I think most of us agree the budget should be the top issue in race in the 19th senate district. Some favor higher taxes, some favor cuts to the budget only, and others favor a mix of the two options.
But this entry isn't about the top issue, it is about what should the other top issues should be. What are your top issues, they might be related to, but isn't the budget? In the above video a group of environmentalists are taking on Tony Strickland's record at a press conference because they think he is greenwashing his actual support for alternative energy.
His website only says this about his energy plans:
Do you think he should be more specific on this issue if it is going to be the center of his campaign? I am surprised more people haven't been calling him out on his complete lack of specifics about how to support alternative energy.
What are your top issues for a state senate candidate? Is it alternative energy?
Did you watch it? What was your favorite line? Here is the text of the speech.
The times are too serious, the stakes are too high for this same partisan playbook. So let us agree that patriotism has no party. I love this country, and so do you, and so does John McCain. The men and women who serve in our battlefields may be Democrats and Republicans and Independents, but they have fought together and bled together and some died together under the same proud flag. They have not served a Red America or a Blue America - they have served the United States of America.
So I've got news for you, John McCain. We all put our country first.
This country of ours has more wealth than any nation, but that's not what makes us rich. We have the most powerful military on Earth, but that's not what makes us strong. Our universities and our culture are the envy of the world, but that's not what keeps the world coming to our shores.
...hold firmly, without wavering, to the hope that we confess.
Bryan MacDonald has agreed to take questions from readers. I will start off with a few of my own and then it is your turn.
1. Your website mentions that you will focus on gangs and crime. Do you support the gang injunction in your town?
2. Do you support automatic deportation for an illegal alien that is a gang member? Should law enforcement be able to target known gang members because of their citizenship status?
3. Would you support a .25% sales tax if it was devoted to a variety of antigang programs?
4. What would your top priorities be as far as code enforcement?
5. Do you think Oxnard has done a good job of promoting economic development and keeping sales tax dollars in the city?
That's my questions. What questions do you have for Bryan MacDonald?
Hannah-Beth Jackson supporters are striking back at what they are calling Tony Strickland's greenwashing over his agenda and record.
The California Courage Campaign made this viral video to get activists pumped up to take on Tony Strickland. Because of the length it won't be on any stations but judging by how many people are emailing links of it around I expect it will get many views.
How many views would it need to be a success? I would guess at least a few thousand which will be a tough number for for either campaign to achieve.
Tony Strickland would have a better defense if he had a position on alternative energy that had any details at all. His "issues" section of his website says only this:
Reducing Our Dependence on Foreign Oil
As Vice President of GreenWave Energy Solutions, a company created to harness the power of ocean waves, Tony Strickland is helping to invest in new, innovative, clean and renewable energy sources to help reduce our dependence on foreign oil and help jumpstart California's economy.
No mention if he believes in subsidies, higher taxes on some forms of energy to make alternatives more competitive, reducing regulations on alternative energy, or any specific policy at all.
This ad comes directly from Hannah-Beth Jackson's campaign and ends with a quote from a Jere Robings, a Republican that is supporting Hannah-Beth Jackson.
This morning I saw Tony Strickland and a group of his supporters waving signs at the corner of Erringer and the entrance to the Simi Valley mall. One of the supporters included Audra Strickland's Chief of Staff, who was suspended from her government office for the pushing that happened outside of Tony Strickland's fundraiser with Mitt Romney back in June. I don't know if he is back from suspension yet but as he has been by Tony Strickland's side for many years I think we will see more of him. I didn't get a fair count as I turned but I would say there was about ten people total. If my numbers are wrong send me an email.
( A short video about Saddleback's work in Africa.)
I attended the Saddleback Civil Forum and as I said afterwards I plan to share my thoughts as they come to me.
I have read some of a Purpose Driven Life as a staff development reading group when I taught at a Catholic High School in Los Angeles County. Have you read his book?I have followed Rick Warren's recent political rise including his invitation to have Barack Obama speak at Saddleback Church before.
But in addition to that he has been expanding, without altering, conservative Christianity's focus on moral issues. He has talked about abortion and limiting gay rights like you would expect a Baptist pastor to do. But he has also been talking about poverty, the value of work, HIV/AIDS, and global warming. Saddleback Church and Pastor Warren are also helping to rebuild Rwanda. He does have his critics on the right afraid he is diluting the message of conservative Christianity, but I don't agree.
All of that doesn't sound anything close to Jerry Falwell, Pat Robertson, and James Dobson type of conservative Christianity.
I was excited to go even though I was actually in the press tent and not the main building. I got to chat with some reporters from strange outlets including a motor magazine ( Suzuki?) and a nursing magazine. They give out press credentials to anyone it seems. Including people like me.
I also chatted with two men from Der Spiegel about the recent debate concerning their magazine's interview with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki who agreed with Barack Obama's proposal for a timetable for us to leave Iraq. The Bush Administration at first said it was mistranslated but Der Spiegel stuck with their story and insisted they translated it correctly.
