As TINS posted yesterday, Hannah-Beth Jackson has now fallen behind in the latest count of her race in SD-19, and according to local reports the remaining votes to be counted are mainly in Strickland-friendly areas. This one looks grim. At this hour Strickland leads by 1,560 votes, and it's actually outside of the 1/2 of 1% required for a partial recount.
Hannah-Beth Jackson (Dem) 186,071 49.7%
Tony Strickland (Rep) 187,631 50.3%
The other two races we're monitoring are actually in better shape than Hannah-Beth's. In AD-10, the latest numbers from the Secretary of State show Jack Sieglock leading Alyson Huber by just 506 votes.
Alyson L. Huber (Dem) 80,507 46.4%
Jack Sieglock (Rep) 81,013 46.8%
This is currently inside recount territory. According to Randy Bayne, the remaining ballots left to count are mainly in Sacramento and San Joaquin Counties. The ballot count is done in Amador County and mostly done in El Dorado County. With some luck, the Sacramento County ballots will swing for Huber; she beat Sieglock 52-41 there. Sieglock won San Joaquin County 51-42.
In CA-04, Charlie Brown is within 569 votes of Tom McClintock.
Charlie Brown (Dem) 168,378 49.9%
Tom McClintock (Rep) 168,947 50.1%
The question is how many ballots are left in Nevada County, where Brown won big. According to the unprocessed ballot report, there are still 10,000 left up there, but I think that's outdated information. It's probably more like 5,000, if not less. Still, we are well within the .5% required for a partial recount. So that's where that's likely to be headed regardless of what happens with the final numbers.
Again, counts and recounts cost money, so if you can chip in a couple bucks for these Democrats at the Calitics ActBlue page, I'm sure they'd be grateful.
UPDATE: I just learned that Hannah-Beth Jackson had to evacuate her house today, owing to the Montecito fire. Hopefully everything will work out OK.
Everyone should bookmark this site monitoring the close races that haven't been called in California. There are four such races within 2% at the moment. There's Prop. 11, which is trending toward passage with a 131,000 vote lead. There's SD-19, which has some breathing room now, as Hannah-Beth Jackson leads by 1,203 votes.
And then there are the two Sacramento-area races. Alyson Huber's race in AD-10 has really tightened up. She now trails Jack Sieglock by just 319 votes out of 154,000 counted. That is well within the 1/2 of 1% territory that would trigger an automatic recount. Which brings up an interesting question which perhaps some election junkie could answer. The Secretary of State certifies the count on December 2. But the new legislature is sworn in on December 1. If there's a race with no clear winner at that point, what happens?
Finally, we have CA-04, the race between Charlie Brown and Tom McClintock. This has bounced around a bit, but we're now looking at an 889 vote lead for McClintock. There are anywhere between 48,000 and 55,000 votes left to count, based on this chart (which you can also bookmark) of unprocessed ballots. This race also appeared headed to a recount, and if you believe this Daily Kos diarist, Brown has a good shot at making up ground, because there are so many outstanding votes in Nevada County, where Brown did best.
We know these counts and recounts are expensive, and now two groups have stepped up with their support of Charlie while we sort this out. Wes Clark sent an email to his list today:
Our friend Charlie Brown needs our help. The margin in California's 4th Congressional District is razor thin, and they're still counting votes. After more than 300,000 ballots were cast in CA-04, the race is tied. The current difference stands at less than half of 1% (less than 500 votes).
With 40,000 vote-by-mail and provisional ballots still to be counted, the race is way too close to call. That's why it's critical for us to make sure all the votes are counted in CA-04.
Charlie's opponent, Tom McClintock, has hired an election attorney and brought in a team of lawyers to "watch" the locations where absentee and provisional ballots are being counted. McClintock's team is doing everything they can to challenge the votes of thousands of people who faithfully cast their ballots.
Charlie needs our help to fight back.
And DFA has done the same:
In 2000, we lost the election when the Bush campaign beat us in the legal and media fight that followed. In 2004, we had to force a recount in the Washington State Governor's race and we won because you delivered the resources to make it happen.
We need to raise at least $40,000 by Monday to back up these races with the resources they need right now.
In 2004, we raised over $250,000 for the Washington State recount. This year, we need $40,000 right now to keep the GOP dirty tricks at bay and make sure every vote is counted fairly.
