At campaign events in Norco and San Clemente with Democracy for America Chair Jim Dean on Thursday, Democratic congressional candidate Bill Hedrick pledged to fight any attempts to privatize Social Security and called on Congress to keep its "hands off" the successful program.
Hedrick, in a tight race with U.S. Rep. Ken Calvert (R-Corona) for California's 44th Congressional District, also reiterated his opposition to raising the retirement age, cutting benefits to retirees and spending surplus Social Security funds.
"Social Security isn't some sort of lab specimen for career politicians in Washington to experiment with," Hedrick said. "My opponent voted to implement President Bush's privatization plan, but I stand with the people in telling Congress and Ken Calvert to keep their hands off Social Security."
A poll this week shows challenger Bill Hedrick within striking distance in the race for California's 44th Congressional District.
The new poll of 611 likely voters shows Hedrick has closed the gap between himself and corrupt incumbent Congressman Ken Calvert to a mere 5 points (48% for Calvert to 43% for Hedrick) while the 18-year Washington politician has lost ground as undecided voters have begun breaking to the challenger.
Calvert continues to poll below 50% - a true danger sign for an incumbent in what is becoming an increasingly anti-incumbent year - and even dropped 1 point from a public poll conducted just two weeks earlier that showed Calvert leading Hedrick 49% to 38%.
Days after Republican congressional leaders unveiled their "Pledge to America," GOP Rep. Ken Calvert is staying mum on the pledge's lack of a ban on congressional earmarks, just five years after securing earmarks to sweeten one of his real estate deals to profit $435,000.
Calvert's Democratic challenger, Corona-Norco Board of Education member Bill Hedrick, called on Calvert to address the GOP pledge's lack of a ban on earmarks as well as the pledge's lack of an earmark reform plan to prevent members of Congress from enriching themselves off of federal pork projects.
"My position has always been clear: earmarks need to be banned entirely. They are the currency of corruption," Hedrick said. "Ken Calvert has four hundred and thirty five thousand reasons why he didn't push for earmark reform in his party's new pledge. He even ignores talking about earmark reform in his new YouTube video touting the pledge because he knows he has zero credibility when it comes to wasteful pork-barrel spending."
CHERRY VALLEY - 65th Assembly District Democratic challenger Carl Wood has invited Republican incumbent Paul Cook to a series of debates. In a personal letter Wood declared it "our duty" as candidates "to make every effort to inform voters about our candidacies." In an election year where voters are said to be hostile toward incumbents Wood's invitation includes his assurance that he will make "every accommodation" for Cook in order to make these debates happen.
Wood's campaign manager, Michael Kreizenbeck, hopes Cook will agree to the debates. "A debate that discusses issues like jobs, home foreclosures and the substantial needs of veterans is certain to hurt Cook's chances of reelection, but I don't see how Cook can run from this opportunity to explain himself directly to voters," Kreizenbeck said.
Democratic congressional candidate Bill Hedrick challenged Republican Congressman Ken Calvert (CA-44) to either end his planned egregious abuse of taxpayer-funded Congressional mailers during the weeks leading up to Election Day, or pay taxpayers back the tens of thousands of dollars in public funds it'll cost us.
Local educators joined Hedrick at a campaign event at Riverside City Hall to challenge Calvert to reimburse taxpayers the minimum $35,000 his office will spend in taxpayer dollars - enough for an average starting salary for a teacher according to the National Education Association - or stop abusing his congressional franked mailing privileges until Election Day.
In a recent newspaper article, Calvert's office signaled his plan to bill taxpayers at least $35,000 to send official Congressional mail to 100,000 households during election season, circumventing rules ensuring fair elections. Calvert said he'd run around rules banning mass mailings (500+ pieces) during election season by sending more than 200 variations of mailers at 499 apiece. According to House disbursement statements, Calvert's average per mailer cost is 35 cents.
Congressman Ken Calvert, who narrowly won reelection to his Inland Empire-based congressional district in 2008, is going to mail his constituents 100,000 pieces of taxpayer-funded "Franked" mail in the months through Election Day, his spokeswoman said.
