In some races endorsements aren't very important but in races for Judge where most of us don't know much about the candidates having the support of respected community members can decide a race.
Because of that I believe Judge Harry Walsh will easily be re-elected. If you know of anything to support an argument otherwise let me know. I don't plan on blogging much on this race unless it becomes a more serious contest. Should it be?
Click here to see his endorsements.
If you would like to write a guest blog entry send me an email. Publishing an entry doesn't show I agree or disagree with the views in it.
Here is a guest blog entry from Carmen Rivera:
America: The Global Capital of Crime, Forensics and Religious ResilienceViolent crimes are a notable problem within the United States, and figuring out how to reduce the amount of violent crime that takes place is a hotly debated topic. Forensic psychology schools and crime based TV shows litter American culture and though crime has gone down, it is still markedly high by global standards. Despite a 7% drop of the murder rate, there were still 7,586 incidents in 2008.
According to the FBI's official statistics, an estimated 1,246,248 violent crimes took place throughout the nation in 2010. This number actually represents a decrease of 6.0% from the 2009 statistics, however. Most of the violent crimes occurring in 2010 -- about 62.5% -- consisted of aggravated assaults, followed by robbery at 29.5%, forcible rape at 6.8%, and murder at 1.2%. Firearms were used in 67.5% of U.S. murders in 2010. They were also used in 41.4% of robberies and 20.6% of aggravated assaults.
Various churches and religious organizations are among the groups committed to the reduction of violent crime. Many of these church groups aim to minimize violent crime by changing the cultural mindset that promotes it, and some have already set up structures dedicated to thwarting the spread of violence within their communities.
Church groups that aim to help further reduce these rates typically do so by promoting a culture of peace over one of violence, while actively seeking out opportunities to help ease the spiritual and economic needs of community residents. For instance, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America specifically lists "enabling people to reclaim their violence-plagued communities, especially through community economic development" and "assisting those affected by poverty, racism, family instability, domestic violence, and unemployment as they seek to deal with these challenges" among their goals. Additionally, the ELCA seeks to educate children and adults about constructive ways to handle anger, provide counseling and similar services to those affected by violence, and minister to former criminals in a manner that allows them to to resume status as productive members of a peaceful, law abiding society.
The concern that church groups have about violent crime goes beyond mere goal-setting. Many churches have actually put programs and structures in place to actively help reduce violence within their own communities. A Pastoral Message from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops describes several Catholic anti-violence initiatives that have existed since the mid-1990s.
Among them is the Los Angeles "Hope in Youth" initiative that "works with others to combat gang violence with youth opportunities and economic development." Similarly, the diocese of Pittsburgh has worked alongside a community program for at risk youth that provides educational, recreational, and employment alternatives to gangs. Allthewhile, the Diocese of Cleveland has helped coordinate interfaith gun turn-in programs to help reduce the number of illegal firearms on the streets. And the "Building a Sacred Bridge of Reconciliation" program set up in the dioceses of Palm Beach and Billings addressed some of the attitudes and ideas responsible for domestic abuse.
Church programs like these may not fully eliminate violent crime in the United States, but they do help staunch some of violence on a community-by-community level. Moreover, they also provide a good model for how the rate of violent crime can be further reduced. Initiatives aimed at educating kids about the effects of violence can, in theory, stop some members of future generations from becoming perpetrators of violent crimes.
Programs designed to help individuals in economic distress can help reduce armed robberies and other related crimes. When these programs are aimed directly at getting former convicts back on their feet and stopping recidivism, they can also help reduce the number of individuals returning to prison. Lastly, efforts to bring faith into at risk communities can help decrease the sense of hopelessness that many members of those communities may feel, thereby encouraging them to press forward even in spite of the hardships they face that might otherwise prompt them to turn to lives of crime.
David Cruz Thayne sent out his introduction video. I like his lines that he took a dip and he got crunched. Watch it and post what you think. You don't need to register to comment but keep it classy.
