The battle over the budget might soon be over if the big 5 ( The Governor, and the leaders of both parties in the State Assembly and State Senate) announce their compromise budget as expected within the next few days. But the interest groups, activists, unions, talk radio host and others are putting pressure on legislators to pass a budget of their liking. The plan as of now is to release the compromise budget and then vote on it before too much pressure could be brought against our legislators to abandon the compromise and to stick by their respective constituencies.
Locally, a group of educators, Democratic activists, and PTA leaders rallied outside of State Senator Tony Strickland's office asking him to compromise and help pass a budget. To see pictures sent in to me from that event click on continue reading. Opponents of State Senator Tony Strickland's have begun to circulate "Phony Tony Bucks" in an effort to blame him for the lack of progress on the state budget. State Senator Tony Strickland has not given any sign that he would compromise his no new taxes pledge, even with all of the pressure from different groups and his own governor.
But if State Senator Tony Strickland was thinking of going along with any compromise that raised taxes he would have to deal with conservatives on his side and the outrage breaking his pledge not to raise taxes would cause. So far if the contest between the two sides is over who has the most over the top graphics The John and Ken show has a pretty wild page showing Republican legislators heads on sticks and other objects for considering raising taxes.
If there is a compromise I don't expect State Senator Tony Strickland will be voting for it. But I am curious to see which Republicans vote for the compromise.
Click here for the website of John and Ken of KFI AM 640 Talk Radio.
Click here for my earlier coverage of the rally.
Click here for a report from Marie Lakin who attended the rally.
Brian.....
There is much to say about the budget debacle in Sacremento, maybe even about the role of both Boy and Girl Strickland.....
Pics of folks in the rain..ok...but the graphic showing the heads of the Governor and other public officials impaled on picket fences and a sword...well, that just isn't necessary.
It smacks of an acceptance of violence that we surely do not need in political life. It just makes me not want to read or look any further.
Violence, or implied violence just isn't acceptable.
Toilet plungers though...that might be ok.
Brian.....
There is much to say about the budget debacle in Sacremento, maybe even about the role of both Boy and Girl Strickland.....
Pics of folks in the rain..ok...but the graphic showing the heads of the Governor and other public officials impaled on picket fences and a sword...well, that just isn't necessary.
It smacks of an acceptance of violence that we surely do not need in political life. It just makes me not want to read or look any further.
Violence, or implied violence just isn't acceptable.
Toilet plungers though...that might be ok.
Brian.....
There is much to say about the budget debacle in Sacremento, maybe even about the role of both Boy and Girl Strickland.....
Pics of folks in the rain..ok...but the graphic showing the heads of the Governor and other public officials impaled on picket fences and a sword...well, that just isn't necessary.
It smacks of an acceptance of violence that we surely do not need in political life. It just makes me not want to read or look any further.
Violence, or implied violence just isn't acceptable.
Toilet plungers though...that might be ok.
Sorry about the triple posts...I've got a LOUSY ATT DSL connnection here..slower that dial-up I think!
Tom,
I do agree that the graphic is over the top but I wanted to communicate the strong emotions running both ways over the state budget. I wouldn't create the graphic nor would I but to show you what was happening on talk radio I thought it communicated the point very well. The picture is from KFI AM 640, not me.
The sign that says Tony Strickland hates kids is unfair. I don't agree with Tony Strickland on much and you won't see me getting invited to many of his events but even I think that sign was taking it too far.
Thanks for reading and commenting on my blog, I appreciate your feedback.
If that's the image that was there, then why try to hide it?
Sure, it suggests violence but it also announces the deep frustration and anger many feel about what's happening in Sacramento. It's that high degree of discontent that's the story, not the fact that people gathered to get the attention of their elected officials. To use toilet plungers, dunce caps or anything less than an angry metaphorical exclamation mark is an attempt to censor and whitewash the story.
John and Ken's graphic is pretty offensive - the impaled heads are over the top. And the lack of budget for 97 days is over the top. As is the lack of any real leadership. California is now last in the nation financially and close to last educationally. Our infrastructure sucks. Prisonors are going to be released early. And what do our lawmakers do? Play partisan politics and threaten members of their own party if they dare to act like leaders and represent their district.
What? Do you hate kids?
This is such a tired mantra from the tax-loving teacher's union bosses. What a bunch of tools all those children in the pictures were made to be. It's sad.
The fact of the matter is that the Educrat bosses don't give a damn about the health of the California economy. They want mo money for their coffers and to show they actually offer a service in exchange for the mandatory dues they take from teachers paychecks. The CTA PROVES that unions are an antiquated and self-serving bunch of morons that need to be defeated. Unfortunately, the population of California is dominated by liberals and stupid people that think with their bleeding hearts rather than their fu**ing brains.
