Wife follows husband, Part II?
Ventura County has already seen one instance of a wife succeeding her husband in the state Assembly -- Audra Strickland, who was elected in 2002 after her husband, Tony, was termed out -- and now there could be a second.
Susan Jordan, executive director of the environmental group California Coastal Protection Network and wife of Assemblyman Pedro Nava, told me today she is "seriously considering" running for the Santa Barbara-Ventura County seat when Nava is termed out in 2010.
Jordan says that one Democrat who had widely been considered a potential candidate, Santa Barbara City Councilman Das Williams, would support her and delay his own ambitions if she decides to run. She notes that she has known and worked with Williams "longer than I've known Pedro."
Jordan, who lived in Manhattan Beach when she helped found the nonprofit advocacy group Vote the Coast, says she was previously asked to consider running for the Assembly in 1998, when former Assemblywoman Debra Bowen (now secretary of state) moved up to the Senate. She's no newcomer to the political scene, and is an active and energetic advocate for coastal environmental issues before the Legislature and various state agencies.
Spousal succession is an increasingly common phenomenon in the era of term limits. In addition to the Stricklands, Sen. George Runner was succeeded by his wife, Sharon. Mike Eng of Monterey Park succeeded his wife, Judy Chu.
It doesn't always work, however. Just in June, Becky Maze lost a Republican primary in an attempt to keep husband Bill's Assembly job in the family.
Posted by Timm Herdt at 4:27 PM | Comments (0)
Republicans for Jackson
A group of moderate Ventura County Republicans, some of whom have feuded for years with the conservative faction headed by Sen. Tom McClintock and former Assemblyman Tom Strickland, have formed a group called Moderate Republicans for Hannah-Beth Jackson.
Jackson, a Democrat, is running against Strickland for the 19th state Senate District seat now held by McClintock.
Among those behind the organization: Bob Larkin of Westlake Village, who ran unsuccessfully against McClintock for Assembly in 1996; former Supervisor Judy Mikels, who was defeated by McClintock in the 2000 primary for state Senate; and former Sen. Cathie Wright, who has openly fueded with McClintock for years; and former executive director of the Ventura County Taxpayers Association Jere Robings, who lost to Strickland in a 1998 primary.
Also in the group are Ventura School Board members Velma Lomax and John Walker -- two Republicans who signed up early on as Jackson supporters, saying they were impressed with her service when she represented Ventura in the Assembly. The inclusion of Lomax and Walker will make it more difficult for Strickland to dismiss the group as exclusively made up of past political opponents inspired by sour grapes.
Larkin has been a thorn in Strickland's side for years, perhaps most effectively at the 2006 state Republican convention. At that event, Larkin circulated fliers pointing out that Strickland had endorsed Democrat Jim Dantona over incumbent Republican Mikels for supervisor. Strickland, who was in the midst of a GOP primary campaign for controller at the time, recanted his endorsement shortly thereafter, shifting his support to a new candidate, fellow Republican Peter Foy.
In a press release announcing the group's formation, Larkin labels Strickland "an extremist" and says the group was formed "out of concern that Strickland is a man who is far removed from the beliefs and ethical standards held by the majority of people in our neighborhoods."
It's difficult to judge whether this effort will hurt Strickland, but if the Jackson campaign uses the group effectively it will make Strickland's task of persuading moderate Republicans in Santa Barbara County, where he is unkown, that he is one of them.
The group has created a website that invites other moderate Republicans to join in the effort.
Posted by Timm Herdt at 8:00 AM | Comments (0)
Drilling into PPIC survey
The headlines on today's Public Policy Institute of California survey focus on the striking finding that Californians' views on offshore oil drilling have shifted to the point where a slim majority (51 percent) now support more drilling.
That could be good news for Republicans, from John McCain to members of Congress, who hope to use the issue to their benefit in November.
But other portions of the survey show that traditional Democratic issues remain very popular with voters. For instance, voters strongly favor tougher air pollution regulations on cars, agricultural and commercial enterprises, port activities and diesel engines -- all ideas that Democrats in the Legislature have supported and Republicans opposed.
And then there's the new measure of where voters stand on the presidential election: 50 percent prefer Barack Obama, 35 percent prefer McCain. As for the current president, his appoval rating among Californians is at an anemic 26 percent.
And on the issue of global warming, Californians firmly believe it's time to act. Eighty percent say steps should be taken right away to address climate change, 64 percent believe the effects of global warming are already being felt, and 81 percent believe local governments should be encouraged to change their land-use policies in an effort to make it possible for people to drive less.
Also on global warming, there is evidence as to why former Assemblywoman Fran Pavley of Agoura Hills won such a landslide victory in June in her Democratic primary against incumbent Assemblyman Lloyd Levine of Van Nuys. Pavley wrote California's first landmark global warming law in 2002 -- the one that requires automakers to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from cars and trucks.
The PPIC has polled on that policy every summer since 2003 and support for Pavley's law is exactly as strong now as it was five years ago: 81 percent
Posted by Timm Herdt at 9:54 AM | Comments (0)
From Simi to St. Paul
Former Secretary of State Bill Jones -- head of the state's delegation to the Republican National Convention and a supporter of John McCain dating back to his 2000 campaign -- today announced the 173-member delegation to Minneapolis.
The three delegates from Ventura County's 24th Congressional District will be Ventura City Councilman Neal Andrews and former Santa Barbara County Supervisor Mike Stoker -- who were on McCain's delegate slate on the February primary ballot. New to the list in Simi Valley City Councilman Glen Becerra, who was a backer of Rudi Giuliani in February.
The alternates will be Supervisor Peter Foy of Simi Valley, longtime GOP activist Dianne Alexander of Thousand Oaks (who chaired Giuliani's campaign in the county) and Dean Graham.
The California delegation will be the largest delegation to the GOP convention.
Posted by Timm Herdt at 3:46 PM | Comments (0)
Over the last 22 presidential elections, Ventura County voters have backed the winner 21 times, or 95 percent of the time. It is one of only a handful of counties in the nation that has been such a predictable bellwether.
The Ventura County Star's Sacramento Bureau Chief Timm Herdt on state issues and politics from Sacramento to Ventura County. He can be contacted at 
