Have you heard someone blame the Community Reinvestment Act for triggering the real estate and financial meltdown?

Well, Barry Ritholtz has had enough and is willing to publically debate, with a cash prize, someone that wants to go at it.

The question to start the debate will be:

Click here for the details.

I am not an expert on the regulations governing lending but I do like the idea of public debates, with consequences, between experts. It would sure beat the people yelling on cable news programs.

I doubted it when I saw my friend Alan post it this morning but it is true.

It really is free slurpee day at Seven-Eleven today because it is 7/11.

Das Williams is running against Susan Jordan for the nomination of the Democratic Party in the 35th Assembly District to replace termed out Assembly Member Pedro Nava. His campaign kick off announcement was earlier this week in Santa Barbara and in Ventura. I didn't attend the event but his campaign staff sent me some photos to post.

Thanks to his staff for sending them in.

I see Das Williams, Brian Leshon, Ventura County Supervisor Steve Bennett in the picture and a dog in the picture. Who do you recognize?

Ventura County Star Reporter Timm Herdt had a recent blog entry with the provocative title:

I thought it was celebrity news connected to Susan Jordan before I read more.

Click here to read more from Timm Herdt.

Here is the map of the district:

I reset the poll and made it harder for someone to vote multiple times after a blogger from Ventura had fun with it. Let's try this again:

In a recent article Rep. Gallegly said:

"We have a full-time campaign operation," Gallegly said. "We have lots of things on our agenda right now that are really pressing. Most people that are retiring don't work as hard as we do."

What's on his agenda? He doesn't appear on television much, he doesn't hold town hall forums, and he isn't going to be passing much legislation being in the minority party.

In the last quarter he raised: $42,057.75

Should Democrats and Republicans interested in running get encouragement from those numbers that he might be retiring? He does have more than $800,000 in his warchest which should prove effective at protecting him if he does run again. But is a slow fundraising period a sign that he is retiring?

Before you look at the results of this poll remember that many people that want him to retire so they can have an ally replace him, not because of his job performance.

Rep. Gallegly said when he first ran in 1986 "New ideas come with new blood .... I want to get the career politicians out of Washington and make them go home and live under the laws they've passed."

Obviously, he changed his mind on that thought. When faced with more years of being in the minority will he change his mind again and retire soon?

With most pundits predicting Democrats will control the House for at least a few more years I wonder if being in the minority is more or less fulfilling for Gallegly. Sure, all the minority seems to do is say NO and complain but at least they don't get much of the blame for any current flaws in legislation.

I fixed this poll to make it harder for a reader from the city of Ventura to vote multiple times. I am sure Marta Jorgenson appreciates your "support" but try to restrain yourself this time.

Continuing with my one blog Shop Simi Valley First Campaign I want to share with you my favorite local bike shop.

In this era it is easy to get great deals on the internet but the thing that makes a local bike shop great is their service. Whether it is recommending local trails ( Next Campaign: Ride Simi Valley First?), fixing up your bike, or finding out about local events this shop does a great job.

Years ago two of us in our family bought bikes at from them. We could have initially saved money over the internet but over the years the service alone has made it worth it. All of the routine maintenance is free and done quickly to get you riding again. And if you break something you can expect them to see if they can repair it before they try to sell you new parts.

Thanks to All Pro Bikes I have never been able to say my bike is being repaired as an excuse not to ride.

Click here for their website.

Has a local business recently surprised you with a good deal or great customer service? Recommend them and encourage others to Shop Simi First!

My reader and contributer, Katie Teague, has updated the file on Ventura County elected officials with all of the suggestions and corrections that my readers made. It includes their party registrations, when their terms are up, and email contact information.

Post a comment with any corrections that need to be made.

You will want to bookmark this entry. Campaign and activists can use it to invite people to events, ask for endorsements, and to lobby elected officials personally.

Show your appreciation for this free resource by leaving Katie Teague a comment.
Brian_Dennert_Teague_7:8

Goeff Dean's campaign for sheriff has posted some videos from his campaign kick off press conference. being that most of us will never met a candidate for sheriff this is an alright way to see them speak. I look forward to forums where the candidates answer questions.

Click on continue reading for the press release.

The video above dates back from the primaries. In it Sarah Palin says that female candidates that are under more scrutiny and unfair press coverage should just work harder and not whine or complain over the coverage.

I guess after she understood some of the types of criticisms launched at Hillary Clinton over the last few decades she has a different opinion.

How long until she announces she will be hosting a show on Fox News?

(If you understand why i chose this video then you truly are a Ventura County politics geek.)

A long time contributer to this blog, Katie Teague, has created a great resource for local campaigns, activists, reporters, and everyday citizens.

Click on the link below to download an Excel file listing the party registration, contact information including email, and the year the position is up for election.

This information can be used by campaigns to contact people to invite them to events or to ask them for endorsements. Citizens can use this information to lobby for their causes directly, and aspiring politicians can check when the next election for a position is coming up. And of course partisans can brag which party controls more of the elected positions in Ventura County.

This is really a collaborative effort and we need your input. Post a comment if you see any errors or information you would like to see added. I will post a corrected version after Katie Teague is able to use all of the feedback.

CAPCElectedpositions2008Rough.xls

Katie, I deeply appreciate you choosing to share this resource with my readers. I fixed some errors myself and I am sure others will help too.

Show your appreciation for Katie Teague's work by leaving a comment saying thanks.

Click on the appropriate button below to share this on a social network like Facebook.




Side Note: I am behind on finishing some recent blog entries. Some of the completed blog entries I am not putting at the top of the page. Make sure you scroll down so you don't miss some new entries.

