This picture is from the 2006 campaign when Glen Becerra was a part of a Hispanic group supporting Arnold Schwarzenegger. A friend of mine Brian Mack created it for this blog. It is a reference to the movie predator.
I wonder of Arnold Schwarzenegger signs a compromise that raises taxes if the local Republican Party will support him vocally or abandon him for raising taxes?
I haven't see it on youtube yet, but Simi Valley City Council Member Glen Becerra was briefly on screen during Senator Joe Lieberman's speech. Glen is a Republican party activist and has been involved in promoting the party for many years.
In 2000 he supported Bush and stood by him when he visited Oxnard. He has also been a supporter of Governor Schwarzenegger as I covered here before.
I saw Glen Becerra about the time Lieberman said something like:
Make the government work for all Americans.
I wonder who he would blame for government currently not working for all Americans?
I guess it doesn't matter since he isn't true to his word. Joe Lieberman said:
Click continue reading to see their press release.
Click here for Timm Herdt's take on the new group.
( Warning: Timm is spelled with two M's. If you send him an email and spell his name wrong he will sign you up for spam.)
A friend of mine puts together websites for Democratic candidates if you want a website put up quickly send me an email.
( Raymond Cruz Simi Valley School Board candidate)
I heard that former school board candidate and current Ventura County Republican Central Committee Ray Cruz picked up papers to run again.
If elected should he resign from the central committee? I haven't thought it through all the way yet but I was curious about your input.
Ray Cruz has a long resume of helping out various causes in town. If I recall correctly he is in the financial services industry and active in his church. He also teaches a Bible Class. I only mention his church life because he has brought it in his past campaign.
UPDATE: Two people I respect went after me because I mentioned that Raymond Cruz is active in his church and that he has taught classes on the Bible .
1. I know Raymond Cruz is very much pleased to share his role in his church with the wider public.
2. In his past campaign he citied his church involvement.
3. He listed himself as an educator. His education background includes teaching people about financial services and teaching at his church. If he was running as an educator it makes sense to mention how he is involved.
4. He has brought up religious issues as part of his platform and not just creationism. About creationism he said: "We should teach creationism and give that an equal balance with evolution." Click here to read the article.
But now with all that being said the other parts of his contribution to our community should be shared more. When he starts putting out a detailed list I will post it. But off the top of my head and with an assist from Google he is also heavily involved with Rotary, The Cultural Arts Center, and the Vino Jazz Festival.
I know I am missing much more about his involvement but I will update it again as the campaign unfolds.
After all the years you have know me and my beliefs, including my religious faith, I think you should apologize for trying to make it look like I was going after him for being a Christian. That is just as unfair and uncalled for as if I actually did.
The Simi Valley Acorn has an update about the Hannah-Beth Jackson supporters who filed a complaint against Assemblymember Audra Strickland's Chief of Staff for the trouble that happened outside of the fundraiser for Tony Strickland that Mitt Romney spoke about.
The story also mentions that Audra Strickland's suspension of her Chief of Staff was not immediate after when she announced it last month but instead started this month.
I think the most accurate quote in the article ( the portion about it being a slow process) was from Jack Phillips:
"The wheels of justice are going," Phillips said. "It's a slow process, but hopefully we'll have some justice done."
The process is often very deliberate and slow. I feel that the longer it takes the more confidence we should have that the police have conducted a thoughtful investigation to arrive at the truth.
But I am divided.
I also want the case to be dealt with expeditiously so that the campaign can focus on campaign finance, the state budget, the environment, education funding and other critical issues.
I am not excusing his behavior. I agree with Assemblymember Strickland that he showed poor judgment. I expect Audra Strickland to stay loyal to a long time friend, employee, and supporter. That is why I am glad she took some responsibility in admitting he displayed poor judgment. He should have been standing with the main group of people there to support Tony Strickland by the hotel, not down the street.
Nor am I saying this is not a serious issue.
Of about 100 protesters total almost all of them were peaceful. It would have been much easier if both groups stayed apart from each other and the Republican group didn't try to claim the whole sidewalk. In the future, would it be that hard to call each other? If a politician claims they will work with people across the aisle to pass major legislation how hard would it be to make a call and work it out before hand?
Thank you to everyone that came out to support their cause and stayed respectful.
I am curious if any member of the press asked the Strickland camp if the accusations about calling people Unamerican and other names is true. There was wild name calling going all around from both sides once the shoving had happened.