Corona-Norco Board of Education member Bill Hedrick, who came within 3 percent of defeating Calvert in 2008, issued a challenge to Calvert to not use taxpayer dollars for his personal benefit through the use of franked mail during election season. Members of Congress typically mail them out to their constituents, but sending them during election season is nothing short of sticking taxpayers with the bill for a shadow reelection campaign.
Calvert, a real estate businessman, is no stranger to using taxpayer money for his own benefit. In 2005-2006, he had taxpayers pay for construction projects near one of his properties, increasing its value. Less than a year later, he sold the property and made a half-million dollars in personal profit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...
(CaliforniaForever works on Carl Wood's Assembly campaign)
Carl Wood, the former PUC Commissioner that ended those rolling blackouts is now the Democratic contender for the 65th Assembly District seat, most of which lies in Riverside County. On June 15th it was reported in the Press Enterprise that a communications mix-up between the Riverside ROV and the USPS allowed 12,563 absentee ballots that were mailed on time to remain in the custody of the post office past their due date. The law is that the ballots cannot be counted unless they are in the ROV office on Election Day, June 8th. In a press release dated June 17th, after the fiasco became public, Carl Wood proposed a simple solution to prevent the disqualification of valid ballots in future - use the postmark to determine the timeliness of absentee ballots.
Two weeks after Wood took the lead, neighboring Republican Assemblyman Brian Nestande has followed according to an article in The Desert Sun, by introducing legislation to, you guessed it, allow postmarks rather than arrival time at the ROV to determine whether the ballots are on time. Of course it is possible that Nestande did not know that Wood had introduced the idea two weeks prior. Success, as they say has a thousand fathers.
Where was Carl Wood's incumbent opponent on the electoral travesty? So far Assemblyman Paul Cook is a no show on the thousands of uncounted ballots. If the AWOL incumbent ever decides to address the loss of voting rights to thousands of voters in his district, he may be hard pressed to avoid supporting the policy solution of his fast-acting opponent, Carl Wood. Perhaps in this case success will have only 999 fathers.
Yesterday, the Senate Finance Committee voted twice against including a critical public option in the health care reform bill - even though poll after poll shows an overwhelming majority of Americans want this reform!
It's the final straw!
I'm frustrated and disappointed, just as I'm sure you are. But I refuse to take this lying down. Yesterday's results mean we need to fight harder for the beliefs we share, and we need someone who shares those beliefs to go to Washington to fight for them.
I've been thinking back to why I initially entered this race in 2007 -- my concern about the policies that were sending my son and daughters-in-law back to Iraq for a second tour of duty. Next week I'm going to Fort Benning, Georgia, to see my son and daughter-in-law off -- again. They will be starting their third tours of duty in Iraq.
Once again, Calvert's ethically-challenged behavior landed him on the non-partisan Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington most corrupt list:
Last night, President Obama addressed the nation on an issue we all know is critically important: making sure every American receives quality, affordable health care. Obama echoed the words of the late Sen. Ted Kennedy who wrote that accomplishing this goal will truly show the "character of our country."
Ken Calvert's response? Falsehoods, fabrication and fear mongering. Just read what he had to say:
"It's the pathway to nationalized health care." - Press-Enterprise
"The public option is an absolute deal killer." - Orange County Register
Congressman Calvert is sending out an email in response to the President's address this past week. In his response Calvert says, "The market-based loan modifications make sense for homeowners who are on the margins, but in some cases, people simply bought homes they could not afford. While I agree that foreclosures adversely impact other homeowners, I do not believe homeowners who pay their bills on time and renters, who have saved up to buy a home, should foot the bill. The moral hazard in this case is simply too great and establishes a troubling precedent."
This argument hardly seems credible coming from a gentleman who authored a bill loosening adjustable rate regulations that encouraged folks to purchase homes they couldn't afford. Back in 2003, Calvert wrote HR 1443 (Access to Affordable Mortgages Act) which amended the National Housing Act to assure that 5/1 Adjustable Rate Mortgages (ARMs) were offered competitively in the marketplace. At the time Calvert said, "Congress has recognized the importance of more loan options to home-buyers and banks by allowing a range of adjustable mortgage rates. This provision will increase interest rate flexibility and thereby contribute to a stable economy and a robust real estate market."