DFA's Grassroots All-Star Charlie Brown needs resources to fend off a team of Republican lawyers who, as I write this message, are challenging every Democratic ballot before the FIRST count has even been completed. Charlie is down by less than 500 votes with over 15,000 votes still to be counted. He needs our help to make sure every vote is counted.
(Note: it's now 889 votes with over 48,000 votes left to be counted)
Earlier, I mentioned that the CA-04 race is not over. This bit of news reinforces that fact:
Truckee Town Council is one race that hangs in the balance.
"Four years ago I got 3,700 votes, and Josh [Susman] got 3,300, and this year so far we both have about 2,200," said current Mayor and candidate Barbara Green.
"Something is not quite right."
She said she figures about 1,000 to 2,000 votes are still unaccounted for in Truckee.
The missing votes could have repercussions as far reaching as the tightly-contested 4th Congressional District race between Republican Tom McClintock and Democrat Charlie Brown, Green said.
The spokeswoman for a local ballot measure makes this sound more like a mystery of missing ballots rather than votes that are simply uncounted:
Proponents of the Tahoe Truckee Unified School District Measure U hoped the outstanding ballots may make the difference.
"Clearly there's been a major administrative error. We are hopefully those
outstanding ballots will push Measure U over the top," said Alison Elder, Measure U chair.
Administrative error? What does that mean, exactly.
This could be especially important because Brown won Nevada County, the county in question, by a substantial margin (57-43). If there are potentially 2,000 votes there, that would make up a lot of that difference if the margin holds.
...by the way, Bill Hedrick in CA-44 might be getting into recount territory, incredibly. It's down to a spread of just 2.8% between Hedrick and Rep. Ken Calvert, a difference of only 4,600 votes. It's the closest Congressional race outside of CA-04. I am sorry I didn't pay enough attention to it. Go Bill!
I would really like to get to the post-mortem and the ritual hacking of limbs to answer for the disconnect between a resounding victory at the top of the ticket and barely a ripple below it, but that would be assuming that the votes are all in. And they have not. There are maybe 3 MILLION ballots, in the form of late absentees and provisionals, still outstanding throughout the state. Now, this may not swing any of the statewide numbers with the exception of Prop. 11, but there are plenty of local races close enough that we have to make sure every vote is properly and accurately counted.
In particular, there's the closest race of the night, the battle between Charlie Brown and Tom McClintock in CA-04. Right now, the lead for McClintock on the Secretary of State's website is 451 votes. I'm told that lead is smaller, inside 400 votes. And furthermore, there are FORTY THOUSAND VOTES yet to be counted. These are the late-arriving permanent absentee votes, the ones that people bring to the polls on Election Day, which are always the last to be counted. There are also provisional ballots out there.
This race is not over. 40,000 votes must be counted and they must be counted fairly. Nobody should concede this race, least of all us. Here's a historical reminder - in 2002 Steve Westly was behind in his State Controller race by 10,000 votes once all the precincts returned. But provisional ballots broke for him 60-40, and he was elected.
His opponent that year was Tom McClintock.
Charlie Brown can win this race, but he needs your help. Hiring lawyers to ensure accurate counting is expensive. Maintaining a staff beyond Election Day is expensive. Going through to a recount, which is probable, is expensive.
If neither candidate emerges with a lead exceeding 1/2 of 1 percent of the vote, the race will automatically go to a partial manual recount, according to the secretary of state's office. That was the outcome the Brown campaign anticipated as the upset Brown aimed for still seemed in reach.
Charlie Brown is still in this race. You can support him at the Calitics ActBlue page.
[Orange] County Supervisor Janet Nguyen is 50 days late so far in complying with a county oridinace [sic] on campaign donations. Some time after the Feb. 6 election, she accepted three contributions in excess of the county's $1,500 limit and put them into a legal trust fund set up by her lawyer. Turns out county code prohibits such trust funds, so the money was moved out of there and the excess donations, they say, were returned.
OK, I just noticed this on Total Buzz... But I'm not really surprised:
Coming as a surprise to absolutely no one, the Consigliere Schroeder (see also: Darth Vader, Darth Schroeder, or any Godfather reference) says Trung Nguyen will appeal the judge's decision this week that made Janet Nguyen the winner of the First District supes seat.
Mike told me that Team Trung is waiting for the transcripts from the trial in Judge Michael Brenner's court and they will then file with the state court of appeals. Perhaps the higher court will agree with the "Schroederian view" of the state recount law and maybe Team Janet shouldn't get too comfortable up on the Fifth Floor...