For all sides it would be best not to make them wait for months before announcing the results. I am sure the people that asked the police to investigate and Assemblymember Audra Strickland's Chief of Staff all want it dealt with as quickly as can be done. This whole "fracas" ( my favorite word to describe it from Star reporter Teresa Rochester) is hanging over the heads of many people waiting to see what will happen. For all of their sakes I want it resolved soon.
Anyone that feels they owe someone an apology should do it. Maybe if Tony Strickland's campaign apologized and chipped in towards the medical bills for the man that was hurt they could all move forward. It is amazing what a heart felt apology can do in this world. But if people are truly wronged it is unreasonable to expect them to forgive and move forward if you keep denying responsibility.
It would be really cool if Hannah-Beth Jackson and Tony Strickland called each other to work it out on behalf of their supporters. I know the chances are slim, but they have to be better than balancing the state budget without massive tax increases or massive spending cuts, yes? When I see either of them again I won't ask what was talked about but I will ask if they picked up the phone.
Feel free to call me naive.
But if the Strickland campaign feels they did nothing wrong I guess the justice system will grind its heavy and slow gears before issuing an opinion.
Anyone agree with me? Should they call each other?
Here is the story in The Star today in PDF format ( It is not a Rick Roll). If you see it online please post the URL.
( Same Butt Man video as before. I add a image or video to the top to help break up the page. This video remains appropriate to the topic.)
I don't know the full background and the reasons that Bob Larkin doesn't support the Ventura County Republican Central Committee ( VCRCC ) leadership but I do remember it was motivating enough for him to run against Audra Strickland in a primary even though she was a Republican incumbent.
Did you see this letter?
If I didn't know better I would assume Democrats begged him to write this letter.
Do you think Hannah-Beth Jackson's campaign will be asking him to endorse her or to take a leadership role in a group of Republicans supporting her?
How influential is Bob Larkin? Can he help her raise money? Does his name and former title help Hannah-Beth Jackson when he is going after Tony Strickland?
Which candidate will get more elected officials from the other party to cross over and endorse them? Both candidates claim to be able to reach across the aisle to work with people but my earlier question asking if they ever worked together has not been answered yet. Are any of you able to tell us what legislation they ever worked on together being that they both represented Ventura County and they both served together?
Here is his full letter:
Tobacco exacts high toll
Re: your June 8 article, "Tobacco firm funds county GOP":
As a 30-year member and past chairman of the Ventura County Republican Party, I was disappointed to hear that after two decades of Ventura being a Republican county, Democrats now outnumber Republicans in registered voters. That wasn't too surprising though, when statewide registration this year has been 20-to-1 in favor of the Democrats -- 300,000 to 15,000. There has to be a message there if the Republicans are listening.
Just when I thought I couldn't hear worse news, I learned that 88 percent of the funds the Ventura County Republican Party has on hand came from one tobacco company, primarily to support Tony Strickland for the California Senate. Local Republicans should not accept money from the manufacturer of a product that kills upwards of a half million people in the United States every year and hundreds of millions worldwide.
I have six personal reasons why the very idea disgusts me:
-- My dad was a heavy smoker and died of a heart attack at age 53.
The 10 children in our family were born in the 1930s and '40s and grew up in the '40s and '50s. Smoking was considered healthy and glamorous. All 10 of us smoked, as did Johnny Carson, live on "The Tonight Show," and nearly everyone in the movies.
-- My oldest brother has emphysema.
-- My next older sister had throat cancer, followed by lung cancer, and died of a heart attack.
-- A younger brother had emphysema and heart trouble before he died in an accident.
-- My youngest brother died in an apartment fire that was apparently started by a cigarette.
-- Twenty-five years after I quit smoking, I lost a chunk of my tongue to mouth cancer.
The idea that the Ventura County Republican Party and the Stricklands have to beg for money from tobacco companies makes my skin crawl. I would hope they can see what that does to their image, get away from it and get back to raising money the old-fashioned way from local Republicans: by earning it.
The good news for my family is that as far as I know, not one of our children, grandchildren or great-grandchildren smokes. One generation paid a very high price for supporting the tobacco industry, and that was more than enough.
-- Bob Larkin, Westlake Village
( What we were missing by attending the protest. What does the NBA and politics have in common? People shove each other and then a debate breaks out about it. Meanwhile the game continues.)
