Welcome to 2008 (a little late)
I've been too busy doing actual campaigning this election cycle and totally neglected this blog. It didn't seem important since no one else was posting to it anyway.
I'm also clueless about blog maintenance so you may see some obsolete posts here.
Until such time as I get my act together, here's your central stop for official Orange County (California) Democratic Party news:
http://ocdemocrats.org/Check back here sometime and maybe I'll post something unofficial.
If you take a moment to comment on this blog (politely, please) that will tell me someone is actually looking. Thanks!
The Orange County Democratic Party website
http://www.ocdemocrats.org has posted the Party's official endorsements.
Now I'd like to speak for myself:
I can give my endorsement to all the Democrats nominated for Partisan office in this District. In particular, I have met Assembly candidate Ray Roberts and find him to be well thought and well spoken, a refreshing alternative to Jim Silva, a party-line Republican who doesn't speak well for himself and certainly doesn't speak for me.
I'd also like to comment on a few local races in Huntington Beach.
The non-partisan local races are tougher to call, especially those without a decent selection of viewpoints represented. For Huntington Beach City Council I recommend:
Jill Hardy
Flossie Horgan
Joe Shaw
Lest there be any misunderstandings, I'm pretty sure that not all of those 3 are Democrats. But they all share a concern about preservation of the quality of Huntington Beach.
The School Districts are so difficult to figure out that I am gingerly figuring out which I think are the most likely decent candidates. I don't have enough confidence in my information to put out an endorsement. I will say, however, that I have serious concerns for anyone who lists Ayn Rand and his greatest influence and for that reason I recommend NOT voting for John Briscoe for Ocean View School District.
If you are still undecided and wish to make an informed choice I highly recommend SmartVoter.org. It won't give all the answers, but it's a good starting point to look for information.
It's easy to focus on the "top of ticket" races (this year, for Governor) and lose track of the other important seats on the same ticket.
One of the least regarded executive seats at the statewide level is
Lt. Governor. Many in the public believe the joke that the Lt. Governor checks the obituaries each morning, and not seeing the Governor listed there, can take the day off. In reality, the Lt. Governor covers an important range of State duties. They serve as Acting Governor whenever the Governor is out of state (which isn't necessarily important as long as nothing unscheduled occurs, like maybe an earthquake). Even on a daily basis, the Lt. Governor serves on a number of State Boards - too many for the Governor to even try to cover, but nonetheless deserving of State Executive representation - and which make policies affecting all of us.
We are fortunate that the Democratic candidate for Lt. Governor is
John Garamendi, a California public servant in the truest sense. Garamendi defined the office of Insurance Commissioner as it's first occupant - and later restored it to respectibility after it was run amuck by a corrupt Republican. Garmendi has also served distinguished terms in the California Legislature and as Deputy Secretary of the Interior. John Garamendi represents an opportunity to fill this important position with an experienced and principled leader.
For those who believe in supporting candidates they believe in beyond the ballot box, John also needs our support now in the final stretch of the election. Unlike others in the race, Garamendi does not bring a fat personal checkbook to finance his own campaign. He depends on our support as well as our belief in him. With so much focus on the Governors race and on major ballot propositions, it is easy to forget how expensive it is to run any statewide race, including those "downticket" races. So please consider giving John your financial support (even better, volunteer your time if you can). Please see
http://www.garamendi.org/ to see how you can help.
Please vote and do it responsibly - with some understanding of who/what you are voting for. That should be an easy assignment for anyone skillful enough with the web to find this blog!
In particular on this ballot - please pay attention to the runoff election for 35th State Senate - between Democratic Candidate Larry Caballero, and Republican Tom Harman. There is plenty of reason for Progressivee to support Larry, and he has my wholehearted endorsement.
I am concerned to see how the ballot is configured. The 35th race is sandwiched between partisan primary elections, with no mention of the runoff nature of that race. Certainly there were means to better format the ballot.
Others may want to fight the County Registrar about this. For my part, I wish Larry the best with this election; and also my wishes to all nomineers in the battle to gain the attention of the voting public and focus it on what is truly at stake in this election, at all levels of government.
There will be a Rally for Congressional Candidate Jim Brandt Saturday, May13, at 4:00 pm at the Huntington Beach Pier. The event is being organized by the Democratic National Committee, capping off a full day of campaigning around the District. (More details on other events at:
http://www.friends4brandt.com/Home.aspx?tabid=50. Campaigning at the Pier is noted on that page but the Rally at 4pm isn't specifically noted.)
Jim is our opportunity for effective representation for the 46th Congressional District - which overlaps much of the 67th AD and extends up the coast into Long Beach (More on Jim's campaign at
http://www.friends4brandt.com/). For too long it has been misrepresented by Dana Rohrabacher, a poster boy for Republican callousness.
We need you, your friends, your family, Democrats and everyone who wants better representation, to come out and cheer Jim on! This is a phenomenal opportunity to raise visibility for Jim’s campaign (and within sight of Rohrabacher's District Office at Main and PCH!), so please arrive at Pacific Coast Highway at Main Street by 4 pm for the rally. Hope to see you there!
Please see this site for more info on Larry and info on how you can help his campaign for the 35th State Senate Seat.
http://www.ocdemocrats.net/larry.html
The LA Times ran an article on 18Apr2006 about Larry Caballero and his campaign for California State Senate.
The article is available online (Registration Required) at:
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-candidate18apr18,1,7574691.story?ctrack=1&cset=trueWhile the article follows the common LA Times approach of declaring no chance for Democratic victory in an Orange County election, it is better than most such articles in that it gives some attention to Larry's comments on the issues.
The article also talks to Tom Harman's staff and shows that Harman is now planning to court Republican support and GOTV aimed at Republican voters. In other words, Democrats have served their purpose (helping to get Harman past his conservative GOP opponent) and are no longer necessary. Tom knows he must court Republicans for the votes to elect him in the runoff. His history as an Assemblyman shows that he's willing to do the same when in office. Except for a few select issues to keep the home district voters happy (e.g. Bolsa Chica) Tom has gone along with the GOP program. Funny, it still hasn't endeared him to the Republican establishment, which time and again has gone out of their way to get someone else nominated to replace him.
Democrats: you have NOTHING to lose by voting for Larry in the runoff!
