Political consultant Jim Dantona has a new web show on Politicaldugout.com where he goes to fancy restaurants and debates politics.

What do you think?

I am posting all mailers that my readers send to me. I want to not only share with you political news before the election but also to use my blog as a local archive of mailers. If you send in a mailer tonight I will get it up before Tuesday.

I want to post all of the slates in the next couple of weeks. I won't have time before Tuesday but I have a stack of them here.

Jim Dantona's latest mailer brings attention to the support he has from Ventura County Firefighters. Dantona's campaign understands that they have only a few moments before most people throw away their junk mail on the way from the mailbox to their home. This mailer quickly gets across their message.

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.

Jim Dantona has been campaigning hard for the Clerk / Recorder position. He is included in many different slates and his mailers are powerful. His attacks on Mark Lunn's pension don't move me at all but I like what he has to say about the changes that need to happen in the office of the Clerk / Recorder.

I want the office to not only run the elections but to help improve voter registration and turnout among the entire population especially military members, seniors, and young people. Getting more people to vote by mail will help these populations have their voices heard.

What do you think of each side of this recent mailer? Did you receive it?

Last month I posted a picture of Mark Lunn with his dog and a campaign sign. At the time I wrote:

More campaigns should put dogs in their pictures. Ronald Reagan once said "You can tell a lot about a fella's character by whether he picks out all of one color or just grabs a handful." I feel the same way about the candidate's chose of dog. I am not sure what a dog breed or jelly bean eating habits tells us but I feel like it tells us something.

To top his opponent Jim Dantona sent me a picture with TWO of his dogs.

I am announcing a new competition for candidates to send me in pictures of their pets and a campaign sign. I will post all of the pictures sent to me but the best picture ( cutest, most creative, funniest) as judged by me will get their picture and a headline on June 8th at the top of my blog.

At a recent League of Women voters event Jim Dantona said ( all quotes paraphrased, watch the video for yourself for the full context):

"my opponent on April the 12th was on the Ventura Tea Party site proudly being honored as their candidate for that site , making a comment he was happy to have it."

Dantona then brought up an article that appeared in The Acorn that says:

Lunn said he supports smaller government and lower taxes, but that he's not a member of the tea party, nor is he Foy's "clone." Political preferences are irrelevant in the race because the job of a clerk recorder is to enforce existing laws, not create new policies, Lunn said.

Mark Lunn responded by stating:

A couple of things my opponent talked about here briefly in his opening I have never been to a Tea Party Site. I don't know what he's talking about but I have never been to a Tea Party site...say what you want to say but I have never been on that site. I have never been to a Tea Party site. I have never been on that site.

The relevant quotes are around 3:20 and 5:25 into the video.

http://capstv.org/Media/LOWVcandidatedebate_countyclerk.wmv

So which is it? Did Mark Lunn create an account on the local Tea Party site? Did someone else create an account for him? Either way it seems hard to get mad at Jim Dantona for bringing up the account since it has been public for months.

If Mark Lunn wants to distance himself from this group for political reasons he should remove the profile. If it isn't his then he should ask them to investigate who created it and duped them. If it is his then Dantona was right to bring it up and Lunn was wrong to say he was never on that website.

Democrat Jim Dantona has mail out this week timed to reach absentee voters as their ballots arrive. This version mentions he has had financial setbacks and mentions he has worked with politicians from both parties. I am impressed with Dantona's command of the issues. His campaign has made several videos on the subject of voter turnout in primary elections.

His opponent ,Republican Mark Lunn, is focusing his campaign on attacking Jim Dantona's financial past which includes bad debts and bankruptcies. Mark Lunn has been so busy attacking Dantona he didn't even take Mother's Day off from negative attacks. If Jim Dantona was applying for a loan all of that would be very relevant information.

I'm not surprised that he is willing to work so hard to show the difference between himself and Dantona but I am surprised that a candidate that wants to run our elections offices doesn't address increasing voter registration or turnout on his website.

We can do a better job removing barriers to voting. Military members serving overseas, seniors with mobility problems, new citizens, and young people could all benefit from a Clerk Recorder that took it as their duty to help their fellow citizens to have their voices heard. It would serve his campaign well for Lunn to address voter registration and turnout.

Especially after a former Clerk Recorder misinterpreted the law and took voter registration forms away from a few young people that were inspired by Barack Obama's campaign.

UPDATE: Peter Foy and Mark Lunn are not interested in debating it appears. They canceled their appearances. Peter Foy has been busy traveling around telling people that California should be more like Texas but I guess a local debate is too much to ask.

