The California Democratic Party convention may be lacking a clear statewide vision for the state’s future. But one thing that’s not lacking is local leadership to expand the Democratic ranks. While there’s a lot of attention being paid to the major statewide races in the media, it’s in the races for state legislature and Congress where the future of this party and this state is being made.

There are two places in California that stand out to me as the locations of expanded and renewed Democratic power: the Central Coast and Orange County.

Yesterday, before the Taco Truck Throwdown got under way, a group of Democrats from the five counties that comprise the 15th State Senate district – Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Monterey, San Luis Obispo, and Santa Barbara – gathered by the pool to hear John Laird rally the troops for his likely campaign to win back SD-15 from the Republicans.

Laird is one of the most important Democrats in the state, a solid progressive who can provide some of the leadership California needs. When – and it does seem it’s a question of when, not if – the legislature confirms Abel Maldonado as Lieutenant Governor, Laird will have the chance to help get Democrats to 2/3rds in the State Senate (along with neighboring SD-12, where Anna Caballero is running to replace Jeff Denham).

His campaign will not only show how Sam Blakeslee, the likely Republican, is a rubber stamp for the right wing, but will also make a clear case for why Democrats are the party to bring economic recovery to the Central Coast and protect our core services, from schools to parks.

Given the importance of winning 2/3rds, and the fact that Laird is simply a great candidate, this race will have to be one of the top priorities for Democrats in addition to the key statewide races.

In addition to the fight for 2/3rds, Orange County is where a potentially transformative fight for the future of this state is unfolding. While usual group of wingnut Republicans have been ignoring the needs of their OC constituents, grandstanding to please the Grover Norquists of the world, their constituents and their districts have undergone dramatic change. Irvine, the largest city in AD-70 and CA-48, has become a diverse city that regularly elects Democrats to city offices, including mayor. Other cities in Orange County have followed similar trajectories, and find their basic needs are being neglected by a Republican establishment that takes their power for granted.

We’ve already seen signs this is changing. In 2008, Debbie Cook won 46% of the vote in CA-46, challenging Dana Rohrabacher. That same year, Bill Hedrick won 48% of the vote against Ken Calvert in CA-44, and Barack Obama actually carried CA-48. Here in 2010, candidates in Orange County are bucking the conventional wisdom that OC is red – and that 2010 is a year for Democrats to play defense.

Beth Krom is running for Congress in CA-48, challenging incumbent Republican John Campbell, a birther who has done hardly anything to help his constituents and has in fact actually undermined them through his votes against funding local projects and health care. Krom has a strong base in Irvine, where she served as mayor. Krom has been working the local communities hard, and addressing their health care, education and economic concerns, while Campbell continues to ignore all of these. Krom’s successful local background gives her the credibility to make the case to local voters; she is the right kind of candidate to win here.

Similarly, Melissa Fox is running a very strong campaign to succeed wingnut hero Chuck DeVore in AD-70, which covers much of the same ground as CA-48. Fox drew a large crowd to her event Saturday morning at Starbucks and is getting more attention from Democrats around the state as another strong candidate who understands the district’s needs that the wingnuts have so long neglected. Fox has a particular focus on education, which resonates in a district that prides itself on good schools but face deep budget cuts that jeopardize educational quality – and in turn, jeopardize home values.

Krom and Fox aren’t getting the kind of institutional support from the state and national parties they deserve, which is unfortunate. Democrats need to aggressively expand the field going into 2010 not only for the short-term tactical benefits of tying down Republican resources, but also to help achieve the longer-term goals of turning places like Orange County blue.

That should not be read to imply that Krom and Fox can’t win. They can, but it won’t happen unless Democrats across the state mobilize to help them out. And in case you’re still not convinced, consider the case of Bill Hedrick.

Hedrick was written off as a longshot candidate in 2008 against Calvert, but running without much national funding, outspent 5-1, Hedrick got 48% of the vote, nearly knocking off Calvert. Hedrick is back to build on that success, and is doing so by espousing a progressive populism. Hedrick understands that his district, straddling the Orange/Riverside county line, includes many voters who are drawn to populism – but it could be populism from the right or the left. Hedrick is embracing it from the left, calling for no more troops to be sent to Afghanistan and taking a strong anti-Wall Street position. Hedrick isn’t getting financial backing from the DCCC here in 2010, but is positioned well to give Calvert all he can handle.

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention two other key red-to-blue efforts this year. In suburban Sacramento, Dr. Ami Bera is running a strong campaign against Dan Lungren, raising more money than Lungren and continuing recent Democratic efforts in the Sierra foothills to score further gains at Republican expense.

And in Riverside County, Palm Springs mayor Steve Pougnet is running a great campaign against Mary Bono Mack, who spends more time representing south Florida than the Inland Empire. Pougnet knows what it takes to win here too, having studied his district as well as the others I mentioned and similarly identifying a massive disconnect between Republican members of Congress and their constituents.

These are the races that will allow California Democrats to do more than just tread water and play defense. California has generally not caught up to the national waves of 2006 and 2008, as we’ve had some success in taking Republican districts but not nearly as much success as the changing nature of these places in California suggests to be possible.

There’s a lot here for Democrats to get excited about. A party committed to building a more progressive California should be a party that gives these candidates their full and strong support between now and November.