It struck me today that the OC GOP appears to have candidates lined up for all the central county legislative seats that come up in two years – except for the 69th Assembly District.
I have a theory that the OC GOP Central Committee’s 69th Assembly District Caucus, under the misguided leadership of its faux Chairman, Tim Whitacre, probably won’t even try to recruit a candidate for this seat.
The incumbent, Democrat Jose Solorio, is part of Santa Ana Mayor Miguel Pulido’s machine. There is NO WAY that Pulido is going to allow Whitacre, who is likewise part of his cabal, to run a serious candidate against Solorio.
That said, Whitacre will be able to prove that he is in fact a loyal Republican by actually recruiting a serious candidate. Here’s an idea – why not go with Santa Ana Councilman Carlos Bustamante? Think about it, Bustamante, by coming in fourth in the recent 1st District Supervisorial race, showed us that he is in trouble, with regard to his council reelection campaign, which comes up in 2008.
Democrat Tom Umberg beat Bustamante in just about every precinct in Santa Ana. This means that there will likely be several notable candidates facing off for Bustamante’s seat in 2008. Obviously, he ought to just ditch the council seat and run for the 69th A.D.
There is however a problem with that notion. Bustamante also answers to Pulido. There is almost no chance that he will run against Solorio. Indeed, I am reminded of the time that Bustamante told Ryan Gene Williams that he could not endorse him for the 69th A.D. without first asking Solorio about it. Will Bustamante have to ask Solorio if he can run against him for the 69th A.D.?
If Bustamante refuses to run against Solorio, he will just end up losing his council seat anyway. Why not go out in a blaze of glory instead? Doesn’t fortune favor the bold? I guess we will have to wait and see if Bustamante is really the Republican he wants us to believe he is.
An another fantasy-island-saga.
Lot of red, white and blue balloons released in all directions.
They all fly south because Art is unaware that he should use wet index rather than middle finger to test the wind.
Carlos would be making a big mistake if he goes against Solorio in 08. He needs to keep his Council seat as a launching pad for higher office. Can he win his seat again? Probably, but it’s going to be tougher now that all the Hispanic’s know he’s a Republican. It’s going to depend on who runs against him, and how well funded they are.
Bring it on.
Poster 2,
Trust me. Bustamante is going to be surrounded by well-funded candidates. He is going to be like the Alamo – full of lead and vanquished. His best option by far would be to retreat to high ground and run for the 69th AD instead. Surely his Lincoln Club sugar daddies will fund him again?
Carlos will run for Council in 2 years and IF he can get re-elected, then he will run for Assembly in 4 years when he has a free shot. He will then run again 2 years after that because he will have to leave the council due to term limits and have no where else to go.
Watch Carlos kick and scream when Claudia takes the Mayor Pro Tem title from him.
Art:
I hate to break it to you but Carlos is too good for that seat and I’m not talking about ego. Carlos is actually elected to something and has credibility.
The Republican Party has zero chance of winning an election in the 69th regardless of who the candidate is. This seat is Jose’s for the next six years.
Look for a self-important college student to run or failed businessman who wants to feel important. Maybe both. Look for them to complain about a lack of GOP support for a race that has no hope.
Poster 7,
Credibility? I think he lost that when he spent over $300K and got blown out in the Supervisorial Election.
Face it, Bustamante is TOAST in two years. His council seat is as good as lost. I was right about him in the Supervisor’s race and I will be right about this one too.
As Poster #2 put it, the voters now know he is a Bush Republican. That is not going to help Carlos in a presidential election year. He will be swept away in a blue tsunami and we will have an all-Democrat City Council in Santa Ana. Mark my words.
Bustamante’s only hope is to either become a Democrat, or run for the 69th. I agree that his odds of beating Solorio are SLIM. However, his odds of hanging on to his council seat are ZERO.
I suggest that Bustamante get Solorio on the phone right away so he can ask for permission to run…
“Look for a self-important college student to run or failed businessman who wants to feel important…”
Sounds like someone doesn’t like Ryan or Otto.
Art is almost always right in his predictions regarding Santa Ana politics and I think he’s right about Bustamonte as well. Carlos would be smart to try to hire Art to run his campaign for Assembly or pull a Mike Garcia and just not run for re-election and as many who have quit before have said, “Spend more time with his family”!
Poster 9,
Hmmm…sounds like that Semper Fraud guy.
The fact is, Ryan did the OC GOP a favor by running. Two years from now he won’t be doing the same. They will have to find someone to run, or risk being embarrassed by allowing Solorio a free pass.
It would actually be poetic justice to see Bade run again. That would drive Timmy nuts! However, Bade is very busy with his real estate business. I suspect he will pass on this.
