Strictly Speaking, That's A Lot of Money

State Sen. Tony Strickland turned in a whopping $770,000 first-quarter haul in this open-seat race. Strickland is the only Republican running after Ventura County Supervisor Linda Parks opted to run as an Independent, which gives her a better chance to advance beyond the June 5 top-two primary. State Assemblywoman Julia Brownley, the favorite among the Democrats, announced last week raising $280,000 after entering the race in February. She had more than $250,000 on hand at the end of March, while Strickland, who is practically assured of making it to the general election, had $720,000.