The unions representing teachers and other school workers have endorsed three candidates for the Simi Valley School Board. They have endorsed Debbie Sandland, Rob Collins, and Dan White. Endorsing ncumbents Debbie Sandland and Rob Collins were not a surprise. I think many will be surprised that Dan White earned an endorsement from these unions.

I find Dan White to be thoughtful, passionate, and dedicated. His record of service to the Education Foundation shows public education is a long term commitment for him. I appreciate that his website lists endorsements from important leaders in education. Listing partisan activists and Republican Party candidates does not impress me.

I have spoken to Dan White a few times and I think he would make great contributions to the school district based on his experiences and passion for technology. I was skeptical of him when I first heard he was running. So far I have been pleased with many of his ideas.

I was on the interview panel and I was impressed with many of the candidates. Josie Hirsch and Josh Galanti were scheduled to be interviewed for an endorsement but did not make it. Leroy Leyba and Carla Kurachi have much they can contribute to public education. I appreciated many of their responses to questions.

I have interviewed Josh Galanti and Josie Hirsch before. I will be requesting to interview all of the candidates.

I do not agree with many of the issues that teachers unions often support. I support good charter schools and better reviews of teachers. I chose to volunteer for this panel because this election for school board is critical. Changes and reforms need to continue in our schools. We need good leaders to help.

As a teacher I ask you to find out more about Dan White and the other candidates. I want you to determine if they deserve your vote.

What value do you see in these endorsements? What changes do you want from your local schools?

A reader posted this question for Ventura County Supervisor candidate Bob Roper:

By Harold Godwin

Mr. Roper,

If you had been supervisor at the time, how would you have voted on the expansion Waste Management's dump in Simi Valley and the importation of trash and debris from outside of Ventura County? What is your philosophy about the rights of property owners versus those of the community? Do you believe a supervisor should vote to support any or all development in another district if the supervisor representing that district supports it? Do you believe your responsibility is only to those in your district or to the full County?

Please respond with YOUR thinking on this issue in order to give us some insight into how you make decisions. I am sure that there are many - throughout the County - who want to know more about you.

Steve Bennett - who voted with the rest of the Board to make expansion a reality - he has been silent about his reasoning.

Bob Roper replied but it was not posted. I apologize for the delay because it was caught in my spam filter. Here is his reply:

Thanks for your questions. We weren't checking Brian's blog every day, but will now keep a close eye so we can be responsive to your questions. It is important to me that a Supervisor be accessible on important issues. First, let me respond to the question about representation. My primary duty is to the people who voted me in office within my District. My next duty is to make sound policy decisions on the regional issues that affect the County as a whole. I believe in protecting private property rights within the framework of our laws and using our democratic process. Constituents are a mix of private property owners and other residents that form the foundation of our community. As a Supervisor, I refer to the "community" as a whole as its impossible to delineate between those who own property and those who rent. Second, regarding Waste Management. I do not have all the facts to give you a complete response, but let me respond to the general question. An elected Supervisor should not cast their 1/5th vote on any policy item unless they fully agree with the policy. A yes vote is a yes vote and an elected official cannot shirk his/her responsibility at a later date. A Supervisor is elected by their District voters, yet makes policy that affects the entire County. There is no written rule that you honor the issue in another District and I will cast my votes on each policy item in the best interest of my District and the County. Should you have any questions, I'm available at bob@roperforsuerpvisor.com anytime. Thank you, Bob Roper

Thank you Bob Roper for answering a question from my reader.

Ventura City Manager Rick Cole posted that he is resigning. I enjoyed his blog and like that he allowed us to understand city hall better. His latest blog entry continues that tradition:

Mayor Mike Tracy and I agree on many things, but two stand out in this situation. First, what's good for Ventura comes first. Second, better to tell the truth, even if it is uncomfortable. I'm not leaving to spend more time with my family -- although I'm looking forward to that. I'm not leaving to "pursue other opportunities," although I'm excited about that too. I'm resigning because after eight and half years, the majority of the Council believe it is time for a change in leadership.

Rick Cole,

Thanks for helping us to better understand local government. Good luck in your future pursuits.

Simi Valley City council candidate Keith Mashburn has been getting more conservative support. He has been endorsed by Tony Strickland and he has the support of Tea Party leader Doug Crosse. Does this support make you more likely to support him?

