Are you frustrated with people disguising their party affiliation on slate mailers? In the last cycle I have seen Republican candidates supported by their party pay to be included on slate mailers that appear to be from Democrats. Local Democratic candidates have done it too. To purposefully attempt to mislead voters while claiming to be running a honest campaign is a tough task.

If you want to do something the local Democratic Party would like your help. I have copies of most of the mailers if you need to include them with your letter.

I am glad the Ventura County Democratic Party is organizing this letter writing campaign. Here is their request:

Demand Truth in Political Advertising: Send an Email to the FPPC Now!

You see them cluttering your mailbox every election cycle. If you're like many California voters, you may even have been fooled by them: deceptive slate mailer advertisements that are meant to trick voters and hide the big money, special interests who pay for them.

Using patriotic pictures of eagles and made-up names like the "Voting Information Guide for Democrats," they fool many unsuspecting voters into thinking they are actually reporting official Democratic Party endorsements, when in fact space on these mailers is often sold to the highest bidder -- in some cases giant oil, insurance, and utility companies! These purported Democratic mailers often take take positions that are the exact opposite of the Democratic Party's values.

MANY GOOD INITIATIVES AND CANDIDATES, INCLUDING PROPOSITION 15, THE CALIFORNIA FAIR ELECTIONS ACT, HAVE LOST IN PART DUE TO DECEPTIVE SLATES.

We urge you to send a letter now asking for serious reform of deceptive slate mailers!

California's Fair Political Practices Commission now has a Political Reform Act Task Force that is collecting public comments on reforms of the rules governing slate mailers. The Ventura County Democratic Party has joined groups like California Clean Money Campaign and California Common Cause to ask for SERIOUS slate mailer disclosure reform to put an end to these deceptive practices.

The proposals would institute truth in slate advertising by requiring non-official Democratic Party slate mailers to:

* Clearly say they are "NOT the Official Slate of a Democratic Party Organization" wherever they use the word "Democrat" or "Democratic" Party.
* Identify right under the title when they are "Paid Political Advertising."
* Make absolutely clear that the listings are "Paid" endorsements everywhere paid endorsements are shown and indicate who is actually paying for them.

THE FPPC NEEDS TO HEAR FROM ACTIVE MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC LIKE YOU!

Send a letter asking for serious reform of deceptive slate mailers now!

Our easy letter-writing tool will provide you a draft letter that includes the Ventura County Democratic Party's recommendations. (See the rest of our recommendations when you send the email!)

Thanks for everything you do for clean money and fair elections,

Richard Carter, Chairman,
Ventura County Democratic Party

I am interviewing the new Chair of the Ventura County Democratic Central Committee tonight as a part of my ongoing feature titled Thursday Night Live.

Click on continue reading for a news story on his selection to be Chair of the VCDCC.

Click on continue reading to see the interview.

Richard,

Thanks for taking your time to come on my blog tonight. Click on continue reading to see my first question.

UPDATE: The interview is over but click on continue reading to see it.

I caught the closing statements at the League of Women Voters' Forum for Simi Valley City Council candidates tonight. By the time I arrived there was approximately forty people there including reporters, bloggers, supporters, candidates, and maybe an undecided voter. I am not sure about that last category yet.

I am going to have a few entries in the following days about the event but the first entry is focusing on Richard Paul Carter. Click on the video above to see his cosing statement. Click here to see his website.

I talked with him and he agreed to answer questions from me and from my readers.

Here are my questions:

1. Your campaign literature says you are against the landfill/dump expansion. Could you explain why? What do you think of the arguments that it will create jobs, bring in taxes, and that Waste Management has been a strong partner of our community?

If the trash was mostly from Ventura County would that influence your opinion?

2. You say you want to help local businesses compete. Why do you see that as a function of government and more specifically as a function of the Simi Valley City Council?

3. What do you think of the Shop Simi Valley First campaign? Do you think it is a wise use of taxpayer dollars? Do you think it is effective? How did you arrive at your conclusion?

4. Do you attend city council meetings? f you do share with us what you have learned from attending them.

5. Would you be in favor of higher taxes to buy open space? How else would you go about preserving open space if it belongs to private landowners?

6. What local elected official do you admire the most?

7. How are you communicating with voters? Are you walking precincts, making phone calls, sending mailers, or posting signs?

That's all of my questions for now. What questions do you have for the candidate?

Other candidate Q and A entries will be coming up this weekend.

Please give the candidates time to respond to your questions. Most of them are very busy.