So here I am at Monkey Business in Fullerton to do some phone banking for our local candidates, including for my husband Gary Pritchard, who is running for California State Senate.
The 33rd district covers a huge amount of area, including Anaheim, Anaheim Hills, Fullerton, Villa Park, Orange, Laguna Niguel, Laguna Woods, Laguna Hills, Mission Viejo, Rancho Santa Margarita, Aliso Viejo, Buena Park, Tustin, Silverado, Irvine, Santa Ana, Lake Forest, Coto de Caza and Foothill Ranch. I like to call the district map, "Rexi".
Gary Paul Pritchard is a 37 year old teacher at a Community College in South LA, Cerritos Community College to be exact. He is a tenured Professor in their Fine Arts Department, music to be more specific. In 2006, Gary finally finished his Ph.D. in 2006, which allowed us to also purchase our first home here in South Orange County.
Gary has been the chair of his department and he recently got a grant for the Fine Arts Division, a very important grant that I think shows what an amazing legislator he has the possibility to be.
When the grant was first proposed the prior year it was rejected. The Chair of the Fine Arts Department asked Gary to come aboard and help rewrite the grant. He was happy to do so and this year in June, the grant was fully funded. So what is the grant for?
It was instead the three am alarm clock that my husband had asked me to set. He got home last night at around 9pm from a candidate forum in Fullerton. He hadn't eaten dinner and was trying to figure out what to have (He wasn't much interested in what I had made for dinner, although it was nicely packed in a tupperware container in the fridge just in case he wanted it). He also let me know that the people who had volunteered to put his signs out were unable to do so now.
So, he asked me to set the alarm for 3am. He had spent the afternoon attempting to put signs up but with the traffic, etc., he said it took too long. He was going to get up and do it when there was hardly anyone on the road.
Gary Pritchard is running for California State Senate in the 33rd district. The 33rd is located in Orange County, CA, birth place of Richard Nixon and home of John Wayne Airport and Ronald Reagan Federal Building.
The 33rd Senate District includes Anaheim, Anaheim Hills, Fullerton, Villa Park, Orange, Laguna Niguel, Laguna Woods, Laguna Hills, Mission Viejo, Rancho Santa Margarita, Aliso Viejo, Buena Park, Tustin, Silverado, Irvine, Santa Ana, Lake Forest, Coto de Caza and Foothill Ranch.
The 33rd District has a chance to elect a great new leader in the State Senate this year. With the problems that face our district and state, new common-sense leadership is desperately needed. Gary Prithchard is an educator, and a respected member of the community. He offers a new vision, and will fight to represent the 33rd district and insure that our voices will be heard.
This Friday we have to come up with almost $8,000 to get our ballot statement to every voter in the 33rd district of California. This is the best way to get Gary's message to the voters.
Last Thursday we had our Campaign Kick off party, it was a blast and Gary enjoyed playing a bit of music and meeting different Republicans and Democrats in our district. It was a good time and we had about sixty people come, a great turn out with the short amount of time we had to get it together.
Cross Posted from big Orange, Please go rec if you can, this diary is very important to me.
It's been at least a couple of weeks since I heard Pat Buchanan on the Thom Hartmann show and I can't get what he said out of my mind. Buchanan was torn up about the disappearance of Europeans on Planet earth. Of course you know what he's talking about. Here is an excerpt from a review of his book...
When one remembers that if there is one cause Mr. Buchanan himself cherishes it is immigration restriction - when one recalls his words on "national suicide" and the "invasion" of America by nonwhites, and his constant inveighing against multiculturalism - when one remembers that the first pages of this very book lament that "as a share of world population, peoples of European ancestry have been shrinking for three generations," that "we are slowly disappearing from the earth" - Mr. Buchanan's feline criticism of Churchill stands as a piece of truly shameless hypocrisy.
