Labor Day weekend political notes

There's no use denying it: the political season is upon us. For those of us in L.A., the marathon rolls right through next November and into the city races of 2013. A few notes from the traditionally busy holiday campaign weekend.

Campaign treasurer Kinde Durkee, whose Burbank office serves dozens of Democratic office holders and candidates including Sen. Dianne Feinstein, was arrested Friday by the FBI. She is due in court Tuesday on mail fraud charges. State Sen. Lou Correa of Santa Ana said he may have lost hundreds of thousands in campaign funds and the FBI says there are many victims. Orange County Register, AP
President Obama leads in California over any of the top Republican candidates and has a 50-43 percent approval rating for his handling of the presidency, but his numbers here are down, the USC-LAT poll found. Romney and Perry are tied among Republicans polled, while Bachmann and Paul trailed well behind.
Texas Gov. Rick Perry canceled a private Tuesday appearance at a business roundtable in Los Angeles due to wildfires back home, but his staff says he will still attend the Republican candidates debate Wednesday in Simi Valley. Presumably he will then keep to his busy post-debate schedule around SoCal. Houston Chronicle
Ed Rollins is out as campaign manager for Rep. Michele Bachmann. He cites health. Politico
"Politics is making Americans dumb and mean...turning a generous, forward-thinking people into glib, defensive, narrow-minded bores," writes Gregory Rodriguez. But the answer might be culture. Note: His L.A. Times op-ed column goes monthly as of today.
Hollywood lobbyists are pushing in Sacramento for an expensive five-year extension of the tax credit for producing films and television shows in California. LAT
A team of USC journalism students produced graphics-driven reports on some of the top political players in Hollywood and asking who runs Los Angeles?
City Councilman and Coliseum commissioner Bernard Parks called for the dismissal of the Coliseum's top two officials over the growing financial scandal involving the private business dealings of stadium managers. LAT
The L.A. Times in an editorial came out in favor of the bill speeding up judicial review of any legal challenges to AEG's downtown stadium, arguing the alternative is worse.
Los Angeles remains an exception in the national wane of organized labor, columnist Jim Newton argues.
Rick Orlov's Tipoff: Villaraigosa and Prop. 13, new pension pain, Beutner seeking campaign interns.