I missed a great event tonight with the Simi Valley Democratic Club hosting many candidates running for local office but I am looking forward to this forum.

Here's the details:

League of Women Voters of Ventura County
Presents
Ventura County Candidates Forums
Thursday April 29th
Simi Valley City Council Chambers
2929 Tapo Canyon Road, Simi Valley
Co-sponsored by:
California Lutheran University
Ventura County Civic Alliance
Santa Barbara and Ventura Colleges of Law
Schedule:
6:30 - 7:20 PM Candidates for Treasurer/Tax Collector
7:30 - 8:00 PM Candidates for County Clerk/Recorder
8:10 - 8:45 PM Candidates for Supervisor 4th District
Moderators will be David Maron, a member of the League of Women Voters and
Dr. Herb Gooch Director of the Masters in Public Policy and Administration Program at California Lutheran University
This is a public service of the non-profit, non-partisan League of Women Voters.
RSVP not necessary. Questions about the forum may be sent to LWV@ez2.net

Has anyone seen this vehicle on the road?

Thanks for your suggestions of celebrity lookalikes for local politicians. Here are the latest lookalikes:

Check out my previous entry on the subject.

For the next challenge which celebrities look like these elected officials?

Mark Lunn is running for County Clerk and Recorder. Among the duties of the office is overseeing elections. That's why it was surprising that his ballot statement was rejected because it violated California Elections Code. His ballot statement was rejected according to the County Elections office because of "prohibited references to other candidates." The prohibited statements implied, but did not directly mention his opponent Jim Dantona when it said:

"As the only candidate who has managed large organizations and thousands of employees, I've proven that I can balance a budget in hard times."

and

"I am the only candidate with first-hand experience in fighting fraud, forgery and identity left."

To see his entire rejected ballot statement click on continue reading. In fairness two other candidates also had their ballot statements rejected. But neither of the other candidates is trying to get elected to run the local elections office.

He will likely get his revised statement on the sample ballot.

I want a Clerk / Recorder that wants to increase registration and voter turnout. So far Mark Lunn hasn't addressed voter registration or turn out on his campaign website. Mark Lunn has an open invite to be interviewed on my blog. That goes for candidates running for any of the offices this June.

Jim Dantona has started releasing some of the names of local leaders that have endorsed his run for Ventura County Clerk Recorder. His press release is in bold below my comments.

Here are my thoughts on some of his endorsements:

I have deep respect for State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell. He has consistently pushed for education reforms, even when other educational leaders disagreed with him. I also like his brand of politics. When he was a local legislator he often met with constituents at a card table set up on a street corner. More politicians should follow that example.

Arleigh Kidd is a personal friend of mine and although we disagree on some education policies I know he is a true advocate for the middle class. His endorsement is personal as teachers unions have next to nothing at stake with the county government.

Brad Sherman used to represent large parts of Eastern Ventura County before the last census. He might again after this census. His name might not persuade many voters but it shows Dantona is putting together a credible challenge. In the interest of full disclosure I interned in his office for a few weeks years ago.

I am not surprised supporters of limiting urban growth boundaries wouldn't be supporting Peter Foy's employee as Foy has consistently voted to support the rights of property owners to develop their land. That said it will help Dantona to get support from across the county to avoid being a regional candidate.

We will see how much Firefighters want to spend supporting a candidate for clerk when they have other tough races for supervisor. They do have a great GOTV team which I wonder if it will put to use for a slate of candidates.

Jim Dantona has many contacts across the state and nation from his work in politics but I wonder how they can be used locally. Can he use their endorsements to raise money when the office he seeks doesn't control the types of issues that are important to many interest groups?

He was endorsed by State Senator Alex Padilla who should help him earn more endorsements. He would be smart to work with groups that want to increase Latino electoral participation, especially since his opponent doesn't mention increasing voter registration or participation of any voters on his political website.

It will be an interesting local election season.

JIM DANTONA PICKS UP KEY ENDORSEMENTS

On the same day Jim Dantona officially filed to run for Ventura County Clerk and Recorder, he picked up some major endorsements. State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell, Congressman Brad Sherman and State Senator Alex Padilla join a growing list of supporters lining up behind Dantona's campaign.

Joining Dantona at the Ventura County Clerk's office to file were former Mayor of Ventura and author of SOAR, Richard Francis, California Teachers Association Regional Director Arleigh Kidd and Ventura County Firefighter Association President Chris Mahon.

Click on continue reading for the rest of the press release.