In an effort to minimize my comments I will allow the article to speak for itself. I want to back up the process by which it was written but as I have said in the past I did not witness the man being knocked to the ground and I didn't see Audra's Chief of Staff push him. I did see him stand in front of the path of people walking up the side walk but I don't know what he said as I was too far back to hear it.
I will say that The Star and reporter Teresa Rochester interviewed many people over the last couple of days to make sure the story was accurate. Reading the article you will see that The Star interviewed the key individuals directly.
Protest organizer Louis Pandolfi notified in advance the media and the police about the protest. Although the police on duty didn't know about it The Star staff including Teresa Rochester to cover the event.
Being that there was about 50 partisans on each side their recollections wouldn't be fair to include. But Teresa Rochester was on scene and had many pictures taken as the events described took place. The Star did not publish all of the pictures.
I know that people will quibble with her story but she is part of the few eyewitnesses to the event that wasn't on a side protesting. Another would be The Star photographer.
I have heard a prominent Democrat in the past complain about her being too favorable to those in power ( Republicans ) and that she was too cautious in her writing.
I am sure people will be arguing about this article too.
Here are some more of my photos from the event:
and...
If someone that has Audra Strickland's released letter sends it to me I will post it so you can read it for yourself.
( Same old Butt Man video. Did I successfully Rick Roll anyone earlier? Be honest.)
The Tony Strickland campaign has a new press release out touting their numbers of counter protesters and how much money they raised. It does not mention the few that took away from the many amongst the protesters on each side.
I am not vouching of the numbers of protesters on either side mentioned in the press release. I saw about 50 on each side.
Click on continue reading for the press release.
I know that I have my critics on both sides but is there any other blog that goes out of their way to post almost every event and press release by both sides?
I will continue adding more photos in the coming days but here are a few more.
These photos are from the shots taken by Greg "Flap" Cole, a conservative, center-right
blogger. Thanks. Click here to see more of his work. He comes across as bitter at times in his writing but in person he is much more charming. If you write your own blog feel free to leave comments with links back to your stuff.
( I know the photo looks bad but remember you are seeing a snapshot of a larger story. The truth is the sidewalk is narrow and people were trying to squeeze by each other. Almost every single protester kept their cool and the only attacks were typical political jabs or attempts to raise the banter up.)
( More peaceful protesters there to support Mitt Romney, Tony Strickland, and lower taxes.)
This photo is my own. It shows the police questioning a Tony Strickland supporter after an altercation between him and a few Hannah-Beth Jackson supporters. After questioning the police agreed to file a citizen's arrest on him by the Hannah-Beth Jackson supporters but he asked and was told he could do the same as he claimed they roughed him up. When the two groups agreed to not arrest each other the police let everyone go. As they didn't directly witness the confrontation they had little evidence, except forthcoming videos including a video from a Hannah-Beth Jackson that was hard to review without audio and on a camera screen, to go on at the time. I am pretty sure there is more information coming out.
I talked to Louis Pandolfi before the protest and he said he let the police know they were coming but apparently the police on the beat didn't know and were not there until people from both sides called after there was an altercation. Both Strickland and Hannah-Beth Jackson supporters admit something happened but disagree on who did what.
The event helped raise a reported quarter of a million dollars which will go a long way in a campaign that the Strickland campaign has said will cost a total of $10 million dollars when all the expenses are added up from all the different groups.
After all the debate about tobacco money Mitt Romney said it was Tony Strickland that would help limit the influence of special interests. From now on I have a new rule. When a local politician says special interest we should insert the names of the interests.
Anyways, I will post a Hannah-Beth Jackson press releases later.
Thanks for leaving comments. I want to remind everyone that if you see a comment that goes way overboard in nastiness or gets too personal send me an email so I can take it down. On a busy day there can be 50 plus comments and I don't read through them all. I know that many of you don't or can't use your real names because of the type of work that you do. I understand that. But most people give more credit to someone that uses their real name. And all of us give more respect to a reasoned post that is fair to all sides instead of a screed. before you post try to think about if you are just screaming back at someone or trying to persuade them. If you are just yelling back remember that isn't how most arguments are won.
( How much do you expect we will be seeing Butt Man following Tony Strickland around? Rumor has it he might get his own Youtube channel.)
