The House Oversight Committee Chaired by Republican Darrell Issa issued a report on the Countrywide Home Loan Scandal that mentions Rep. Elton Gallegly and Rep. Buck McKeon. You can go to the website and read the report for yourself.

The charges are very serious. Basically the lobbyist for Countrywide Home Loans gave special deals to Members of Congress to influence them. The report shows that Members of Congress that complained to the Countrywide lobbyist were given preferential treatment including loan discounts. The lobbyist also helped Staff Members receive preferential treatment in an attempt to influence them.

The Members in the report are from both parties. I include by name Rep. Elton Gallegly and Rep. Buck McKeon because they represent this area. Both of them deny any knowledge of favorable treatment. I have not seen an explanation of what triggered both of them to be placed in the program.

This scandal has the attention of the national media.

What are are reactions? You don't need to register to comment but keep it classy.

This is what Democratic candidate Dr. Lee Rogers posted on Facebook.

The declared Democratic Party candidates running for the new Ventura County based congressional seat are invited to share their views at the Ventura City Democratic Club. The two declared candidates are David Cruz Thayne and David Pollock. Ventura County Supervisor Steve Bennett is also considering running.

Democratic 26th Congressional District Candidates' Town Hall November 17, 2011, 7 p.m., E.P. Foster Library, Ventura

Click on continue reading for more details.

What questions would you like to see them answer? I want to know their opinions on foreign policy including Iraq, Afghanistan, and Libya.

I also want to know their thoughts on the documentary Waiting for Superman.

I don't think Rep. Elton Gallegly is running for re-election.

I don't have any insider knowledge or solid proof. It is just my guess.

The other area Members of Congress release their schedule, update their social media pages, and hold townhall forums. Rep. Elton Gallegly doesn't do that type of stuff often.

He doesn't hold townhall meetings that are open and free to the public. But he does have fundraisers where you can pay to ask him questions. I'm surprised he is asking for donations when he hasn't announced if he is running again. Maybe this is a hint he does plan to run again.

Why is he always among the last local politician to declare if he is running again? The rumor is he doesn't want Tony Strickland to be able to run for his seat. What's your theory?

The top conservative political blogger on Californian politics has called on him to announce his intentions soon for the good of his party. Here is what Jon Fleischman told Ventura County Star Reporter Timm Herdt:

"Every other incumbent member of Congress is busy announcing their plans. What is it that's special about Elton Gallegly?" Fleischman asked. "Elton Galleglyland is the same place the rest of us live."

Fleischman said Republican activists statewide are watching Gallegly very closely because of the incident in 2006 when he announced at the last minute that he intended to retire, only to change course after discovering he could not have his name removed from the ballot because he had already submitted his declaration of candidacy.

"He no longer gets the benefit of the doubt after that shameful maneuver in which he clearly tried to pick his successor," he said.

Gallegly's indecision could hurt Republicans' chances nationally and statewide, especially if he ultimately decides to retire, Fleischman said. Such a move would cost Strickland months of fundraising and organizing time to put together a campaign for a vital congressional seat and, in turn, handicap Assemblyman Cameron Smyth in putting together a campaign for a critical seat in the state Senate.

"If he wants to run for re-election, he should announce that now, and I think he'd be the front-runner," Fleischman said. "It's irresponsible to make no decision."

Interesting that Jon Fleischman doesn't believe Gallegly had a health issue as he claimed when he tried and failed to get his name off of the ballot in 2007. Instead Fleischman is blunt and accused Gallegly of trying to rig the process to make it impossible for other candidates to run. To my conservative readers: Who do you believe more? Gallegly or Fleischman?

Click here for a link to his latest fundraiser.

http://tinyurl.com/pay-To-ask

The Ventura County Labor Day picnic put on by the Working Blue Democratic Club promises to be a huge event. This is going to be the start of an exciting campaign season. Redistricting has created new districts and opportunities for many candidates.

I expect this to be the largest gathering of Democratic Party activists and candidates this year. Any candidate that is serious about running for a legislative seat will have a presence there. The most organized campaigns will have booths.

