Countrywide had a program in place to give politicians special treatment on their home loans to influence them. The scandal has damaged the reputations of prominent Democrats including former Senator Chris Dodd.

The Ventura County Star reports:

The Countrywide VIP program in question was known as "Friends of Angelo," a reference to Angelo Mozilo, the lender's chief executive, whom federal regulators say personally approved mortgages for favored borrowers in violation of lending standards. Mozilo agreed in 2010 to pay more than $67 million in penalties in a settlement with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Wikipedia links to more resources on the Friends of Angelo program.

Recently the Republican controlled House Government Reform Committee added two local new names to the list of legislators that were a part of the program. Elton Gallegly and Buck McKeon received special treatment according to records from Countrywide.

For McKeon it allegedly included:

McKeon is known to have received a Countrywide mortgage for $315,000, and Mozilo instructed the individual handling his loan to "take off 1 point, no garbage fees, approve the loan and make it a no doc," according to documents reviewed by Cummings.

For Gallegly I haven't seen what supposed benefit he received. The released documents don't mention if it was a reduction in fees, a lower interest rate, or a no document loan.

Both Gallegly and McKeon deny knowing they were given any special treatment. From the latest article:

Gallegly and McKeon, whose newly redrawn congressional district takes in part of Simi Valley, said they had no idea their loans were processed under the VIP program but that they are cooperating with the investigation.

What I find interesting is that a program that has been documented to influence legislators was allegedly unknown to those same legislators. To be blunt: how effective can a payoff be if the target doesn't know they are getting the money?

I am looking forward to learning more about what happened and which legislators from both parties were involved.

Neither Gallegly or McKeon have been proven to have done anything wrong. The House Ethics Committee will be investigating this case.

Both of them should return all donations from Angelo Mozilo and any PAC money connected directly to this issue.

Also, Democrats would be better off if Rep. Laura Richardson was no longer in Congress.

What could unite liberal and conservative activists with tech companies? Opposing the legislation Rep. Elton Gallegly is a co-sponsor of titled SOPA.

This Wednesday many tech companies are speaking out against the legislation known as SOPA. The list includes Google, Reddit, and Wikipedia.

These companies and their allies believe this legislation will harm the free flow of ideas and information on the internet. The proposal threatens the fast growing tech sector of our company.

Some websites plan to go dark during this time period or post messages to protest the legislation. So if you need to look something up on Wikipedia tomorrow it won't be working thanks to the supporters of SOPA.

If you feel strongly contact Rep. Gallegly's office. Just don't try looking up information on him using Wikipedia.

Call Rep. Elton Gallegly and ask why Wikipedia isn't working.

Phone: (805) 482-2424
Toll Free: (800) 423-0023

* Blame Elton Gallegly and the other supporters of SOPA from both parties. I am focusing on Elton Gallegly because he is out local Representative and he is a co-sponsor.

I haven't seen it covered in The Star yet but Elton Gallegly and Howard "Buck" McKeon are being investigated for taking loans from Cpuntrywide with allegations they received preferential treatment.

The House Oversignt Committee Chaired By Republican Rep. Darrell Issa will be investigating it more and so will the House Ethics Committee. They House Ethics Committee is also expected to investigate these loans.

Both of them deny knowing they received special treatment from Countrywide.

Check out the latest news on Howard "Buck" McKeon:

"A follow-up letter sent to Chairman McKeon provided forms for him to sign and stated: 'Thank you for allowing COUNTRYWIDE's VIP TEAM to assist you with your financing needs on the above referenced property,'" Cummings wrote.

and...

Other documents indicated McKeon was referred to the mortgage discount program by Michael J. Ferrell, who was then the head lobbyist at the Mortgage Bankers Association of America and had orchestrated the group's effort to block higher fees on mortgage lenders.
McKeon appears to have received a Countrywide mortgage for $315,000, and Mozilo instructed the individual handling his loan to "take off 1 point, no garbage fees, approve the loan and make it a no doc," according to documents reviewed by Cummings.

Both Rep. Gallegly and Rep. McKeon should help rectify this problem by returning any donations received from Anthony Mozilo or Countrywide lobbyists. They should also determine what value the special treatment they received was worth and return that too.

Rep. Elton Gallegly is retiring from Congress. Howard "Buck" McKeon is expected to run against Democratic candidate Lee Rogers of Simi Valley.

Do you agree they should return the money?

Fox News is reporting that Republicans Howard "Buck" McKeon and Elton Gallegly were a part of the Countrywide VIP program for politicians.

From Fox News:

Two veteran House Republicans received discounted mortgage loans from the now-defunct Countrywide Financial Corp. under a VIP program, a congressional official said Friday.

Accepting a discounted loan would be against House Ethics Rules. Both lawmakers deny knowing they received special treatment.

If they determine that either lawmaker did receive a discount the proper course of action would be to return any financial gain.

Both of them should also return any donations connected to this scandal they received. That includes PAC money, personal donations, and donations to a leadership PAC.