I was at the protest ( those against tobacco money in politics and in support of Hannah-Beth Jackson and/or Barack Obama) / counter protest ( those in favor of Mitt Romney, Tony Strickland, The VCRCC, and against Hannah-Beth Jackson ) outside the Tony Strickland event tonight and I have videos and pictures to share.
( Here is a video of Butt Man explaining why he dressed up as a cigarette to protest against The VCRCC and Tony Strickland for taking tobacco money)
I first want to thank all of those on both sides who stood up for their candidates and causes in a responsible manner. Don't allow a few hot heads to take away from everything else that happened. 99% of the people there were in good moods, shared their views fairly, and were there in a peaceful manner. We had a few laughs about why everyone gets excited by "Big tobacco" but "Little Tobacco" doesn't get any mention.
( Butt Man hanging out with some young Barack Obama supporters.)
When I pulled off of the freeway there was people already gathered to support Mitt Romney, Tony Strickland, and attacking "Taxin' Jackson" for also taking tobacco money through taking donations from those that have accepted donations from other people. Tony Strickland's group was rather large. I would estimate it was about 50 people outside the event but on the narrow sidewalk it was hard to get a good number. If you were there do you think I have the numbers right? I didn't get many pictures of them as they arrived earlier than I did and left earlier then the Hannah-Beth Jackson supporters.
The protesters assembled and walked up to the front of the hotel and that is when trouble started. One of Tony Strickland's supporters tried to stop the crowd that was about 30 strong at that point by claiming they had already called the entire sidewalk in front of the hotel. At least that's what I think he was trying to explain. I was in the back trying to get my new memory chip put in to my camera. Then allegedly the Tony Strickland supporter pushed / bumped into an older gentleman and a young lady. There exists multiple copies of either video of photos of the incident that I will be putting up over the next few weeks so you can decide for yourself what happened.
The Police were called as the older gentlemen was injured ( enough to be concerned but not serious enough for an ambulance) and the younger woman had a slight scratch from a nearby shrub.
The Police took witness statements for pretty much the rest of the protest from anyone and everyone involved or standing near. My friend Brian Mack gave the police a video copy of the incident after the police requested it and told him he could get it back in about a week . The police said they were going to arrest the Tony Strickland supporter for pushing people but the Tony Strickland supporter said it was in fact he who was the victim. He said the Democrats came after him. As the police did not witness the incident they said they could arrest both parties but cooler heads prevailed as organizers ( A campaign manager from Tony Strickland's side *I didn't catch the name. Email it to me and I will add his name in* and Louis Pandolfi who supports Hannah-Beth Jackson) from both sides agreed to save the police hours of paperwork and everyone was free to go back to waving their signs.
( The two sides work together to let the police get on with their shift.)
The demonstrations outside the hotel drew Ventura County sheriff's deputies after a scuffle involving the chief of staff for Strickland's wife, Assemblywoman Audra Strickland, R-Moorpark. Joel Angeles was involved in a dispute with an opponent waving placards chiding Tony Strickland for accepting campaign contributions from tobacco companies. A heated verbal argument broke out between Angeles and Strickland opponents, which escalated to a physical tussle between Angeles and some of the protesters. Louis Pandolfi of Simi Valley, who organized the opposition demonstration, said he expected run-ins with supporters, but not as soon as they arrived.
This is the photo in The Star's story but it is not the same incident that drew the Police to file a report.
The protesters waved signs calling out Tony Strickland for taking tobacco money with a variety of lines on them. They also waved many Barack Obama signs too. I would guess that the average person driving up Westlake Blvd. hasn't been following the politics of tobacco money in Ventura politics but they recognize Barack Obama signs and gave a variety of responses as they drove by. The protesters were organized by a Hannah-Beth Jackson supporter, Louis Pandolfi, from Simi Valley and included people from across Ventura County including Democratic activists, college students, and others. The young Republicans were convinced that people were paid to be there to protest against them. I didn't see any of that and I am pretty sure that the only form of exchange was maybe Butt Man getting a free meal for dressing up.
( Is there an online resource for cigarette based puns? )
Once the police were called and they were notified of the problems with their supporter Tony Strickland's campaign staff ( you know who you are!) did a great job of keeping their side away from the other side.
