Has he run an effective campaign? Seems to me he has a focused message and the resources to communicate it. Have you seen mailers, yard signs, or been called by his campaign?

Click here to see his website.

I don't live in Camarillo but it seems like Mark Lisagor's campaign to remove Chris Valenzano from the Ventura County Office of Education has been very effective at getting endorsements, raising money, and putting out a consistent message.

If you live in the Camarillo area what are seeing?

Click on continue reading to see a mailer from both campaigns.

Thanks to my readers who have been scanning and sending in mailers.

If you want to see a mailer posted on my blog, send it to me quickly.

The Ventura County Board of Education has hired lobbyists to help get funding from the state and federal government. The more I find out the worse it sounds. At the state level wouldn't Assembly Woman Audra Strickland be working for us if we are asking for funding for valid and needed projects? Who exactly are we lobbying? State legislative Democrats? At the federal level the Republican board has been trying to get an earmark. Do Republicans only think earmarks are bad when other people get them?

The earmark has been held up thus far by "partisanship" according to the lobbying firm. What was the Republican dominated board thinking when they hired a lobbying company that had Republican ties to lobby a Democratically controlled congress?

The Ventura County Democratic Party is now helping county board of education candidates coordinate their attacks on the contracts for lobbyists. To read their latest press release click on continue reading. Here are some excerpts:

According to an article in the Jan. 16 edition of Roll Call, Anchor Consulting dreamed up a plan for the VCOE to partner with another one of its clients, Grace College, an evangelical Christian college in Indiana, to obtain No Child Left Behind (NCLB) money to fund a project for at-risk youth in Ventura County.

VCBE member Chris Valenzano, a former legislative aide to Tony Strickland when he served in the Assembly, proposed in September of 2006 that the board consider hiring lobbyists, according to board minutes.

"The unwarranted spending by the current board on dubious lobbyists with little or no accountability must stop. As a trustee, I will be an effective advocate for public education in Sacramento and our nation's capitol," Lisagor said.

The $396,000 contract is one of the largest expenditures for educational lobbyists in the state. Only a handful of other county offices have hired lobbyists.

Do you think it has been a wise use of resources to hire lobbyists to lobby are own elected officials?

This is refreshing. Mark Lisagor, who is running for County School Board, sent out an email to remind his supporters that he intends to keep the office nonpartisan. Here is his email:

Dear Friends, As you know, I am very grateful for the endorsements this campaign has received from Republican, Democratic and Independent supporters. We have been focused on appealing to voters from all parties by demonstrating my experience, judgment and commitment to education. I have learned that the Ventura County Democratic party has decided to include my name on a slate that will probably be published in the VC Star. This was a decision they made on their own and separate from our campaign committee. Under election laws, the local Democratic committee is an IEC or Independent Expenditure Committee which means they can spend their money however they want as long as they do not coordinate with candidates. If we had been consulted, we would have preferred to receive a cash donation and not be included on a partisan slate. I'm sharing this with you, my supporters, so you'll know this was not something we sought. I'm very respectful of the support from my Republican friends and want you to know that I'm 100% committed to respecting that this is a non-partisan office. Thank you for your support. Mark Lisagor

Conejo Valley Unified School District Candidate Dennis Hatland has launched his campaign website.

Click here to see it.

Ventura County Office of Education candidate Mark Lisagor has launched his website too.

Click here to see it.

What do you think of it? What do you like about it and what improvements do you think should be made?

If you or a candidate you support for a position on a school board launches their website email me a link and I will put up an entry on it.

What candidate websites have you seen for an education campaign in Ventura County? Leave a link to it and a review of the website.

( Did Leslie Frank's application get hurt or helped by her husband's political involvement?)

I was going to let this go away but Leslie Frank wrote a a letter to The Star about ML Peterson and the appointment process.

Click on continue reading to see the letter.

After you get chance to say what you think I will tell you what I think about it.

Looks like the process to replace outgoing Superintendent of county schools Charles Weis might take some time. Here are my quick thoughts on the replacing him, the county board of education, and the recent articles about Charles Weis.

1. It is true that most incumbents win election or reelection when they choose to run again. That means that if the person who replaces Charles Weis plans to run after this term ends in 2010 they will have a significant advantage and will likely win.

Being that Charles Weis was appointed and then ran again do you agree with me it is a problem when there are very little open seat elections?

If you have been paying attention to county politics long enough when was the last competitive election for county superintendent? When was the last open seat election?

Of course, many people appointed to an open seat go on to serve the public in great ways. I am not denying that they have good intentions and frequently great outcomes.

But in a democracy people should choose their leaders.

