The race to be the next Sheriff for Ventura County really is a question of character. The issues that seperate the two candidates are so small that without being an expert we are left with character evaluations. Candidate Geoff Dean was fired and then re-instated over what has been called a ethical issue by the current Sheriff. Dean admits he acted improperly in preparing to campaign but has refuted any insinuation that it should be a major issue.

Dennis Carpenter has argued that this episode is enough to be a major issue in the campaign. Trust is an important issue in law enforcement. If the only information I had was news articles on the subject I wouldn't feel good voting for anyone involved in the department leadership and would prefer a clean sweep of the place. Sometimes news stories leave us with so many unanswered questions we feel less knowledgeable after reading them.

But then I look over the impressive endorsement list over at Geoff Dean's website and it alleviates many of my concerns. If so many of the people that work closely with Geoff Dean trust him enough to put their names on his website then I feel more comfortable with the trust issue.

I wonder if the candidates trust each other enough to keep working for the department no matter who wins? That's an interesting question.

Dennis Carpenter's campaign sent me a fundraising letter to share with my readers:

Sorry for the delay in posting it. Good luck at your fundraiser.

Dennis Carpenter's campaign has been solidifying support among Republican Party leaders and I expect we will see more endorsements rolled out over the next few weeks. With both Tony Strickland and Audra Strickland running for office I don't know how involved they will be getting but I expect they will be helping Dennis Carpenter.

It would be interesting to see if they start going after more endorsements from school board members, park board members, and even water boards. Geoff Dean has a large fundraising advantage as of now but I expect that will narrow. Will there be IE committees that will form to support Dennis Carpenter?

Does this force Geoff Dean to look for more support from Democratic groups? Over the coming months I predict Democratic activists will see where Carpenter is getting support from and start working to elect Geoff Dean.

The informed voter poll The Star reported on doesn't influence my view of the race much without seeing the questions that were asked. Sure, it is more scientific than the online polls on my blog but that isn't saying much. My polls are to gauge the intensity of the supporters of a campaign and for fun. So far this poll shows both candidates have very energized supporters.

I have more videos and pictures to post later this week. If you have videos of pictures from today you want posted send them to me.

Former State Assembly candidate Ferial Masry has news regarding her intentions:

Candidate for Sheriff Geoff Dean (R) worked the crowd. Here he is speaking to Ventura City Council Members Brian Brennan and Ed Summers. I expect Geoff Dean's list of endorsements will be updated with new bipartisan additions soon.

I ran into a friend of this blog Denis O'Leary of Oxnard. Denis has been a long time activist for a variety of progressive causes.

State Assembly candidate Susan Jordan gave a speech that outlined her life story and the causes she supports. Her opponent Das Williams was there too. I will post his picture later. Das, if you have pictures from today you want posted send them in.

Here are a bunch of polls related to the labor day picnic and candidates that were there.

Click here for the news story from The Star.

The Geoff Dean for Sheriff campaign sent me in a press release for their press conference next week. I am thinking of going to it but I need some questions I should ask. What should I ask him?

Click on continue reading to see the whole press release.

Polls on a political blog are not scientific but that doesn't mean they don't offer us information. This poll has been the most popular poll I have ever posted. That tells me this campaign has the potential to really energize people.

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Now that the Moorpark City election is over the next big local race I am going to cover in depth is the campaign for the next sheriff.

Click here to see the recent article from Ventura County Star Reporter Timm Herdt on the upcoming races.

The first candidate I see campaigning for Ventura County Sheriff is Geoff Dean. His campaign. Click here to check out his website. What do you think? It looks very professional to me although the issues page is lacking at this time.

Send me in the official photo of your candidate and campaign logo you want me to use when you get the chance.

I will repost this poll whenever I write updates on the candidates running for sheriff.

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