Considering that Mr. Calvert himself is a real estate professional, it's amazing he couldn't see the flaw in his own legislation and believed it would lead to a more robust real estate market and a stable economy. The largest city in his district (Riverside) now has one of the highest unemployment rates in the nation and ranks as the fourth largest foreclosure market in the country. This is also the same "real estate expert" who purchased land illegally in Jarupa (another portion of his district). With real estate experts like Mr. Calvert telling us what does and doesn't work with regards to the real estate market, who needs the Obama economists, right?
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) posted a map today detailing the benefits for the Recovery Plan. The DCCC has made Congressman Calvert one of 12 GOP House members they are targeting in an e-mail, text, and telephone campaign calling these members out for voting against the stimulus package. As the DCCC states, "Congressman Ken Calvert's vote against President Obama's economic recovery package means that he tried to block a badly needed and shovel-ready project to repair streets in Riverside, California, creating 23 jobs alone."
To view the map, visit www.DCCC.org/Content/Recovery
Did Calvert and Co. get special treatment to 'further curry political favor'? With questions still swirling about Representative Ken Calvert's role in the purchase of public land, a $1.5 million lawsuit alleging the land sale may have been improper - or worse - continues to make its way through Riverside County Superior Court.
I'm here in Washington, DC, for meetings and was privileged yestreday to attend the inauguration of our 44th president, Barack Obama. As you can imagine, it's been impossible to walk the streets of the capital and not feel the overwhelming sense of anticipation and optimism radiating from the crowds. Like you, I have awaited this inauguration with tremendous anticipation because of my great hope for real change after the damaging Bush policies of the last eight years. As Americans, we suddenly are overflowing with optimism because the presidency is to be assumed by a man whose experiences bring a unique understanding of our nation's history, diversity, and challenges.
Our challenges, though serious, are by no means insurmountable. During the next four years, I believe we will see genuine progress in the fight to guarantee health care for all Americans, as well as a renewed urgency to address the degradation of our environment during the Bush presidency. President Obama has assembled an excellent team to tackle the economic quagmire left behind by the Bush Administration and we expect major investment in our
country's infrastructure. Moreover, unlike its predecessor, we fully expect an Administration that respects the rule of law.
A third of all Americans call this inauguration the nation's most historic. I join that third in their sentiment. As the Obama Administration assumes the nation's helm, I very much regret that I will not be able to fight for the residents of the 44th Congressional District from within the halls of Congress in this next session. However, we will continue our fight to bring effective representation to our district-representation that reflects the real values of our residents!
All over DC the signs say, "Yes, we did!" As we look toward 2010 in the 44th Congressional District, we say proudly, "Yes, we will!"
Pat Meagher, Progressive Democratic Candidate for the 41st Congressional District, has received endorsements from multiple Union and Democratic Clubs. A Forest Falls resident and Principle of Fontana Adult School he has gathered the support of the Mojave Desert Democratic Club, East Valley Democratic Club, Stonewall Democratic Club,
Greater Rialto Dual Endorsement, Desert Hot Springs Democratic Club and The Democratic Club of Big Bear Valley. His Union endorsements include IBEW Local 440, UAW Region 5 Western United States CAP Council, California Labor Federation's Committee on Political Education (COPE), San Bernardino/Riverside Central Labor Council, AFL-CIO, San Bernardino/Riverside Building and Trades Council, and International Union of Operating Engineers Local 12.
This father of nine, seven of whom are adopted, has also gotten the attention of Progressive Democrats of America Dr. Bill Honigman, So CA State Organizer, who was the Keynote speaker at Pat Meagher's fundraising event held at University of Redlands. Ahjamu Makalani evoked Meagher's name and sloganas an inspiration to a standing room only crowd at the State Democratic Convention PDA Caucus. Meagher embraces the entire PDA platform including their current campaign for Healthcare Not Warfare.
The war is real for the Meagher family. Their newly married son will be returning to Iraq this summer for a second tour, as well as a daughter whose first tour was in Afghanistan. To thunderous applause at Arlington West Santa Monica following Col. Ann Wright (Ret), Meagher declared "Don't tell me I don't support the troops. Those are my kids. It is time to bring our glorious and victorious troops home!"
