“John and Ken’s” 2010 Election Guide – updated with new OC cities!

Heads on sticks!  Heads on sticks!  We wanna see those rapacious corporations, and the Republican and DINO politicians who live to serve them and imprison us, with their heads atop sticks!

Oh, hello! 🙂  I’m dedicating this Fall’s election guide to my good friends John Alpay and Ken Arnold.  John Alpay, the brash young conservative Republican who’s risking the enmity of many of the more corrupt members of his party by taking on the wasteful, incompetent Capistrano USD School Board; and Ken Arnold who is waging a David-vs-Goliath struggle against eleven-term overgrown-child goofball sadist-racist Dana Rohrabacher.

For that reason I’m calling it “John and Ken’s 2010 Election Guide,” even if John and Ken MAY not agree with every single choice I’ve made here, as we are quite independent souls.  But I hope you find it useful.  – Vern Nelson, editor-in-chief, the Orange Juice Blog.

[click here for your soundtrack – Horowitz playing “Stars and Stripes Forever”]

1. the initiatives

There’s a bewildering number of initiatives on the ballot this year,
but if you can only remember how to vote on THREE of them, make ’em these:

YES on 19 – no to the War on Drugs, yes to revenue.
NO on 23 – Texas oil companies Don’t Mess With Calif’s clean air & Green Jobs!
YES on 25 – no to yearly gridlock, YES to a California Budget on time!

and here’s the rundown on all nine of ’em:

  • 19 YES to decriminalize, regulate and tax marijuana!
  • 20 NO to further redistricting till we see how our latest redistricting works out.
  • 21 YES – good idea – $18 added to your vehicle registration goes to fund state parks and gets YOU free admission to them!
  • 22 YES – stop Sacramento from raiding our local funds.
  • 23 HELL NO to shitcanning our landmark environmental protections just because some lying Texas oil barons cry crocodile tears over California “jobs.”  (Did I mention they’re lying?)
  • 24 HELL YES to closing Arnold’s 2009 corporate tax loopholes – we need that revenue!
  • 25 YES! We need to be able to pass a budget on majority vote like all other civilized states.  That doesn’t mean taxes, silly!
  • 26 NO – Would make it as hard to raise fees as it is to raise taxes.  You may respectfully disagree and vote yes, I’ll understand.
  • 27 NO – Would reverse the redistricting Prop 11 we passed in 2008.  Just like I said with 20, no, let’s see how it works out.  (I disagree with most Dems on this.)

[Propositions must be considered with great care and delicacy.]

2. the flawed human beings

Governor.  JERRY BROWN. Look at the alternative.  And he just may be the only person that can pull off this thankless job.

Senator. We do NOT want Carly Fiorina to beat Barbara Boxer. But if B-Box continues to do as well in the polls as she has been, you are given permission to vote for any of these fine candidates who have appeared on Radio Orange Juice (but if you’re going to do that, wait till election day just to be safe…)

  • Duane Roberts, Green Party (and my pain-in-the-ass OJ colleague)
  • Gail Lightfoot, Libertarian Party
  • Marsha Feinland, Peace and Freedom Party (MY choice…if we’re sure Boxer is winning that is!)

In the other statewide races, I see no Democrats that aren’t night-and-day better than the horrific Republicans they’re up against.  LG – Gavin! AG – Lovely Kamala! Treasurer – the Old Guy! SOS – Sweet Debra! Insurance Commish – Big Dave Jones! Controller – The Chingon John Chiang!

And, for the non-partisan office of  Superintendent of Public Instruction, the supremely competent and progressive Tom Torlakson.

[Tom Torlakson has yet another good idea.]

OC Congressional Picks.

– starting with the most exciting ones, who have the best chance –

BILL HEDRICK over corrupt RINO Ken Calvert in the 44th (San Clemente, SJC, Corona, Riverside.)  Even Republicans and Libs should be picking Bill over one of the GOP’s most embarrassing back-benchers – and many already are!

BETH KROM over the rotten waste John Campbell in the 48th (Irvine, Newport, Lagunas etc.)  If you don’t like Beth or can’t bring yourself to vote Dem, consider the worthy Libertarian Binkley.  Campbell’s really almost as embarrassing as Calvert.

We should try to keep LORETTA SANCHEZ in office;  she’s done many more good things for this county than she gets credit for, she’s practically been the only Congressperson to  bring any resources back for the OC.  But if you can’t bring yourself to vote Dem or can’t stand Loretta, go ahead and pick Ceci.  I think she’s an honest enough conservative, however she may factor into Van Tran’s scheming mind.

And of course my old pal KEN ARNOLD (to whom this post is partly dedicated) over rabid Tyrannosaurus Rex Dana RohabacherYES WE KEN!

Let me remind us all that, aside from the individual merits of these candidates, we really have to do our best in every district of the nation to keep the Republicans from regaining the majority, and bringing us back to the policies of Bush and Cheney with Teabag craziness thrown in!  Let’s hold the line here in the OC, for the rest of the nation and the damn world.

State Senate

Not all of you have a State Senate race to vote for, I just know these two off hand:

  • OJ friend GILA JONES going up against Republican Mark Wyland in the 38th District (San Clemente, SJC, all the way down to Oceanside and Escondido!  A great progressive!
  • With quasi-Dem Lou Correa … well, after his insurance vote, do what you feel is right.  I’m glad I don’t live in Anaheim/Santa Ana, I don’t have a clothespin that big.  But we are still better off if he holds his seat against actual Republican Kring.  (Sorry I can’t be more enthusiastic, Lou.)  🙁

[South County State Senate candidate Gila Jones]

Assembly

– again, starting with the most exciting ones, who have the best chance –

PHU NGUYEN! over Allan Mansoor in the 68th.  (Costa Mesa, Garden Grove, Fountain Valley, Westminster) Day and night.

