I am having a contest here on my blog for top political animal. The candidate that has the best animal with their campaign sign will have their picture at the top of my blog a week from this Tuesday for the primary election.

Geoff Dean is running for Ventura County Sheriff. In the last few weeks his campaign has been gaining momentum by raising more money, putting up more signs, and collecting more endorsements than his opponent.

I haven't seen any polling on this race but I feel confident saying that as of today Geoff Dean is a strong favorite to win. Both he and his opponent have been running energetic campaigns including getting supporters out on corners waving signs, making phone calls, and walking precincts.

His opponent Dennis Carpenter is getting so much support from the local Republican establishment Geoff Dean felt compelled enough to put this in a recent mailer:

I'm glad that Sheriff is a non-partisan office. But it's no secret that I'm a lifelong Republican. When it comes to taxpayers' money, I'm a 'live within your means' conservative."

I don't get every mailer so I don't know how effective Dennis Carpenter's campaign has been at bringing attention to Republican voters that he has the support of the local Republican establishment. Have you been getting much mail on the topic? Send me any mailers from any local candidate you want me to post.

Dennis Carpenter responded to a recent interest group questionnaire that he was pro-life, anti-gay marriage, and in favor of school vouchers.

Geoff Dean didn't respond and I don't know his opinions on those issues. I would like a sheriff that didn't use the position to advocate for Republican causes unrelated to their position. They should speak out on law enforcement issues but the sheriff shouldn't be seen as a partisan activist. I understand Dennis Carpenter was only responding to a questionnaire sent to him but I am wary of a electing a Sheriff that will be out campaigning for Republican causes often.

Click on continue reading for the other pets before you vote.

Democratic State Assembly Member Pedro Nava's animal rights campaign ad is brilliant. He currently represents some of Santa Barbara county and Ventura County in the state assembly. This doesn't fit into our cutest political animal contest but the ad itself is great.

I strongly support animal rights. When we show concern with the least amongst us our compassion can echo throughout society. I wasn't planning to vote for Pedro Nava before but now he is among the finalist for my vote. I have a few more issues I need to research before I finalize my choice.

What values do you think the next attorney general should possess?

I am running a contest to get a blog entry on the top of my page on the day of the primary election. Send in a photo of a pet with a campaign sign and I will post them all. I will choose the top entry. This entry is from a candidate I expect to finish in the top three of a crowded field. If no candidate gets more than 50% of the vote there will be a runoff in November.

Funny enough Don Facciano's campaign signs have a dog on them.

Hi Brian,

This morning I went with Don Facciano, his wife, Hazel, and their dog, "Marco" to the grand opening of the new dog park and splash pad in Oak Park. It was a great event and a beautiful new park. The Taxpayer's Watchdog and his dog really enjoyed the festivities as did my dog "Vito" (short for Don Vito) who was photographed there by Star and Acorn reporters. I'm sending you three of my own photos for entries in your contest. The golden is Marco and the Great Dane is Vito. Thanks for doing this; I think it's a cute idea to supplement the rest of the more serious coverage you provide on the candidates.

Sincerely,
Kristen Williams

Click on continue reading for the other pets before you vote.

Jim Dantona has been campaigning hard for the Clerk / Recorder position. He is included in many different slates and his mailers are powerful. His attacks on Mark Lunn's pension don't move me at all but I like what he has to say about the changes that need to happen in the office of the Clerk / Recorder.

I want the office to not only run the elections but to help improve voter registration and turnout among the entire population especially military members, seniors, and young people. Getting more people to vote by mail will help these populations have their voices heard.

What do you think of each side of this recent mailer? Did you receive it?

I am running a contest for candidates in the June primary. Send me in a picture of your pet with a campaign sign for me to post. The candidate with the best picture will have an entry on the top of my page on the day of the election. The headlines for blog entries show up all around VCstar.com and my Twitter posts are on the front page. So send in your photographs to earn some publicity.

Candidate for Treasurer / Tax Collector Keith McLaughlin sent in his entry for my contest. He is running in a crowded field of candidates. If any candidates gets over 50% of the vote the contest will end in June. Otherwise it will be better for blogging because it will be a two candidate campaign until November.