I sent an email asking if this is playing on television. His campaign manager said it is a web ad for now. Have you seen any congressional ads on television? All of the congressional campaigns seem very quiet.
Republican Tony Strickland has a page on his website for issues. With vote by mail ballots coming out within weeks he hasn't filled it in yet. As of today it says coming soon.
Because the other candidates haven't been mentioning him much he has the luxury to leave his issues page blank.
http://www.tonystrickland.com/tony-strickland-on-the-issues.php
The top Democrat Julia Brownley hasn't filled in her page either. It also says "coming soon". These campaign has seemed much less energetic than I expected.
I understand Tony Strickland has the luxury of spending most of his time raising money. But I am surprised Julia Brownley has not updated that section of her page.
This is a really powerful ad. Please share it with others.
State Assembly candidate Scott Wilk is promoting reusable bags. I support that idea.
But has he not heard of State Senator Tony Strickland's new fearmongering bill?
Timm herdt has a new blog post up that runs the numbers on the various voter turnout scenarios and outcomes of of the CA26 primary.
I don't have strong opinions if it will be Julia Brownley or Linda Parks in the top two. What are your thoughts?
I like Linda Parks. I think she has been a decent County Supervisor. I don't like her new ad. I know she is trying to introduce herself to more voters but I want her to discuss other issues besides her new independence from a political party.
Her Campaign for Congress has been devoid of issues beyond claiming to be a moderate and an independent. I want to know where she stands on issues. I understand she isn't a member of a party anymore but I don't know how she would vote in Congress.
But she could be running a brilliant strategy for this new top two primary where Democrats have been dividing their support behind multiple candidates.
I don't like her new ad.
Is she really not going to caucus with a party? If she doesn't join a party caucus she won't be on any committees. How effective of a legislator can someone be if they aren't on a committee?
Her new ad is on television which is something I haven't seen much of from other candidates. This add had 12,409 when I checked. That is massive for a Ventura County online ad. She is attracting far more attention than the other candidates.
Check out where many of the online views are coming from:
Democrats have been paying attention to her but I am not convinced they have a plan to stop her.
If Democrats want a candidate in the top two then Julia Brownley is going to need to run a great campaign.
If you haven't read it recently I strongly recommend reading Timm Herdt's blog. He is a great political writer.
The Ventura County Star has a new blog: The Court Reporter. Go and be the first to comment.
David Cruz Thayne when he mentions his opponents almost exclusively focuses his energies on Julia Brownley. I posted this on his Facebook page:
Does it make sense to target mostly Democratic voters or should he also be going after Linda Park's base of support too? It seems most of the candidates are ignoring Linda Parks. That seems like a mistake to me. She is a popular politician. I am curious what her upcoming campaign finance report will show us.
With absentee ballots coming out soon more mail and calls will be made. You can email me any mailers you receive that you want me to post.
Ventura county Star Reporter Timm Herdt destroyed the claim that Buck McKeon was paying Patricia McKeon a fair wage for her work. Click here to read his post.
The Adult Film Industry has retaliated against Simi Valley because Mayor Bob Huber does not want them in Simi Valley.
"Under the guise of caring about workers Mayor Bob Huber has created a law that he has announced is for a different purpose. The adult film industry will not stand, nor will it recline casually, for an attack on freedom." said their spokesperson.
Their spokesperson announced that all web traffic from Simi Valley will be blocked on adult content websites. The user agreements will now force people to certify they do not live in Simi Valley. If a user if found in violation of the terms of service the will be redirected to the Simi Valley City government website. "That will surely bore people" their spokesperson explained.
Their spokesperson said "Mayor Bob Huber ran with support from the Tea Party. He wants government so small it can fit in your bedroom. If his focus is on "stimulating" the economy this will only serve to notify the entertainment industry that Simi Valley is not business friendly."
Click here to join the action group protesting against this law.
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