Col. Ann Wright, 29 year Army Veteran, 13 year United States Diplomat, was so impressed after meeting with Meagher that she adjusted her schedule in order to share the podium with him when he announced his candidacy to a crowd of community leaders and peace and justice activists from the Inland Empire at the Carriage House in Redlands.
Pat Meagher is proud that his campaign is funded through grassroots supporters who believe he is the best man to represent their concerns in Washington DC.
Pat Meagher, Progressive Democratic Candidate for the 41st Congressional District, has received endorsements from multiple Union and Democratic Clubs. A Forest Falls resident and Principle of Fontana Adult School he has gathered the support of the Mojave Desert Democratic Club, East Valley Democratic Club, Stonewall Democratic Club,
Greater Rialto Dual Endorsement, Desert Hot Springs Democratic Club and The Democratic Club of Big Bear Valley. His Union endorsements include IBEW Local 440, UAW Region 5 Western United States CAP Council, California Labor Federation's Committee on Political Education (COPE), San Bernardino/Riverside Central Labor Council, AFL-CIO, San Bernardino/Riverside Building and Trades Council, and International Union of Operating Engineers Local 12.
This father of nine, seven of whom are adopted, has also gotten the attention of Progressive Democrats of America Dr. Bill Honigman, So CA State Organizer, who was the Keynote speaker at Pat Meagher's fundraising event held at University of Redlands. Ahjamu Makalani evoked Meagher's name and sloganas an inspiration to a standing room only crowd at the State Democratic Convention PDA Caucus. Meagher embraces the entire PDA platform including their current campaign for Healthcare Not Warfare.
The war is real for the Meagher family. Their newly married son will be returning to Iraq this summer for a second tour, as well as a daughter whose first tour was in Afghanistan. To thunderous applause at Arlington West Santa Monica following Col. Ann Wright (Ret), Meagher declared "Don't tell me I don't support the troops. Those are my kids. It is time to bring our glorious and victorious troops home!"
Col. Ann Wright, 29 year Army Veteran, 13 year United States Diplomat, was so impressed after meeting with Meagher that she adjusted her schedule in order to share the podium with him when he announced his candidacy to a crowd of community leaders and peace and justice activists from the Inland Empire at the Carriage House in Redlands.
Pat Meagher is proud that his campaign is funded through grassroots supporters who believe he is the best man to represent their concerns in Washington DC.
XPosted 5/23/2008 1:14 AM PDT on MyDesert.com in Blog by BluePalmSpringsBoyz
The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 440 has endorsed Pettis in his race to replace Bonnie Garcia. IBEW Local 440 has long been active in Coachella Valley politics and Progressive Democratic circles.
Chuck McDaniel, an IBEW Local 440 leader and activist, had previously endorsed Pettis for the 80th AD. McDaniel is also Vice-President of the newly formed Desert Hot Springs Democratic Club and is a member of the Riverside County Democratic Central Committee.
Garcia is termed out and cannot run for re-election.
On the Democratic side, our big dogfight of a primary is up here in the Bay Area in SD-03. For the Republicans, it's down in Riverside County for SD-37. There Assemblyman John Benoit is duking it out with former Assemblyman Russ Bogh. CapAlert has more on the race.
The campaign has been a consistent flow of barbs between the two of them. But what I thought was most funny was the ongoing accusation from Bogh on Benoit being a "Gray Davis Republican." There's even a website! Now, to any objective political watcher, Benoit has very little to do with Davis. However, he did vote for the Democratic budget a couple of times, so, I guess he's the evil spawn of Davis.
And this isn't the only place the phrase it is being used. Also in Riverside County, Brian Nestande, son of a former Assembly member, is also being called a "Gray Davis Republican. It looks like the Republicans are having some sort of bizarro race more than ever. They are fighting to be the ones that stood up against a sound budget. Yes, you heard me right, they want everybody to know that they want to cut more services. They want to cut education.