MELISSA FOX! over Don Wagner in the 70th.  (Irvine, Newport, Tustin, some Lagunas)  Also day and night.

Bonus fun – if you’re in the 70th and don’t like Dems but you’re disturbed by Wagner’s extreme near-Taliban “social conservatism” and totally situational (only when convenient) “fiscal conservatism,” you’ve got the option of voting for OJ friend Libertarian candidate Debbie Tharp.

72nd District (Fullerton, Brea, Placentia, some of Orange, Anaheim, etc.) – GREEN JANE RANDS is a great candidate and old OJ friend;  although Democrat Esiquio Uballe, is also worthy.  That’s a hard one.  If you think Esiquio could actually win then you’d better help him; otherwise we love Jane!

ALSO

  • Gary Kephart, 71st District (Mission Viejo, Rancho Santa Margarita, those type of places.)
  • Roz Freeman, 67th District (HB, Seal Beach, up thru La Palma in a squiggly shape.)
  • Judy Jones, 73rd District (San Clemente, Dana Point, SJC, down to Oceanside.)

Our Melissa.

The cities, our very laboratories of democracy.

Costa Mesa

The most important thing in Costa Mesa this year is to keep Jim Righeimer from coming to power. I will be elaborating on that thought at length in the coming weeks.  But most of you who live in CM know exactly what I’m talking about already.  In order to save CM from a RIGGY DECADE, you must ALL vote for Chris McEvoy and Wendy Leece! (See, another nice Republican on my list.) And I wish Katrina Foley wouldn’t win for School Board, then she’d be stuck on Council still which I kind of think she wouldn’t mind if she knew she had McEvoy and Leece with her and she wasn’t going to have to continue on as the lone voice of sanity.  So… I’m not going to say don’t vote for Katrina for School Board because she’ll get mad at me.  But I wouldn’t.  ALSO – YES ON MEASURE L! Costa Mesa NEEDS the revenue, this doesn’t EVEN bring the ridiculously low hotel tax up to the level of the rest of the County.

Huntington Beach

My home town of Huntington Beach is long overdue for a revolution, with its arrogant Council completely at the beck and call of developers, and absolutely indifferent to the desires of the people, the environment, open space, or even fiscal responsibility.  The agent of this revolution will be

Team Huntington Beach for City Council:

HBers should also stand by honest Republican City Attorney Jennifer McGrath, who’s being unfairly persecuted by the Red-Faced County, and vote NO on the deceptive Measure O.

[Joe Shaw at the Bolsa Chica Wetlands, which, if we don’t start replacing the HB Council, will soon be gone.]

Well, those are the cities I know/care about most,
but here’s some other great candidates I know who should win.

WESTMINSTER City Council – Penny Loomer and Khoa Do!

GARDEN GROVE – Myke Cossota and James Torres Ybarra for Council! Bao Nguyen for school board!

NEWPORT BEACH City Council – Mark Tabbert!

ANAHEIM City CouncilBill Dalati and John Santoianni.  (Take THAT, DINO blog!)

Aaruni Thakur, Fullerton School District.

Re-elect San Juan Capistrano Mayor Dr. Lon Uso, honest Republican and Measure H supporter.

Daren Nigsarian, La Habra City Council.

The roiling, tempestuous SCHOOL Boards!

Capistrano Unified School District – Ground Zero in the War on Education.

Saam I Aam.

Coastline Community College District

  • Re-elect my good buddy Jim Moreno, who has been doing a fantastic job, and
  • Elect the highly-respected and loved Lynne Riddle.  There’s BIG MONEY going up against these two.  PLANETARIUM money.  (I’ll explain in another post soon.)

Santa Ana Unified

The TWO P’s:  my blog colleague ART PEDROZA to join excellent and distinguished incumbent John Palacios while replacing old cranky Audrey Noji who’s been there too long.  I really think that Art has the maturity, knowledge, judgment and caring that will show itself in a position like this, and he’ll bring in new ideas, fresh blood, all that jazz.  Plus, Blog-Blood is thicker than water.  Oh and last of all, anything to make the Liberal OC’s head explode.  AND Jubal’s.

and finally something OC Dems & Reeps can agree on:

Shari Freidenrich for Treasurer!

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Final bits of info, thanks to Brother Larry:

  • Vote-by-mail folks should be getting their ballots in the mail any time this week.  (Oct. 4-8)
  • The last day to REGISTER TO VOTE is Monday Oct. 18.
  • The last day to apply for a Vote-by-mail ballot (if you’re already registered) is Tuesday Oct. 26.
  • Tuesday November 2 is Put-Up-or-Shut-up Day. November 2010 thru October 2012 marks a special two-year period during which we don’t want to hear a word of complaint out of you if you didn’t vote. Capiche?

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Oh I’m sorry, did you think this voters’ guide was from the RADIO John & Ken?

Those immigrant-bashing whacko douchebags?

The Orange Juice sincerely regrets that misimpression.

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About Vern Nelson

Greatest pianist/composer in Orange County, and official political troubadour of Anaheim and most other OC towns. Regularly makes solo performances, sometimes with his savage-jazz band The Vern Nelson Problem. Reach at vernpnelson@gmail.com, or 714-235-VERN.