Monetizing the election

The Sacramento newsletter Political Pulse has found a new way to generate income from its election coverage. On Thursday, editor and co-publisher Anthony York will moderate a conference with Republican Assemblyman Kevin McCarthy and Democratic consultant Gale Kaufman talking about the hot California legislative races. The gimmick: it's all done by phone. To join in, you pay the fee online and call in. The site's a bit buggy, but as far as I can tell, it's $50 for an individual phone or $199 to hook up the entire office.

Speaking of Sacramento: The Bee's ombudsman, Tony Marcano, is leaving to take a senior editor post at the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.