No repeat run for Andal

Dean Andal — the current Lincoln Unified School District trustee and former Assemblyman and board of equalization member — has announced that he will not be the Republican who challenges Rep. Jerry McNerney for the 11th Congressional District in 2010.

Andal, who ran primarily on a platform of ethics reform and lower taxes, said through a statement that he plans to take a break. For now.

"... I've decided on a different path — one that still gives me an opportunity to stand up for California taxpayers. Although I enjoyed the time I spent with voters, this is the right decision for me and my family right now."

Andal's fiscal conservatism and pet peeve for government waste make for fine public-service stuff. And he's sharp as a whip.

But questions regarding his flexibility, especially when it comes to balancing workers' interests with the interests of employers, was a weight on his 2008 campaign. And the general groundswell in opposition to Republican politicians in '08 was just too big a mountain to climb, especially in light of McNerney's moderate liberal credentials.

Still, it's the guess of Second Thoughts that Andal remains a player on the local political scene.

For now, though, local conservatives will have to search for another banner-bearer to challenge McNerney in a once-safe Republican district that is growing more and more Democratic.