The only other possible candidates would be Tim himself or Rosie Avila. Since they both bend knee to Pulido, don’t expect either of them to take on Solorio.
Actually, the only other candidate who would make some sense is James Vanderbilt. He is a Anaheim school board member in the 69th. He is Latino on his mother’s side. He is a good guy and would be an interesting candidate.
Wouldn’t being “Latino on his mother’s side” make him a Latino? People who are half black and half white are considered Black I think. That Bill Richardson fellow running for President says he is a Latino but the name does not sound Latino. Can someone please tell me the rule on this whole whose a Latino thing?
Don’t count out Alexandria Coronado or Jeff Chavez or Lou Lopez or Benny Diaz or Ruebon Ross as Latino Republicans to run against Solorio.
Why not Ted Moreno for Assembly against Solorio? I know he is a convicted Felon but my understanding is that not all Felons are prevented from voting or running for office. Does anyone know the truth on this matter? Ted loved the city and politics and he is rested and ready to get back into action. Perhaps Mr. Mills knows if Ted would be interested. I think they were friends many years ago.
All of those mentioned would make outstanding Republican candidates EXCEPT Diaz who is a Dem.
Benny Diaz is a Democrat. I don’t think he lives in the 69th either.
What do you guys think about a Vietnamese running against Jose in ’08?
Depends.
If the Viet candidate runs a Tan-like campaign and sends out mailers to Latino voters telling them they can’t vote I think that just gives the Latino community more of an incentive to go out and vote for Jose.
Besides, any Republican candidate would have to pull in AT LEAST 40% of their base vote, a third of DTS voters, and a small percentage of Democrat voters in order to come anywhere close to a win in the 69th… especially in a presidential election.
In 2008, the Viet votes won’t outnumber Latino votes in the 69th.
That’s why I think the notion of Viet voters being a “powerful” force in Central County is flawed.
Sure, they helped a GOP candidate win the 1st Sup, but in a general election their force starts being watered down by other voters… especially in a presidential election.
Unless Jose winds up with a dead hooker in the back of his car, he still wins in 2008.
Now, if the Viet or any candidate has a strong showing in 2008 against Jose… they could turn around and try to take him out in 2010. Assuming he isn’t running for State Senate or Congress by then.
Even if a Rep. Viet candidate can’t win, it will force Jose to spend money he can’t use to give to other Dem.’s to get/keep his Comm. Chair. Best would be some angry Dem Viet running in the Primary and then a Rep. Viet running for the Rep.’s. Jose will still win but he will be worried based on the last Sup. election and will have to spend money on a campaign for what should be a safe seat.
Best case would be a Liberal Viet Dem in the Primary who would force Jose to spend money and then a strong Rep Viet candidate in the General. Jose will win but it will cost him $$$$ and time to run a real campaign this time.
A trans-gender dead hooker might cost him a few votes but a dead hooker alone, would not cost him his seat. Jose is there for the full 6 years. Stop talking about it.
Still would depend on how much money either candidate could raise and/or spend in the campaign to knock some of Jose’s potentially bad votes in the Assembly.
Either way, I think Dems would still be more worried financially over how well their 2008 candidate for President would be doing.
There are less than 10,000 vietnamese in the 69th. Maybe even 7,000. Unless Assemblymember Solorio is either incredibly lazy or corrupt, he can’t be beat.
But on that note, we haven’t seen much of Jose lately. Any truth to the rumor he will be moving his family to Sacramento?
He lives near Whitacre… perhaps maybe he could tell us if he has a Century 21 sign in his front lawn.
I hope Jose does move his family up there. Most of these guys end up cheating on their wives and often divorced. I say Bravo to Jose if he moves them up and the schools can’t be worse than Santa Ana. I glad he is up there working and not down here doing political stuff. He has a field office and staff to listen to Gadflys gripe.
According to pajarito, last week Solorio was j-walking in Costa Mesa and is on ICE-BUS to his homeland.
“According to pajarito, last week Solorio was j-walking in Costa Mesa and is on ICE-BUS to his homeland.”
No..what happened was Jose was ICE skating with his family in Costa Mesa and gave bus fare to some white kid to get home to Huntington Beach. It’s amazing how those stories get distorted.
Assemblyman Soloria is in a safe seat and is not going anywhere until he decides to run for something else. Even if he loses after he gets termed-out a Democratic govenor would likely give him an appointment to something. At best you can only really speculate about possible 69th AD candidates for 2012. I think everyone should keep an eye on Dr. Jose Moreno of Anaheim City School District. I think he is a rising star.
“Jose was ICE skating with his family in Costa Mesa”
You have it wrong #27,
The ICE Skating Ring in Costa Mesa was demolished about 4 years ago. So the only available ICE-ing in Costa Mesa is to the homeland.