OK, sorry about my ranting. It's just that I live here, and I am sick and tired of these GOP Machine scumbags whine and complain about "gaming the system" when they themselves have used some VERYILLEGALTACTICS to "game the system". Unlike many of their possible victims, these GOP Machine scumbags got their day in court... And the judge ruled that there was no "gaming". Team Trung need to let it go, and allow for Central Orange County to move on.
I hope they realize that soon, and that I can stop ranting about all this crap soon.
OK, I know that I shouldn't be doing this...
But I just can't help it! Total Buzz made me do it! ; )
Got a press release today saying that Assemblyman Van Tran, R-Garden Grove, will be in Santa Ana on Friday to promote the Earned Income Tax Credit -- an income-tax benefit for the poor. Among those on hand will be Santa Ana Councilman Carlos Bustamante -- who was among those running for supervisor this year against Tran's candidate, Trung Nguyen -- and the Legal Aid Society of Orange County, which is often finds Democrats more sympathetic to their causes. Former U.S. Treasurer and currently -- take a breath -- California State and Consumer Services Agency Secretary Rosario Marin will also be there.
(Clearly, Andrew and I don't agree on this one. I think that democracy is worth fighting for, even if you don't like the people involved. To me, accuracy is more important than finality. - promoted by Brian Leubitz)
The board is complete. The healing process begins. The unity starts now.
Mr. Nguyen ran a good race, but he should put an end to any more legal action. The county should wish Ms. Nguyen the best as she becomes the first Vietnamese-American county supervisor.
Who cares what the democrat lawyers who work for Fabian Nunez and Don Perata think? It has no force of law. The campaign is over. Schroeder needs to stand down. He is only hurting the GOP's chances of keeping this seat next year.
So why is "Been Around" on OC Blog angry at the "democrat lawyers"? Well, it looks like those "democrat lawyers who work for Fabian Nunez and Don Perata" have just contradicted Judge Brenner's ruling in favor of Janet Nguyen by opining that the County Registrar was required to use a voter verified paper trail (VVPAT) in conducting the full recount. So have these "democrat lawyers" now given new life to Trung's insane effort to overturn the election results? Follow me after the flip for more...
(Just 588 days until Janet's next election, when a Democrat will take back the (non-partisan) seat.- Brian
OK, here's what everyone else is saying... Ryan Gene has a lot so say about Janet and her new job at Orange Juice. And Total Buzz has more on Janet and the GOPers who may want to be her friends again. Stay tuned for more! : ) - promoted by atdleft)
Today, something happened. What we've all been waiting for finally happened. Janet Nguyen was FINALLY sworn in as County Supervisor. THANK GAWD I FINALLY HAVE A SUPERVISOR!! But how long will this last? Will she really be able to follow through on her promise to "unite the district" and "represent everyone"?
(Hooray, more video from yesterday! Jubal/Matt Cunningham now has VIDEO of the Judge's decision, along with VIDEO of Janet Nguyen's press conference, over at OC Blog. : ) - promoted by atdleft)
Ah, finally! No need to revise the agenda...
Janet Nguyen really will be sworn in today as the newest OC Supervisor. The wait is over... It's just too bad that the drama may not be over quite yet. (From OC Register)
Janet Nguyen will be sworn in tomorrow at the weekly Board of Supervisors meeting. Trung Nguyen ducked the many reporters at the courthouse, but his lawyer, Michael Schroeder, said he expected to file an appeal of the judge's decision.
"The judge's ruling was not a surprise," Schroeder said. "We have to take a look at the judge's ruling but I anticipate we will file an appeal."
Janet Nguyen, 30, now becomes the first Asian-American and the youngest ever to sit on the board. She told reporters she was excited, honored and relieved.
"I'm ready - I've been ready - to represent the people of the First District," she said.
Trung Nguyen refused to concede the election and didn't congratulate Janet Nguyen, who left the courthouse and promptly walked over to the county Hall of Administration. There, she was congratulated by Supervisors John Moorlach, Chris Norby and Pat Bates.
"She'll be voting tomorrow," Norby said.
Ah, if only Darth Schroeder, Lord Van Tran, and their loyal lackey Trung can just GIVE IT UP, and LET JANET SERVE FOR GAWD SAKE!! But whatever, they'll likely lose again with the appeal. I'm just relieved that this whole damn thing is coming to a close, whether they like it or not.
Republican Councilwoman Janet Nguyen of Garden Grove won the February 6th - Special Election for the 1st Supervisorial District Vacancy. The seat was previously held by Democrat Lou Correa.
