Here it is, our 7000th Diary. Wow! So, Open thread time:
• Joan Buchanan (AD-15) has a TV ad. Check it out:
• Shockingly, Tony Strickland is getting dirty in SD-19 against Hannah-Beth Jackson. He put out a mailer against Hannah-Beth's non-existent negative mailers saying he doesn't care. Put this together with his massive tobacco and oil company donations, and the push polls he has been doing, and you have one of the more disgusting campaigns we've seen for a while. He should be ashamed of the crap that's coming out of his campaign, but what do you expect from the former California director of Club for Growth?
• Dan Walters writes today about the prison crisis, which is not improving magically through lawmakers' collective decision to ignore it. J. Clark Kelso is extremely likely, in my opinion, to get the $8 billion he's seeking from a judge to fix the prison healthcare system, so just tack that on to next year's budget.
• Late Friday, unemployment statistics for August were released, and we're up to 7.7%, the third-highest in the nation (only Rhode Island and Michigan are worse). That's over two percentage points up from just a year ago.
• Karl Rove is coming to San Bernardino to headline a fundraiser with the local GOP. This is kind of perfect, since the San Bernardino Republican Party is kind of a criminal enterprise in its own right, too.
• Hey, big news from Gray Davis: he doesn't like the recall process! But, seriously, he makes decent points about good governance, which this state seems to think is a quaint process.
Here is Part 3, the last part of my analysis of this fall's elections in California, which will cover the races for the U.S. House, State Senate, and State Assembly seats in Southern California, and summarize which races we need to win.
Here is Part 2, which covered the U.S. House, State Senate, and State Assembly races in Northern and Central California: http://calitics.com/showDiary....
The most hotly anticipated State Senate election this year is in the 19th District covering Santa Barbara and Ventura County, between Democrat Hannah-Beth Jackson and Republican Tony Strickland. Though the two are almost polar opposites, the chunk of the district in Santa Barbara, where residents have long memories about the 1969 oil spill, makes it impossible for Republicans to win with their "Drill Now" message on energy. So Tony Strickland opted to run some ads that Al Gore might have run were he to be contesting in the district, highlighting renewable energy through wind, solar, algae, tidal and other forms. This is completely at odds with Strickland's doctrinaire Republican record, with votes against green building standards, minimum renewable energy standards, and even fuel-efficient tires. Strickland has taken money from Big Oil and stood with global warming denialists in the recent past. It's incongruous for him to carry a pro-environment message.
So I hooked up with the Courage Campaign and the California League of Conservation Voters to put together a little video highlighting this incongruity.
What's interesting is that the Courage Campaign's Web tool invited those supporters who received their email blast to spread the word, and they were so successful, both online political reporters at the Ventura County Star, the region's biggest newspaper, covered the video. More important, the Jackson campaign has been energized to fight back against some of Strickland allies' misleading ads on taxes, and in doing so buttresses the outside groups' take about Strickland's terrible environmental record.
So progressive groups are ensuring that Strickland gets away with nothing in this race, and in turn the Jackson campaign is fighting back as well and counter-punching swiftly and effectively. This is a growing success story in the 19th.
The California Target Book released its August "hot sheet" listing potential competitive seats throughout the state legislature. Well, two can play at this game. Here are the competitive seats as I see them and a little precis about them:
State Senate
1. SD-19. Hannah-Beth Jackson (D) v. Tony Strickland (R). Sadly, thanks to Don Perata's bungling and undermining this is likely to be the only competitive race out of the 20 up for election in the state Senate. The good news is that it would be an absolute sea change to replace Tom McClintock with a true progressive like Hannah-Beth Jackson. With Ventura County's registration flipping to Democrats over the past year, Ronald Reagan country is no longer solidly red. Hannah-Beth has been actively courting voters at community events (there's a BBQ in honor of the "Gap" firefighters on Sunday) and she's wrapped up lots of endorsements. With this being the only competitive race, expect it to be costly, as both sides throw millions into capturing the seat. A win here would put us one seat away from a 2/3 majority in the Senate.
