Thanks to Democratic Party activist Sharon Hillbrant for allowing me to post her photos of the event.

Candidate for Ventura County Sheriff Geoff Dean quickly helps candidate for the Democratic nomination for 35th State Assembly District Susan Jordan hang her sign. Dean is a Republican but is trying to earn votes from across our community. Warren Harwood, candidate for the Democratic nomination in the 37th Assembly district. is in the background. He doesn't have a website or any online presence that I can find.

Tonight I am interviewing Monique Dollone, who is running for a position on the school board for the city of Ventura.

I am going to be asking her questions about her campaign, charter schools, accountability, and more.

This entry is just for this interview between us two.

If you have suggestions, comments, or criticisms use the entry below this post.

To read the interview click on continue reading.

Also, I am now using Twitter.com to cover local politics. Go to twitter.com/dennert or click on Twitter on the right hand side of this blog for my latest tweets.

Thanks for reading my blog.

UPDATE:

UPDATE: Here is a statement directly from Monique Dollonne:

For clarification: Monique Dollonne never said she was endorsed by Marcos Vargas or CAUSE. Marcos Vargas' name was listed under her supporters' list. Marcos Vargas, as an individual has supported her financially and morally in her previous campaign and has committed to support her financially in her current campaign as an individual and not as a CAUSE representative. She never sought an endorsement from CAUSE as an organization since CAUSE has never supported the fight for equity and justice in education for the children of Ventura , which is what Monique is all about. She believes all our children can learn and should all have access to the best education our American system could and should provide. All her supporters care about the children first! They have the courage to stand up to the broken system, step out of the delusional bubble created by the bureaucracy and make a change for the benefit of all our children!

Dear Ventura Voters,

What is it with the clover that two candidates for office are using them on their signs? Do your other candidates also have lucky charms? Are Irish-Americans a key constituency in your town? Is Mike Gibson trying to get some Monahan Magic?

Thanks,

Brian Dennert

PS. I will post a statement from any candidate that wants to explain their use of the clover on the front page of this blog.

Mike Gibson is among the early candidates to have their signs up for the November Ventura City elections and is said to have the most up so far. He sent in the above photo and the following message:

This is to formally announce my candidacy for Ventura City Council for the November 3, 2009 election. I filed my nomination papers with the City Clerk's Office today. I thought you might be interested in posting the announcement on your blog. Please find more information on my background, experience, education, platform, position on the issues, etc. on my campaign Web site: mikegibsonforcitycouncil.com. Thanks and let me know if you need any additional information on my campaign. Thanks.

I have been critical of Mike Gibson on many occasions but the fact that he keeps sending me stuff to post shows he doesn't back down. Mike, let me know what Thursday you want me to interview you.

Click here for his website.

Click here for Mike Gibson's announcement from the last campaign.

Click here to read the debate he had with progressive blogger David Atkins on if America is a center right nation.

I will be posting this poll on every entry I write discussing the Ventura City Council elections.

Click on the appropriate button below to share this entry on a social network like Facebook.

Note: I bumped this to the top of my blog because this is the biggest annual Democratic event.

UPDATE: State Senator Fran Pavley, recently back from meeting with President Barack Obama, will be attending. Here is a photo of her meeting President Barack Obama:

Fran Pavley pushed through legislation that would have allowed California to set a different standard for new vehicles. Under President George W. Bush the EPA didn't allow the legislation to go into effect. But President Obama brought together environmentalists and automanufacturers together to agree on some changes that create higher federal standards. Her legislation started here in California but will be going into effect across the nation.

Click here for an article from Michael Collins explaining this in more detail.

The Ventura County Democratic Central Committee holds an annual Spring Fling Party to raise money for their organization and to have a good time. This event is great for aspiring candidates to meet with activists, get a quick introduction, and practice their stump speech.

There is room set out for those that want to put up a table to support their causes and candidates.

To purchase tickets, reserve space for a table, or to make sure your candidate is introduced click on continue reading for the contact information for the committee putting on the event.

This year they are also inviting all of the Democratic candidates for attorney general to speak. There will be opportunities to meet the candidates, ask them questions, and sign up to help their campaigns. I haven't yet confirmed the list of Attorney General candidates that will be there.

Candidates or elected officials I expect to be there ( beyond the attorney general candidates):

House of Representatives CA 24 ( Currently Gallegly)

Confirmed with me that they are attending:

Shawn Stern (Officially declared)
Marie Panec ( Possible candidate)
Tim Allison ( Possible candidate)

Haven't heard if she is attending:

Marta Jorgenson ( Officially declared)

Democrat Shawn Stern has a great looking website put together. I am sure more policy positions and future events will be posted in the coming months. He does know a way to drive up his google rank and to catch my attention is to post a link to this blog.

