Donna Prenta forwarded me an invite to holiday parties for local kids with disabilities living in group homes.
Click on continue reading to find out all the details.
With Christmas around the corner it seems right to share news about local charities and groups doing the right thing. If your group has news to share let us all know.
By the way, I posted a few weeks back asking where there is a Toy drop off for the Foy Toy drive* but I haven't heard anything back. Does anyone know a local Simi Valley Toy Drop off?
Looks like the SSFL and Runkle Canyon are morphing into the same issue.
With all the news about the state getting involved with Runkle Canyon or RunkleDyne as the Radiation Rangers have labeled it I am wondering if this issue will ever be used as a candidate to win votes in an upcoming election. We know Jim Dantona will use it but what exactly has he done to claim a bit of credit? What about Audra and Tony Strickland? Have they said much about it?
City leaders are against building on it and want the best science available. Of course, but who doesn't? Who is the rush to judgment candidate? ( Sidenote: I have observed cattle grazing within Boeing land at the SSFL and at Runkle Canyon. Don't worry though I bet the "best" science says it is fine to consume cattle grazing on land high in a variety of toxins.)
I was also curious what is the easiest way to track local candidates financial statements to disapprove or back up the Radiation Rangers allegation that the city council took money from developers involved? Is there a way we can check this online?
Waste Management's application has been deemed complete and know the proposed dump expansion can move onto the next step. Read the article on The Star's website for more details.
The quote that stands out the most to me?
"The application also included plans on establishing sewage treatment at the site."
I also need an explanation on how it can double in size but not raise its daily cap. What would that do to truck traffic?
( This is the second dispatch from my friend and blog contributer Owen who is from Simi Valley but has moved to Iowa to campaign for John McCain. Owen, if California gets a chance to cast a meaningful vote for McCain it will be because of people like you. Happy Thanksgiving.)
Iowa Caucuses Dispatch #2 by Owen Paun
In order to select a party’s candidate for president, each state has a certain number of delegates who cast votes at the party convention, which usually takes place the summer before the election. Most states have primary elections to determine who that state will support at the convention. That is, the population votes as normal, by going to an election site, and the winner will receive the support of that states’ delegates. There are a few states, however, who have Caucus, which are much more complicated that a simple vote.
Iowa has the very first primary in the country, and it happens to be a caucus. Instead of going at your leisure to a polling place, caucuses are scheduled events. They usually begin around seven in the evening, and last for one to two hours. They are held in all sorts of locations, from churches and schools to government buildings and living rooms. These meeting have several agenda items, the main ones being the selection of delegates, the creation of a party platform, and a straw poll for presidential preference.
There are approximately 1,700 precincts in Iowa 99 counties, and all of them will have to caucus. The procedural rules are very loose and precincts are free to run the meeting largely how they see fit. The caucuses are a function of the party, not of the state. During an election year, the overriding issue is the declaration of presidential preference. Every campaign will have the opportunity to have a representative speak on their behalf, and then the voting begins. The Democrats and Republicans have different systems for this.
Republicans go by straight numbers. Each person gets one vote, and they cast it for whoever they want. There is no standard system, and the voting can be by secret ballot (write name on a piece of paper) or by raising one’s hand or a voice call. These votes are tallied, and communicated to the party. Democrats, however, base their candidate selection on percentage. When a precinct votes, candidates must be “viable” in order to be counted. Viability is determined by have the support of at least 15% of people in attendance. You’ll have people group together to support a candidate, and the not viable candidates will then shift around, either going to an undecided section or joining another candidate. These eventual results, by the way, are not binding. No candidates are actually chosen on this day, that comes at a later point, when the delegates elected go to the district caucuses in April.
The other interesting step of the caucus process is the creation of a party platform. Each precinct will add ideas (planks) to a platform that they think the state party should adopt. Most states craft their platform at the highest levels, while in Iowa it is truly a document of the people. It starts at the precinct, then moves up to the county, district, and finally state levels. Each edits it down until there is a final document that becomes the state platform.
All in all, I like the caucus process. It’s a little quirky, but I think it’s a lot closer to the town halls that were the foundation of our democracy and our country.
