( Maybe we can put together a volunteer lobbying force using former candidates from both parties? Just a thought.)
Do you remember when Arnold Schwarzenegger said he wanted to blow up the boxes and he pushed to eliminate county boards of education?
Anyways, the Ventura County Board of Education voted to end the contracts for lobbyists to work with the state legislature and the US Congress.
Click here for the story.
There goes the proposed earmark to construct a building for Ventura County students on a Christian High School campus in Indiana. Who was supposed to put the earmarks into the budget? Rep. Elton Gallegly or Rep. Lois Capps? Some other representative?
I never did understand why the board needed lobbyists to begin with. I am sure if they were worthy projects some of our local representatives and their staff would have been willing to help.
If there really was a need for these contracts the incumbents did a poor job educating the public of the value for the expenditure.
Spending $$$ on lobbyists was a gross misuse of public funds and should be investigated. There was a lack of reporting and a lack of review and a lack of need. There is no way we should lobby our own Rep - the former trustee Chris Valenzano used to work for the Stricklands.
The right-wing Republicans on the Ventura County School Board committed fraud when they hired this "lobbyist firm". The lobbyist firm had no experience in what they were hired to do and they are on record lobbying for issues that were contrary to the best interests of the Ventura County School Board's goals.
The Republican Ventura County School Board members that voted to hire this "lobbyist firm" should reimburse the Board and/or face criminal charges.
Greg Totten is too biased and incompetent to protect Ventura County from the ongoing crimes being committed by Republican office holders and their contributors.