Berman

The Democratic slugfest underway in California's 30th Congressional District is the product of two political developments of recent years: the open primary and nonpartisan redistricting. The former means that the two top finishers in the upcoming congressional race will face each other again in the fall, even if both are from the same political party; the latter has resulted in two titans of the Southern California Democratic Party having to face each other. Rep. Howard Berman and Rep. Brad Sherman are admirable public officials with long and impressive records of service.

Two veteran congressmen fighting for their political lives have amassed millions as they battle for a single San Fernando Valley seat, dwarfing the war chests in most other hot House races in Southern California this year. Rep. Howard Berman has out-raised fellow Democratic Rep. Brad Sherman recently, but Sherman had more cash left to spend — about $4 million to Berman's nearly $2.5 million — new campaign filings show. A "super PAC" that supports Berman's candidacy reported large contributions from two Los Angeles-area business titans, according to reports filed with the Federal Election Commission.

Rep. Howard Berman, who is locked in a pitched reelection battle with fellow liberal Democratic Rep. Brad Sherman, likes to say he can work with Republicans to get things done. But even he may have been surprised when a conservative GOP colleague offered him some effusive support recently. "I don't tell people to vote for Democrats," Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Vista) told an audience at the Beverly Hills Hotel. "If there were a good Republican in the race, I wouldn't tell you to vote for Howard, probably.

The public got an early look this week at the money behind the candidates in this year's pivotal California elections. Contributions are rolling in for contestants in some of the state's hottest races for Congress and the Legislature, according to campaign reports filed with federal and state authorities. In addition, the governor is raising money for a tax measure he hopes to place on the November ballot. In what is expected to be one of the costliest, most watched House races in the country this year, Rep. Howard Berman of Valley Village is vying with fellow Democratic Rep. Brad Sherman of Sherman Oaks for a newly drawn San Fernando Valley district.

A new "super PAC" emerged this month to back the candidacy of Rep. Howard Berman, the California Democrat who faces a tough reelection battle in part because he must compete with a neighboring San Fernando Valley Democrat, Rep. Brad Sherman, for a newly redrawn congressional seat. The new super PAC, set up through a California law firm, may be yet another sign of the wave of money that will hit not only Berman's race, but others as well. Details of the new super PAC, called the Valley-Israel Alliance, were hard to come by but its very existence, on top of a handful of others, may signal new power for these "super" groups -- that can accept unlimited donations from individuals, corporations and unions.

Party: Democratic Age: 70. Born April 15, 1941, in Los Angeles Residence: Valley Village Family: Married to Janis Berman; two grown daughters Education: B.A., UCLA 1962; law degree, UCLA 1965 Public offices held: Member of California Assembly from 1973 to 1982; U.S. Representative from 1983 to present Quote: "Politicians talk all the time about what they want to do. To me, the best test...

Reporting from Los Angeles and Washington -- Rep. Howard Berman hasn't had to fight for a job since Richard Nixon defeated George McGovern and M*A*S*H made its television debut. That was 1972, when he won a state Assembly seat in his first race. Now the 70-year-old Democrat and House veteran, one of California's most enduring politicians, is girding for a potentially bruising battle with a congressional colleague. New voting maps, drawn for the first time by a citizens commission instead of behind closed doors by self-interested lawmakers, melded Berman's San Fernando Valley district with that of Rep. Brad Sherman, 56, also a Democrat.

ART Dwayne Booth, the political cartoonist also known as Mr. Fish, is a ubiquitous presence in such venerable publications as Harper's, Vanity Fair, the Atlantic and many others, but is most frequently seen at Truthdig. In conjunction with the launch of his new book of cartoons and essays, "Go Fish: How to Win Contempt and Influence People," the Robert Berman Gallery will mount an exhibition of Mr. Fish's original drawings, prints and paintings, which also appear in the book. For the Saturday opening reception, he will be on hand to sign copies and discuss his work with Truthdig Editor in Chief Robert Scheer.

Angelenos have long complained about the noise of helicopters hovering over Southern California neighborhoods — and one politician is hoping he can finally ensure some peace and quiet. Rep. Howard L. Berman (D-Valley Village) introduced legislation Thursday targeting noise from low-flying helicopters above Los Angeles County's residential neighborhoods. Berman's Los Angeles Residential Helicopter Noise Relief Act would require the Federal Aviation Administration to establish rules on flight paths and minimum altitudes for helicopter operations in those areas within a year of the bill's being signed into law. Exemptions would be allowed for emergency responders and the military.

A top House Democrat sees raw opportunism in Republican outrage over President Obama’s blueprint for a Middle East peace agreement. Rep. Howard Berman of California, the top Democrat on the Foreign Affairs Committee, singled out Republican presidential front-runner Mitt Romney, though he said Republicans more broadly are using the dust-up to try to make inroads into a Jewish community that typically votes Democratic. “The Republicans, in their never-ending quest to try and persuade Jews to shift their voting, have jumped on this to try to exacerbate that split,’’ Berman said in a Thursday morning interview.