Shawn, thanks for the link on your website. Here is a return favor:

State Assembly 35th District ( Currently Pedro Nava)

Confirmed by me that they are attending:

Susan Jordan
"Absolutely. Wouldn't miss it for the world!"

Das Williams
"organizing and participating with the local Democratic Party is the best way to move forward a progressive agenda."

Others:

Ventura City Council Member Ed Summers

Any other candidates that you have heard will be attending?

Ventura City Manager Rick Cole recently posted the above video on sprawl that has the provocative line in it about the biggest threat to America. The video was an award Winner of The Congress for New Urbanism CNU 17 video contest. Rick didn't say he was endorsing all of the views in it so I asked him for a comment and this is what he sent me:

Sustainability is not based on wishes or desires, but on the ability to continue to function within available resources. Unfortunately, by that standard, much of the way we've built our suburbs is not sustainable, despite our wishes and desires. This clip makes the dramatic point that sprawl is not sustainable. The hard part, of course, is what comes next: adapting what we've built so that we can sustain our communities past the era of cheap energy and the illusion that we can take without giving back. Here in Ventura, we're working hard on that challenge, recognizing that not everybody even agrees on the problem, let alone the solution(s). But our 2005 General Plan recognizes that Ventura citizens have repeatedly voted against sprawl.

Click here for Rick Cole's blog.

Would you like it if your city council or city manager posted blog entries on vital issues in your city? The City of Ventura is leading the way for the time being. Send me an email if you are a city manager and want to start blogging .

( The Employee free Choice Act is a proposal law in congress that would make it easier for unions to organize. Like many corporations Walmart is against it. For many unions it is their top legislative priority. Click here for a summation of the legislation on Wikipedia.

In the latest email from the coalition against a WalMart superstore in Ventura they have added a new feature that helps people send letters to their elected officials. Because I don't live in Ventura and don't feel the need to share my opinion on the subject I won't say much on the proposal.

But I am impressed with the way they are organizing the grassroots using technology. Click here to see the technology that connects people to their elected officials.

Here is their latest email blast:

WalMart Demands Special Treatment from Ventura . . .

As you may know, the multinational corporation WalMart has plans to move to the old Kmart site on Victoria Avenue, and intends to expand the original size of the store to create a huge megastore, vastly increasing truck traffic and hurting local retail businesses. They want Ventura to make some exceptions to the rules for development along Victoria Avenue, so they can build the kind of mega-store that will really change the neighborhood and our city.

As a concerned Ventura resident, we know you care about the special character of Ventura and would be willing to speak out to prevent a huge development that would be out of step with our careful community planning. Follow the link below and get more information and send an email to the Ventura City Council telling them no special treatment for Walmart, no changes to the Victoria Avenue Plan.

Click HERE to take action.

You can also forward this email to your family and friends by using the
Forward to Friend link below!
Thanks in advance for your continued support!
The Stop Wal-Mart Ventura Coalition
www.StopWalmartVentura.com

The California State Supreme Court listened to arguments today to determine if Proposition 8 was a legal amendment to the State Constitution or if it was a major revision. They are also considering the fate of the approximately 18,000 people that got married while gay marriage was legal in California. The lawyers in support of Proposition 8 are arguing that these families should be treated differently under the law and that their marriages should be legally voided.

Whatever the courts and lawyers argue the issue is to me a religious issue. If your religion doesn't want to acknowledge love between two men or two women as essentially the same, then so be it. To my friends that were married before Proposition 8 passed you should know that the power that validates your love isn't a court of law. The power is your friends, your family, and from a much higher power.

In these of all times it is wrong that people would seek to invalidate the marriages of two people that love each other. Marriage is more than some rights. If it was just some legal rights we wouldn't be debating it so much. Marriage is also focused on responsibility and duty. At the center of marriage is love.

With the shape of the world tonight we should be encouraging duty, responsibility, and love. We need to support more love and to find ways to help it to flourish. Marriage is a building block of our civilization and we should encourage two people that love each other to create a stable and beneficial partnership that will reward themselves and our communities.

The ultimate question over marriage is if love is essentially the same between two people of the same gender. If you believe it is the same then you likely believe in marriage equality. Same gender love is not like love between two friends nor is it the same as love between parent and child. It shares traits, but it isn't the same. It is no different then love between man and woman and therefore shouldn't be treated any differently.