In a low profile campaign I don't know how to predict who will win. Ballot titles and ballot statements might be very influential. Keith mentions that he used to work for Countrywide in his campaign materials a few times. While that might not attract some voters because of the mortgage crisis it could earn him votes here in Simi Valley where Countrywide ( now part of Bank of America) is among the largest private employers.

Keith, thanks for sending in your entry.

Click on continue reading before you vote in the poll for the rest of the dogs.

I thought Jim Dantona was winning because he had two dogs in his picture but my wife thinks Steven Hintz's dog picture is cuter.

You can vote for as many dogs as you want.

Tonight I will be interviewing Judge Gay Conroy who is running to stay a Superior Court Judge. The interview is just between the two of us but after it is over at 9 PM feel free to give me feedback on the questions I asked and her responses.

Ellen Gay Conroy,

Click on continue reading for your first question.

Recently Republican Simi Valley City Council Member Barbra Williamson took offense at the Simi Valley Acorn calling Simi Valley by the more informal title of Simi . Does anyone remember this old sign I found online? Barbra, if the sign with the population says Simi why is it wrong to call our town by that old name?

Here is her letter:

I am probably being a little oversensitive in writing this letter, but today's (April 29) publication was the last straw, if you know what I mean.

I, like everyone else, refers to your newspaper as the Acorn , or Acorn. What if they were to call you "corn," just leave off the "a." It's just a little thing but nonetheless I am sure it's important to the owners of your newspaper.

Well, it's just as important to a resident of our community that we be addressed as Simi Valley, not Simi.

Like I said . . . a little oversensitive perhaps, but let's show a little respect when referring to our beautiful valley; it's only six more letters.
Barbra Williamson
Simi Valley

Check out some recent comments in response to my contest where candidates send in pictures with their pets:

C'mon, Dennert, who cares about his friggin' dog? Have you abandoned talking about the issues completely here? -Dog Days of Dennert

and

Again with the dogs, Brian? Really? -Ruff Stuff

I don't care. I am going to keep posting pictures of candidates with their pets as long as they keep sending them in. The winner gets a post at the top of my page on the day of the primary election. If Ronald Reagan said he could tell something about a person according to how they selected jellybeans then animals should tell us much more.

I haven't abandoned the issues at all. I have interviewed most of these candidates before.

Here is a message from Jeff Walker:

Brian,

I have attached a photo of me and my rat terrier Dexter for your blog contest.

There's a historical connection between dogs and Tax Collectors. Did you know the Doberman Pinscher was bred by a Tax Collector in the 1860's? Louis Dobermann had to travel frequently through bandit-infested areas and decided to develop a watchdog and bodyguard capable of handling any situation that might arise.

Click here for my past interview with Jeff Walker.

Click on continue reading to see the other animals. You can vote for multiple mutts.

State Assembly candidate Susan Jordan is running against Das Williams for the Democratic nomination to replace Pedro Nava in the state assembly. Her campaign sent in a photo of Ashley her dog, a sign photoshopped in, and this quote:

Ever since I was little, I was bringing home abandoned animals. Looking back, my mother was very tolerant considering we lived in a small one-bedroom apartment! Ashley came to us when she was only 8 months old and had been starved and abandoned. She has been a light in our lives ever since she arrived.

Susan Jordan and Das Williams are locked in a tight battle to win the nomination of their party. The intensity is really high because the winner of the nomination is expected to be able to easily beat the Republican nominee in this district.

Lately charges have been flying that the campaign has turned negative. Susan Jordan has been accused of violating a clean campaign pledge. Click on continue reading to see the charge against her and her response.

Susan Jordan's campaign wisely linked to her mailers so that we can judge for ourselves. Download them here ( pdf ) :

http://www.jordan4assembly.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/SJ-PXP-1-Q-1-way.pdf

http://www.jordan4assembly.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/SJ-40-Years-Q3.pdf

I think it would be great if all mailers were posted online so that we can see what candidates try to target to particular demographic groups. With that in mind email me any mailer that you would like to see posted.