Since everyone wants to talk about Mike Gibson on the Jim Dantona entry here is an open thread devoted to Mike Gibson, The City of Ventura, and any other Ventura news.
I came across this story of some shady signature gathering practices and I figured it would be a good lead in for us to talk about local signature gathering. When you see signature gatherers in our community find out who they are working for and send in a report including where they were and what they were doing. This way all of us interested political watchers can keep up.
Thanks,
Brian
PS- A bunch of people allege there are still signs in Ventura but I haven't seen a single picture.
There is a competitive primary for the nomination to take on Tony Strickland ( most likely) in CA-19. The two Democrats at this point are Hannah Beth Jackson ( here is a link about her until she has an official website.) and Jim Dantona.
Here is a recent e-mail from Barbra Williamson she wanted to have posted to start a discussion.
Bar-Hum bug
By Barbra Williamson
I have decided that at this time in my life, little and big things make a difference in how we go about our daily life. One of the most joyous times has been during the holiday season with everyone going about their business, shopping, meeting up with friends for that “hot totty” and of course, gathering at their place of worship. When I was growing up, you could sense the excitement in the air, and how happy people were, and I think it all stems back to people being free to be who they are and not afraid of perhaps insulting them by merely wishing them a very Merry Christmas…now its Happy Holidays to be politically correct…well I say no more! I am going back to saying Merry Christmas and hope it will be received in the spirit in which it was given.
Local Democratic activists Richard and Susan lebeck are throwing an anti-war party this weekend with guest Mary Pallant ( Running for the Democratic nomination for CA-24 currently Gallegly). If you are interested in going click on continue reading for details.
Richard, which of the presidential candidates plans do you like best for Iraq? Is Barack Obama's or Hillary Clinton's draw down plans good enough for you?
( Note from Brian: John McCain just ensured if he is the nominee the gender gap will grow. )
A friend of mine and a reader is in Iowa campaigning for John McCain. Owen is going to be writing a few pieces for us about the Iowa caucus system and about McCain's campaign. Owen, you better get a picture of you and McCain for us. If my readers have questions put them here and Owen can answer them if he gets free time.
Here is the intro installment:
Dispatches from Iowa
By Owen
After a few years overseas, and a few months looking around at my options back home, I’ve decided to get involved as a volunteer in the presidential race. Every presidential election is important because it sets up the administration and the leadership of our country for the next four years. This election is particularly important because it takes place while America is engaged in a war and the president will have considerable say over how it is prosecuted.
Senator John McCain is easily the most qualified candidate on either side of the aisle, and from this field should clearly be our next president. As we all know, McCain did not have the best summer, and many wrote him off for dead. Understanding this, I decided to move out to Iowa and volunteer until the caucuses on January 3rd. That means I’ll be spending my birthday, Thanksgiving, and New Years in a place far from home, and where I have no family or friends. But hey, it’s not the first time.
Why Iowa? California has tried to make itself more relevant by moving its primary up to February 5th, but the main game is still the early states – namely Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Carolina. In order to be more effective, I moved out last week to be where the action is.
I picked Iowa for three main reasons. One, it’s the first contest, and as such carries significant weight. Any effort put in and any increased outcome will bring magnified results. Two, Iowa holds caucuses, which is a somewhat different experience. Instead of just walking into a booth and casting a ballot, people gather and discuss the candidates. In order to vote, you have to sit through all that, so it’s not for the casual voter. Most other primaries are held by a straight election, like during the general. Since caucuses are so rare, I wanted to find out what they are like on the ground, and the strategy for competing in them. Third, the only other state with as much prominence is New Hampshire (South Carolina is more of a place to keep up momentum, not a place to start it), and I figure that there will be much more help in New Hampshire than Iowa. It’s closer to the major population centers of the North-East, and life out there is a bit more cosmopolitan. As such, I imagine they’ll have plenty of volunteers.
So, here I am, a few days in and volunteering on a race for a candidate I strongly believe in. Stay tuned for dispatches from the underbelly of a presidential campaign in a primary state, by a Californian trying to help Iowans pick the next President of the United States of America.