Democratic Congressional Candidate Lee Rogers has sent out a press release demanding Buck McKeon release the records related to the Countrywide VIP program.

Returning donations and releasing their records will help help move on to other issues.

Click on continue reading for the press release.

( David Pollock in a commercial)

I don't normally post entire fundraiser emails from candidates but I enjoyed the Pollock campaign bringing up the fact that Rep. Elton Gallegly doesn't hold town hall meetings. Their campaign claims he has never held a townhall meeting since he was elected to Congress. I don't know if that is true but I doubt the Gallegly campaign wants to discuss why he doesn't hold townhall meetings.

Here is the email:

Dear Brian,
26.
In 2012, Congressman Elton Gallegly will have inadequately served Ventura County, California and the United States for 26 years. Elton has committed his time in Congress toward an unusual cause: making a career out of unresponsive and indifferent behavior toward his constituents. But don't bother registering a complaint - Elton hasn't held a town hall meeting since 1986.
Voters across our country are fed up with politicians like Gallegly, because they can't even work together when they agree on something. This time it was the payroll tax cut - something most Americans supported.
At first, Gallegly pretended like he would vote for it:
Representative Elton Gallegly, a California Republican, said the package could win his support because of additional savings that would be found by cutting tax benefits...1
And then he voted against it - playing politics with our paychecks in the process.
Republicans like Gallegly are so obsessed with defeating President Obama that they work against him even when they agree with him. This time, we shamed them into consenting with the American people. But we literally can't afford to keep doing it.
Independent redistricting has turned Gallegly into a vulnerable incumbent. But judging by his comments and choices, he still doesn't get it.
Fortunately, there's a better way forward. My husband is a practical progressive with a proven history of working across the aisle. And he has been repeatedly elected from one of Ventura County's more conservative communities - because the voters trust him to do what's right.
David's also been called many things in his life. California School Board Association President. Mayor Pro Tem. Aerospace expert. Flight instructor. Bad News Bear. Husband. Dad.
He got into public life for the right reasons - his concern for his children's schools led him to successfully doing something about it. It's not enough to just elect a Democrat - we need to elect the best candidate, someone who genuinely represents our interests.
A new year means a fresh start. Let's make this upcoming 26th year Gallegly's last. Inject some common sense into Congress with David through your contribution of $26, $52, $260 or more. And with the Dec. 31st deadline coming up, you can help us start 2012 strong.
Ventura County can do its part to clean up Washington. Let's just elect the right person the first time.

Warm Regards,
Diana Campos
Nurse and proud wife of David Pollock

1Steven Sloan and Richard Rubin. Boehner Says He's 'Confident' Payroll Tax Cut Can Pass House. Thursday, December 8, 2011. SF Chronicle with Bloomberg News

Join Rep. Elton Gallegly should hold a town hall meeting on Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/rep.eltongallegly

Can the title of this entry get more dramatic? No.

The Stop Online Piracy Act has infuriated netroots activists who believe it poses a serious risk to online freedom. Their websites, blog posts, and emails treat this as a major threat to free speech.

Rep. Elton Gallegly is a co-sponsor of the bill. Here is his official explanation of why he supports it.

His explanation doesn't address the real criticisms or concerns with the bill.

Read this Wikipedia page for a summary of the arguments from both sides. I find the widely different interpretations of the bill surprising.

Too bad he doesn't hold free town hall meetings for local citizens to ask him questions about this bill.

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

(Intern 1, Elton Gallegly 0)

The Middle-Class Defense Coalition tried to talk to Rep. Elton Gallegly but they talked to an intern instead. They want him to support a tax on Wall Street instead of cuts to important government programs.

Elton Gallegly is the only area legislator, of either party, that refuses to hold open and scheduled townhall events. If you want to ask him a question you could pay to attend a fundraiser. His party leaders including Eric Cantor and Paul Ryan both hold townhall meetings. A claim that he is busier than them isn't convincing.

With this type of attitude towards taking questions in public I don't think he will be interested in running against House Armed Services Chair Rep. Buck McKeon in a Republican district or running against a Democrat in a very competitive district. The competitive district is most of Ventura County excluding his home city of Simi Valley. After criticizing multiple opponents over the years for moving to a district to run is he really going to do the same? Besides, what type of candidate would he be if he won't take questions at public townhall meetings? That might have worked in a Republican district but it won't work in a competitive district.

Republicans donating money to him might want access to him but if they want to help elect a candidate that has announced future plans to keep running for office I would suggest State Assembly Member Jeff Gorell or State Senator Tony Strickland. Both have announced they plan to run again and could use the funds.

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.

( Remember these nurses from the campaign for governor? They are rallying again.)

Ventura County nurses will be demonstrating outside Rep. Elton Gallegly's office to show support for a tax on Wall Street transactions to fund job programs.

House Republicans have pushed many ideas to cut spending but I don't see much evidence of them working closely with Barack Obama to grow the economy. Anyone can propose ideas but to work with others to implement them is a much more important task.

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.