The organizers gave me some free tickets to promote the event. There are only a few rules:

1. You must not have attended their event in a previous year.

2. The winner cannot transfer the tickets.

Here is contest number two. This picture of Tim Allison was taken today at a rally in Ventura County. What was the location of the rally. Post your answers in the comments section.

Congratulations to Suzanne Anders for winning the first competition. You won tickets for two to the event on Monday.

Local Moveon.org members are pushing an economic agenda focused on job creation instead of cuts alone. Click on continue reading for their announcement.

I do find it odd that so many are more concerned with reducing the debt through immediate spending cuts instead of job creation. Obviously both can be related problems but creating new jobs would help us with our debt. The debt deal didn't do much for job creation.

What would you prefer Congress prioritize?

If you go to the rallies please post pictures to my Facebook page for this blog.

Here is the announcement sent to me by the Ventura County Democratic Party:

Tuesday Aug. 2, noon, at U.S. Rep. Elton Gallegly's Camarillo office, 5051 Verdugo Way, Suite 120. Bring or wear pink slips (as appropriate) and carry signs denouncing Gallegly's voting record on job creation and immigrant workers. Directions: Santa Rosa Rd. north from 101, right on Verdugo Way. Gallegy's office shares a parking lot with the Roxy Stadium Theater.

If you attend please post pictures to my Facebook blog page or send me videos to post.

Both parties should now focus on jobs creation bills.

This video is from the protest outside Rep. Elton Gallegly's office calling on him to vote for a package deal that includes spending cuts and tax increases. The interviewer asks what candidates the Tea Party counter protestor would like to see run to replace Rep. Elton Gallegly.

Gallegly hasn't announced his plans but with redistricting forcing him to make a tough decision to potentially run against Republican Buck McKeon or to run in a new Ventura County based district that is much more competitive I won't be surprised if he retires.

He isn't acting much like a candidate. He doesn't hold townhall meetings like every other legislator from this region. What is your prediction? Is he retiring?

The proposals for new legislative districts are posted. Rep. Elton Gallegly of Simi Valley has some tough options.

Option #1

Retire

I predict he is going to retire.

He is the only legislator in the region, of either party, that doesn't hold townhall forums. His website is dated and he was passed over to be the chair of many committees by people with less seniority. He has been working on legislation and oversight quietly but his actions don't seem to be what someone preparing for a tough campaign often does.

Option #2

Run in the new Ventura County Congressional district that doesn't include Simi Valley or Moorpark. The new district is balanced between Democrats and Republicans. He wouldn't legally have to move but most legislators do live in the district they represent. Would the former mayor of Simi Valley move to a new town to stay on office?

Option #3

Run against Republican Rep. Buck McKeon in a district that is mostly made up of voters currently represented by McKeon.

Gallegly would have too many disadvantages running against the current chair of the House Armed Services Committee. Gallegly would have lower name ID, he isn't the chair of a committee, and his campaign organization isn't using social media much. Compare the Youtube channel's for the two of them:

Rep. Buck McKeon:

New Media Competition

Friends,

In an effort to push for greater transparency in Congress, my colleagues and I are going head-to-head in a New Media Competition.

By allowing cameras to always have an inside look into my work, I have made it to the Top 16. I am now fighting to be in the Top 8 and I cannot do it without your support.

Will you help me today by visiting my YouTube page and watching a few videos?

I am constantly striving to find new and improved ways to connect with all of my constituents. With the strong emergence of YouTube and other New Media outlets, I am able to give you a more personal look into my work days in the 25th District of California and in Washington, D.C.

Then there is this page for Rep. Gallegly:

Rep. McKeon, unlike Rep. Gallegly, has a great website and uses social media to connect with constituents. He also holds free and open townhall forums.

Redistricting might do to Rep. Elton Gallegly what many Democratic campaigns haven't been able to accomplish.