What could be done to fix this problem?

2. None of the articles I saw have the details of Charles Weis's new compensation package. That is sure to upset my reader Andy Levinson. Maybe it is because his new employer is out of this area and makes it less news worthy?

3. Do you remember the governor's push to eliminate the county boards across California to save money? Do you think we will see such a push again anytime soon? Do you favor eliminating the county boards?

4. Not many people can explain the policy portfolios of the county board of education. Is this a problem? Voters are often educated during election about the functions of government positions they are voting on. Maybe more competitive elections could help out with this ignorance. There is a move to recruit candidates for this November to run. Do you know anything about it?

5. But for the people that use the county services this board is critical. Do the stake holders think they could be better served by local school districts? What do you think Donna Prenta? You seem to understand the county board better than most of the people that comment here, myself included.

6. Do you think there should be term limits for the county superintendent or the board members? How much exactly do they get paid? How can I check the figures? Citizens would be better served if this information was easy to access online/

7. Two of the current board members are on their party's central committee and a third is a political activist. Do you think the next Superintendent will be free from being involved in partisan politics?

8. You can apply online for the job. Anybody planning on doing it? Have you seen any names being mentioned for the position?

9. I am impressed that even with all of their disagreements between the board and the superintendent they were able to keep their working relationship professional. Grudges are so easy to keep it impresses me when people keep to Reagan's maxim:

• "I always throw my golf club in the direction I'm going."

Does it further your interests to stay angry? If not, move on.

10. That's it but I didn't want to stop a list at #9. What are your thoughts on these issues?

( Here is a video of Timm Herdt in case he tries to sneak into your events.)

I haven't written much about Charles Weis in the past because it doesn't seem to draw people in unlike other actions by the county board of education. Here are some recent stories about him.

1. He was offered a home loan as part of his compensation package from his new employer.

I heard about this but I didn't write about it because he is no longer a county elected official. For the same reason I haven't been posting about Tom McClintock's victory in the Republican Primary for congress in Northern California. It is a close call. They both have connections here but it seems they are losing news value for local voters.

2. Timm Herdt wrote a blog entry pointing out that Weis was the only county wide elected Democrat. With Democrats having a registration edge in Ventura County what office will they make a serious attempt at first?

3. The process of replacing him is ongoing. Has anyone heard something new about it? Even though it is a nonpartisan position I bet they somehow end up with a Republican. That's what happens when two board members are also members of the Ventura County Republican Central Committee. The new person might be highly qualified but the pool seems like it will only be open to Republicans. Do you agree?

On a side note here is a partisan break down of most offices in Ventura County. I am sure there are a few updates to it but it is close to accurate.

( If I was on a board I would consider every school playing this on the last day. Maybe not.)

Is your local School Board interesting or boring? Would you rather have it the other way?

A maxim has been attributed to the Chinese as "May you live in interesting times". Read this interesting article for insight on the quote.

The top three school boards that attract the most political attention include Conejo, The County Board, and Camarillo.

To read an update on Camarillo schools click on continue reading. Otherwise consider this an open thread about local schools.

My suggestion: Instead of slagging people down tell us who you really want to run again for a school board seat or who you want to run for their first time as a school board member.

Nominate someone!

Sorry but another season of bad puns is about to begin. Here is what I have found out about a recall effort in Camarillo.

( Direct quote from one or more sources)
" Camarillo parents are furious with the recent actions of the Pleasant Valley School Board Trustees and are forming a committee to start recall proceedings against the entire board. The e-mail contact is PVrecall@gmail.com.

Many parents feel that board is ill-equipped to handle any unification efforts when they can't adequately handle the educational needs of the K-8 students and their families. "

So, what else have you folks heard? I don't live in Camarillo so I haven't been following the recent situations with school closures with enough detail to comment.

( Thanks to Brian Mack for another great photoshop. If you want him to 'shop a local figure e-mail me with suggestions. In the meantime check out the website for his new play he wrote.

Here is your chance to help Peter Foy reform county government. He wants you to apply for a variety of volunteer positions with the county government. If you plan on applying leave a comment what position you are applying for.

If you end up working with Peter Foy you can always blog here on the front page of your efforts and meetings.

Click on continue reading for the press release.

This one was sent in from a reader that spotted it in the Knolls on the way up to Rocky peak. I don't know all the regulations covering The Knolls but I know it is outside the city of Simi Valley's sign regulations.

Candidates and their supporters lose track of all the locations that their signs are up at. If you see an old sign snap a picture and e-mail it in so they can go and pick it up. I know Donna Prenta will have it picked up right away.

Donna, is it okay if any reader picks it up for you?