As part of our effort to report on social media trends, tools, and technology, we will be periodically recognizing politicians, candidates, and political organizations who are utilizing social media in effective and creative ways. 

Rumor has it that Former Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty is moving up the ranks in the search for a Republican VP. Pawlenty was on John McCain’s shortlist in 2008 prior to McCain blessing us with Sarah Palin.

Tim Pawlenty is a former member of the Minnesota House of Representatives, served two terms as governor of Minnesota, and made a brief presidential run in 2011. Since dropping out of the race, he has been on the trail pushing Romney into the spotlight.

Pop music too loud and all sounds the same: official(Reuters) - Comforting news for anyone over the age of 35, scientists have worked out that modern pop music really is louder and does all sound the same.Researchers in Spain used a huge archive known as the Million Song Dataset, which breaks down audio and lyrical content into data that can be crunched, to study pop songs from 1955 to 2010.A team led by artificial intelligence specialist Joan Serra at the S

(The following was co-authored with legal associate Matt Gilliam.)

Today, Governor Jerry Brown and U.S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar formally announced the Bay Delta Conservation Plan. The BDCP is a controversial multi-billion dollar project aimed at fixing California's ongoing "water war" over the Sacramento- San Joaquin Delta.