Tony Strickland has quite the history with the Club for Growth, a radical anti-government organization. The Club has a history of challenging moderate Republicans in federal and state elections throughout the nation. Strickland has been president of the California branch and is still fiercely loyal to the Club and its tactics. Unsurprisingly there are some Republicans who are a little less than thrilled with their nominee.
So, in the wake of the threat-induced "Democrats for Dreier", we have the "Moderate Republicans for Jackson." Of course, Hannah-Beth didn't use threats of withholding money from parts of the district to get these people to sign on to her campaign. You can check the details here. It lists some of their grievances with the former Assemblyman, beginning with the Club for Growth:
Moderate Republicans for Jackson 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. Tony Strickland is an extremist. He was the founding president of the California Club for Growth, part of the ultra right-wing National Club for Growth which has made it a mission to destroy the political careers of moderate Republicans.
They go on to mention a laundry list of problems they have with Tony. From his accepting $85K in tobacco money for this campaign to his abysmal voting record on the environment.
Hannah-Beth Jackson has a long road until the general election, but this can't hurt. You can find her on the Calitics ActBlue Page. Full release over the flip.
As founder of the CALIFORNIA LIST I know all too well the importance of political positioning during an electoral cycle, especially when it comes to issues that matter to voters within your district. And if a particular issue is a hot button to the majority of your voters, your record had better be aligned with that voting bloc if you hope to win. This is what separates the committed legislator from the calculated chameleons. Senate District 19 is community of long-standing environmental activists and GOP candidate Tony Strickland has apparently donned his coat of many colors in his senate bid against Hannah-Beth Jackson.
Lately Strickland has been wearing a green coat of paint listing himself on the ballot as "Alternative Energy Executive," a title he dubiously earned a year ago when he co-founded GreenWave Energy Solutions. That does sound nice! After all, SD19 loves green and GreenWave Energy Solutions certainly conjures thoughts of eco-friendly energy solutions. So what is GreenWave and what has Strickland done in his tenure as co-founder, and more importantly, what has Strickland done for the environment before his eco-heroic rebirth?
Here's a story I'd like to see from top Democrats someday:
The California Republican Party poured $345,000 into Assemblyman Greg Aghazarian's state Senate campaign last week, a sign that party leaders hope to make a run at the seat of termed-out Sen. Mike Machado, D-Linden.
The party followed up that donation by giving $595,000 to former Assemblyman Tony Strickland, the GOP nominee in another fall Senate campaign.
The races are the only two of the 20 Senate seats up for election in November where competition is expected.
By the Bee's calculations, by the way, Aghazarian has a 9:1 fundraising advantage over our candidate, Lois Wolk.
Meanwhile, on our side, the lump-sum payments go... elsewhere.
If the apologists don't see how bad this looks, I can draw them a map later.
[UPDATE by Brian]: Well, we can't compete with these sums, but how about we throw a little love towards our two candidates in these districts. Both Hannah-Beth Jackson and Lois Wolk are strong progressives and would make excellent Senators. So, let's Pick up the slack at ActBlue.
HANNAH BETH JACKSON STATEMENT ON ATTACK OF PROTESTERS
Tuesday, June 20, 2008
On Tuesday, June 17th, a state employee on Assemblymember Audra Strickland's staff Joel Angeles attacked several participants of a protest of candidate Tony Strickland's acceptance of massive contributions from the tobacco lobby. Mr. Angeles' attack was provoked only by the protesters' desire to exercise their first amendment rights.
Had Joel Angeles been my employee he would have been fired on the spot. There is no justification for anyone, let alone a state employee, to deprive anyone of their free speech rights. A public employee on the staff of an elected representative is committed to protect the constitution on behalf of his employer, the State of California. Assemblymember Strickland has apparently suspended Mr. Angeles for a month. It is incomprehensible that someone with such a long history of service with Audra and Tony Strickland as Mr. Angeles would not understand the public's basic constitutional rights and the responsibilities of a public official. Audra and Tony Strickland should ensure that he has no future role in fulfilling their public responsibilities or campaigning for public office.
I have asked everyone associated with my campaign to respect our opponent's right to express their views, and believe that the public has the right to a full debate on the issues that face us in this election. The choice of who will represent the 19th Senate District next year is far too important to allow bullying or intimidation to disrupt the process.