Keith Mashburn has a campaign meet and greet this week. Click on continue reading for details.

I respect candidates that are willing to appear together and discuss the differences in their beliefs. I am glad that Scott Wilk (R) and Edward Headington (D) did this event.

Is there a plan for them to debate in Simi Valley?

There is now a Facebook page for the Simi Valley Unified School District. What would you like to see on their page?

The Simi Valley Education Foundation is also on Facebook. As a teacher in Simi Valley I greatly appreciate their work to help students.

The Simi Educators Association ( teachers union ) also has a Facebook page.

What do you want from these Facebook pages?

Simi Valley School Board candidate Rob Collins has a new website up and he has joined Facebook. I helped him set him up on Facebook and Twitter.

What do you want to see on the website for a school board candidate?

I posted earlier Steve Bennett's request for help in finding out what Bob Roper's campaign is currently doing. Bob Roper has responded with an email to his supporters. Click on continue reading for details.

What do you think the most important issues should be in this campaign? Are there any debates scheduled?

There is now a Simi Valley Police Department page on Facebook. How would you like to see the police use the page?

Both Propositions 30 and 38 will raise taxes to fund education. But they do so in different ways. What I find interesting is that the groups behind them are campaigning against each other. Unless something changes I do not expect either to pass.

Click on continue reading for an email from the supporters of Proposition 30 asking supporters to contact PTA leaders that support Proposition 38.

Will you be voting for either?

Tonight at 8PM Simi Valley City Council candidate Randolph "Randy" Nemecek will be answering questions from my readers and me. Click here to connect with him on Facebook.

You don't need to register to comment but keep it classy.

Send me a message if you would like to be interviewed.

Over on the Facebook page for my blog we were discussing the Simi Valley Kohl's selling Chick-Fil-A shirts. I asked what message would it send to wear that shirt. There was a debate with many opinions from a variety of views. But this comment made me laugh.

If you do not like anonymous comments join us on Facebook.

What is the most important story in local politics that I am not covering? You do not need to register to post a comment but keep it classy.

Steve Bennett wants your help finding out what his opponent is doing. Here is the email he sent out:

Dear Supporter, There are two polls being conducted for Bob Roper, one is a live call and the other is a robo-call. You can help our campaign by taking the poll and writing down all of the questions asked. Then send that information to me as soon as possible. Along that line, as the campaign heats up, it's helpful for us to quickly know what communication is hitting the community. If you receive mail, phone calls, or social media contacts supporting Bob Roper or attacking me, it will be helpful if you contact us immediately with that information. Thank you for your support as this campaign progresses.

Have you been getting political phone calls yet?

Over at the Conejo Post blogger Janna Orkney shares her thoughts on the order of names on the ballot. Do you think the order of names matter?

You do not need to register to comment on my blog. Keep it classy.

UPDATE: Leroy Leyba answered many questions. He said he is done for the night. He will send me the answers to the last few questions in the next few days. Thanks for your time Leroy. I appreciate you answering questions.

This Thursday night Simi Valley School Board candidate Leroy Leyba will be taking questions from readers and myself from 7PM to 9PM. This is your chance to provide input and ask questions of a School Board candidate.

I have spoken to Leroy Leyba a few times and I think he is a promising candidate. I will be asking to interview all of the candidates for Simi Valley School Board.

I am interviewing candidates for many positions in Ventura County. This is the most dedicated blog to local campaigns in Ventura County. Send me a message to be interviewed. I will interview candidates for Park Board, School Board, City Council, and more.

The deadline to file to run for a local office was extended to 5PM today for positions where an incumbent did not file to run. Here is a list of the candidates that includes the names of incumbents that did not file.

Do you expect any surprises?

The list of qualified candidates for the ballot has been posted on the Ventura county Elections page. If an incumbent did not file to run again the deadline is extended to this Wednesday.

I am exploring Twitter and I need some suggestions. What hashtags should I use for local Ventura County politics? Also, any suggestions for users I should follow?

My username is @dennert

You don't need to register to comment but keep it classy.

