Allan Hoffenblum, 75, leading California political consultant

Allan Hoffenblum, a successful Republican campaign strategist here in LA who created the authoritative and nonpartisan California Target Book that handicapped state and federal races, died in his sleep at home in West Hollywood and was found this morning. He was 75. Hoffenblum had given up campaign strategy and was in recent years publisher and co-editor of the Target Book. Longtime business partner Tom Shortridge says that the co-editors will decide how to carry on the report.

"Allan was a lovely man and the perfect model of reliable, straight-forward reporting about Republicans, Democrats and all the rest of California's political animals," KCRW's Warren Olney told me this afternoon. I first met Hoffenblum when his stealth strategy to knock off Democrats in the Proposition 13 year of 1978 led to the election of a new class of Republicans in the state Assembly, including a neophyte candidate who beat liberal incumbent Jim Keysor in a very Democratic district in the east San Fernando Valley.

“Allan was a mentor and counselor going back to my days in the College Republicans back in the 80’s. A fixture in California politics, he will be missed by many,” Jon Fleischman, editor of the Flash Report, said at Capitol Weekly. Jon hasn't posted anything yet that I have seen; will update if I see something.

From CW:

The Target Book, often described as the bible of political campaign professionals, analyzed the history, demographics and players — district by district — in the state’s legislative and congressional seats….

Hoffenblum, a Republican, was a familiar figure to political reporters and three years appeared in Los Angeles as a political commentator for KCAL-9 TV. He previously managed a number of state, local and federal campaigns, served as a part-time faculty instructor on political management at UC Davis and UCLA Extensions.

Hoffenblum opened his own consulting firm in 1979 and later served as staff director for the GOP Caucus in the state Assembly. He co-founded the California Target Book in 1994 with Al Pross, providing detailed analyses that, at the time, were available nowhere else.

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The native Californian was involved in California politics since 1968, when he served on the staff of the Los Angeles County Republican Party. In 1972, he served as field director in Los Angeles County for the California Committee to Re-elect President Nixon, responsible for overseeing a staff of fifteen area directors.