Hannah-Beth Jackson served in the California State Assembly from 1998-2004 during which time she authored over 60 pieces of legislation that were signed into law by both Republican and Democratic governors, improving public education, increasing public safety, improving access to health care, protecting the environment as well as protecting the rights of consumers. She is the Democratic Party nominee to replace term-limited State Senator Tom McClintock in an open seat in the 19th Senate District, which includes large parts of Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties, and a small portion of Los Angeles County, and cities of Simi Valley, Thousand Oaks, Ventura, Santa Barbara, Santa Clarita, Camarillo, Moorpark, Lompoc, Ojai and many others.
(Starting in just one minute... - promoted by Lucas O'Connor)
We weren't able to arrange everything for our Monday 3:30 time slot, but today, in addition to a wrap-up of the June 3 election, we'll have an interview with Hannah-Beth Jackson, Democratic Nominee for the 19th State Senate District. We recorded the interview this morning, and let's just say she'll make a great Senator. The show will air today (6/10) at 3:30. You can listen live at the homepage, check it out later, or download it at iTunes.
In other news from this race, the Ventura County Star did a report on Sunday about who is funding the Ventura County GOP. You'll find some unsurprising answers:
The nation's largest tobacco company has donated $50,000 to the Ventura County Republican Central Committee as the local party gears up to help GOP candidate Tony Strickland in what is expected to be a multimillion-dollar campaign this fall in the 19th Senate District.
* * *
The contribution accounts for 88 percent of the $56,800 the county party had raised this year through the most recent reporting period. ... The $50,000 contribution came from the Altria Group, parent company of Philip Morris USA, which makes half the cigarettes sold in the United States. Osborn said he has no concerns about accepting such a large sum from the tobacco industry.
No concerns? Really? You can find Hannah-Beth on the Calitics ActBlue page.
The nation's largest tobacco company has donated $50,000 to the Ventura County Republican Central Committee as the local party gears up to help GOP candidate Tony Strickland in what is expected to be a multimillion-dollar campaign this fall in the 19th Senate District.
An amusing article written today by Ventura County Star’s Timm Herdt on Republican candidate Tony Strickland (running vs. Hannah-Beth Jackson) on Strickland’s ballot designation as an ‘Alternative Energy Executive.’ Turns out he’s the President of GreenWave Energy Solutions, a newly-created company that is designed to develop wave energy technology. The staff is basically made of Strickland’s Senate campaign workers, and his avowed interest and faith in alternative energy is belied by the fact that he hasn’t even put up the $5,000 investment that his four partners have. In fact Strickland, when he was a member of the Assembly, voted against legislation that would have required energy companies to supply more of their energy from renewable energy resources, which would have created a real market for GreenWave Energy (and many other green technology companies). Strickland’s opponent, Hannah-Beth Jackson, was a co-author of two bills in 2002 designed to expand markets for just such companies (SB 1038, SB 1078).
What’s really funny, though, is Strickland’s environmental pose. As a legislator he was a one-man wrecking crew on initiatives to protect our air and water, never missing an opportunity to side with polluters against the environment He voted against air quality standards, emissions caps, greenhouse gas standards, strengthening penalties for air quality violations, incentives for low-emission vehicles, environmental regulation of Mexican trucks, reduction in diesel and port pollution, a ban on oil tanking along the California coast. He voted to protect agricultural burning and offshore waste incineration. He opposed a ban on the sale and manufacture of items (including children’s toys!) that contained mercury. He even voted against a Jackson-authored measure to prevent pesticide spraying next door to schoolchildren.
Hannah-Beth has long been regarded as an environmental champion, receiving the endorsement of the California League of Conservation Voters and the Sierra Club in every election in which she’s run. In the Assembly she chaired the two key environmental committees, and authored over 30 pieces of legislation designed to promote alternative energy sources, protect air and water quality, reduce coastal pollution, preserve open space, protect against pesticides and toxics in our daily lives, and protect the Coastal Commission and the California coast against overdevelopment and pollution. To find out more about Hannah-Beth Jackson’s campaign for State Senate, or join this important push to turn a historically red district blue, please visit our website.