Before you vote click here for the other dogs.

Candidate for Treasurer / Tax Collector Steven Hintz sent me in a picture as a part of my pets campaigning contest.

I am posting pictures of pets with a campaign sign over the next couple of weeks. The candidate with the best picture will get a blog entry at the top of this page on the day of the primary election.

Every candidate that sends in a picture will have it posted. Think of it as free publicity. In addition I will link to their campaign website.

Click on continue reading for the other dogs. Click here for my past interview with Steven Hintz.

I don't have any predictions to make so far in the Treasurer / Tax Collector's race. Without an incumbent or a well known candidate I am not sure who has the advantage. Money and name ID will be important and Hintz has both. In addition he has a great ballot designation. I expect he will be at or near the top of the candidates in a few weeks.

Last month I posted a picture of Mark Lunn with his dog and a campaign sign. At the time I wrote:

More campaigns should put dogs in their pictures. Ronald Reagan once said "You can tell a lot about a fella's character by whether he picks out all of one color or just grabs a handful." I feel the same way about the candidate's chose of dog. I am not sure what a dog breed or jelly bean eating habits tells us but I feel like it tells us something.

To top his opponent Jim Dantona sent me a picture with TWO of his dogs.

I am announcing a new competition for candidates to send me in pictures of their pets and a campaign sign. I will post all of the pictures sent to me but the best picture ( cutest, most creative, funniest) as judged by me will get their picture and a headline on June 8th at the top of my blog.

A recent news article said Republican State Assembly candidate Daniel Goldberg looks like Adam Sandler. I think he looks more like Jeff Goldblum. What do you think?

Tonight I am chatting with Marie Panec about the progress of her campaign and recent news stories. Click on continue reading to see the interview.

I interviewed Marie Panec before. Click here to see her comments on DADT, swine flu, raising money, global warming, domestic oil production, and more.

When I asked for the interview I said it would be between us two. But feel free to post your opinion after it is over.

I am interviewing Ventura County Democratic Central Committee Chair Brian Leshon tonight on changes in the central committee, new technology to get out the vote, and the June primary.

After the interview live me feedback on the questions I asked and Brian's answers.

Brian,

Click on continue reading for your first question.

It wouldn't be election season without reports of signs being stolen. But before you assume your opponent's team is stealing your sign watch this video:

Watch from 1:45 on for the stolen sign discussion.

Sometimes it is an opposing campaign. Sometimes it is random vandals. And sometimes it is really a funny story.

The news article was on the race between State Senator Tony Strickland's consultant Mike Stoker and flower grower Daniel Goldberg. But the photo focuses on Jeff Gorell's huge campaign sign.

Send in any interesting photos of campaign signs you want me to post.

The California Association of Political Centrists has released their members ratings and endorsements of local candidates. I posted their full press release for my readers that can be viewed by clicking on continue reading.

What endorsement or rating surprises you the most? I was surprised that both Daniel Goldberg and Mike Stoker earned neutral ratings.

The organization is lead by Katie Teague, Leslie Cornejo, and many others. Their website has great resources for local political activists.

Note: Katie Teague has been a long time critic of Tony Strickland. Almost anytime her name is mentioned two detractors post under fake names mentioning that she is consistently critical of Tony Strickland. Can you either post under your real names, stay on topic, or bring up something new? Thanks.

Even though it is on the ballot most voters aren't aware that their local political party committees are directly elected in primary elections. The Ventura County Democratic Central Committee has been going through turmoil in recent years as they search for an effective leader.

Leadership, and not voter registration has been holding back Democrats from making more electoral gains in Ventura County. Barack Obama won the 23rd ( Rep. Lois Capps) and 24th (Rep. Elton Gallegly) congressional districts. Ventura County voted for Barack Obama.

Effective leaders on the central committee would help Democrats organize for the midterm elections and help them elect more democrats to local offices.

I am scheduling interviews with candidates for the central committee. In the meantime click on the links to see a mailer sent out by a slate of candidates who believe that they can work together to build on past gains. Click here for a post on the Ventura County Republican Central Committee election.