Did I mention I like Der Spiegel? I even like saying it.
I tried to terrorist fist jab a Fox News reporter but he blew me off when I asked to take a picture.
I will deal with the candidates' answers to questions next time but for now i want to talk about the questions Pastor Warren chose to ask. I was expecting questions about global poverty, global warming, HIV/AIDS, and about faith. Instead many of the questions didn't surprise those that wondered why Barack Obama would agree to a forum in a conservative church.
A great political question that he asked was what justices would the candidate NOT appoint to the SCOTUS is they could. That was better then allowing the candidates to name drop the most popular justices from their political ideologies.
Overall, I expected Pastor Warren to live up to the hype of a different type of Christian conservative but his questions focused so much on what critics on the left would expect I think he didn't pull it off in that regard.
I was disappointed that he let McCain say he thought human rights begin at conception without asking a follow up about why McCain supports stem cell research if he thinks those stem cells have human rights.
I guess he skipped asking follow up questions so he could ask more.
I was also disappointed that McCain wasn't actually backstage in a "Cone of Silence" but instead was traveling to the site. It left the church open to people asking if it really was fair to ask the same questions of both candidates when one candidate could have ( not that there is really any proof) been briefed on some of the questions before he walked out on stage.
I will leave off with this quote from Matthew that Barack Obama brought up in an answer as a prelude for next time:
Were you surprised by Barack Obama picking Joe Biden? I was surprised. It was funny though that the text messages started going out at 3AM.
I think he is a safe choice because of his background and because of his foreign policy experience. He reinforces Barack Obama's messages in some ways but not in others.
Obviously, selecting someone that has served as long as Joe Biden has doesn't easily reinforce the message of change. But let's be honest. Republican concern trolls would be shouting about inexperience if he selected someone with less political experience.
It is clear that they have not always agreed. Again the attack parrots and concern trolls will be pointing this out, too. But disagreement between candidates isn't something new. If he picked Tim Kaine, Hillary Clinton, or Bill Richardson they would be parroting pretty much the exact same things.
I think Joe Biden is a man of decency and a solid pick.
He has a humble life story and can connect with middle class voters. He has strong family values and is forceful in debates. I watched many of the primary debates during the primary and Joe Biden is very impressive on stage. His knowledge about foreign policy and issues goes back decades and reassures me that foreign policy will be closer to matching my values under a Barack Obama administration.
A major theme of Barack Obama's campaign has been change. Those changes include moving past the types of politics created by people like Bush, Cheney, and Rove. The policies that Barack Obama supports are a big change from the policies that Bush and McCain have supported.
As far as winning the election goes he could help with some demographics. He is from Scranton Pennsylvania and he is Catholic. The comments towards the end of this story about his faith explain why. As a senator he isn't poor but I have seen his net worth reported to be about $300,000. That makes him much closer to the average American than most senators. He also is more commonly known than I first thought because of his long career.
I don't mind he doesn't agree with Barack Obama on everything. It shows Barack Obama is willing to reach out to former adversaries to solve problems.
Do you remember George W. Bush's team after 2000 wouldn't even hire people that supported McCain? That is the type of leadership that has made his presidency into a huge failure.
Like every politician he has his flaws. He has said some really funny comments that I am sure Republicans will continue to point out. But before you jump on those comments you might want to remember John McCain has told some awful jokes and has quotes that either were taken out of context or were in very poor taste.
The head of the Associated Press, who interviewed for a job with John McCain's campaign, that picking Joe Biden shows some weaknesses and I agree to an extent. But it also shows he is trying to get people on his team not just to win the election but to govern our country.
Most VP picks don't change people's vote. But did this pick change your vote? Are you more or less willing to support the ticket because of it?
I was going to compare the endorsements between Hannah-Beth Jackson and Tony Strickland but that section of his website hasn't been updated yet. He also hasn't updated his alternative energy platform beyond this statement:
Reducing Our Dependence on Foreign Oil
As Vice President of GreenWave Energy Solutions, a company created to harness the power of ocean waves, Tony Strickland is helping to invest in new, innovative, clean and renewable energy sources to help reduce our dependence on foreign oil and help jumpstart California's economy.
For someone that has a few adverts up about alternative energy you would think he would post if he favors subsidies, higher taxes on some forms of energy to make alternatives more competitive, mandates that energy suppliers increase the amount of energy they buy from alternative sources, or removing regulations for alternative energy companies trying to build power plants like windmills or hydro power.
If you see his energy policies somewhere please leave a link.
( John McCain talking to Ellen Degeneres about her marriage.)
I was forwarded an email from a Mormon group trying to organize people to campaign in favor of proposition 8. They wanted to know if it was legal for a church to get involved in politics. I told them it was legal for them to support or to campaign against an initiative but not a candidate for office.
Anyways, do you see any local groups in Ventura County getting involved on either side of the battle over Proposition 8?
( Have you seen this ad on television? I think I saw it once during the Olympics.)
