Flashreport.org, published by Jon Fleischman (pictured), leads a pack of conservative blogs that are becoming a significant source of state government policial news, according to a story by Carla Marinucci of the SF Chronicle. Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Vista, calls Fleischman “the Matt Drudge of California.” The publishers of these sites are getting scoops because powerbrokers, including the staff of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, are giving them special treatment. Two other conservative sites Marinucci identified were California Political News and Views (capoliticalnews.com) by Steve Frank of Simi Valley and PoliticalVanguard.com by Lafayette attorney Tom Del Beccaro. What about the Democrats and liberals? Marinucci says “such partisan powerhouse publishing has been almost exclusively a Republican phenomenon.” And Democrats, like veteran strategist Garry South, read the Republican blogs: “When I want to find out what the Luddites and troglodytes on the other side of the aisle are thinking, the FlashReport always provides good — and free — insight,” South told Marinucci. BTW, columnist Timm Herdt of the Ventura County Star covered the same phenomenon in his Jan. 25 column and mentions one Democratic site, SpeakOutCalifornia.org, founded by former Assembly Woman Hannah-Beth Jackson of Ventura County.