Ventura County has many seriously contested elections including for the State Legislature and the U.S. House of Representatives. The newly chosen Chair of the Ventura County Democratic Central Committee David Atkins has been a prominent blogger on progressive websites like Dailykos.com and others. Now he is using that position to rally netroots support for Ventura County candidates. His latest blog entry on Dailykos.com is an appeal to nationwide activists to

What candidates on his list do you like the most? I think Dr. Lee Rogers deserves more support.

You can also follow local politics on my Facebook page for this blog. Go to Facebook.com/briandennerthere to join in. Because there are not anonymous comments the conversations are usually much better.

I went to Republican Tony Strickland's website and on the link for issues it says:

Coming soon.

Why the delay?

The link for issues on Democrat Julia Brownley's page has some details on her positions.

What do you like to see on a candidate's website?

Fran Pavley is raising money with State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson. Click on continue reading for more details.

Compare that to her opponent campaigning with far right Rep. Allen West.

Fran Pavley is strongly favored to win. Todd Zink won't appeal to moderares by campaigning with people like Rep. Allen West. What type of republican is he?

The three incumbents up for election on the Simi Valley School Board have yet to declare their intentions. I am wondering why they are hesitating to declare again?

So far four challengers have picked up paperwork to run for the three seats.

If you are running for office in Ventura County and would like to be interviewed send me a message.

Former candidate David Cruz Thayne was on the radio discussing his thoughts on the campaign between Julia Brownley (D) and Tony Strickland (R). Click here to listen to his thoughts. Looks like he has put the campaign behind him and is looking for new ways to serve.

His analysis of the campaign between Julia Brownley and Tony Strickland didn't offer many surprises. He thinks Julia Brownley should work on becoming more well-known to voters. He believes Tony Strickland should avoid being labeled a Tea Party supporter.

The Ventura county Democratic Central Committee has elected a new Executive Board and Endorsements Committee. Click on continue reading for the full press release.

I respected Richard Carter. He is a good family man and a decent person. Good luck to the new Chair David Atkins. He has experience with netroots politics. It will be great if he can implement many of those techniques and ideas locally. He created a minor controversy for ridiculing Republicans from Simi Valley as racists. If he learned a lesson somewhere from that it would be helpful.

I will request David Atkins to do an interview soon. Besides the Twitter controversy what questions should I ask him? You don't need to register to comment but keep it classy.

The Simi Valley / Moorpark Democratic Club is going to being discussing the plans for Simi Valley to have three Wal-Marts and the change in the library. The new Wal-Marts will be smaller stores that sell groceries.

The Simi Valley/Moorpark Democratic Club will discuss the City Council's decision regarding Wal-Mart and privatization of the library, 7pm, Wednesday, August 15 at the Simi Valley Library community room, 2969 Tapo Canyon Road.

With their interest in city issues and one of their club members running for city council I am wondering if they plan to make a big effort to elect someone to the city council. There is expected to be a crowded field. A dedicated activist group could make the difference and elect someone.

The Ventura County Democratic Central Committee has their annual Kennedy Legacy Dinner coming up.

Click on continue reading for the details.

The keynote speaker for the night is Rep. Maxine Waters. I am not sure what i think of her record. I think I'll investigate it more before I comment.

Are you going? I haven't decided if I am going to ask to attend as a blogger and cover the event.

The funds raised from the event cover many expenses including sending out slate cards to registered party members. Candidates that earn the endorsement of the party are able to get their names listed on the slates. This includes candidates for nonpartisan offices. A candidate for school board or city council could greatly benefit from being included on these slates.

I have conflicting thoughts on if candidates for nonpartisan offices should seek the support of a political party. What do you think?

Local Barack Obama supporters are organizing phonebanks. The technology they use is amazing. It allows activists to quickly make phone calls and to contact many voters. I support Barack Obama.

Here is their announcement:

With less than 100 days to go until the election, things are really escalating and we are being asked to do more and more. It's all good because the stakes are so high and we care so much that we must make this happen! Don't forget your cell and a friend. We have some refreshments to keep that Obama spirit up. Thursday, August 2, 2012 5:30 PM - 7:30 PM (arrive when you can, stay as long as you can) Janet Eckhouse's home, 248 Valero Circle, Oak Park RSVP by calling 818.259.8314, or https://my.barackobama.com/page/event/manage/gp28zb

What are some reasons you think he deserves our support?

I am proud he ended DADT, he ended the war in Iraq, and he supports marriage equality.