Hannah-Beth Jackson sent out a fundraising appeal to help her fight back against supporters of Tony Strickland who put an ad attacking her on local stations and of course blogs.
The Star did a fact check on the ad you can read by clicking here.
To see her fundraising appeal click on continue reading.
It is truism in politics that negative ads work but voters hate negative ads.
Will Hannah-Beth Jackson's campaign make negative attacks into an effective issue?
Here is the latest from Tony Strickland's campaign:
The Strickland for Senate campaign is honored to annouce the endorsement of the California Association of Highway Patrolmen (CAHP). As a former Assemblyman and current candidate for State Senate, Tony Strickland believes public safety should be the top priority of elected officials. The California Highway Patrol has done an excellent job of enforcing public safety and keeping our highways safe.
In a letter to the campaign officially announcing their support for Strickland, the Association states:
"Your support of law enforcement generally, and of the California Association of Highway Patrolmen specifically, has earned you the respect and admiration of law enforcement throughout our great state...through your actions, you have demonstrated a real concern for the safety of the public and the members of our Association."
The endorsement follows a long line of local law enforcement officials supporting Strickland's bid for State Senate.
"I have always had a great working relationship with the CAHP and their support means a great deal to me", Strickland said, "I remain committed to making public safety a top priority and I'm honored to have the support of such an effective and professional law enforcement organization."
I don't get every paper or read them all. Do you see minor press releases like this mentioned in them?
Someone left a comment that Tony Strickland donated $10,000 to fight against a prison hospital being built in Camarillo. Is that true? Any word if it was from his campaign funds or his personal money? That is an impressive amount.
I was also told Hannah-Beth Jackson has talked to them about getting a pro bono attorney.
Hannah-Beth Jackson is a former prosecutor. Do you think she will use that to her advantage in this campaign more then she has already?
Tony Strickland has another new ad up. This ad continues with the alternative energy theme. You can view it by clicking on his website here. You can click on continue reading to see the text of the ad.
All of his ads seem to have the same two components:
1. He supports renewable energy.
2. A lack of specifics to what that support means besides being a partner in a company that is involved with alternative energy.
If his entire support for renewable energy is being a partner in a start up that hasn't paid any employees, paid taxes on a product, and doesn't have any revenue as of yet we should all be very skeptical as Timm Herdt shows why in this article.
Don't get me wrong, Tony Strickland's company might be very successful in the future. But what does he support in regards to legislation, taxation, or regulation of alternative energy?
I went to his issues page but this is all it said about energy:
Reducing Our Dependence on Foreign Oil
As Vice President of GreenWave Energy Solutions, a company created to harness the power of ocean waves, Tony Strickland is helping to invest in new, innovative, clean and renewable energy sources to help reduce our dependence on foreign oil and help jumpstart California's economy.
If you have seen what he says he would do in the state senate, not with his company, about alternative energy please post a comment and leave a link. If there is a great source that explains the specifics to what he is going to support or what he did support please post it.
Does he support subsidies, less regulation of alternative energy companies, tax breaks, higher taxes to energy companies to pay for subsidies, requirements that energy companies increase their use of alternative energy, requiring CFL's, pushing consumers to drive smaller vehicles or alternative fuel vehicles?
What does he support to promote alternative energy?
Most Americans support in concept alternative energy. But when you start talking about how to get there the support decreases.
It is time for Tony Strickland to get much more specific.
Hannah-Beth Jackson touts legislation she passed on her website, but I am not familiar with the impacts of the bills or her role in their being signed into law. She has a long list of bills on the subject and I am not asking for a specific explanation of them all. But a bill dealing with alternative energy and her involvement would be great for now.
( An old attack ad against Tom McClintock. Notice the first newspaper quoted is from 1977. I am glad I am not quoted going back that far!)
I don't write much about Tom McClintock ( R- Not Here) because he isn't from Ventura County anymore. Of course, his legal residence is in Thousand Oaks, but he admits he doesn't actually live there. He works in the state capitol so he moved his family up there. That makes sense. But now his term is up he is running for a House of Representative seat up north.
But he isn't running from the district where he is currently living either.
He is running to replace John Doolittle ( California's 4th district), who is retiring with scandals tarnishing his reputation. He had ties to convicted Republican lobbyist Jack Abramoff and he paid his wife to raise money for him. Maybe that doesn't sound bad to you but that means their family got a cut of every check that came from a special interest trying to influence him. If more Republicans, like Tom McClintock, would have been critical earlier about the Republican lobbying scandal they would have done better in the last 2006 congressional elections.
Anyways, Tom McClintock won his primary, even though former Ventura County elected officials like Greg Stratton and Judy Mikels campaigned against him. The campaign is now between Tom McClintock and Charlie Brown.
The campaign against Tom McClintock is coming to Ventura County tonight and they want to hear from you. To see the details click on continue reading.
Do you think it matters where Tom McClintock is from? Does he show that maybe we should move from district level representation?
Are you proud of Tom McClintock's record here in Ventura County?
