Party Leader Steps Down Quietly

The conservative head of the California Republican Party has quietly stepped down from a national committee position. California Republican Party Chairman Shawn Steel resigned from the Republican National Committee´s executive committee last week. The resignation was handled so discreetly that some California members of Congress say they knew nothing about it. Steel´s departure comes amid increasingly public conflict with other Republicans over issues such as judicial nominations. Steel says he resigned so that he would have more time to devote to the election of Republican gubernatorial candidate Bill Simon.