It makes me sad to know that California will continue to go down the toilet and that it will be years before the voters wake up and realize it is liberals in Sacramento, at the direction of their union handlers that brought this state to ruin.
It wasn't liberals who voted to remove the auto tax from the revenue stream, causing an instant $5B deficit. Over the past six years that one act, by kid-hating & voter despising far right obstructionists has developed into a $30B deficit.
And it was those same CA-hating obstructionists that sued the State to NOT enter into a power deal that would have provided CA with electricity at $70MW through 2023. Now we pay twice that and it's still climbing.
Not lastly, it wasn't liberals who demanded that the State cut education and kid's health care rather than re-instate the luxury taxes on private jets and yachts.
If you really believe in the voters having their say in how the State is run, then listen to them when they say overwhelmingly that the State needs to both cut spending and raise taxes. Your kid-hating obstructionists in Sacramento are a cancer that needs to be removed.
So what if Tony Strickland and Kevin D Korenthal are morons who hate children?! And so what if California is 47th in spending on public education! If we spend more money on education the multi millionaires and corporations might have to pay their fair share and they might not be able to give as much money to Tony and Tony would have fewer dollars then to funnel into his personal accounts! We angry ,self hating extremists love to use big scary words like educrats! So what if Kevin Korenthal is a complete idiot and moron because the fact that he agrees with all of us far right wing extremists like myself and Phony Tony makes him a okay in my book! It is clear in the pictures from this rally that some of these people were not walking, they were standing in one place and that means they were loitering and they broke the law and we should throw them in prison forever and spend millions and millions of dollars on them to stay there so that we have to build prison hospitals in places like Camarillo!
I will say they were looking pretty dedicated out there in the rain at least.
That's right. If you're an "educator" or a child it's a brave and noble thing. If you're Tony Strickland, it's a joke to meet constituents in the rain.
So what if Tony Strickland is a joke! Tony is a far right extremist who believes in Jesus Christ! That is what matters! So what if Tony and Audra are considered jokes in Sacramento? I fully support them because like me they want to destroy public schools and to cause layoffs of those fat cat firefighters and police officers who collect those pensions! I don't get a pension so no one should! I agree with Tony that we don't need a middle class in this country, we only need a few rich people and lots of poor stupid people who will be told what to do by the rich people! The VCRCC represents those rich people so I support the extremist efforts of the VCRCC and the Christian Coalition! So all you stupid head liberals beware!
Maybe Phony Tony and Fraudra STrickland and the VCRCC should sponsor a carnival and volunteer to be in a dunk tank to raise money so they can stand by their no new taxes stance.
I would sure line up and pay to throw some balls and dunk them.
CAP and GS would you wait in line to dunk Phony Tony and Fraudra to raise money so we would not have to increase classroom sizes.
Maybe Phony Tony and Fraudra STrickland and the VCRCC should sponsor a carnival and volunteer to be in a dunk tank to raise money so they can stand by their no new taxes stance.
I would sure line up and pay to throw some balls and dunk them.
CAP and GS would you wait in line to dunk Phony Tony and Fraudra to raise money so we would not have to increase classroom sizes.
How dare you call them Tony the Phony and Frauda! So what if they are phonies and frauds!? I get so angry when you liberals point out the fact that the Strickland's have funneled hundreds of thousands of campaign contributions into their personal accounts! Don't you think the Strickland's good good friend and fellow VCRCC lackey Greg Totten would have done something about it if it was illegal!? And don't even get me started about how mad I get when these mean liberals point out what a scumbag Dean Kunicki is!
Sorry, I can't attend the carnival as I'll be busy building a case against a proposal that's floating around the County offices about rezoning the horse ranch to 471 units.
It appears that some elected reps up in Sacramento have managed to get the ranch on a list of prime parcels that the County will be forced to downgrade, so as to meet the State's affordable housing requirements.
In all, the County's suggesting that they can get away with tripling the number of vehicles trying to flee a fire, across the one exit that already a deadly bottleneck during an emergency.
Gorian and Kunicki are getting their rewards from Phony Tony with the horse ranch project. To the winners go the spoils. Count me in on tickets for the dunk tank. I'm looking forward to dropping Phony Tony into the tank.
GS, what better place to put slum housing that at the gateway to the Knolls? The County needs farm labor housing and this is just the place. How about 700 units? 471 seem too few to make a statement. Knolls, Gorian is coming and its payback time.