I know he has been a vocal advocate for conservative causes but as far as representing Ventura County it is clear to me he has been too busy running for other offices. I don't remember him doing many public events in Ventura County.
I don't even have many categories to include him in.
I attended the forum at Saddleback Church Saturday night. I am thinking through my reactions and I will write about it in the coming days. For instant talking points and analysis you have plenty of resources. I want to write about the event after some of the dust has cleared.
I am disappointed that John McCain was not in "The Cone of Silence" as Pastor Rick Warren said he was when he started the night. Both candidates were asked the same questions so having staff be able to prepare someone for a few more minutes for the upcoming questions could be helpful.
I have a transcript and I assume many of you watched the forum. If you did or did watch the forum leave me a comment with your thoughts.
I was wondering what passages from scripture either of the candidates would bring up in their answers. The only direct reference I caught was from Barack Obama when he mentioned America's greatest failings and brought up passages from the Book of Matthew. Here is a basic quote from Matthew:
The rest of my thoughts I will write about soon. But many people are putting out their guesses for VP so I figured it would be a fun discussion here.
What are your top three predictions for each candidate?
Do you think the story will leak early before the text messages go out? If Barack Obama can control his campaign from leaking this information early it will be a great sign of his control over his staff and supporters.
Here are my picks in no particular order:
Barack Obama
1. Hillary Clinton
2. Evan Bayh
3. Tim Kaine
I will make my John McCain picks later.
Did you sign up for the text message? Text JOIN to 62262 if you want to receive Barack Obama news by text.
( This picture was sent in by a reader and was lost in the shuffle for awhile. Thanks for sending it in!)
August 18, 2008
Tony Strickland
2219 E. Thousand Oaks Blvd.
Suite 106
Thousand Oaks, CA. 91362
Dear Mr. Strickland,
I am writing to ask you to join me in demanding that the false negative television ad
produced by the "California Taxpayer Protection Committee" be pulled immediately
from the air.
As reported in the Ventura Star, the Committee is made up of close political associates of
yours. They are obviously airing this spot in an effort to assist your candidacy.
As the enclosed memo demonstrates, the ad is wrong on every single charge that it
makes. The ad cites eight specific bills to "prove" their charges against me. Not one of
those bills comes even close to sustaining the allegation. Some are laughably off base,
such as the claim that my vote in favor of a financial privacy bill is somehow to be
construed as "voting to increase the gas tax."
As candidates we have a moral obligation to do everything in our power to ensure that the
campaigns that we run, and that our supporters run, are factual and honest. I can assure
you that if an organization supporting me were to run an advertisement that was factually
incorrect, I would ask that it be halted immediately.
The voters of the 19th Senate district are counting on us to take responsibility for the tenor
of this campaign. Join me in demanding that this TV spot be pulled immediately.
Yours truly,
Hannah-Beth Jackson
What do you think? Have you looked through the relevant bills?
I think some local newspapers should investigate the claims and issue their own findings.
Tony Strickland's allies know that negative attacks work. That is why they are doing it on his behalf.
In related news I recently posted that Tony Strickland believes that global warming is happening and that it is human caused. A Hannah-Beth Jackson supporter looked through Tony Strickland's record and sent me an email containing his work with global warming denying or groups trying to convince us that the government should not take action. Click on continue reading to see the email. It is after the rebuttal to the attacks on Hannah-Beth Jackson.
Thanks for reading my blog. If you see over the top attacks in the comments section please send me an email and I will delete them. I don't require people to register or use their real names. Most of the time it works but sometimes people take advantage of it.
The Ventura County office of Education selected Stan Mantooth to finish the term of office left open when Charles Weis took a new job. He has already declared his intention to run in 2010 for the next term in office.
I am glad the board made a decision that won't be seen, rightfully or wrongfully, as a partisan political choice.
But forget all of that for now and answer some questions if you can:
1. We all know incumbents have many advantages. The Superintendent's position is a 4 year term of office. Do you remember the last time there was an open seat election for this position?
2. Try to connect the pop culture reference to the new Superintendent without using google. When I hear his name, I remember Anchorman because it is one of my favorite comedies. Not picking on the guy. The movie is a classic.
( This is the first TV ad from Hannah-Beth Jackson this campaign. I understand it will also be playing during the Olympics. )
Hannah-Beth Jackson's campaign fired back at allies of Tony Strickland that made a commercial that called her Taxin' Jackson.
Here is the anti Hannah-Beth Jackson attack ad:
To see their very detailed rebuttal click on continue reading.
I saw a small possible mistake in their rebuttal while doing a quick read. They said Tony Strickland is a global warming denier but I have heard him say humans have influenced climate change. Does anyone remember him denying humans are influencing global warming?
Besides that, their research looks pretty detailed.
Allies of Tony Strickland have released a negative attack ad on Hannah-Beth Jackson. From their website it looks like the group is directed by Tom McClintock and the Republican Party. Of course Tony Strickland doesn't control these groups but being that they are close allies he could stop them if he wanted these ads off the air. Let's be serious. Of course he wants these attack ads up on the air.
