If you’re a progressive political activist in the Los Angeles Area–or even outside of it–there was only one place to be last night: the Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt dinner, put on by the Los Angeles County Democratic Party.

First, major kudos to LACDP Chair (and CDP Vice-Chair) Eric Bauman, as well as LACDP Executive Director Adam Seiden, for one of the better (rubber) chicken dinners I’ve had at one of these functions.  The turnout was excellent, and it speaks volumes for the leadership of the County Party that they were able to exceed their financial expectations during this economic climate.

But it was also a great opportunity to rub shoulders with the cadre of Assemblymembers and other elected officials, as well as prominent activists, in the room.  So, here are among the things I learned:

1. If you’re hoping that the Legislature will impeach Ahhhnold, don’t get your hopes up, because it won’t happen.  I talked to my Assemblymember Mike Feuer, as well as Assemblymember John Perez, and both agreed that the potential benefits of the 10-day window that Schwarzenegger would have to vacate office until the Senate acquitted him did not outweigh the practical and political hit the Democrats would take.

2.  There are rumblings of big things to come from the progressive grassroots group dedicated to ending 2/3rds.  Stay tuned.

3. Certain Assemblymembers want to focus on getting new Assembly seats out of the Los Angeles exurbs, including the Antelope Valley–espcially AD36 and AD38.  The consensus was that while we may not have the wherewithal to win them this cycle, spending time and money organizing them now will make them ripe for plucking in future cycles.  And I won’t go into the specifics of the terms that some of them used to describe Steve Knight, but it wasn’t pretty.  Note: if you’re looking for declared candidates who are taking on Steve Knight, read this first before making a decision.

If anyone was there and has photos, stories or other commentary, the comments are a great place to share.