The dream might be deferred but in the long run it is likely best if marriage equality is supported in an election and not only by courts. I will be there on the street corners and on the internet to push for that day. I was inspired by seeing so many young people come out to rally in Simi Valley for themselves and for their families. I met people I didn't know were directly impacted or cared so passionately for justice on this issue. Regardless of the court ruling know that we will organize again, this time with better resources and a better plan. The campaign was so negative from both sides last time, but next time we will focus on the families involved.

Do you remember the ad above from the Courage Campaign? It was one of the more controversial ads that went directly after the Mormon Church for their involvement in the Yes on Proposition 8 campaign. It sparked outrage and news coverage on the internet and on television. One of the creative minds behind it, David Atkins, is now going to be involved in a local progressive radio show.

Two other bloggers have already reported it but in case you missed it there is a new Democratic radio show in town. I like to post entire press releases to help give you a closer look at local politics. Click on continue reading for the press release.

Who would you like to see the Dynamic Democratic Duo interview in the near future?

Click here to read Timm Herdt's blog.

Click here to read Marie Lakin's blog.

Ventura City Deputy Mayor Bill Fulton has updated his blog again, this time with a personal take on the impacts of the recession and budget cuts.

Here is a quote from Bill Fulton's blog:

The months ahead will not be easy. Starting tomorrow night (Monday), we on the City Council will start eliminating positions and possibly even laying people off. Over the next couple of months, we will be making even more severe cuts in city services - cuts that people will inevitably feel, even if we try to blunt the impact. We may well ask the voters for an increase in the sales tax. But even if it passes, that won't generate enough money to restore all the services we have now. So we will be faced with terrible choices. Do we want to lay off police officers in order to keep the libraries open? Shall we close the parks or stop paving the streets? Shut down a fire station or stop servicing our vehicles?

My friend Marie Lakin has been writing extensively on the budget cuts in Ventura's budget. Click here to see her blog.

Here are some other city themed blogs:

1. Click here for Ventura City Manager Rick Cole's blog.

2. Click here for Ventura City Attorney Ariel Pierre Calonne's blog.

3. Click here for Santa Paula City Manager Wally Bobkiewicz's blog. ( UPDATED W/ Mountain Lion information.)

4. Click here for Ventura City Council Member Bill Fulton's Planning and Development Blog and here for his city council blog.

Why is it that the City of Ventura has so many blogs written by city hall insiders? I am impressed with the effort to be transparent and accessible.

Hey Mike,

Thanks for debating Dailykos.com blogger David Atkins in my first Thursday night Live event. As a way of saying thank you here is your campaign announcement for the Ventura City Council elections. When you get a chance send me in a photo to use for the upcoming election season.

Here is the announcement:

Not to take any of the wind out of Peter's sails, but another exciting announcement (a little closer to home for me) is on the verge of being made.

Thanks and God bless you all!

123mycodes.com

How is the election over WalMart in Ventura shaping up? Will it be the dominate issue
in the Ventura City elections? I don't live in Ventura but I think it will be the most covered issue with each candidate being asked questions and their opinions on the subject.

If the proposed expansion is a referendum on WalMart I think the Bentonville corporation will be allowed to build. But if they can convince people they can support WalMart, but oppose this specific location or project somehow it will turn out different.

The question I also have is who locally will work for each side in the debate. Any progressive politicians, consultants, or activists that support the store will have to face their allies for supporting WalMart. Conservatives that support it will make themselves a target for well funded and energetic unions.

For a background on the subject my friend Marie Lakin, the blogger behind Making Waves, has written extensively on it. Click here to see what she has written on the subject.

Here is an interesting article that will get anti-WalMart activists talking:

Wal-Mart wants to build a Supercenter within a cannonshot of where Robert E. Lee and Ulysses S. Grant first fought, a proposal that has preservationists rallying to protect the key Civil War site.

Click here for the story.

I got my Myspace Countdown from 123mycodes.com

The city of Ventura will be voting on a proposition aimed at stopping a WalMart from being built in their city. Click on continue reading for the whole story.

Marie Lakin, of the blog Making Waves, has a detailed blog post on the subject, including comments from Ventura's City Manager. Click here to see her in depth post on the subject.

This is a call for graphic designers. What do you think the yard signs and other materials for both sides should look like?

I know for comedians politicians like George W. Bush and Arnold Schwarzenegger are good for business. For us political bloggers the same goes for more elections. Especially when it is an easy to understand issue that most people have an opinion on.

Even though the election is approximately a year away do you have an opinion on it already? How will you or how would you vote?