I am sure both campaigns will go negative but Strickland supporters put out the first ad that is negative.
I have news that Hannah-Beth Jackson filmed an ad the other day also.
In this district do you remember any other campaigns running television ads?
Democratic nominee to take on Rep. Elton Gallegly has some new events scheduled. Click on continue reading to see them.
I called Rep. Gallegly's office but he isn't doing any public events in the next few months. If he announces an event I will post it.
Also, his website continues not to mention the war in Iraq. Is he really afraid of Marta Jorgenson? Is the issue not important enough for him to post his position?
I would think Elton Gallegly, who is in the district often, would schedule something not behind closed doors or unannounced.
Dennis Hatland has held many positions in education. To see a full listing look at his campaign statement by clicking on continue reading. He is currently teaching at Big Springs Elementary in Simi Valley.
I met with Dennis Hatland and he is a dedicated educator. Before we spoke politics he gave me a run down of the core values he teaches his students and the results from this year's testing. If you want to know more about the way his students performed
Dennis, here are some questions from me to get you started and then it it time for my readers to ask questions.
1. Will you seek or accept the support of a political party for your campaign?
2. What do you think about the process to fire a poor performing teacher? Do you think it is too easy, reasonable, or too hard to fire a teacher?
3. Have you attended many school board meetings?
4. Is it a conflict of interest to get the support of teachers since you could be voting on their contract?
5. What local politician do you respect for the work they have done for our community?
Mary Pallant, former candidate for the Democratic nomination, ( CA 24 Currently Gallegly ) is hosting infamous, famous, well known peace activist Cindy Sheehan, who is running against Rep. Nancy Pelosi.
Who is a Republican to cheer for?
I am surprised that Mary Pallant would bring in somebody that divides local Democrats.
Why is it she has a more impressive presence on the local political stage than the actual Democratic nominee against Rep. Gallegly?
Between here and election day I plan on having many candidates answer your questions. Remember, you don't need to register to comment. You also don't need to use your real name or your real email address. Keep the questions related to the position that the candidate is running for and keep it classy. Thanks for reading and commenting on my blog. If you know a candidate that wants to get their name out there send me an email sooner rather than later.
I know Ute's husband from his successful run for Moorpark City Council. I also know him from an experimental Spanish class that we took together. Long story.
Anyways, here are some questions from me, followed by an introduction by Ute Van Dam.
1. Will you seek or accept the support of a political party for your campaign?
2. What do you think about the process to fire a poor performing teacher? Do you think it is too easy, reasonable, or too hard to fire a teacher?
3. Have you attended many school board meetings?
4. Do you support the expansion of charter schools?
5. What local politician do you respect for the work they have done for our community?
Here is Ute Van dam's introduction:
I appreciate the opportunity to participate in Brian's blog and I look forward to answering questions and comments about my decision to run for our school board.
My name is Ute Van Dam and I am running for the Moorpark Unified School Board. I have lived in Moorpark for the past 6+ years and have truly enjoyed it. I moved here with my family from the Valley due to the excellent quality of life, wonderful school system and the small-town atmosphere.
I have 22 years experience in the field of education: 5 years as a classroom teacher and 17 years as a school psychologist. I am involved in a variety of community activities, including the high school band program, Kiwanis, youth volleyball, and various church activities at Moorpark Presbyterian Church.
Our schools in Moorpark are doing great-- even when faced with budgetary constraints. However, there is always room for improvement. I would like to see the arts much more promoted in ALL of the schools. Communication between the school district and the city, youth sports, and community can always be enhanced for the betterment of our children. The budget and sound financial planning is also an issue since enrollment and funding has decreased dramatically over the last several years.
One board member has children currently in the school district and I feel it is important that current parents have a voice in decision making. Also, only one of the current board members is an educator which I believe gives important insight as to how schools can and should run efficiently and effectively. While being an educator and a parent with school-aged children does not mean that I will have all of the answers, it will allow me to draw on my past experiences and training and use them to benefit our schools.
Please ask questions and I will respond accordingly.
Thank you.
Ute (pronounced "oo-tay." It's German. Blame my parents.)
The Thousand Oaks campaign office for Hannah-Beth Jackson is this Thursday. Click on continue reading for details.
Who's going? If you want me to post a photo of the event, please email it in. I don't plan on attending as of now.
Tony Strickland's supporters are also planning to go negative early. Click on continue reading for a press release about their planned attacks on Hannah-Beth Jackson.
At the same time Tony Strickland's campaign has an ad up. Here is the youtube version of it.
And here are some photos from Tony Strickland's team out at a Ventura parade. Do you think both candidates will be in the Simi Valley days Parade about a month?
Thanks to the Tony Strickland campaign for sending me the photos to post.
The Democratic Club of the Conejo Valley is hosting a candidate's forum Wednesday night with State Senate, State Assembly, and Congressional candidates scheduled to appear. Click on continue reading for details.
