In an unusually aggressive political move, the Ventura County Deputy Sheriffs Association and the Ventura County Professional Firefighters have put up a combined $75,000 to produce and air a cable television commercial for Democratic Senate candidate Hannah-Beth Jackson.

The local deputies' group put in $50,000, local firefighters $25,000 and the statewide Police Officers Research Association kicked in another $25,000 to pay for the ad.

In it, members of the Deputies Association speak on camera about Jackson's public safety credentials, and the ad concludes: "No one will work harder to protect you, your family and your home."

Independent expenditure committees are increasingly playing a role in the campaign, but this is the first one that is locally based. Most such groups are funded by statewide unions or by large corporations and industry PACs.

One noteworthy observation: Several years ago the Deputy Sheriffs Association sought to recruit Republican Senate candidate Tony Strickland to run for county supervisor. Strickland decided against the idea.