Sounds a lot more interesting than it is but I'm so excited to be able to share that Gary Pritchard, my husband and Democratic candidate for California State Senate is going to be appearing on Thom Hartmann's Air America show tomorrow morning at 10:50 am (Pacific time).
Before we get into the next round of endorsements, we have a few comments in here about how we envision this working. The endorsements are the opinion of the board, not the community as a whole - we would hope they generate a good discussion about the various candidates in every district.
Furthermore, these are primary endorsements, so somebody is not going to be happy about them. We apologize for that, but if you don't like our opinions, you should let us know that. Write a comment here. Post a diary about the candidate of your choice. Let the community know why you think your preferred candidate is the best choice in the Democratic Primary. Unlike newspapers, this is a two-way medium. We not only accept comments on these endorsements, we encourage it. So, feel free to tell us how wrong we really are.
And with that said, here are the State Senate Endorsements. Explanations over the flip.
SD-03: Mark Leno SD-05: Lois Wolk (UPDATED) SD-09: Loni Hancock & Wilma Chan SD-12: Simon Salinas / Yes on Recall SD-15: Dennis Morris SD-19: Hannah-Beth Jackson SD-23: Lloyd Levine and Fran Pavley SD-25: No Endorsement SD-33: Gary Pritchard
That's right. Gary, Charlotte and I went for our first precinct walk this weekend together in Aliso Viejo, California. Oh man, not a good weekend to start, it was very hot and we waited until early evening to grab walking shoes and knock on doors in our very own neighborhood. Why not start where we live? Our community is in the heart of the 33rd State Senate district.
This will be our cheapest and best way to get the word out about Gary's campaign and for now we are knocking on all the doors. Republicans, Declined to States and Democrats. We've found Republicans to be very receptive to meeting the candidate, especially when it's quite doubtful that the Republican candidate will do any walking at all.
And this is the best lesson we learned, talking to people is the best way to get them to vote for you. And we even found some lovely Democratic neighbors who want to donate and volunteer. What more can a grassroots campaign ask for?
Yes, it's a lot of money. But if just 1,000 readers here gave five dollars that would help me reach my personal goal of raising $5,000 for my husbands State Senate campaign. He's running because of me, I have to support the deadbeat.
Yes, that's humor. He's a good guy and we are working on many other means to raise money. The official campaign stationary is on the way, unfortunately the wrong paper was delivered, we are insisting on recycled paper and are using a local union printer. All important choices on our part.
So, what can I share about Gary? Well, he got the Democracy for America (Orange County Chapter) endorsement last week and that meant the world to both of us. I will include his questionnaire behind the cut so you can learn more about what he believes.
Please, wait, just stay for a little bit and read about my husband's campaign? I know you are busy and I know there are a lot bigger fish to fry, but I'm hoping you will hear me out, please?
You see, Gary needs your help. In order to raise money you need to raise money. Make sense?
I realize that Calitics is an exception to this and there are many here focusing on local issues and politics. I just thought I'd share my big orange rant which went virtually unnoticed of course.
Crazy isn't it? Local State and Congressional candidates are also running for office and they need your help. Many of the States have already had their Primary and I'm sure some of you who are still on the fence can't wait to start working for the eventual nominee, but have you thought, you could be working for local candidates?
I know, many of you do and I commend you for that. As someone who is trying to run their first Statewide contest the tasks are formidable and the chances slim for us but we have to fight and the Primary battle between the potential Democratic Presidential nominees feels like static.
But please remember this, 2008 represents a year that could change the political landscape for local communities, especially those who have been red for a long time now and the help from local activists could make the difference between winning and losing. I believe this to my very core.