I went to Donna Prenta's house for a garden party to support Hannah-Beth Jackson on Sunday. There was about 30 plus people including school board members from Simi Valley and Moorpark. I took some photos but none of them came out great. Have both candidates been contacting pretty much every school board member across Ventura County?
Local business owner and community activist Bruce Witkin is running for mayor. I talked to him by phone and in person at his store and he is both energetic and really serious about improving our city. To read a short campaign statement click on continue reading.
He has agreed to answer questions from my readers and from me. Please remember that he does run two businesses and he is very involved in our community. If he doesn't answer your questions quickly, be patient.
If you know a candidate running for office that wants to have their campaign covered, send me an email.
Thanks for your service to our community Bruce. Here are some questions:
1. Do you think the Shop Simi Valley First campaign is a good use of tax dollars?
2. Are you a member of the Chamber of Commerce? If you are a member how has this influenced your opinion of city problems?
3. Would you support the city using all alternative fuel or hybrid vehicles for workers when the job they do allows for it even if it isn't revenue neutral?
4. What local politician do you respect the most?
5. As Mayor would you read and answer questions during council meetings that were emailed to you?
Readers, you do not need to register, use your real or full name, nor give your real email address to comment. Please keep the questions on topic.
A new candidate for Simi Valley School Boards has appeared. Brad Jashinsky is young but in talking to him I can tell you he is dynamic, motivated, and is intelligent. I don't know if he is ready for the school board but I am looking forward to seeing his answers to our questions. Here is his opening statement:
"As a current college scholar and business owner, Brad Jashinsky, believes he can bring true change to a Simi Valley school board who in his opinion has made false promises and remains stagnate. Only a year removed from attending high school in the same Simi Valley district he hopes to help run, Brad feels he has the unique insight into the students, parents, teachers, and school district administration that no other candidate has. Currently Brad attends Cal State Channel Islands on a full scholarship after attending Katherine Elementary, Valley View Middle School, Simi High School, and Santa Susana High School. Brad is excited to begin finding out the issues that blog readers are concerned about this election year, and is happy to answer questions posted on this blog post."
I have a few questions to get Brad Jashinsky started and then it is time for questions from my readers.
Here you go:
1. Who are some of the most influential teachers in your life? How did they influence you?
2. What do you think about the process to fire a poor performing teacher? Do you think it is too easy, reasonable, or too hard to fire a teacher?
3. Have you attended many school board meetings?
4. Do you support the expansion of fundamental schools like Vista and Hollow Hills?
5. What local politician do you respect for the work they have done for our community?
When I get a candidate to agree to answer questions I tell them that questions will come in over a number of days and I don't expect them to answer every question the day it comes in. These candidates aren't getting paid and don't have paid staff. If you can't deal with waiting for a response I don't know what to tell you. They are running for local office, not the presidency.
( Who is the man behind Nikki Tinker on the right side?)
In a contested primary partisans have a choice of candidates from their party to support. But because the candidates are from the same party there aren't as many clear policy distinctions between them. That is why it often turns into personal and not based on policy.
There is some good news about a person that tried to go very negative and just lost in a landslide. Her attempts at divisive religious politics failed. I am proud of the Democratic primary voters in Tennessee who rejected her gutter politics. Looks like good news for America!
EMILY's List, a group that tries to elect female pro-choice candidates looks really bad today. Their candidate was rejected by a huge margin and they didn't have a great reason to support her against a liberal Democrat, except that she is a female. I guess EMILY's list doesn't care if they appear sexist. Maybe before they endorse a candidate next time they will check if there are important policy differences.
Who from your own party would you like to see replaced with a new member from your party? Any of the current nominees for November's ballot?
The campaign for state senate is getting more exciting.
State Senate candidate Hannah-Beth Jackson is hosting a BBQ to thank local firefighters for their recent service. Click on continue reading for details.
She also has a free event in Simi Valley this weekend. I have heard that flyers have been distributed to a very wide area. I plan to be there. I will post photos and maybe some video afterward. Click here for details.
The contest is getting more press attention. Blogger Nick Welsh has something in the in his post to upset pretty much all sides of this election. Click here to read a funny and irreverent look at the candidates.
Here are some of the less colorful quotes:
"Angeles was also involved in Tony Strickland's feeble efforts to green wash his outspokenly anti-environmental voting record while in the Assembly."
Before leaving, McClintock anointed Strickland as his hand-picked successor. If Jackson hasn't sent Tom a handwritten thank-you note on perfumed stationary, then she's either an idiot or an ingrate.
State Assembly candidate Carole Lutness ( D ) has a campaign update that she sent out tonight. See it by clicking on continue reading.
Her campaign against Cameron Smyth ( R- Santa Clarita ) might depend on the polling numbers for Barack Obama in the 38th Assembly District. In her update she said Democratic Party leaders will be looking at those numbers to see if a wave is forming for Barack Obama that could bring other people into office. What do you think? Campaign talk or could Barack Obama perform rather well in this area?
( Map of the 38th Assembly District. Don't click on it.)
