There are now officially six candidates for the Ventura County based 26th Congressional district with the latest being Linda Parks. She is a Republican with strong connections to the local environmental community.

Linda Parks will make a formidable opponent for the other candidates. Her platform so far includes criticisms of the insider trading scandal in Congress, calls for less partisanship, and appeals to limit the influence of corporate PACS and unions in politics. She will be running as a populist outsider.

Her campaign will need to answer questions from many activists in both parties if she wants to attract their support. To start with what party would should caucus with? I will request an interview with her soon.

I shared the story on my Facebook page for this blog before it was in the newspapers. If you want to follow the latest in Ventura County politics include that page in your reading.

https://www.facebook.com/BrianDennertHere

Who are the other potential candidates?

Tony Strickland is expected to announce that he is running. He is currently in New Hampshire campaigning with Mitt Romney. I expect when he returns he will be organizing his official announcement.

Peter Foy has also been mentioned as a potential candidate but he has said he will be supporting Tony Strickland.

Other potential candidates include Michael Tenenbaum and maybe Rep. Brad Sherman moving to the district to avoid a primary battle with fellow Democrat Rep. Howard Berman.

Another blog had a rumor in the comments section that Michael Reagan was considering a run also. That would be very interesting if some Republicans want an alternative to Tony Strickland. Tony Strickland has spent a long time organizing the local Republican Party. The Central Committee has many close allies of his on it. Michael Reagan wouldn't start as the favorite of local Republicans.

A surprise potential candidate is Simi Valley City Council Member Glen Beccerra who said:

"This seat looks like it was designed for a Hispanic Republican," he said.

Becerra, like Gallegly, lives in Simi Valley, outside of the district lines, but said that makes little difference.
"I was born and raised in Ventura County, and this is a Ventura County district," he said.

The Constitution does not require Members of Congress to live in the district they represent.

Ventura County politics is going to start being much more exciting.

After each election I post an entry asking readers to send me pictures of campaign signs that campaigns haven't removed yet. This sign is at the corner of Alamo and Texas in Simi Valley. The June 8th election was almost a month ago but Peter Foy's sign remains.

So far Peter Foy has the record for a sign up from the primary. Send me any pictures of other signs and included the location information. I won't post your name unless you ask me to include it. With only a few weeks before we start seeing signs for general election candidates let's get the old signs removed. Let's see which party's candidates leave their signs up the longest. So far Peter Foy for the Republicans is holding the record.

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.

This political season has had its share of lies, distortions, and out of context statements being used against candidates. But these two mailers have mistakes that aren't debatable.

Audra Strickland's campaign sent out a mailer with the wild claim that President Bill Clinton was impeached before he ran for re-election. If it was just a date that was wrong it wouldn't be a big deal but claiming he won re-election after he was impeached makes President Bill Clinton into an even more effective politician. Did someone putting together this mailer feel so confident in their memory they didn't even bother to google it?

Go to Linda Parks' website to see the many other mailers Audra Strickland has been sending out. In future elections I would like to see every mailer posted.

The next mailer comes from Bruce Thomas' campaign. Bruce is running a low budget challenge to incumbent Supervisor Peter Foy. I haven't seen much activity from his campaign but I am glad when incumbent politicians have challengers. His mailer doesn't have a mistake that most people would catch. The mailer has a quote that appeared in The Acorn:

The only problem is that if you read the article the full quote in context is from Peter Foy praising himself.

Here is the context of the quote:

Foy said he welcomes the competition in his race.

"My ideas and track record prove I can create and manage a fiscally strong county," he said. "Those are the policies the public wants to see as we continue to face deficits. In a troubled economy, people are looking for a candidate who can ensure that their taxpayer dollars are protected."

Foy said he's been working hard to ensure that residents in both cities and unincorporated areas have access to their supervisor and county services.

Keep sending in mailers and I will keep posting them.

It looks like Peter Foy has drawn a tough challenger. Bruce Thomas is a Moorpark School Board Member and dedicated community volunteer. I think Peter Foy has done an okay job as Supervisor but he could be more dedicated to this job instead of traveling the state for partisan events to protest the president. I will ask Bruce Thomas for an interview in the next few weeks. Until then here is his press release:

BRUCE THOMAS CHALLENGES PETER FOY

US Marine Officer, School Board Member, Financial Adviser To Run
March 12, 2010
Bruce Thomas, the Moorpark School Board Member, family financial adviser, and former U.S. Marine Officer, filed papers to today to challenge incumbent County Supervisor, Peter Foy. Thomas will run in County Supervisor District #4, which includes Moorpark, Simi Valley and Somis.