Thanks to Brian Leshon for sending in the mailers. I am posting mailers for local candidates that my readers send in. I am especially interested in slate mailers and mailers for local candidates.

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I normally interview candidates on Thursday nights but last week the power company was working in my neighborhood and turned off my electricity. We started the interview last Thursday before it was interrupted. We are finishing tonight. If you know a cause or candidate that would like to be interviewed this Thursday night send me a message.

Robert Howell is running against Jeff Gorell for the Republican nomination in the 37th Assembly District. He is a conservative that supports conservative positions on social and economic issues.

http://roberthowellforassembly.com/

Robert,

Click on continue reading for the first question.

At a recent League of Women voters event Jim Dantona said ( all quotes paraphrased, watch the video for yourself for the full context):

"my opponent on April the 12th was on the Ventura Tea Party site proudly being honored as their candidate for that site , making a comment he was happy to have it."

Dantona then brought up an article that appeared in The Acorn that says:

Lunn said he supports smaller government and lower taxes, but that he's not a member of the tea party, nor is he Foy's "clone." Political preferences are irrelevant in the race because the job of a clerk recorder is to enforce existing laws, not create new policies, Lunn said.

Mark Lunn responded by stating:

A couple of things my opponent talked about here briefly in his opening I have never been to a Tea Party Site. I don't know what he's talking about but I have never been to a Tea Party site...say what you want to say but I have never been on that site. I have never been to a Tea Party site. I have never been on that site.

The relevant quotes are around 3:20 and 5:25 into the video.

http://capstv.org/Media/LOWVcandidatedebate_countyclerk.wmv

So which is it? Did Mark Lunn create an account on the local Tea Party site? Did someone else create an account for him? Either way it seems hard to get mad at Jim Dantona for bringing up the account since it has been public for months.

If Mark Lunn wants to distance himself from this group for political reasons he should remove the profile. If it isn't his then he should ask them to investigate who created it and duped them. If it is his then Dantona was right to bring it up and Lunn was wrong to say he was never on that website.

Steve Poziner is going to be campaigning in Simi Valley at the Boys and Girls club. Here is the flyer his campaign set me:

If I go what question would you like me to ask his campaign? State Assembly Member Cameron Smyth and Supervisor Peter Foy will be there with him.

Do you watch the show? I want to know if our local Parks and Recreation District board members and employees watch it. I will wait for some to post here or send a press inquiry.

The character played by Paul Schneider looks like Rep. Alan Grayson of Florida.

I had some interviews for tonight lined up but the power in my neighborhood went out. I am going to reschedule them for next week.

The Local Prolife Group Celebrate All Life is organizing a walk to celebrate a variety of pro-life causes. The event will have live music, guest speakers, charities, and a variety of booths. It looks like an interesting event but what caught my attention is their guest James O'Keefe. He became a conservative celebrity for his heavily edited videos that helped to damage the credibility of ACORN.

Recently he was arrested for tampering with the phones of Louisiana Senator Mary Landrieu during the Healthcare Insurance Reform debate.

For more information go to:

http://www.celebratealllife.org/

May is a busy month for local politics.

Tim Allison sent out a press release calling out Rep. Elton Gallegly for voting against a recent energy efficiency bill. Click on continue reading for the press release. It is even more obvious with the continuing emergency in the gulf that we need to promote energy efficiency and renewable energy. Rep. Gallegly has not expressed major concern with either of those two issues in the decades he has been in office.

The bill passed with support from Republicans and Democrats.

Maybe if he held town hall meetings his constituents would stand up and tell him we need to change. Every other Member of Congress in this region holds town hall meetings.

Meanwhile local Tea Party / Republican activists are upset over something Rep. Lois Capps said about healthcare insurance reform at a townhall event but they don't care that Rep. Gallegly doesn't even hold town hall forums. To add some humor to their selective outrage they are holding a candidates forum for the Republicans trying to replace her in Camarillo. As my readers who are true political geeks know Camarillo isn't even in CA 23! Ventura County Star blogger Eric Ingemunson is scheduled to moderate the debate. I am sure he will do a fine job.