Which candidate in this area has the best chance of pulling an upset? Marta Jorgenson, Ferial Masry, or Carole Lutness? Or do you think another candidate could be putting together a campaign that will surprise us?
( Have you seen Wedding Crashers? See if you can spot political celebrity John McCain in this clip. Extra points if you catch the other political celebrity in the clip.)
Local Republicans are putting together an event to support John McCain. Click on continue reading for details. Have you seen any other local John McCain groups or events? There is a high priced fund raiser in Los Angeles at the end of the month.
Will John McCain supporters that attend this event be working for all Republican candidates or are they able to work primarily for John McCain?
Where is the closet location to Simi Valley to pick up a John McCain sign?
There are many ballot propositions on the November ballot. After studying them if you want to write a guest editorial on a proposition please send me an email.
I support more protections for farm animals. I will write about proposition 2 in the future after I study if it is a decent way of bettering our treatment of animals. Click on the logo to learn more.
( Another blog called Hannah-Beth Jackson out for having her picture taken with Firefighters in uniform and then using it on her campaign website . That other blog said that laws were broken. I wonder where the outrage will be over this photo from Elton Gallegly's campaign website? This photo or the other photo isn't a top concern for me. I understand it was just a political attack. The state budget seems much more important.)
Both Rep. Lois Capps and Rep. Elton Gallegly have not turned in their political courage test to Project Vote Smart. Call their offices and ask them to answer the questions.
Neither of them has a tough competitor thus far so it shouldn't take to much courage to return it. After you call post what their response is to your request.
Call me a cynic but if Rep. Gallegly doesn't address the Iraq war on his campaign website I doubt he is interested in answering other questions. Maybe somebody will stop by the Ventura County Fair booth and film him as they ask questions...
Is Rep. Gallegly really afraid of giving Marta Jorgenson an opening to attack him or is he just not interested in discussing Iraq?
I am done trying to come up with a better title. If you have a better title leave a suggestion as a comment and I will fix it.
The Barack Obama card board stand up in front of the Democrats' booth at the Ventura County Fair was ripped up by a man yelling profanities including a racial slur. Click on continue reading for details.
In 2004, the George W. Bush stand up at the Republican Party's Headquarters was stolen by someone that ran out with it. I don't recall fi they ever got it back but if I remember correctly the thief took it back to the San Fernando Valley where the police didn't do much for such a petty offense.
Read through the comments on Dailykos about this story. An keep your cardboard stand ups safe!
Sandy, do you have signs and bumper stickers for Barack Obama at the booth?
I called Rep. Gallegly's office to find out when his next public event was but they don't have a schedule. They did say he was attending the fair sometimes but didn't say when. If you go to the fair you might get lucky enough to ask a question.
A candidate has declared for the Ventura County Office of Education. Click on continue reading for Mark Lisagor's platform and background. He is running for the seat currently held by Chris Valenzano, who was supported in his past run by Tony Strickland. Mark Lisagor already has the backing of former County Superintendent or Education Charles Weis and current State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell . I expect this might be the most fought over seat on a school board outside of CVUSD this cycle.
This is your chance for local critics of the board to get involved in changing its composition. How many of you expect to get involved in some way in this election?
The 35th State Assembly District is currently represented by Democrat Pedro Nava, who replaced Hannah-Beth Jackson when her 6 years were up. Republican Gregory Gandrud would like to replace Pedro Nava in the State Assembly.
What questions do you have for Gregory Gandrud ?
Here are a few from me to start us off:
1. To compromise with Democrats, the governor, and Republicans would you support any tax increases at all if it was a part of a package that reduced some spending?
2. Who was the last member of the Democratic party that you voted for?
3. Will you be supporting the amendment to make marriage between a man and a woman again or do you support keeping same sex marriage legal?
(State Assembly District 35 map. Do not click on it.)
I want to take some time and thank all of you that read, leave comments, email me suggestions, and help me keep writing about local politics.
What would you like to see as far as local coverage between here and November?
More down ballot races like Park Board? More of my opinion? More guest blog entries?
Let me know.
Click on continue reading for the email from Pennsylvania about my blog. I don't know about their landfill/dump expansion there and I have not investigated any of the claims about it.
Local filmmaker Brigham Maher has posted his collection of interviews about Rocketdyne on youtube.
Will you do me a favor? Please watch a clip or two and leave some feedback here for him. Remember, you don't need to use your real name or email address and you don't need to register.
Here is the intro:
If you go to his youtube account you can see the rest of the film.
The expansion of religious and political freedom has expanded greatly in the last few decades. I hope that it continues to extend in my lifetime.I haven't watched the whole film yet and I am not endorsing its views. But I am supporting his right to free expression.There are many ideas Brigham goes over in this film that in the old USSR would have had him sent to the gulag.
Speaking of Gulag's an author that changed my worldview just passed away. Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn author of the The Gulag Archipelago. His life work and views of the West give all of us something to be uncomfortable with and something to be in awe of at the same time. May he not be forgotten.