(You should meet Hannah-Beth. She's pretty cool. - promoted by Brian Leubitz)
In California Hannah-Beth Jackson is running for the State Senate. This is a key race because this is the Senate seat that could flip from Republican to Democrat, finally giving the Dems a 2/3 majority and enabling them to finally pass budgets. Her website is: Meet Hannah-Beth
In what I can only describe as a shocking development, Jim Dantona, the moderate Democrat looking to notch a pickup in the Thousand Oaks/Simi Valley/Santa Barbara Senate seat held currently by Tom McClintock, has dropped out of the race, clearing the field for Hannah Beth-Jackson. This will allow Jackson to go up against Tony Strickland, in all likelihood, in this Senate seat which is rapidly becoming a bluer district. Here's his statement:
"Our polling shows I could defeat Strickland by as much as 10% and I would certainly do well against Jackson here in east Ventura County where polling indicates she is a relative unknown. But my intention was never to run against a fellow Democrat for this seat. I was running to bring leadership to this district that represented the will of the people, instead of the continual fringes of partisanship."
"Even with solid polling numbers, Jackson and I would have to spend a fortune against each other and that was never my intention. Tony has already put together a healthy war chest with no primary battle. The reality is that if we fight each other, we may as well hand him the Senate. I am a team player and I wish Hannah Beth only best in her race."
"As for me, business is very good and I am sure to be back and forth between Sacramento, Washington D.C. and Simi Valley. I am in negotiations with several companies in Italy and I've been asked to get involved in the Presidential elections, which I am very much looking forward to." (Dantona previously consulted for Presidents Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter)
"I will continue to work for the causes I believe in and I will always reach across the political aisle to garner support for our community."
I did not see this one coming, but I wish Hannah-Beth Jackson great luck in turning this seat blue and getting us closer to a 2/3 majority in the Senate. Hopefully Dantona will assist in that effort. And I'm excited that we'll get a real test to see just how this district is trending.
(The second in an occasional series of articles highlighting California legislative districts and candidates that could provide Democrats with a vital 2/3 majority.)
On the drive out from Santa Monica to Simi Valley, there's a moment when you know that you've left Los Angeles County and ventured into Ventura. Suddenly, the greenery recedes away, the canyon walls rise, and the scene becomes positively dramatic. If you let your mind wander, you could picture yourself in the middle of a John Ford movie backdrop or a national monument somewhere in Utah, despite being just 35 miles from downtown LA.
I was headed out to a fundraiser, driving along the 118 Freeway, which area transportation poohbahs see fit to remind you is named the "Ronald Reagan Freeway" about every 8/10th of a mile. Astonishingly enough, this was a Democratic fundraiser. For a candidate seeking a seat held by Tom McClintock, arguably the most rock-ribbed conservative in the entire state. And it's a seat Democrats can win. Things are changing along the Ronald Reagan Freeway.
Yesterday, a good friend of Calitics, and somebody whom I hold in very high regard, former Assemblywoman Hannah-Beth Jackson, announced that she was going to run for the 19th Senate District. The seat is currently held by Tom McClintock, who is termed out (unless the term limits measure passes). Ms. Jackson is a progressive. Pure and simple, there is no arguing that. Not only that, she is our kind of progressive. She founded SpeakOut California and has been reporting from the Capitol about issues that matter to us. She is one of us.
However, she is not the only Democrat in the race. On the other corner, we have political consultant Jim Dantona, whose prior experience includes losing an election for Ventura County Supervisor last year and staff work for Senate Pro Tem David Roberti. While he's not known as a progressive, he does raise the specter of a costly primary battle and would be a strong candidate in his own right. However, while Perata seems to be supporting Dantona, it looks like many of Ms. Jackson's former colleagues are supporting her bid for the seat.
The Republican candidate, Tony Strickland, seems all but certain at this point. It would be a tough matchup for either Democrat, but it's a winnable seat. I look forward to working with Ms. Jackson to help take back this seat and bring us that much closer to 2/3.
This weekend I attended a pre-convention meeting for Region 10 of the California Democratic Party, which stretches from Santa Monica all the way up to the Monterey/San Luis Obispo County line. This is a big coastal region, parts of which have not been sufficiently Democratic over the years. But there are some great people in the trenches doing the necessary work to change that. Here are some disconnected thoughts:
