Although Jubal has permitted me to respond to posts on the ocblog I am having difficulty in responding to their latest post about the primary race for the 33rd Senate District. Their story says that based on a recent Competitive Edge Research poll 64.2 percent of the 400 likely Republican voters contacted were still undecided. They may be but I am not.
This is one of the easiest votes one could have. Elect 73rd AD Assemblywoman Mimi Walters for 33rd Senate District, hands down!
For this firm to say that “both leading candidates are relatively still unknown” I have to wonder where they were last year when we pressed for much overdue reform of our property rights. Mimi Walters worked around the clock on Prop 90.
While I have met Councilman Harry Sidhu, there is no one that I have met, currently serving in the Assembly, who has fought harder and longer for property rights protection for all Californians than Mimi Walters.
Over the past three years she has introduced AB590, AB 1990 and recently introduced ACA 2. Rather than adding to the spin cycle let me quote directly from her website:
12/5/06. Assemblywoman Mimi Walters (R-Laguna Niguel), yesterday introduced a Constitutional amendment, which would extend further protections to homeowners in California from having their property seized by local jurisdictions exercising eminent domain.
The Amendment, ACA-2, is a part of Assemblywoman Walters’ continued fight to protect Californians’ private property rights by prohibiting eminent domain from being exercised for private business development.”
During the long fight on Prop 90 last year she was successful in getting 30 co-sponsors of that Initiative. Her ability to get support from her peers is what is needed in Sacramento.
On Jan 25th she was named Vice Chair of the Assembly Committee on Appropriations, a very powerful function when your annual budget exceeds $100 billion dollars.
And lastly let me report that I appeared with Mimi at a large club meeting where she discussed eminent domain. She has proven to be a tireless worker who is accessible to her constituents.
Larry Gilbert, Orange County Co-Director, Californians United for Redevelopment Education CURE, the “grass roots” partner of Supervisor Chris Norby’s MORR.
Don’t live in the District so do not know if this is the case, but when I see yet another State elected person running for a different State office I suspect a termed out elected seeking to remain an elected anway. That the case here? If so, why not live up to the spirit of term limits and simply fade away?
How does Mimi juggle caring for her young children? Has she relocated to Sacramento?
Anonymous #1.
There are many elected officials who have changed offices due to Term Limits. Supervisor’s Correa and Spitzer moving north to serve in SAC and Assemblyman Campbell coming back to Orange County. Ray Haynes moved from one house to the other. The key point is that we need to re-visit the entire concept of Term Limits. We are losign some very talented and caring representatives. Instead of being limited to three two year terms in the State Assembly and two four year terms in the State Senate we should revise the maximum time so that some of the competent elected officials can stay in the same house seat longer unless voted out by the electorate.
No, I am not promoting a lifetime Term such as Willie Brown virtually enjoyed but a change in current limits is becoming obvious.
Poster #2. Mimi is already serving in SAC. As to her family let me state that my Assembly representative is Todd Spitzer who has a young family. Many of our elected’s commute from SAC every week. Their travel plans is a personal family decision.
I don’t buy your response to #2. A mother has a differant responsibilty to her children. I know this isn’t PC but what the heck. Shouldnt a Mother be with her children? It’s thier decision, I understand that but I just feel that a mother of young children who puts politics first is wrong. No doubt her politics are good but it just seems wierd.
Anonymous #4.
We had this discussion when she was first elected to serve in the State Assembly. Perhaps you might attend one of her future events and present that question to her directly. I am not in a position to respond on her behalf.
Annonymous #1, Assemblywoman Walters is not termed out. She could run one more time for the 73rd.
Annonymous #2, It is a low blow to bring up the children issue. She has a husband and a father, and probably other intimate family members who assist her with the children. This is a non-issue as far as I am concerned.
Anonymous 6 chiming in one more time. I hear this bit about Assemblywoman Walters and her children a lot. So I wanted to throw out one interesting observation. I rarely see Mimi around Laguna Niguel ourside of the usual places such as chamber meetings, etc. However, my daughter has run into her twice at the “Tall Mouse” crafts store leaving me to conlude that she is doing A LOT of crafting with her children!
I also am not in Mimi’s district. However, decisions on important issues are based on a cumulative vote so it is important to know the credibility and stance of all those that affect our quality of life.
From what I have read about her, she would take an aggressive stance to protect our property rights while promoting lower taxes and less government. I applaud her hard work as an Assemblywoman and wish her the best.
Mr. Gilbert, thank you for work at CURE. I live in Brea and as you know Redevelopment and Eminent Domain have been used extensively. I ran in the ’04 council race and was hammered by Mayor Marty Simonoff for my conservative view on Redevelopment.
Keep up the good work.
Richard Rios