( Jackson Browne will be performing at the event)

The new district lines are not set but that isn't stopping Rep. Lois Capps from preparing to run for re-election. Here is an announcement of an upcoming fundraiser:

Keeping Our Future Bright: A Campaign Event to Support the Re-Election of Congresswoman Lois Capps

With Special Guest: Senator Dianne Feinstein
And a Performance by Jackson Browne

Sunday, June 26, 2011, 5-7 p.m.
At the home of Betty J. Stephens
Santa Barbara

Chair: $5,000
Sponsor: $2,500
Host: $1,000
Guest: $250 per person

Make checks payable to:
Friends of Lois Capps
P.O. Box 23940, Santa Barbara, CA 93121
Or RSVP online at https://secure.actblue.com/page/june_26

Chairs and Sponsors are invited to a VIP reception with special guests.
Valet parking available. Flat shoes and hats recommended.

For more information email jennifer@cappsforcongress.com

Send in fundraiser information for other candidates for Congress to have them posted. Is Rep. Gallegly holding any upcoming local fundraisers?

What caucuses does Rep. Elton Gallegly belong to in Congress? His website doesn't include a list. He previously mentioned he was considering joining a Tea Party Caucus but I haven't seen an update.

His website is not exactly very modern in appearance or functionality. Remember Geocities websites? Reminds me of that era.

The other Members of the House from this region list their caucuses in an easy to find place including Democrat Rep. Lois Capps, Republican Rep. Buck McKeon, and Democrat Rep. Brad Sherman ( his website mentions a few that he belongs to I don't see a list).

So why not Rep. Elton Gallegly? It is bad enough that this area doesn't get to have townhall forums with our elected Representative in Congress but his staff could at least update his website.

If the new district lines draw McKeon and Gallegly together I think looking at their websites will quickly show who is ready for a tough campaign.

I'd like to see Rep. Gallegly post which caucuses he belongs to on his website. Post a comment on this blog entry if you agree. You don't need to register to post but keep it classy.

Brad Sherman represents much of the San Fernando Valley in the House of Representatives. As a part of his duties he often holds scheduled, free, and open to the public town hall events. He also releases his schedule when he is in his district.

Elton Gallegly does not hold free and open to the public events nor does he release his schedule.

Why is this important to me? Maybe I am naive but I think Members of Congress should answer questions in public and on the record. I also think they can be convinced to support policies pushed by their constituents.

Elton Gallegly did advertise a recent fundraiser as an opportunity to ask him questions. That by itself isn't wrong if he was holding free town hall events. But voters shouldn't have to pay to ask a politician a question in public. It is also a bad idea because people that are willing to pay him money aren't representative of the whole district.

This isn't a partisan issue. Republican Buck McKeon, Jeff Gorell, and Tony Strickland all hold scheduled and free events. It is only Elton Gallegly that doesn't feel the pressure to do it or doesn't understand the value of these type of events.

Should I move on from mentioning this topic? Vote in this poll:

Click on continue reading for Rep. Brad Sherman's upcoming schedule.

If this entry gets 10 comments without any negative attacks on the other people posting comments I will post about the time Rep. Brad Sherman told me to tape Babylon 5 for his campaign.

The Sunlight Foundation has a website up titled Party Time that seeks to add transparency to the fundraising process in Washington DC. Readers can submit invitations and then a searchable database is created.

As an example you can see recent fundraisers that readers submitted like this Fiesta with Rep. Elton Gallegly. Rep. Gallegly raised a large amount of money in his last campaign but not too many of his events are listed. If you have some old invites around go to the website to submit them. I'm not sure why they labeled a particular fundraiser of his a fiesta. Maybe the chips and dip picture? That could be pita and hummus.

Maybe now that the election is over Rep. Elton Gallegly can hold a townhall event like every other local area of Congress.

Rep. Lois Capps also has her events listed there too.

Both of these Members of Congress are seen as very safe. Democrat Tim Allison ran an energetic campaign but he wasn't able to make the race competitive. Republicans weren't able to find a strong enough candidate to go against Rep. Lois Capps. Maybe redistricting will alter the competitiveness of these districts.

Adding transparency to government is a worthy goal and helps us to have more trust in the process. Sometimes though the amount and sources of money can make us more cynical. Go through the database and tell me what you think. You don't need to register to comment.