For anyone organizing any sort of protest one suggestion I have is to keep the two sides separate and out of each others' faces. You aren't there to argue with the other side. Don't have someone walk through the other side for fun and not expect weeks of arguing about who started it or who did what first. How about next time the organizers call each other and divide the areas so as to keep people away from each other? If your candidates are promising to work across the aisle I am sure your staff members or supporters can call each other and work something out. What do you say? One group of protesters on each side of the street sounds fair.
( A Strickland supporter explaining his side of the story as he is questioned by the police.)
I didn't see it and neither did most of you. So, don't assume to know what happened without seeing proof. I will post the tapes as they come into me.
State Assembly candidate Ferial Masry was in attendance. I know her son Omar Masry on a personal level so when she told me someone called her a terrorist ( Ferial is Muslim and was born in Saudi Arabia) I took it pretty serious as calling a Muslim a terrorist sounds like a racial slur to me. I walked up w/ video and asked Ferial to ask him to say what he said again and make it a leading question like " say what you said again, please" but by then another Strickland supporter caught wind and said they had no comment. I wanted to allow the man a chance to clarify himself, admit it, or deny it so it wouldn't become another incident without proof. Later, someone else said they were called a terrorist too but they were of European descent so it sounds like over heated political talk and not much else. But I wasn't a witness to it so I don't want to make too much out of it or vouch for exactly what was said.
The protests ended peacefully with both sides making their point. Tony Strickland's supporters, many of which were dressed in suits, and Hannah-Beth Jackson's supporters chanted in support of their candidate and against tobacco money or hypocrisy.
And last but not least the best video of the night can be found by clicking here. Turn on your speakers loud as it is hard to hear.
( Police officers viewing one of the tapes of the shoving incident. I will post the tape if I can get a copy when the police give it back to the owner of it. Will it be the biggest let down since Al Capone's vault or a little more exciting? )
I maintain my earlier argument that the campaign money from tobacco, because it is so unpopular, isn't worth giving your opponents a campaign issue.
So, did you attend the event inside? How was it? I haven't seen many reports but this is what The Star said why Mitt Romney explained he supports Tony Strickland:
Is there any mistakes in my report you think I should correct? Let me know by email or by leaving a comment and I will look into it. I am sure there are many things that I missed. I tried to report as much as I could and be as fair as possible to both sides. If there is more to include to reach that goal give me some feedback.
The event was expected to raise up to $200,000 for Tony Strickland's campaign.
Judging by the early returns in the news cycle who won the media battle outside?
( Here is a video of Timm Herdt in case he tries to sneak into your events.)
I haven't written much about Charles Weis in the past because it doesn't seem to draw people in unlike other actions by the county board of education. Here are some recent stories about him.
1. He was offered a home loan as part of his compensation package from his new employer.
I heard about this but I didn't write about it because he is no longer a county elected official. For the same reason I haven't been posting about Tom McClintock's victory in the Republican Primary for congress in Northern California. It is a close call. They both have connections here but it seems they are losing news value for local voters.
2. Timm Herdt wrote a blog entry pointing out that Weis was the only county wide elected Democrat. With Democrats having a registration edge in Ventura County what office will they make a serious attempt at first?
3. The process of replacing him is ongoing. Has anyone heard something new about it? Even though it is a nonpartisan position I bet they somehow end up with a Republican. That's what happens when two board members are also members of the Ventura County Republican Central Committee. The new person might be highly qualified but the pool seems like it will only be open to Republicans. Do you agree?
( Mitt Romney talking about McCain's similarities to Bob Dole.)
The arguments over the ethics of the Ventura County Republican Central Committee taking money from a tobacco company to be used on behalf of their candidates, including primarily Tony Strickland, is not going away anytime soon.
Supporters of Hannah Beth Jackson and other groups upset with the introduction of a large amount of tobacco money into Ventura County politics will be protesting outside Tony Strickland's fundraiser next week.
(There also might be a group opposed to the idea of Mitt Romney being a candidate for VP working with them. )
They have been sending press releases to all sorts of media across the county and even into Santa Barbara County. This looks like this is just the kick off in the battle over what his opponents are attempting to show is dirty money.
I have always maintained that taking tobacco money was going to cost the Ventura County Republican Central Committee and Tony Strickland more than it was worth.