Thomas said, "I believe East County voters deserve a Supervisor who is committed to working full time to protect our jobs and small businesses, neighborhoods, and vital environmental and agricultural resources".

"As a local elected official, I see the negative impact of partisan gridlock and personal political ambitions on our government's ability to simply do what's right for our communities. I aim to change that by providing hard working, focused leadership you can trust", he continued.

Bruce Thomas has a lifetime of dedicated military, financial and community service. He served 20 years in the U.S. Marines and was the Moorpark American Legion Post Commander for 8 years. Bruce is an elected member of the Moorpark School Board and serves on numerous local community service boards and committees.

Bruce is married to Heidi, a public school teacher. They have three children Justin, a LA police officer; Amy, a physical therapist and Tara, an assistant public school principal.

This year is going to be great for blog traffic. I have many races that the print media won't be covering much combined with candidates like Audra Strickland and Jim Dantona who always get massive attention.

Jim Dantona is running for Ventura County Clerk-Reporter. He has shown in the past he is a tough campaigner when he defeated an incumbent supervisor and then came close in a run-off to Peter Foy in a Republican district. His declared opponent is Supervisor Peter Foy's Chief of Staff Mark Lunn.

The Ventura County Clerk-Recorder is in charge of voter registration and running elections. I want to see a candidate that isn't on the central committee for their party and won't use the position to directly influence elections. I wouldn't mind if they resigned from their party and promised to rarely endorse candidates.

I also want to expand voter registration and Vote By Mail efforts across our communities including (but not limited to) minorities, young people, military members and senior citizens. My ideal candidate will rally young people on campuses to vote and see a major duty of theirs to increase voter turn out.

I will be following these candidates closely to see who offers us the clear choice. Jim Dantona has earned my respect for his energetic campaigning. Let's see if he will earn my vote.

In related news Peter Foy might be too busy to help Mark Lunn much. Check back in a few days to see why.

To all of the candidates: If you ever see a comment that is personally offensive or otherwise over the top send me an email to have it removed. I often remove comments and I don't post who requested me to delete the comment.

When Peter Foy ran for county supervisor he chose businessman/farmer for his ballot designation, even though his primary source of income and his main experiences were running an insurance firm. That's why I dubbed him Farmer Foy. The exaggerations candidates are willing to make to come up with a powerful ballot designation continues to amaze me.

Because of that I asked a friend Brian Mack to create a photoshop of Peter Foy as Farmer Foy.

Now, I am again putting out a call for a photoshop from a reader. You will be given credit and a link back to your website.

This time I need Peter Foy photoshopped as a communist leader. Choices include Stalin, Mao, Fidel Castro, Marx, or any other easily recognizable communist figure.I will explain why later.

If I get a photoshop by Sunday night I will post a picture of myself photoshopped as Vladimir Lenin.

Here is a recent photo submitted from a reader:

Mike Gibson, frequent antagonist of many around here, has said he is running for cuty council in Ventura in Walmart.

If you want to take credit for it leave a comment.

The new teenage Republican group is meeting tomorrow. Here is their meeting reminder:

Dear Friend, This is a reminder that this Saturday, April 4, is RECLAIM's first meeting from 10am to 12pm at the Thousand Oaks Republican Headquarters, 2219 E. Thousand Oaks Blvd. Thousand Oaks, CA 91362. This is an introduction meeting to RECLAIM and its goals. RECLAIM is an organization geared toward Teenage Republicans in Ventura County and its surrounding areas. The purpose of RECLAIM is to encourage teenagers to become more active in politics on all levels. Both Co-founders, Claira Guerra and Steven Page, will be in attendance to introduce themselves to attendees. Mike Osborn, the Ventura County Republican Chairman, and Chris Collier, the county party Executive Director, will be there, as well, to help commemorate the beginning of a new era in the county. A special guest speaker will be present to give a speech on the future of the Republican Party and its place in modern politics. Two workshops will be available to attendees on ways to become an effective activist and how the county party can provide you opportunities to bring effective change to America starting at the grassroots level. This time will also allow attendees to voice their opinions on important issues. You wont want to miss this great opportunity!!!!!!!!!!!!! RSVP's are not required but greatly appreciated. Inform all the teenagers you know about this momentous occurrence. Sincerely, Claira Guerra and Steven Page Co-founders of RECLAIM Address: 2219 E. Thousand Oaks Blvd. Suite 103 Thousand Oaks, CA 91362 Phone Number: (805)557-1240 Email: reclaim@rocketmail.com

I hope the young people take this opportunity to tell the older Republican leaders how their generation differs on the issues of the day. Most people assume that Democrats have a lock on the youth vote but the truth is George W. Bush actually came within roughly a point of taking the youth vote in 2000.