Nguyen will join Republicans John Moorlach, Bill Campbell, Chris Norby and Pat Bates on the Board of Supervisors thus creating an all-Republican governing board not seen in Orange County since 2004. Nguyen also becomes the first elected Vietnamese-American Supervisor in Orange County history.
"On behalf of the Republican Party of Orange County, I would like to congratulate Supervisor-Elect Nguyen in her hard-fought victory," said County GOP Chairman Scott Baugh. "I commend the hard work of all Republican candidates that worked night and day to increase Republican registration and turnout."
"Our member communication efforts during this special election played a critical role in the effort to elect a Republican Supervisor. This Supervisorial win will help continue our positive trend in Central Orange County," said Chairman Baugh.
OK, so I guess now that Trung's done, the GOPers are getting back into good terms with Janet. I guess we'll see if all those nasty wounds will begin to heal.
This just in from Peggy Lowe at OC Register'sTotal Buzz news blog:
Could be a big day here at All-Recount-All-The-Time HQ....As Norberto reported on Friday, Team Janet's lead has slipped to just three votes as Team Trung persuaded Judge Michael Brenner to overrule ROV Neal Kelley on four ballots. Brenner has also promised a decision today. That means, of course, that we might have a swearing-in ceremony at the Board of Supes meeting tomorrow.
OK, so Crybaby Trung begged and groveled enough for the judge to reverse one of the Registrar's rulings. So now, Janet Nguyen only leads by THREE VOTES...
So will this paper-thin lead be enough to survive today's legal action...
And will the other four supervisors FINALLY ACT, and seat the Nguyen who won?
Stay tuned for more as the Great OC Political Psychodrama (hopefully) FINALLY COMES TO A CLOSE...
Here are some wild and wonderful stories from behind The Orange Curtain that you just have to see to believe:
- Irvine protesters hold out hope for peace. There may have been only 80 antiwar activists holding their candles for peace last night, but they certainly made an impact. Martin Wisckol has more in today's Register.
- How have the Vietnamese-Americans assimilated... Or have they? That's been a question that all of us behind The Orange Curtain have asked since the special election debacle began to unfold last month. Guest bloggers Ralph E. Shaffer and Walter P. Coombs have some interesting answers at The Liberal OC. And finally...
A win for Registrar of Voters today...just got back from court, where Judge Michael Brenner denied a motion from Team Trung to see 178,385 documents from the First District election.
Brenner said it appeared that the subpoenas covered "everything having to do with this election," that the suit sought "another recount," and he didn't want to start over. "I have difficulty with the idea that that would be appropriate," he said. Brenner sided with Deputy County Counsel Leon Page's argument that Team Trung had already seen those documents twice -- during the recount and during ballot challenge periods.
Today's action is also, of course, a win for Janet Nguyen's team, as the decision certainly limits what Team Trung can do during the trial.
So at least, the judge is not buying into Team Trung's flimsy case...
Let's just hope that this just hastens the end of this increasingly ridiculously long special election.
- Anaheim's Disney Dilemma... Now in Court! The Plaintiff: Disney, who insists that housing in the resort district would not fit in with the hotels and tourist venues planned for the area. The Defendant: The City of Anaheim, who insists that the city has the right to determine what fits in the resort district... And now, residential developer SunCal wants to help pay Anaheim's legal fees. Stay tuned as the Disney Dilemma erupts in court!
- No Longer Lost in Translation. The City of Santa Ana is finally giving its 45% of primarily Spanish-speaking residents a chance to better participate in city council meetings by offering simultaneous translation of its City Council meetings in Spanish. Es muy bien, porque mas personas en Santa Ana pueden participar en los negocios de su ciudad. : )
And finally...
- Curt. It's been said that a picture is worth a thousand words... So I guess it shouldn't surprise me that Mike Lawson's one picture at The Liberal OC says more about the wild and crazy special election fallout than all of my updates combined. Way to go, Mike, you artistic genius. ; )
The declaration of a winner in the Feb. 6 supervisor's race was indeed postponed once again by the Board of Supervisors... Chairman Chris Norby assured those in attendance that Supervisor Nguyen would be sworn in once and for all on March 27.
So as expected, the Board of Supervisors decides to keep Central County's Supe seat vacant. Now while I usually do not agree with hard-right Supervisor Chris Norby, I do agree with his statement that "Three months is a long, long time for one-fifth of the county to be without representation."
H/T to Mike Lawson at 