Steve Sojka's Campaign Team has announced they have earned General Chuck Yeager's endorsement.

The election isn't until November but Steve Sojka and his opponent Bob Huber are putting more energy into their campaigns than some of the candidates on the ballot in June.

It must be tough to cut through all of the attention paid to the candidates on the June Ballot but General Chuck Yeager is a very familiar name and is well respected.

A friend of mine, Natalie Panossian, is helping put together a candidates forum for local candidates. I haven't been making it out to many events recently but the slate of candidates that might appear will make for a very interesting night.

Natalie,

Any chance this event will be recorded and posted online? Have Audra Strickland and Linda Parks finally agreed to debate ?

The Federalist Society's Gold Coast Chapter And California Lutheran University's Masters in Public Policy and Administration Program Present:

LOCAL CANDIDATES FORUM

Forum will be moderated by Tim Gallagher
Candidates or their Representatives for the following races will be in attendance:

State Assembly - 37th District
Superior Court Judge - Office #1 and #10
Supervisor - 2nd District
Supervisor - 4th District
County Clerk & Recorder
County Sheriff
County Treasurer-Tax Collector

When: Monday, May 24, 2010 - 6:00 to 8:00 p.m.

Click on continue reading for more details.

In other Federalist Society news former Whitewater investigator Ken Starr has defended Elena Kagan as very qualified.

Democrat Jim Dantona has mail out this week timed to reach absentee voters as their ballots arrive. This version mentions he has had financial setbacks and mentions he has worked with politicians from both parties. I am impressed with Dantona's command of the issues. His campaign has made several videos on the subject of voter turnout in primary elections.

His opponent ,Republican Mark Lunn, is focusing his campaign on attacking Jim Dantona's financial past which includes bad debts and bankruptcies. Mark Lunn has been so busy attacking Dantona he didn't even take Mother's Day off from negative attacks. If Jim Dantona was applying for a loan all of that would be very relevant information.

I'm not surprised that he is willing to work so hard to show the difference between himself and Dantona but I am surprised that a candidate that wants to run our elections offices doesn't address increasing voter registration or turnout on his website.

We can do a better job removing barriers to voting. Military members serving overseas, seniors with mobility problems, new citizens, and young people could all benefit from a Clerk Recorder that took it as their duty to help their fellow citizens to have their voices heard. It would serve his campaign well for Lunn to address voter registration and turnout.

Especially after a former Clerk Recorder misinterpreted the law and took voter registration forms away from a few young people that were inspired by Barack Obama's campaign.

( This video is from last years spring fling.)

I like going to events like this because there are so many candidates to meet and ask questions. What questions would you like to see any of these candidates answer on film?

2010 Ventura County Democratic Party

It's time for our annual Spring Fling Barbeque and Party. This is always a fun event with great food, music, stuff for kids to do and the opportunity to meet and hear from candidates. This event is one of just three the Ventura County Democratic Party holds each year to fund its efforts as it raises the Federal funds--money from individuals--so critical to our efforts to help elect Democrats. Please make a donation for tickets today.

Location: Conejo Creek North Park, 1379 E. Janss Road, Thousand Oaks CA 91362

Date and Time: Sunday, May 23, 2010, 12:00 noon until 4 p.m.

Click on continue reading for more details.

The election isn't until November but the campaigns to elect Bob Huber or Steve Sojka are already reaching out to voters. Bob Huber's campaign posted a video of his booth at the recent Simi Valley Street Fair. At the fair he was handing out a campaign sponsored survey that I will post the results of if they send it to me in full.

The video is great to show someone that is already interested in the campaign for mayor of Simi Valley but I don't know the appeal beyond that group. Knowing people on both campaign teams I expect this to be expensive and difficult race for both candidates.

I issued a challenge to Steve Sojka's Music Team that if they fulfilled I would give them a month at the top of my blog. They accepted the challenge and created a video titled "Simi Valley State of Mind" that you can see by clicking on continue reading.

Now it is time to challenge Bob Huber's campaign team. So far my idea involves Bob Huber skateboarding with a team of youngsters across town and filming it. Any other ideas?

