits from blogs, columnists, and even editorial boards across the state and country.

Nationally prominent progressive blogs, including DailyKos and DownWithTyranny!, also took Schroeder to task — occasionally using language a bit harsher than one would see in a family newspaper — saying the move was an underhanded attempt to use the courts to influence the election.

Ironically, it seems the widespread coverage ultimately reaped some unintended consequences for the Cook campaign. The widely sympathetic coverage landed a small bump in netroots fundraising for the mayor, her communications director Joe Shaw said.

“It was a slight increase — I wouldn’t say it was a lot — but it was a slight increase, which is always a good thing,” he said. “We’ve also gotten some donations from other places in the country, as well.”

Schroeder dismissed the wide-ranging criticisms as “Debbie Cook spin,” and said before the case was dismissed that he remained confident that his legal challenge would succeed. He was not available for comment following reports that the case had been dismissed.

“A couple of blog postings don’t translate into serious blowback,” he said. “The criticisms are primarily from Democrats associated with Debbie Cook.”

PARKING LAWS STILL PREGNANT FOR CHANGE

Assemblyman Chuck DeVore can only laugh when he recalls the 1-1-12 transportation committee vote that effectively killed his proposal to provide handicapped parking to women with newborn children or in their third trimester of pregnancy this week. It got one vote for it, one against it and 12 abstentions.

The considerable press media attention heaped on the proposal seemed to scare off a few of his colleagues, who were apparently afraid to cast a vote that may have alienated pregnant constituents, he said.

“I had to give them a hard time; calling them cowards in the corridor,” DeVore joked. “I have never seen a vote like that before in my career.”

“That’s the frustrating thing, from a public policy standpoint,” he added. “Take my nuclear power proposal — I’ve been working on that for a year and a half — and in four or five days, I’d say I got 70% of the press attention on this issue that the nuclear proposal got in over a year.”

DeVore then criticized what he called the “Britney Spears-ization of America” — favoring light, fluffy news over serious and pertinent policy analysis.

“In fairness, everyone was the child of someone who was pregnant, and everyone has an opinion on it,” he said.

Assemblyman Jim Silva, one of those who abstained from the vote, said he didn’t understand what DeVore was trying to accomplish.

“We have a law on the books that the DMV can already issue a handicap permit for a woman that is pregnant — and it can be renewed six times!” he said.

Why not, then, just cast a definitive “nay?”

“[Chuck’s] in the caucus, and I didn’t want to come out against him,” he said. “But I couldn’t support it, either.”

CHRIS CAESAR may be reached at (714) 966-4626 or at [email protected].