This time Barack Obama earned their support by greater than a 2 to 1 margin. Some Republicans want to dismiss these voters as naive or caught up in a moment, but ridiculing them isn't likely to get them to stop supporting the president.

What happened? How did the Republican Party lose almost this entire generation to Barack Obama? Sure, some of them didn't understand the issues but I have talked to adults that thought he was a secret Muslim or forwarded me some really dumb and racist emails. Ignorance isn't confined to any age category or political party.

Many of the young people that I know were passionate, serious minded, and engaged in the process. That goes for conservative and progressive young people. I suggested to a few young conservatives that they attend this meeting.

America is best served by parties and candidates that compete for votes across the nation and in every demographic. We need these young people to learn from their party elders and most of all inform their party what needs to change.

Here is their announcement:

SANTA BARBARA COUNTY TEA PARTY VENTURA COUNTY TEA PARTY LLOYD MARCUS STARS! SANTA BARBARA'S BIG, COOL TEA PARTY ADDS NATIONALLY ACCLAIMED MUSICIAN TO ITS UNIQUE TAX REVOLT EVENT Our city's unique version of the national grassroots tea party movement, Santa Barbara's Big, Cool Tea Party, has scored a musical coup. The tax savvy group has announced they have signed popular singer-songwriter Lloyd Marcus to perform at their rally this Saturday. Remembered by entertainment insiders as the man who gave Oprah Winfrey her start in broadcasting, Mr. Marcus will be flying in from Florida to inspire the tea party's expected crowd of 1,500. The musician's just released "American Tea Party Anthem" has become an instant hit after its national premiere last Tuesday on FOX TV. "I'm looking forward to my first trip to your town and excited to be participating in Santa Barbara's Big, Cool Tea Party," reported Mr. Marcus. "The organizers have put together an unusual event, mixing fun and drama with historical perspective. . . . the Paul Revere Ride is great . . . It's all a class act. I like their upbeat attitude." The dynamic singer is spokesman for Our Country Deserves Better PAC and President of NAACPC. He earned millions of fans with his smooth vocals when he toured the country during the 2008 presidential campaign; many from around the state will be driving hours to hear him this weekend. In addition to his performance at the rally, Mr. Marcus will be feted by Mary Belle and Tom Snow at a private party on Friday evening. The tea party is a family friendly event. Also getting star billing is the march's leader, "Paul Revere," who will deliver his 2009 warning to his fellow citizens as he rides on horseback through downtown. The American icon will be followed by a drum and fife band, colorful Revolutionary War characters and modern day patriots. The rally includes celebrities and tax experts, with Mr. Marcus as headliner. Participants are asked to assemble at the Courthouse at 2:30 PM. For registration and information, please visit www.santabarbaracountyteaparty.org.

Talk show host Tammy Bruce has added national panache to Santa Barbara's Big, Cool Tea Party this Saturday. According to SBCTP Committee Member, Maureen Murphy, Ms. Bruce agreed to be join in the tax revolt group's event yesterday. "We was just thrilled she gave the OK. She originally couldn't come because of travel plans, but she changed it to attend the event."

Flagshipped at KABC Radio and nationally syndicated with 153 affiliates, Ms. Bruce's show premiered in Los Angeles in 1993 and has been running six days a week ever since. The popular, often witty communicator is the author of three best sellers on social issues, "The Death of Right and Wrong," "The New Thought Police," and "The New American Revolution." A native of Los Angeles, she is well regarded as a political analyst, who consistently argues that Americans' freedom of expression and personal liberty are under attack.

Other speakers include Hollywood screenwriter Andrew Klavan, COLAB Executive Director Andy Caldwell, Senator George Runner ( Editorial note from Brian Dennert: The same State Senator who has been avoiding meeting with Ventura County educators), Lompoc Mayor Richard De Wees, Past President of Santa Barbara Taxpayers Association Joe Armendariz, Gabriella Murrilo, and Erin Graffy de Garcia. The rally's headliner is singer-songwriter Lloyd Marcus, who will perform his latest hit, "The American Tea Party Anthem."