The facts he made me confront forced me to understand what I already knew. We should doubt all tyrants and be watchful when they start us down a path we already know. At the same time he reminds us to have faith in God and not imperfect human creations.
Honor his memory by reading through his biography.
City Council candidate Mike Judge has turned in all his paperwork and is an official candidate for the Simi Valley City Council.
I spoke with him and he is willing to answer your questions.
Mike, here are a few from me to get you started.
1. Do you think the city has done a decent job dealing with crime in Simi Valley?
2. What do you think of the city spending money on the Shop Simi Valley First campaign?
3. Do you call it the Arroyo or the wash.
4. Which local politician do you respect the most?
5. Have you attended city council meetings?
Have you seen this interview with Hannah-Beth Jackson? How did I miss it?
Here is a quick run down of the latest news from the campaigns of Tony Strickland and Hannah-Beth Jackson:
1. About a week ago I challenged each campaign to invite people 21 and under to all of their fundraisers for free. I hope that more young people can go to exciting events and and focus their attention in politics.
The Hannah-Beth Jackson campaign has agreed to open their doors to every fund raiser to supporters 21 and younger in an effort to reach out to young people. If you see an event you want to go to print out this ticket just call or email the campaign.
The Strickland campaign hasn't responded. I will update you if they do.
2. The Star had an article from Timm Herdt about candidates in safe districts helping other candidates. Recently, Assemblymember Cameron Smyth went precinct walking with Tony Strickland in Santa Clarita generating some press coverage in a local paper there .
I am looking forward to seeing Assemblymember Pedro Nava and State Senate candidate Fran Pavely helping out Hannah-Beth Jackson more. Anybody know details about have they have already helped her or how they worked together in the past?
3. The Hannah-Beth Jackson campaign is throwing a party with other Democrats to celebrate their new office opening in Santa Barbara this week. Click on continue reading for details.
4. Another recent article from The Star by Timm Herdt had details about the fundraising from both campaigns. Click here to read the story and let the spinning in the comments section begin.
As a reminder: You don't need to register, use a real email address, or use your real name to post. If you see something that should be removed please email me.
And another reminder: Timm Herdt spells his first name with two M's. If you spell it wrong you will upset him.
Click on continue reading to see a press release from Tony Strickland's campaign about his fundraising.
5. The Hannah-Beth Jackson campaign has a statement up about the proposed prison hospital in Camarillo. Click here to read the full statement.
Thanks for reading and commenting on my blog. Keep it civil.
A new group of educators has been put together and will be organizing events for Hannah-Beth Jackson in East County. Their next event is a fundraiser. Click on continue reading for details.
The list includes 3 school board members from Simi Valley and past county board of education candidate / education activist Donna Prenta from Simi Valley. Donna, the press release mentions that Hannah-Beth Jackson has the support of many education board members throughout the county. Is there a place where we could view the names? Have you been calling on Hannah-Beth Jackson's behalf to help the campaign?
Getting educators together to support a candidate isn't anything new. But what about the idea of getting together a group of students to support a candidate? That would be impressive locally because of the lack of political participation and organization of the parties.
You should be upset with McCain if for no other reason giving more press attention to Paris Hilton and Britney Spears. Thanks to his campaign for another trashy commercial.
2. He attacked Barack Obama for not visiting the troops by using video of Barack Obama visiting the troops!
John McCain used wounded troops as a political attack. He said Barack Obama didn't want to visit wounded troops because the military said he couldn't bring cameras. When John McCain's campaign was contradicted by the facts from reporters traveling with Barack Obama they didn't back off and continued their disgusting attack.
Then it turns out John McCain's campaign was going to attack Barack Obama for visiting the troops if he did go.
Seems in John McCain's campaigns view that using wounded troops for a partisan attack is fair game.
3. Both campaigns have said they don't question the other candidate's patriotism. John McCain has said many times he would rather lose a campaign then lose a war. But he goes into full attack mode when he says about Barack Obama:
" Would rather lose a war in order to win a political campaign..."
He is accusing Barack Obama of wanting America to lose a war. But at the same time he is lying when he says he isn't attacking his patriotism. How can a person be a patriot while wanting American troops to be killed?
The John McCain campaign team started off the campaign with a popular, independent minded war hero and diminished him by using sleazy Karl Rove tactics.
No wonder they say he is running for Bush's third term!
( John McCain and President Bush celebrating McCain's birthday while Hurricane Katrina was going on.)
I am done with his campaign. They would rather destroy McCain's character then lose a campaign. How did his staffers take a great war hero and take him down so fast?
They must be really desperate if they are flailing like this so early. I think McCain could win, but at what cost?
I guess we shouldn't be surprised that a campaign that has a "Swift Boat" extremist , Karl Rove, and a bunch of lobbyists working for them would go negative.
This blog is devoted to the nuts and bolts of local politics.
Have some political Info you want released? Let me know! I want to publicize fundraisers, parties, Web sites, meetup.com events and anything else happening in Ventura County. So, send them to briandennert@yahoo.com.
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