Mike Chandler, the blogger behind VoteSimiValley.com, has a new entry up talking about the proposed Hummingbird resort in Simi Valley.

Click here to see his post.

The Ventura County Republican Central Committee has selected their new leaders. Click on continue reading for the list.

I don't recognize all of the names but it looks like Tony Strickland and his allies have the most members on the board. Tony Strickland is clearly the leader of the local Republican Party.

Click here for the VCRCC website. Looks like in the largest city in the district they could only find one Republican to serve. Maybe they should ask a high school student to help out.

( 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.

A new group of educators has been put together and will be organizing events for Hannah-Beth Jackson in East County. Their next event is a fundraiser. Click on continue reading for details.

The list includes 3 school board members from Simi Valley and past county board of education candidate / education activist Donna Prenta from Simi Valley. Donna, the press release mentions that Hannah-Beth Jackson has the support of many education board members throughout the county. Is there a place where we could view the names? Have you been calling on Hannah-Beth Jackson's behalf to help the campaign?

Getting educators together to support a candidate isn't anything new. But what about the idea of getting together a group of students to support a candidate? That would be impressive locally because of the lack of political participation and organization of the parties.

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?

If you read this blog often you don't need a reminder but Tony Strickland sent out an email to remind people about his event tomorrow night with Mitt Romney. Click on continue reading for details.

There will be a protest outside the event to bring more attention on charges of unethical campaign finance. Are you going? I will be there and I will make sure to get some video to post on youtube for those that cannot make it.

I figured we should look at the campaign finance reports of both candidates and do some research. Who are their largest contributers and what are their interests?

Click here for Hannah Beth Jackson.

Click here for Tony Strickland.

What surprises did you find?

I am also hearing rumors that Audra Strickland has been talking to people about what office she might run for when she is termed out in 2010. What have you heard?

UPDATE: The Star's editorial cartoonist Stan Greenberg made this cartoon that points out the folly of trying to track campaign contributions. Tony Strickland supporters: Did it accurately capture your thoughts on the manner?

UPDATE: Another local group sent out an email. Here it is word for word:

Although it's not official, Tuesday evening sure looks like the beginning of the general election. Tony Strickland, Big Tobacco's best friend in Ventura County is holding a fundraiser with Mitt Romney in Westlake. You can join the welcoming committee. Then you can go just down the Conejo Grade to the UFCW building and help kick off the local Barak Obama campaign. How much more fun can you have on a Tuesday night?

Tom
Up In Smoke

Tony Strickland, Republican candidate for SD 19, is having a fundraiser in Westlake with a special celebrity guest.

We've found a celebrity of our own to greet them. Join Butt Man the human cigarette to welcome Mitt Romney to the Conejo Valley and protest the Ventura County Republican Central Committee's acceptance of a $50,000 contribution from Altria (Philip Morris) on behalf of Tony Strickland.

Date: Tuesday, June 17
6 p.m. sharp. The VIP reception starts at 6:30 p.m.

Place:
Hyatt Westlake Plaza
880 S. Westlake Blvd.
Westlake Village
Make a sign, bring it to wave.

If we stay on the sidewalk, our actions are protected under the First Amendment. We won't go into the hotel, the parking lot or block access to the facility

Obama Meetup/New Volunteer Welcome


Ventura County / 24th CD - OBAMA Meetup
Obama Logo

On Tuesday, June 17, 7-9 PM at the UFCW Orchid Room in Camarillo, please join fellow Obama supporters for a meetup / new volunteer welcome.

We will be joined by Deborah Dent, CD 24 Coordinator, Obama for America.

Time to get fired up and ready to go!

Sincerely,

Thomas Mullens
President

Democratic Club of the Conejo Valley

( 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.

( A classic Ronald Reagan ad from back when cigarettes cigarette companies were safe before the warning labels made them more dangerous for a politician to accept donations from.)

The Ventura County Republican Central Committee has solicited and accepted a large donation to fund their campaigns this fall from a tobacco company.

Do you think they will end up regretting taking this money or is it a fair way to raise the money they need to fund their programs including getting out the vote, educating members, registering voters, and helping their candidates?

I don't think this was a smart move. Tony Strickland has plenty of people that support him on the central committee. They must realize they just handed Hannah Beth Jackson and Ventura County Democrats a campaign issue and a theme that will be used over and over until November.

There is many special interest groups that offend voters but this seems like an especially noxious source of funding.

On the front page of The Star you can see the most emailed stories. This story is on the list. I don't think it is going away.

Do you agree with my political analysis?

UPDATE: This story remains on the front page of The Star under the most emailed stories.