Apparently Benoit isn't vigilant enough about hacking our education budget to pieces. Apparently Bogh intends California to go to 50th in the nation in per pupil spending from our current 46th position. As Dave said on the podcast on Monday, look out Mississippi, we're coming for ya!
Rogelio V. Morales is a new Democratic candidate in the 2008 congressional elections for the 44th Congressional District (map) of California. He is seeking the Democratic nomination to challenge incumbent Rep. Ken Calvert (R-Calif.). The primary will take place on June 3, 2008. He is going up against Bill Hedrick and Louis Vandenberg.
"Rogelio V. Morales's life is a testament to the continuing vitality of the American Dream.
Rogelio (pronounced row-hell-leo) was born in Los Angeles, CA. As a first-generation American, Rogelio was raised by illiterate Mexican immigrants whose combined schooling totaled a third-grade education. He also attended 92nd Street Elementary School in Watts, Los Angeles, CA. Throughout his childhood, Rogelio was often surrounded by gang violence, poverty and drugs.
In 1987, Rogelio's family moved to the Inland Empire after his father's job relocated to Riverside, CA. He attended several schools in the district, including Myra Lynn Elementary School, La Sierra Academy and La Sierra High School. In June 1995, Rogelio graduated from John W. North High School. A month later, he joined the United States Marine Corps.
Throughout his enlistment in the Marine Corps, Rogelio received several awards and commendations. In 1997, at the age of 20, he was selected by his unit commander to represent his infantry company in the Marine Corps' Annual Rifle Squad Competition (ARSC). At the competition's end, his unit was recognized as the "most combat ready rifle squad in 1st Marine Division." According to his Navy Achievement Medal citation, Rogelio's leadership as a fire team leader was "instrumental" to his rifle squad's first place finish. Later that same year, Rogelio was awarded the ARSC Badge by the Commandant of the Marine Corps, General C.C. Krulak, at an awards ceremony held at Marine Barracks, in Washington, D.C. Looking back on his achievements, however, Rogelio remains humbled by the awesome privilege of once being in command of Americans who had chosen to serve their country.
After being discharged from active duty in 1999, Rogelio enrolled at Riverside Community College (RCC). At RCC, he excelled at academics and student government. Rogelio graduated in the summer of 2002 and earned the honor of being named the student commencement speaker. That summer, he transferred to the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). In 2004, Rogelio graduated from UCLA with a B.A. in Political Science. Then in September 2005, Rogelio enrolled in the Juris Doctorate program at the University of Washington, in Seattle, WA. Rogelio expects his law degree in March 2008.
Truly, Rogelio V. Morales represents new, exciting leadership the 44th Congressional District can be proud to call its own."
Here is some background information on the candidate as well:
• Full Legal Name: Rogelio Vergara Morales
• Place of Birth: Martin Luther King, Jr. Hospital in Los Angeles, CA.
• Age: 30 years old (as of 12/31/2007)
• Military Rank Attained: Corporal (E-4)
• Type of Discharge: Honorable
• Marital Status: Single/ Never Married
• Political Party: Democrat
• Religion: Christian - Protestant
• Other Languages: Spanish
• Reason for Running:
"Congressman Calvert has lost touch with the values and priorities of the 44th Congressional District. What's worse, Congressman Calvert is no longer an effective representative to aid our district's emerging political and economic importance. As your congressman, I promise to restore the special trust and confidence voters demand from their representatives. Indeed, I believe the best and brightest days for our district are still ahead, and I intend to hasten their long-awaited arrival." --Rogelio V. Morales, Democratic Candidate, U.S. Congress --
Congressman Darrell Issa (R-Vista) is hosting Cafe San Diego today, and has started the conversation with a few words about the Carol Lam situation:
I recognize that every U.S. attorney has to balance needs and resources, but it's clear from information released by the Justice Department that the Southern District of California U.S. Attorney's Office lagged behind the other four districts on the U.S./Mexico border in prosecuting border crimes. I never asked that Carol Lam be fired, but I was adamant over a three-year period that the situation with smugglers in San Diego needed to be addressed.
This is supposedly an interactive situation, so feel free to cruise over to the comments section if you have anything to say to or ask of the Congressman.
