Off Beat: Billeci résumé boosted by site

(Editor's note: California List has since corrected the Christina Billeci error highlighted in the following column.)

Some politicians have been known to puff up their résumé a bit. Al Gore, after all, invented the Internet.

Marysville's Christina Billeci is not one to play that game, but apparently somebody is doing the puffing up for her.

An Internet site, California List, which bills itself as "a political network to elect Democratic women to California state government," has profiles of female Dems who are running in 2010.

Billeci is seeking the Democratic nomination to challenge Assemblyman Dan Logue in the 3rd Assembly District.

The Web site notes the district includes Chico and Yuba City. Actually, it doesn't. Yuba City is in the adjacent Assembly district.

Minor point, obviously.

Now to the good stuff. This Web site continually refers to Billeci as the mayor of Marysville.

This might come as a surprise to Bill Harris, who, at last check, was the mayor. Billeci is the vice mayor.

Mayor Christina Billeci is running for Assembly in District 3 that serves Northern California including Chico and Yuba City. Currently, she is mayor of the city of Marysville and is in her third term sitting on the City Council having been originally elected in 2000. Mayor Billeci has been in public service in her city for nine years and also served as Vice Mayor from 2004-2008.

Mayor Billeci graduated with honors from the California State University, Chico in 1977 and believes the California educational system is in crisis and plans to make educational needs a top priority if elected to serve in the Assembly. Mayor Billeci also supports efforts to create 7,000 new jobs and over $500 million in income in the North State through renewable electricity production with biomass, wind, solar, and geothermal.

Although Billeci is on the Web site, there's no indication she's received the group's endorsement.

To receive an endorsement, "candidates must be a pro-choice Democratic woman running for state-level office in California. In addition, they must have strong name recognition in their community, the ability to fundraise and campaign experience. Candidates must also agree to various criteria including mentoring and preparing pro-choice Democratic women if elected," the Web site says.

Money Hawk

There was much celebration last month when an unmanned Global Hawk arrived at Beale Air Force Base.

There also must have been much celebrating a few days earlier at Northrop Grumman, which builds the plane, as the Air Force announced a $302.9 million contract for five RQ-4 Global Hawk high-altitude, long-endurance unmanned aircraft systems.

Meanwhile, in Yuba County, where the unemployment rate is 18 percent, it's getting harder and harder to see what the economic benefit of Beale is locally.

If you're a major defense contractor, there's plenty of money to be made. But there aren't many around here.