The ambitious local version of the growing national grassroots tax revolt movement begins with a march lead by American Revolutionary War Hero, Paul Revere (portrayed by Tony Browning), on horseback and ends with the rally. Organizers estimate the event will draw 1,500 participants from throughout the region and predict it will be an historic day for Santa Barbara. The tea party starts at the Courthouse at 2:30 PM. It is a family friendly event. Visit santabarbaracountyteaparty.org.

Maybe Ventura County Supervisor Peter Foy will also attend. Here is a photo of him attending a anti-tax rally put on by John and Ken of KFI AM 640
Radio as the California leader of Americans for Prosperity:

Rumors are that he is thinking of running for either Governor or Insurance Commissioner. I think it is more likely he runs for Insurance Commissioner. In a campaign for Insurance Commissioner his past support for far right candidate Alan Keyes wouldn't be as powerful of a negative.

How do you think County Supervisor Peter Foy is going to vote on raises for government employees next week? Click here for a story from The Star that provides documents and details on the proposed wage increases going in front of the Board of Supervisors next week.

If you attend any events and want me to post videos or pictures send them in. Have a fun weekend.

I posted an entry on the Ventura County Tea Party earlier and I didn't notice this event wasn't on the same day until tonight. Click here for information on the Ventura County event. Read through the comments and add your own thoughts.

You don't need to register to comment or use your real name. I rely on my readers to help alert me when a comment crosses the line and should be erased. If you see a comment that should be erased send me an email.

The Ventura County Young Republicans will be holding a mixer Tuesday night with County Supervisor Peter Foy and Thousand Oaks Planning Commissioner Mark Lunn.

Click on continue reading for details.

In related news voting remains open in the poll for who you would like to see as the nominee of the Republican Party for governor in 2010. Supervisor Peter Foy is behind Tom Campbell by just a few votes. Do you want Peter Foy to run? Vote for him and encourage him to run.

I like listening to Jim Kramer but this video of Jon Stewart taking him and Rick Santelli is really funny.

By my count Jon Stewart comes out with another victory.

If Rush Limbaugh is the leader of the Republican Party I nominate Jon Stewart to be the leader for the Democrats.

In poll related news Peter Foy and Tom Campbell are winning among my readers. I am keeping the voting open. Even though she is leading in recent polls Meg Whitman hasn't earned a single vote from my readers. A 3rd term for Arnold Schwarzenegger is beating her. Maybe Peter Foy will actually run, although I think he will run for insurance commissioner.

The above map is posted on the website SaveTheKnolls.com. To see a larger version click on the image.

In the comments section of another entry I asked local community activist Gary Selvaggio to post a map for all of us that aren't familiar with the proposed project in The Knolls that will help us understand the issue more. Thanks Gary for sending it in. I am glad that an open forum exists for us to exchange ideas and ask questions.

On the same topic local Santa Susana resident ( Santa Susana is sometimes called The Knolls, which is in unincorporated county land.) Susan Wells sent me an email to publish detailing me her frustration with the county government, a local developer, and Supervisor Peter Foy. I haven't investigated all the claims but I know this issue has simmered for years and has caused bad relations between different sides in the debate over the development. Here is her letter:

Dear Brian:

I am outraged, distressed, and deeply terrified at the news that the State of California wants to rezone our rural Santa Susana Knolls Horse Ranch to accommodate 471 housing units!! And other areas that are being proposed are on the Susan Pass Road...and area that BURNS nearly every year!!

Did the state learn nothing from the recent fires that destroyed high-density housing in fire zones? The Mobile home park that burned should have been a wakeup call...high-density housing does not belong in fire zones!

This is simply wrong. Misguided. And deadly.

First of all, we are in a high-fire zone, with a dangerous railroad track at our doorstep and no infrastructure to take care of a high-density development.

Second of all, we don't have enough water for the current residents, let alone 1,000-plus more!

And, why wasn't anyone in the Knolls notified of this before Tuesday's Board of Supervisor's meeting? What happened to notification protocol? Our Supervisor Peter Foy said nothing to us. We had to read about this in the newspaper. This is wrong.

