Via the Santa Rosa Press Democrat:
Rep. Lynn Woolsey, who has represented the North Bay in Congress for nearly two decades, is expected to announce her retirement next Monday at her home in Petaluma.
Woolsey, 73, released a statement Monday saying that she will make an unspecified announcement at her home, joined by Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Oakland, friends and family.
An aide said Woolsey's announcement will concern “her future plans.”
Sources close to the Petaluma Democrat said Woolsey will announce she is retiring after completing her 10th term in 2012.
Redistricting has really scrambled this egg good. According to the draft maps, Woolsey now lives in a district called "North Coast," as does one of the main figures who had been lining up to replace her, state Assemblyman Jared Huffman. However, another Democratic contender, state Sen. Noreen Evans, has seen her home (and her base of Santa Rosa) moved outside the seat. Some other names are in the mix as well. I'm not sure how the remap affects activist attorney Norman Soloman, but he was busy last week at Netroots Nation, so I suspect he's running no matter what. Sonoma Co. Commissioner Shirlee Zane and Petaluma mayor Pam Torliatt have also gotten mentions as possible Woolsey successors.
While we don't yet have reliable numbers for the new district lines, Woolsey's old 6th CD was a 76% Obama seat, and it's unlikely that "North Coast" (or any other possible successor district) will be competitive for Republicans. Of course, California now has its "top-two" primary system, but the real action will still be on the Dem side.
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