Republicans have been countering by pointing out that the State Democratic Party takes money from cigarette companies too. But this misses my analysis. I am not lecturing Republicans why it is wrong ( if they don't get why it is wrong for either party to take tobacco money they aren't going to shift their views anytime soon on it) as much as I am arguing it is going to allow many negative stories and a chance Tony Strickland to be defined as a candidate.
If the election is about campaign finance the Democrats will win. Like it or not voters hate cigarette companies more than they hate environmentalists, teachers' unions, and maybe even trial lawyers. (But tobacco company trial lawyers have got to be one step above DUI lawyers in the public's mind.)
If the election is about raising taxes on the average voter then Tony Strickland can win. This tobacco money storyline is taking away his chances to discuss his strengths as a candidate.
The VCRCC has put him on the defensive in a way that allows his opponents to define him as an ally of tobacco interests. I have watched Tony campaign many times but he has never been depicted as a tool of tobacco interests before. The VCRCC is allowing it to happen to him. Were they in need of money that bad?
Tony Strickland is favored to win. But this is going to make it harder. He is a great campaigner, he has access to large amounts of money, he has decent name ID, and his field campaign is very well organized.
He also doesn't care if his critics make fun of his GreenWave energy company, he mentions it as a part of his stump speech. The more he talks about GreenWave the better for him.
Expect Republicans to hit back with full force looking into Hannah beth Jackson's campaign finance records. But that doesn't seem like a winning tactic as it just continues the conversation over campaign finance. Is that something Tony Strickland wants? Tony is best when he is on the offensive. This donation allows Hannah Beth Jackson to bring up old charges again with a fresh appeal to it.
So, are you going to be at the fund raiser on the inside or out on the streets?
Here is the press release from the protest group:
PRESS RELEASE
PROTEST AGAINST $50,000 TOBACCO DONATION TO VCRCC & TONY STRICKLAND FOR
STATE SENATE
We will be protesting the Ventura County Republican Central Committee's acceptance of a $50,000 contribution from Altria (Philip Morris) on behalf of Tony Strickland. We view a contribution of this size as very significant and a further indication that the tobacco industry will continue to attempt to buy politicians in California. No other single company is responsible for more deaths of American citizens. Mitt Romney, keynote speaker at the Strickland fundraiser and on the shortlist for Republican Vice President, should speak out about tobacco and the cancer it continues to spread throughout our Nation.
Date: Tuesday, June 17, 6:00 P.M.
Place: Hyatt Westlake Plaza
880 S. Westlake Blvd.
Westlake Village
I predicted that the Democrats under the leadership of Hannah Beth Jackson would make the Ventura County Republican Central Committee regret soliciting $50,000 from a cigarette company to help Tony Strickland in the fall campaign.
( Another defense of cigarette company donations)
Hannah Beth Jackson has sent out an email that appears to be just the opening to the attacks she will be directing at Tony Strickland. Expect months of the barrage aimed at how campaigns are financed.
In the comments section several people have pointed out that the state Democratic Party has taken tobacco money and that the state party gives money to local candidates and parties.
Is there degrees of guilt? Is there a difference between soliciting the donation and getting money from a state party that gets it from somewhere else?
There is two major problems with donations from sources the public doesn't trust as I see it.
1. It appears that the special interest group is trying to buy a legislator's vote. If this is the case it is on the person making the accusation to prove the politician altered their behavior in the way the special interest group favored. Has the California Democratic Party changed their positions after receiving tobacco money? Go do your research. What were the most important bills that the tobacco companies had an interest in?
2. The special interest group is funding a candidate that shares a policy preference. In this case we should know what the shared view is between the two. What issues does Tony Strickland or the state Democratic Party agree with tobacco companies on? Does Hannah Beth Jackson have any evidence that Tony Strickland agrees with the tobacco companies? What are the bill #'s from his days in the assembly?
Click on continue reading to see the latest email from Hannah Beth Jackson.
In other Hannah Beth Jackson news when you look at the email check out the new sophistication in Hannah Beth Jackson's campaign in her email which includes many ways to connect to the campaign.
For some Tony Strickland news Timm Herdt's top blog entry is about Mitt Romney's upcoming fundraiser for Tony Strickland that Strickland said he expects will help him raise $200,000 towards his state senate campaign.
Here is a video of Tony Strickland talking about why he supports Mitt Romeny:
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.
![Glen_Becerra[2].jpg](http://blogs.venturacountystar.com/vcs/dennert/Glen_Becerra%5B2%5D.jpg)