Santa Barbara City Council Member Das Williams is also making it official by declaring next week he is running for State Assembly to replace Assembly Member Pedro Nava who is prevented from term limits from running again. Pedro Nava is running for Attorney General.

I am not going to be going to the press conferences but I will post any video that is made available.

I want someone that will stand up for the vital services the state runs but will also challenge existing orthodoxies that dominate Sacramento. I want someone that knows the issues and knows when their supporters, interest groups, and party leaders are wrong.

We need major reforms at the state level on how we create budgets and I don't want someone that needs approval from interest groups to do what they know is needed.

What do you want?

I don't know if Das Williams or Susan Jordan is that candidate yet.

The latest round of fundraising numbers is expected soon. With that data we can tell if State Senator Tony Strickland is willing to invest serious money into Mike Stoker's campaign. I haven't seen much that would make Mike Stoker have bipartisan appeal yet, but the election is a long time away.

Click on continue reading for the press release.

What's going on with all of the potential challengers for 2012?

Dennis Carpenter has officially declared he is running for sheriff. Click on the logo above to go to his website. This is from an article covering his press conference:

Now that both candidates have declared they are running the campaign has officially started. I would think that Geoff Dean has the momentum of endorsements behind him for the time being but there are many that haven't endorsed either candidate yet.

I have not closely watched an election for sheriff before so I don't totally know what to expect. Will the candidates try to get endorsements from the local political parties? How influential are endorsements from elected officials outside of law enforcement on voters?

There should be a few forums between the candidates scheduled across Ventura County early on before the money, momentum, and endorsements are all determined. We need a robust debate that moves beyond bland slogans and into specifics.

This poll is really a test of the energy and organization of the campaigns and not an accurate sample of the voters. I will keep reposting it when I post new entries on the campaign.

Found this on Craigslist:

Is Ventura County politics exciting enough for a tell all book? I'm not so sure. My own blog barely keeps my attention sometimes.

( This video above is by a young artist that I know personally. If you need creative print or video done check out his youtube channel for samples of his work.)

Instead of just being critical of the city subsidized "Shop Simi First" Campaign I am going to go on a one blog promotion campaign for our city.

I am going to be reporting on local businesses that I frequent that either surprise me with good deals or great service.If you want to help by writing a guest blog entry let me know.

Here is my first entry in a long series.

I have seen the videos that Mike Chandler, the blogger behind VoteSimiValley.com, has produced but I hadn't bothered to check it out myself.

Well, I finally bothered to check it out. Towards the end of a hot summer day I brought my family in and we ordered a monstrous dish of shave ice ( I feel uneasy not adding the D to the end but I understand it is the custom to spell it that way) that was enough two adults and a little one for under 4 bucks.

That's a great deal from a locally owned and operated business.

Click here for Tutu's website which includes live streaming video ( creepy if you ask me), the menu ( more extensive than you might think), and a coupon ( the place is already inexpensive).

( Jason Hodge is on the right in this photo from Hannah-Beth Jackson's Simi Valley Campaign office.)

A new group called the Working Blue Democratic Club is holding their first fundraiser this weekend. Their guests will include Ventura County Supervisor John Zaragoza, Ventura County Board of Education Member Ramon Flores, and others.

The Chair of the new club, Jason Hodge, wrote many blog entries for this blog from the inauguration of Barack Obama.

Click on continue reading for details.

I am behind on a few entries so if you haven't seen something you sent in please wait a few days.

I have been critical at times over the City of Simi Valley spending money on a "Shop Simi Valley First" campaign because I remain unconvinced it is effective use of government money.

This blog entry though isn't on that program. It is to give credit to Simi Valley City Council Member Glen Becerra for using his campaign funds to help local businesses while getting some buzz around his own name.

Glen Becerra is often mentioned as a potential candidate for open seat elections for the state assembly, state senate, and the US House. People might say he is doing this to improve his own standing in the community and I agree. But that shouldn't be viewed negatively. This should inspire other politicians to think of ways of promoting our communities and themselves, instead of the same tired attacks and the same cliches year after year.

Compare Glen Becerra's ad with the recent op-ed by State Senator Tony Strickland titled " Nevada looks pretty attractive compared with California". I do agree with some of State Senator Tony Strickland's arguments but I don't know if we need the constant reminders of how the failure of California State legislators, including him, to compromise continues to drag down our state.

This is the smartest political move I have seen Glen Becerra do in the years I have been paying attention to local politics. It sure beats the time he helped Governor George W. Bush campaign in Oxnard as a new type of conservative.

The Great Timm Herdt, Ventura County Star Reporter, has already reported on this ad. Click here for Timm Herdt's blog entry.

If you want to help bring shoppers to Simi Valley click on the buttons below to share it on a social network like Facebook.

With all of the celebrity news the revolution in Iran has been disappearing from the headlines. Although there are many reasons to be discouraged for the forces aligned against Mahmoud Ahmadinejad it isn't over.

The claim of the ruling regime to legitimacy was supposedly based on divine guidance. They forfeited that legitimacy when they endorsed the results of an obviously fraudulent election.

This movement against the regime represents the best opportunity to improve the lives of the people in Iran, avert a war over Iran's nuclear program, and improve the security situation across the Middle East by removing some of the support for extremism.

If you want to follow the day to day events I suggest the blog AndrewSullivan.com for the latest videos, tweets, and other updates from the people of Iran.

But first let's check out the latest videos:

The first video is Jon Bon Jovi singing Stand By Me with a famous Iranian star. How are the Mullahs going to compete with Jon Bon Jovi?

The second video is of security forces viciously beating down some bikes. You read that correctly: They are beating bikes. There aren't even riders on the bikes.

To show your solidarity please consider changing your Facebook default picture to this image:

Click on the appropriate button below to share this entry on a social network like FaceBook.