The Ventura County Democratic Central Committee is becoming more involved in local elections, copying something Ventura County Republicans have been doing for years. Their latest mailer ties Peter Foy and Mark Lunn together, something voters paying attention to the proximity and pattern of the many Foy / Lunn signs will have noticed.

The VCDCC is currently the most effective I ever remember it. What do you think of their mailers?

Send me any mailers you want me to post. If you don't see a mailer it is safe to assume a campaign didn't send it to me.

UPDATE: Here is another blog post on the same subject.

For a long time Democrats have complained that Republicans were getting involved in local nonpartisan races but Democrats didn't have a plan to respond. This election cycle is different.

In the last few days they sent a mailer to Democrats in East County attacking Peter Foy and supporting their candidates Bruce Thomas for Supervisor and Jim Dantona for Clerk / Recorder. Earlier today I received a robocall from Brian Leshon acting as Ventura County Democratic Central Committee Chair in support of Ed Summers.

There are spending restrictions in many of these races but these mailers find loopholes including arguing they are only sending them to party members.

I know the Ventura County Republican Party has been spending hundreds of thousands of dollars in support of Democrat Audra Strickland in her campaign against Republican Linda Parks but are they sending mailers in support of Mark Lunn? Send them to me and I will post them too.

This latest mailer hits an easy target when they go after Waste Managements plan to expand the Simi Valley Landfill. I have mixed feelings on the expansion and I could be persuaded to support it if will be in the best interest of Simi Valley. I am interested in hiw many more jobs it will bring to the area and the environmental impact. That said expanding the dump has a very low support in polls and I doubt any politician will make a clear statement of support anytime soon.

In addition to this member communications I saw this ad for Jim Dantona on Facebook. Send me any screenshots of ads for local candidates you want me to post.

Jim Dantona's other recent mailer mixes his vision for the office with an another attack on Lunn's massive pension.

I like his ideas for the office but his attack on Lunn's pension doesn't move me. But Lunn's quote that he isn't a politician is hilarious. Mark Lunn is a Chief of Staff to a politician, he sits on a planning commission, and he was on the Ventura County Republican Central Committee. Add to that he is running in an election and Mark Lunn is literally a politician.

When he denies that he is a politician he insinuates that elected office public service is something unseemly that shouldn't be admired. If he has a problem with the ways politicians act he should set a better example instead of denying the obvious.

This political season has had its share of lies, distortions, and out of context statements being used against candidates. But these two mailers have mistakes that aren't debatable.

Audra Strickland's campaign sent out a mailer with the wild claim that President Bill Clinton was impeached before he ran for re-election. If it was just a date that was wrong it wouldn't be a big deal but claiming he won re-election after he was impeached makes President Bill Clinton into an even more effective politician. Did someone putting together this mailer feel so confident in their memory they didn't even bother to google it?

Go to Linda Parks' website to see the many other mailers Audra Strickland has been sending out. In future elections I would like to see every mailer posted.

The next mailer comes from Bruce Thomas' campaign. Bruce is running a low budget challenge to incumbent Supervisor Peter Foy. I haven't seen much activity from his campaign but I am glad when incumbent politicians have challengers. His mailer doesn't have a mistake that most people would catch. The mailer has a quote that appeared in The Acorn:

The only problem is that if you read the article the full quote in context is from Peter Foy praising himself.

Here is the context of the quote:

Foy said he welcomes the competition in his race.

"My ideas and track record prove I can create and manage a fiscally strong county," he said. "Those are the policies the public wants to see as we continue to face deficits. In a troubled economy, people are looking for a candidate who can ensure that their taxpayer dollars are protected."

Foy said he's been working hard to ensure that residents in both cities and unincorporated areas have access to their supervisor and county services.

Keep sending in mailers and I will keep posting them.

It looks like Peter Foy has drawn a tough challenger. Bruce Thomas is a Moorpark School Board Member and dedicated community volunteer. I think Peter Foy has done an okay job as Supervisor but he could be more dedicated to this job instead of traveling the state for partisan events to protest the president. I will ask Bruce Thomas for an interview in the next few weeks. Until then here is his press release:

BRUCE THOMAS CHALLENGES PETER FOY

US Marine Officer, School Board Member, Financial Adviser To Run
March 12, 2010
Bruce Thomas, the Moorpark School Board Member, family financial adviser, and former U.S. Marine Officer, filed papers to today to challenge incumbent County Supervisor, Peter Foy. Thomas will run in County Supervisor District #4, which includes Moorpark, Simi Valley and Somis.

Thomas said, "I believe East County voters deserve a Supervisor who is committed to working full time to protect our jobs and small businesses, neighborhoods, and vital environmental and agricultural resources".

"As a local elected official, I see the negative impact of partisan gridlock and personal political ambitions on our government's ability to simply do what's right for our communities. I aim to change that by providing hard working, focused leadership you can trust", he continued.

Bruce Thomas has a lifetime of dedicated military, financial and community service. He served 20 years in the U.S. Marines and was the Moorpark American Legion Post Commander for 8 years. Bruce is an elected member of the Moorpark School Board and serves on numerous local community service boards and committees.

Bruce is married to Heidi, a public school teacher. They have three children Justin, a LA police officer; Amy, a physical therapist and Tara, an assistant public school principal.