Art –
Are you smoking weed or crack? Bustamante will EASILY win re-election in ’08. You talk your trash in hopes of scaring the guy….but you are just posturing.
Your “woman-of-the-year” (just a coincidence in regards to your appointment to a paid city commission position, right Art?) almost got beat by a white grandmother housewife with no political experience & very little funding. Clearly you underestimate the voting strength of non-Latinos in this city.
A Republican has held that seat for how many consecutive years? Forever? Keep on talking your trash. Do you really think Carlos is stupid enough to listen to a turncoat like yourself?
Your attacks on Bustamante are getting more & more desperate. Wal-Mart just lowered the price of your meds to $4 a prescription…..go get some & get back to reality.
Poster 30,
Santa Ana Council seats are at large. Bustamante has been outed as a Bush Republican. He is finished. Perhaps Wal Mart will hire him as a greeter.
Yes, the non-Latino population in Santa Ana does vote. However, Bustamante will be opposed by several Latinos. All it will take is for one white candidate to emerge from the pack and Bustamante will be done.
Poster 30,
One more thought – a white candidate could also take enough GOP votes away from Bustamante to allow a progressive Latino Democrat to beat him and take his council seat.
The movement is already underway to rid Santa Ana of the likes of Carlos Bustamante forever.He did the Republican party no favors by kissing the ass of Miguel Pulido, Tino Rivera, Jennifer Villasenor and turning his back on the Republicans in elections past. Tuesday evening the Santa Ana city council has an item on the agenda to remove the Mayor Pro tem title from the big loser. His days are numbered. And after hi political life is over, we start in on his professional and personal ones.
“a white candidate”???
So it is all about the color Mr. Pedroza… Huh?
Of course. On this blog, it’s always about color. If you’re not Hispanic, you’re not fit to be elected or hired as senior staff. Not in Santa Ana.
Art gets the ribbon for funniest line of the week:
“Bustamante has been outed as a Bush Republican. He is finished”
Outed? That has been his platform from the very beginning. That is what got him elected in the first place.
Did you forget that Bush got over 40% of the Hispanic vote? Forget that he appointed the first Hispanic AG? Forget that he’s kept the borders wide open? Forget that he’s welcomed illegals with open arms? Clearly Hispanics do not hate Bush as much as you think.
It is no coincidence that as Hispanics begin to increase their net worth & education, they flock to the Republicans in huge numbers (Cubans in Miami ring a bell to anyone?). Claudio & Luis try their best to keep the “victim” label on the entire Hispanic community so they can give the false impression that Hispanics “need” the Dems to “help” them. Pathetic.
Hispanics have more pride than that. More & more are learning that the Reps have more in common with them: desire for lower taxes, desire for less interference in business/commerce (take note Mr. Kyoto Treaty), anti-gay marriage/pro-domestic partnership, etc…etc…etc…
And we cannot forget the biggest worry for the OC Dems…….The thing that keeps Sean, Luis, Art, & Claudio waking up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat: As more and more Hispanics become second & third-generation Americans…the more they resent the illegal immigrants walking across, driving down wages of once high-paying jobs, overcrowding our city, making health-care costs SKYROCKET, dragging down school performance, and other indisputably negative effects injected into our society. If I had a nickel for every third-generation Hispanic-American that has told me that they are sick & tired of the open border policy, I swear I would have enough money to buy Sean his next steak at Original Mikes!! OC Dems can no longer lump all Latinos in one category. Unfortunately for them, the Latino population is not going to blindly pull the lever for the guy with the “D” after his/her name any longer.
The chilling statistic that 30+% of the Minutemen are Latinos has to be frightening to Claudio & Luis since those two ABSOLUTELY RELY on pounding the racial wedge by pulling the “it’s us vs. them” card to scare Latinos into voting Democrat. Educated Latinos are smarter than that.
More education = more money = more people that want to hold onto their money instead of giving it to the Socialist Democrats for redistribution to lazy people = higher Republican registration. The math is simple.
Poster 36,
Yes, more education is hugely important. But Carlos closed our libraries. Today Santa Ana has one library to serve over 400,000 people. Bakersfield, with half our population, has six libraries. Do the math…even Costa Mesa had three libraries and Irvine just broke ground on their latest library.
Art,
When you are bestowed with the “funniest line of the week” title, it is unbecoming of you to outdo yourself within five minutes!
“But Carlos closed our libraries.”
The one Republican among six Democrats is PERSONALLY responsible for closing libraries? Just like he is PERSONALLY responsible for the kid tagging your neighborhood?
I’m afraid you are losing it, Art. The hate is making you irrational. Get a grip…….