The threat of Colton Lee Communities current proposal for 100+ manufactured home units on the site of the Knolls Horse Ranch was scary enough: Basically a fancy trailer park complete with a pool, clubhouse, and only one road in and out. Potential residents would purchase a manufactured home, choose a site in the park, and then pay rent to Colton Lee Development, oblivious to the fact that they are living on borrowed time in a high fire zone. Couple that with developer Colton Lee Communities' proposal for an ill-conceived and destructive road-widening project, and that the soil is within the contamination zone of Rocketdyne!! Why is this project even in any sort of consideration?

It doesn't take much imagination to extrapolate how much more devastating and dangerous 471 units and the resulting traffic would have on this rural neighborhood. As many as 1,200 more cars could be coming and going into the Knolls, across a very busy railroad track. A very dangerous railroad track, complete with Metrolink trains and very long and noisy freight trains, day and night, seven days a week.

Now, add a catastrophic fire in the hills like the one we survived in 2005. A VERY LONG train was stopped on the tracks, because fire was surrounding the track to the east, blocking escape on Katherine Road. Susana Pass Road was shut down because of the fire blazing on the pass. In essence, Katherine Road was completely shut down on the north and the south.

Can you picture the panic? Can you picture the bottleneck of 1.200 cars trying to exit onto Katherine road from a 471-unit development? Can you picture the casualties? The body bags?

This is madness!

Susan L. Wells
Susana Knolls, CA 93063

I stumbled across the ad above while looking at FlashReport.org, a California Republican blog and news summary page.

Have you heard of the California chapter of this group that Peter Foy is promoting?

From what I gather they are a small government, anti-tax, anti-regulation, and human caused global warming denying group. I have seen a few press releases and events where they bring an inflatable ATM ( that stands for Already Taxes to the Max) and argue that the state budget should not be fixed with higher taxes.

Here is a video of Peter Foy at an ATM event:

Click here for their website.

I would think this points to Peter Foy planning to run for a higher office (Rumor is he is thinking of running for Insurance Commissioner in 2010) and advocating for conservative causes could help raise his profile and make more contacts statewide.

Ventura County Supervisor Peter Foy has been a long time supporter of conservative candidates and causes. Back in 1996 he supported far right candidate Alan Keyes in the Republican primary. If Peter Foy does run for statewide office I expect his past support for Alan Keyes will be a powerful criticism that could stop his ability to win over moderate voters. Is 1996 too distant to use in a campaign?

Alan Keyes sued to stop President Barack Obama from taking the office because of the conspiracy theory that Barack Obama wasn't born in America.

Alan Keyes said that Hillary Clinton moving to New York to run for the vacant senate seat endangered federalism. A few years later he moved to Illinois to run against Barack Obama to protect federalism.

Alan Keyes wants to eliminate the right to vote directly for senators and restore this function to the state legislatures.

Alan Keyes said that it is selfish hedonism to be gay and when the interviewer asked if the daughter of Vice President Cheney fit that description he said "Of course she is. That goes by definition."

Alan Keyes dropped out of the Republican Party in 2008 after failing to get almost any attention in the primaries ( did you remember he ran?) then tried to get the nomination of the Constitution Party, then after he failed to get their nomination he ran as an independent candidate. The platform of the Constitution Party doesn't appeal to the electorate of California.

I am sure we have all cast a vote here of there for a candidate we would prefer not to have linked to us but the difference is Peter Foy was a leader trying to get Alan Keyes elected. A fair defense I would expect Peter Foy to claim is that most of the wackiest things Alan Keyes has said happened after Peter Foy supported him.

I think Peter Foy has done a decent and effective job representing Simi Valley but his politics don't seem like a match for California. But would that be ignored in a campaign for Insurance Commissioner?

If Peter Foy runs for Insurance Commissioner and Audra Strickland continues to run for Secretary of State Ventura County elected officials might start getting more attention. Anyone remember that last Ventura County politician to get elected statewide? Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell's state senate district included Santa Barbara and Ventura County but he is from Santa Barbara.

So, what do you say? Do you want Supervisor Foy to run for Insurance Commissioner? I would support him if his platform focused on the job of Insurance Commissioner, if I agreed with his ideas for the office, and if he wasn't going to use the position to advocate for far right causes and candidates. The ATM stuff doesn't surprise me but some of the other issues do. Peter, in retrospect does Alan Keyes represent your world view?

What do you think? Is Peter Foy too conservative for a bland, but important, job like Insurance Commissioner?