( This picture of Jim Dantona ( apparent candidate for State Senate CA-19 with Democratic candidate for President Bill Richardson was sent in by Laura Winchester. Laura, is that a Jim Dantona for state senate button?)

A sharp eyed reader spotted this phrase on the Ventura County Democratic Party's website:

19SD Convention Delegates
Jim Dantona - Candidate Proxy
Jay Kapitz - Delegate
Dave Ettinger - Delegate

37AD Convention Delegates
Ferial Masry - Candidate
Chris Robson - Delegate
Ingrid VanEckert - Delegate

24CD Convention Delegates
Jill Martinez - Candidate

More signs are pointing to Jim Dantona ( D ) running in the CA-19 State Senate Race. On the Republican side we have Tony Strickland and maybe others. Anyone hear updates on that?

( Thanks to loyal contributer Brian Mack for another amazing photoshop. For the record Britney Spears is not currently trashing Simi Valley. Yet. Seriously, why don't those cities get their own dump? Are they too good for it? )

UPDATE FOR THE BRITNEY SPEARS FANS. THE TRASH FROM MALIBU REFERS TO THE TRASHBAG, NOT BRITNEY SPEARS. PLEASE STOP E_MAILING COMPLAINTS!

The Star has an article today about the proposed expansion of the Simi Valley landfill. The proposed expansion will continue to take trash from the surrounding region. This story will be dominating local politics and elections for a long time. Personally, I want to open a massive dump in Thousand Oaks and put all of our trash there. Maybe even a used tire lot. Who's with me?
UPDATE: It is a joke. I am not in favor of turning Thousand Oaks into a dump.
Here is the article from The Star. Kind of surprising that other council members ( besides Barbra Williamson) or Peter Foy weren't quoted. Maybe in the future? I don't want my city leaders to comment at the very end. I want them to be there the entire time working in public view. This a tough issue and I expect ALL city leaders to comment.

The article does mention former ( or current if he runs for State Senate) candidate Jim Dantona though.

Also, click on continue reading for more information.

Judy Mikels sent out a mail piece that alleges Jim Dantona is acutally the tool of corporate interests like Waste Management. It even used the classic one candidate in color, one in black and white tool. Why is Judy Mikels insensitive to color blind voters? Why does she mock them?

Earlier this week, I recieved a mail piece that said it was Judy Mikels that was the tool of Waste Management.It showed pictures of trash trucks driving into Simi Valley. I liked the background. It was the same neighborhood he used for the sprawl mailer but with green unmarked trucks. I wonder what trucks they were suppossed to be? I think between the two candidates they have made Waste Management and a possilble expansion a top issue. So, who is the tool of Waste Management? Are they just stuck in an election year crossfire? If anyone from WM wants to bring me up for a tour, send me an e-mail. If you let me drive a huge crane or something cool I promise just to write nice things.

I also read The Star story today that said: She ( Mikels) spent $15,000 for polling and he (Foy) spent $10,445 for polling. Anyone have access to these or other polls? If so, I'd love to see them. I always think it is funny when politicians use polls and then run away from them. They all use polls, nothing wrong with that.

I recieved a Jim Dantona mail piece from his ex-wife. It was great. His ex goes on and on about what a great guy he is and how supportive he has always been. There was also a great shot of him and his kids on the front. This tactic seems pretty effective to me. What do you think?

I haven't recieved anything at all from Peter Foy. In the past I have heard of campaigns sending someone down to the post office to go through junk mail by the trash cans to see what other campaigns are sending out. More effective would be just e-mailing me the text of a mailer.

If your campaign has a mailer going out send me the text and a photo. I will post the whole thing for you. But I am not converitng from .pdf file. If you got a campaign piece you want me to post so that it can be discussed feel free to type it up and e-mail it to me.

Have fun with all the mailers in the next few weeks.

Is it just me, or does it seem like Jim Dantona is actually running against Waste Management? I also got a robo call from The Jim Alger campaign talking about the possilble dump expansion.

Anyways, I attended a press conference for Jim Dantona last Thursday night at the gates of the Simi Valley landfill. Jim Dantona wants to inspire WM to donate land to create a world class soccer complex for all the local clubs and teams. Something along the lines of what Lancaster has built. Kind of sad we are second to Lancaster, but I digress.

Jim's plan would have WM donating the land, and the park district building the thing. The land would be a portion of the area that has been discussed or not discussed ( depending who you believe) as part of a potential expansion.

If WM does not go along with the plan, Jim Dantona said he will use any means needed including a ballot proposition to hold off any expansion.

The press conference was attended by The Daily News but The Star did not send a reporter. There was JIm, Barbra, Gene, and many soccer parents including the mythical "soccer moms".

If you want to read the whole press release click on continue reading:

Side note, if someone posts pretending to be you, let me know by e-mailing me and I will see what I can do. It is my belief that people should be able to discuss politics under pen names like the Founding Fathers did in things like the Federalist Papers. For that reason, I don't reveal identities, as long as you play by the rules. But if you play dirty tricks like posting under other peoples' names, all bets are off.

To all the loyal posters like Bubba and GS thanks for helping to make democracy work.

The above picture was taken @ The Simi Valley Street Fair. If you missed it, you missed the political event of the season. I will continue sharing my pictures from the event all week. This picture is of Jim Dantona and his Mother.

The Board of Supervisors put together a voluntary campaign spending limit system which can be broken by all candidates if one candidate spends over $119,000. Peter Foy has now gone over the limit which allows Jim Dantona and Judy Mikels to also spend more.

I don't know what impact going over the limit has legally. What changes? Can someone with more knowledge chime in?

Click on continue reading for the whole story.

I had a chance to talk to Judy Mikels, her husband, and her staff at the street fair. They promised to start sending more press releases my way as we get closer to election day. Some of her booth volunteers also confirmed they read this blog.

Thanks Supervisor Mikels for making this year's street fair a great chance for voters to meet the candidates.

Judy Mikel's website is now under construction and has taken down the pages from her last run. When you see the new website launched, please leave a comment.

I also see Peter Foy has launched a website.

And just to be fair, a random link to Jim Dantona.

Peter Foy says he is running. There are even articles written about him. But does he have a single sign, brochure, or website? These are marks of a real candidate. Am I being too impatient? The election is less than 60 days away. I want action.

I don't think the guy is real. I think it is just some clever photoshopping.

I have seen plenty of Dantona signs. I even say a Judy Mikels sign. Peter Foy says he is going to spend more than $195,000, but when does it start? For the record, I am not attacking his issues or him, just the start of the campaign.

I just recieved an e-mail from Jim Dantona about his campaign signs. Click on continue reading for details.

In non-news, has anyone seen ANYTHING from Peter Foy? Is he real? Has anyone seen him before?

If you see any events from him or Judy Mikels, please let me know.

As campaign season gets underway campaign websites will be popping up. What makes a good campaign website? I think it needs to be easy to navigate, stick to a clear message, answer questions, and make it easy to get involved.

But does the average undecided voter ever use a campaign website? I doubt it.

In addition, it should impress people. You should show the recent events, upcoming events, and exciting news to show there is a good, upbeat buzz about you.

So, with no further ado, here is my listing of campaign websites with my ratings. I will change them as websites get added or changed.

Game on.

UPDATED: I update this entry with every new press release I get in my inbox, so if this subject interests you, check back frequently.

Jim Dantona of Simi Valley has declared he is running in next June's primary against Judy Mikels.

Both Mikels and Dantona have an open invite to guest blog here.