I'd like to learn more about this project. I have to admit, I'm a bit concerned with some of the public safety issues.
If the County really needs to up the number of affordables, there's a great, wide open parcel sitting alongside the landfill.
Since we don't really need more trash capacity (that is, except for the fact that WMI is hot to boost its profits by consolidating its wide spread empire) LAFCO & the County can rezone that area for high density housing. Its close to transportation & shopping and it isn't in an area that has the highest frequency of firestorms of any spot in the east county.
Scott,
Do you think it would be helpful if GS posted a map of the area with notes that we could all see?
Brian,
If our Senator had won State controller forget about trash trucks; there would be tanks in the streets. Tony Strickland would have followed every steroid flashback induced order our Governor came up with.
Conservatives are so brave with other people's kids. Have you noticed that?
Yes.
Has there been an EIR done on the proposal or is it still in the proposal development phase?
Of particular interest is the road system adequacy.
Thanks.
Scott & Brian,
Let me see what I can get from the homeowner association. They have some maps of the area, with notes.
For now, the Knolls is the area south of the railroad tracks and on the north side of the mountain range, between Pass Road and roughly Stow Street. The topography is very hilly, undulating and characterized by several large rock formations and semi-seasonal creek beds. There are three fair weather entrances (and exits) from the area: Katherine Road connects to Pass Road at the railroad overpass; Katherine road connects to Katherine Avenue via a railroad crossing; Black Canyon winds over the hills to the south, passing through the SSFL property.
There are about 350 homes.
These are all narrow, sub-standard (ranging from 18' to 24' wide) two lane roads that wind up and down and around hairpin turns. There are no sidewalks and pedestrian traffic is accomodated only via narrow, unpaved shoulders...were the exist at all. For all practical purposes pedestrians, cyclists and equestrian riders are forced to share the pavement with vehicles.
The area has a major firestorm every 4-6 years that usually travels from the Pass Road exit area, SW along the north face of the mountain range. Depending on wind, the bulk of the community may have less than 4-6 hours to pack up and evacuate the area.
During an evacuation, Black Canyon and the Pass Road connection are normally closed due to the danger of vehicles being trapped by fire & smoke. Another consideration is that the Pass Road connection is the only viable means of entry for emergency vehicles and equipment due to the potential for the railroad crossing to be closed, as had happened in the 2005 fire. This leaves the Katherine Road railroad crossing as the only means of evacuation for about 750 vehicles, including trucks, trailers, horse trailers, campers & large RVs and cars.
During the last fire it took one hour forty five minutes for one family to travel from their home near the train station to safety across the railroad tracks. Vehicles were lined up and stopped on Katherine Road and Oak Knolls Road as flames approached from the south. At one point a SP freight train stopped, blocking the crossing for fifteen minutes. There was no other way to get out.
The Ranch is a approx 28 acre single parcel that lies against the tracks at the Katherine Road RR crossing. It's only access is via a drive that lies within 200 feet of the crossing and exits on to Katherine.
During the mid 1990s the developer of the property requested a subdivision to break the parcel into 27 lots. The community agreed and supported the request. However, papers were not pulled and instead the developer came back with a request to rezone for high density, with 278 apartment units. The community objected on the grounds that the addition of so many extra vehicles would create a traffic mightmare as another 500-600 vehicles attempted to exit the development right at the point where the area traffic is at its worst during a fire storm.
In 2004 over 300 community members appeared before the Board of Supervisors to object to the proposal. The developer was instructed on a 4-1 vote to work with the community, to come up with a proposal that would satisfy the area residents. We are still waiting for that opportunity to work with the developer. Instead, the developer acted unilaterally and developed plans for a 100+ mobile/manufactured home park. A big diffrence but still one that would add another 200 or more vehicles directly into a traffic bottleneck.
With the recent mandate from the State to cough up more parcels for high density rezoning, the developer has offered to help the County meet its goals through rezoning of the ranch; presumably for up to 471 units.
Should anything approaching this suggestion be approved, it will only be a matter of time before Australians are reading about the fire deaths of hundreds of Ventura County residents and the aftermath, as county officials shed crocodile tears and wonder how such a tragedy could have occurred.
GS,
Email it to me and I will post it. Post any notes or explanations as you see fit on the map or as a comment.
Working on it now.
Sorry to have let this thread get so side-tracked.
Tony Strickland seems to be nothing more then a joke. Erin Brockovich is a liar, botom like is the Tax Payer, middle class families and goverment workers are screwed.
Tony Strickland seems to be nothing more then a joke. Erin Brockovich is a liar, botom like is the Tax Payer, middle class families and goverment workers are screwed.