California Watch

Smile, Bill Emmerson. Your state Senate bid just got a whole lot richer.

Emmerson, a Republican state assemblyman from Redlands and a long-time orthodontist who is now running for state Senate, reported getting a big boost yesterday to not one, but two political committees courtesy of his fellow California dentists. They also gave generously to Emmerson in 2008.

The first, an independent expenditure committee run by the California Dental Association, reported dropping more than $17,000 on TV ads in late February. The second, Emmerson's campaign committee, apparently raked in $150,000 from California dentists in January. The money was used largely for phone banks, campaign mailings and consulting.

It's already been an eventful week for Emmerson, who on Tuesday faced a complaint from a Corona city councilman alleging that he violated elections law when he moved from Redlands to nearby Hemet. Emmerson moved in order to run for the seat vacated by former state Sen. John Benoit, who was appointed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to the Riverside County Board of Supervisors late last year.

Emmerson's primary opponent for the seat, former Assemblyman Russ Bogh, trailed in fundraising yesterday.