County Supervisor Peter Foy is starting his annual Toy Drive. I will be donating by dropping a present in a local drop box. if you are involved and have a drop off box please post where and what hours we can stop by.
So far Elton Gallegly has not endorsed a Republican for president. I always assumed he would endorse John McCain being that he sent out a mailer with McCain's picture on it in 2000. You can call his campaign office at (805) 522-4487 and e-mail at info@galleglyforcongress.com .
Lois Capps I didn't see on the list either. I don't know where her loyalties are although I sort of remember her going to a Bill Clinton fund raiser in 2000. You can call Lois Capp's campaign office at (805) 884-0202 and e-mail at capps@silcom.com .
Anyways, if you are a local supporter of an '08 candidate have you contacted your local representative? Better then putting a sign in your yard or donating a few bucks an endorsement would put you on the map as an effective organizer.
Here is a list of who has endorsed who thus far.
Congressional candidate Mary Pallant continues to bring progressive speakers from across the country to Ventura County. In the past she has brought people like Fmr. Ambassador Joe Wilson. This time around she is bringing in radio talk show host Thom Hartmann.
In related news I haven't seen any campaign activity from past candidate Jill Martinez so I can't tell you if she is planning a serious run for the nomination.
Normally this blog is about politics but some things move me to plug a cause around town.
A team of great students I know have created a charity to honor one of their own who we all lost in the prime of his life. Tyler Broberg was a treasure to his family and friends. When he died last summer our community lost out. Tyler's friends don't want people to forget what Tyler was about and the values he stood for. To that end they created a new charity to honor his memory. They are trying to raise $50,000 to help Habitat for Humanity to build a home locally in his honor.
You can read all about it with the press release from one of his friends by clicking on continue reading.
To help out you can donate money to the cause. You can also help by asking local media to report on this uplifting story about local teens coming together.
But you can start helping now. Leave a comment and a link back to his website and you can quickly build up the search results. Go to their website and tell us something from it that inspires you.
You can also leave a pledge amount and tell us you are sending it in. Their website even allows you to donate with a credit card.
I will start the pledge drive.
Emilie, come see me next week and pick up a check.
If you have a check, I will come pick it up or you can send it in to 1l2l.org yourself.
I will post how much our pledge drive has raised weekly for the next few months.
We can all dwell on the negative reports about teens or we can help them out when they do something that should be a beacon to all of us. We can all agree that teens helping to raise $50,000 is an audacious goal. Let's support them.
Rep. Dennis Kucinich wants to start a debate over impeaching VP Cheney as an attempt to avert a war with Iran.
I am not as interested in this debate because of the small odds it has but I am interested in who you guys would like to see removed from local office? What local politician has the lowest approval ratings in your book?
I am wondering how the new tools of membership communications and the like are working out in Ventura city elections and other races locally. The article said Republicans are involved but it didn't say what, if anything, they were doing for the Ventura City elections.
The Democrats also have said they plan to be involved but not until next year. Why did Democrats skip out on the Ventura City elections?
We have all heard wild rumors from time to time about how much the local school boards or city councils gets paid. Is there a quick way of checking online how much your local city council gets paid?
I have been a long time fan of John McCain for his efforts to fight against the current earmark or pork barrel spending problem that so many legislators are addicted to. He is the first person that turned me onto reading Citizens Against Government Waste and the reports they issue about where our money ends up.
Some people argue that just because it is an earmark, it doesn't mean that it is by definition waste. At time they can be right. But to restore trust in government we need to have a fair and open budgeting process.
I think that member of congress should release their earmarks that they are pushing for so we can be the judge of it is waste or not. This greater transparency will help restore some of the publics lack of faith in our representatives.
What do you folks think? Should members of congress be open with what earmarks they are looking to get money spent on?
This blog is devoted to the nuts and bolts of local politics.
Have some political Info you want released? Let me know! I want to publicize fundraisers, parties, Web sites, meetup.com events and anything else happening in Ventura County. So, send them to briandennert@yahoo.com.