Click on the links below to see large images of their recent slate mailer. I haven't been given permission to post the number but the mailers went out to a large number of homes and more are expected in coming days.

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In recent elections the Ventura County Republican Party (VCRCC) has been more successful in pushing their candidates running for nonpartisan seats. But now it looks like the Democrats are going to compete in that field too.

Keep sending in mailers sent to your home and I will keep posting them.

I have been thinking if I should ask candidates if they have smoked marijuana before in my Thursday Night Interviews. Should I be asking candidates for judge or other positions if they have smoked marijuana? It seems like too much of a personal issue instead of focusing on what policies they might support.

The Democratic Club of Simi Valley is holding a discussion on marijuana. Here are the details:

The Simi Valley/Moorpark Democratic club has scheduled a discussion on whether marijuana should be legalized to balance the budget. The discussion will take place 7pm, Wednesday, May l9 at the Simi Valley Library community room, 2969 Tapo Canyon Road.

The public is invited to attend. Refreshments will be available.

For more information, please call 805-210-6061.

I am not interested in listening to another debate over marijuana. Are you?

For snacks they should serve nachos.

Tony Strickland made his energy company a major focus of his campaign. I expect it will be a part of his future campaigns too. Although it wasn't covered locally his company was in the news again.

Click here for the news story.

The Absentee Ballots (Vote By Mail) are arriving in mailboxes and so are the rush of mailers. I received two mailers just today.

One was an appeal to Democrats to vote for their endorsed candidates. The other was from Jim Dantona and included pictures of him with Democratic Party leaders. I will post them later when someone scans them for me.

Send me in mailer you want me to post. I really enjoy the slates where Republicans pay to be on a Democratic slate.

I didn't go to the Simi Valley Street Fair this year but I have been seeing the pictures posted from the event and it looked very successful. Did you go? Did you speak to any of the candidates? How did their booths look?

E-mail me any pictures of the candidates at the Street Fair you want me to post. Bob Huber's campaign posted this picture on their Facebook page.

At Tapo Canyon and Cochran Jim Dantona had people with massive banners. Have you seen the banners in your area?

Democratic Congressional candidates Tim Allison and Marie Panec were featured in a news story detailing their campaign strategies. Both of them are relying heavily on grassroots campaigning to get their message out.

I am interviewing Marie Panec this Thursday night. Please suggest questions you think I should ask her.

Tim Allison has been adding to his endorsements in the past few weeks and has claimed almost every party institution, interest group, and elected official that endorses in a Democratic primary.

I haven't heard much from Shawn Stern lately but he emailed me to let me know he has been working hard.

Who are you supporting? Vote in my unscientific poll below:

I am interviewing candidate for Treasurer-Tax Collector Ed Summers tonight in my ongoing Thursday Night Live Series. When the interview is over you can leave me feedback or post your opinions.

Ed,

Click on continue reading for your first question.

I normally interview candidates on Thursday nights but this week I am interviewing Daniel Goldberg a day early. Goldberg is running in the Republican Primary against Mike Stoker. The winner will then run against either Das Williams or Susan Jordan.

This interview is just between the two of us. After 9PM you can post your feedback for me. You can also post some questions then for Daniel Goldberg to answer when he gets a chance.

Daniel, click on continue reading for your first question.

UPDATE: Bob Huber posted an explanation on his campaign site. Responding to a comment that said I shouldn't have posted it I didn't say the protest had merit, but I did question the effectiveness of a protest with no explanation. The Huber campaign has my phone number and email address. They could have contacted me quickly if they wanted to include their explanation. Your email address that you included referenced the slogan for Fox "News". If you think Fox "News" is really dedicated to being Fair and Balanced I doubt you own a television.

Last week a couple of people were holding this sign outside Bob Huber's law office. I have seen a similar sign outside a local gym and a medical office. I don't know how effective it is going to be if all we know is that two people are willing to hold up a sign without any details. It would be more effective if they put a URL on the sign.

Mike Chandler, the blogger behind Vote Simi Valley, has an interview up with candidate for Mayor of Simi Valley Bob Huber. Go to his blog to read it and leave comments.