Republican candidates for the open seats in November are already beginning to push their ads out. In SD-33, Assemblywoman and proud Yacht Party member Mimi Walters is putting out this ad, cosponsored by the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association. The ad is a ringing defense of the ruinous anti-tax politics that have brought California to its knees. The copy, in case you don't feel like clicking on the "Red County" link:
Send a Tax-Fighter to the State Senate! Republican Assemblywoman Mimi Walters, Endorsed by the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association
"Taxpayers know Mimi Walters is the stand-up conservative [irony: the picture next to this shows Mimi sitting down] we can trust to protect taxpayers and private property rights. Mimi is one of our best friends in the state legislature and one of the strongest voices in Sacramento for common sense budgets and smaller government. We need to keep her working for California's taxpayers." Jon Coupal, President, HJTA
Tax-fighter Mimi Walters is working to:
-Protect Prop 13
-Stop tax increases
-Enact a state government spending limit
-Protect the 2/3 vote requirement for budgets and taxes
-Stop gas tax increases
So there it is, Mimi Walters is planning to run a virulently anti-tax campaign aimed at winning over the oh-so-crucial Howard Jarvis and Club for Growth crowd. Meanwhile, schools in SD-33, such as in Aliso Viejo, are facing crippling teacher layoffs and visitors are being discouraged from south county beaches thanks to a lifeguard shortage.
Mimi Walters' makes it clear who her constituents are, and who they are not. It shows that she, like most of the Republican legislative candidates, believes that any level of suffering and economic damage is acceptable so long as not one red cent in taxes is raised. I'm sure the parents who live in SD-33 and worry about their children's education will be pleased to hear it.
This sort of radical go-down-with-the-ship tactic shows two important things. One, at a time when the state GOP is starved for funds, Republican candidates are going to have little choice but to accept funds from extremist groups like Howard Jarvis. Second, that means Republicans have no choice but to take a far-right line that is not in touch with the state's voters when dealing with the budget, and that is going to open up opportunities for Democrats.
The Democratic candidate in SD-33 is Gary Pritchard. He's going to have an uphill battle no matter what, but if Mimi Walters is going to run as an anti-tax zealot happy to see her constituents suffer in crowded classrooms and on crowded freeways, then it gives him an invaluable opening.
It is not something we take for granted. Even though Gary is the only Democrat running the Party's endorsement is very important not only ideologically speaking but because we care about what other Democrats think.
Gary is currently driving down from Fresno as I type. He drove up Friday night and stayed with a childhood friend of his. In the morning he drove to San Jose and worked the floor for the day. It was a great opportunity for him to meet and talk to other Democrats. I wish I could have been there but I was left with the grueling task of taking my five year old and our puppy to the park. Poor me. :)
Gila Jones was "invaluable" (to quote Gary) in helping him get delegates to his endorsement caucus. Twenty delegates came and all voted in favor of endorsing him.
My husband, Gary Pritchard, is running for State Senate in California's 33rd district. We have raised just over $600 (ActBlue sent our money to the wrong account and their number are wrong, I am hoping the will fix it, the last thing we need is incorrect records) and Friday, I hired someone to help us manage our money. Crazy, right?
Not really, because I know we will raise more and I'm asking you to help me do this. This is not a big race, I know, but a good Democrat has stepped forward to put a "D" on the ballot and we can't do it on our own.
Gary's birthday is Monday, he's going to be 37 years old and I haven't gotten him a present yet. Last year I got him a membership to the NPR book club (oh so romantic, but the books were great and we donated to our local public radio station). I'm at a loss this year and I thought, well, why not raise some money for Gary's campaign?
So, another day and another diary. I've been pondering the Obama experience issue, especially since my husband is running for State Senate in California. Yes, this is going to be a big topic for me because it's so close to home.
How does having a PhD in music and holding no prior office qualify Gary for the Senate or for any office for that matter? Just wondering.
That's right, I'm a candidate's wife, it happened rather quickly too. Well, I've been married to the guy for almost ten years, but the candidate part has unfolded in just a few days.
Now, why am I not the candidate? Oh, it's a long story and I've not been as good of a Democrat as my husband has been, really. I am still registered as Decline to State. Yes, how is that for a confession? But Gary, my husband, has been registered as a Democrat for many years and he unabashedly calls himself a party loyalist.
