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 Rohabacher. YES 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:
- Connie Boardman, biologist and former Mayor
- Blair Farley, planning commissioner, another good Republican, and all-around brilliant guy… and
- OJ friend Joe Shaw!
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 Council – Bill 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.
- YES on Measure H! – for local control and to save money! Lots of good arguments pro and con at these links.
- Recall wasteful, arrogant, incompetent trustees Mike Winsten and Ken Maddox-Lopez! (or is it Lopez-Maddox?)
- ALL FIVE great “Children First” candidates: Alpay, Pritchard, Hatton, McNicholas, and Saaaaam Alikhani!!!! (Yes, Alpay to whom this “voters guide” is partially dedicated, although I’m sure the conservative would disagree with half my choices.)
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.
It’s a good thing I’m not very misimpressionable.
Have the real “John and Ken” responded to your clever–and yet now traditional–Red Herring? Are they pissed? Hope so.
Very entertaining, as always!
The real John and Ken? Alpay and Arnold are as real as you and me, Professor. Don’t abuse your ivory-tower tenure to cast Aspergers on the reality of our most noble upstarts.
> Duane Roberts, Green Party (and my pain-in-the-ass OJ colleague)
Oh my gosh, I lost Vern’s endorsement …
That means you should definitely vote for me!
See http://www.voteforduane.org for more information!
🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂
Hey! I mentioned you didn’t I? I just said you’re a pain in the ass. Is that not true? Can you prove you’re not?
> Hey! I mentioned you didn’t I? I just said you’re a pain in the ass.
> Is that not true? Can you prove you’re not?
Your Honor, I plead the Fifth Amendment ….
🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂
After reading your choices it’s clear you believe Prop 19 has already passed and your weed use is out of control. Only heavy use of drugs can explain most of your choices. Also, describing John Alpey as a conservative Republican is the same as describing Barbara Boxer as a conserative Democrat.
Oh, THAT Capo Parent! Have you heard what’s gonna happen to your beloved Board?
It’s-a hard, and it’s-a hard, and it’s-a hard, and it’s-a hard,
It’s-a hard rain gonna fall.
By the way, John’s pretty damn conservative, I talked to him a long time. You know who’s NOT conservative is the guy he’s running against, the trial lawyer Mike WInsten who was a Democrat until it became convenient not to be, and has wasted unconscionable gobs of school district money, mostly on fellow trial lawyers. Now CHECK yourself before you wreck yourself! Oh, you got me going…
“Only heavy use of drugs can explain most of your choices”……… Hmmm
Like this?
Brother Vern.
You want to squash the citizen redistricting commission and take a wait and see attitude as to how it works out?
You are joking of course.
Redistricting, or should I call it what currently exists, gerrymandering, only rolls around once a decade. Are you saying that you are happy with both major parties in Congress or our statehouse by allowing Mr.Michael Berman to continue to sell protected districts for $20,000 a pop?
What did Loretta Sanchez say: ” Twenty thousand is nothing to keep your seat. I spend $2 million (campaigning) every year. If my colleagues are smart, they’ll pay their $20,000, and Michael will draw the district they can win in. Those who refused to pay? God help them.”
PS: If both of these ballot measures pass, the one with the highest number of votes is declared the winner.
I want to see how our old Prop 11 plays out, if it really does result in a more vibrant democracy like it was supposed to. Before we expand it to federal offices. What do you mean “it only rolls around once a decade?” Why couldn’t we do this in two or four years if we decide to? Am I missing something? Talk to me Brother Larry.
Brother Vern.
The redistricting only occurs once every decade. It would be better to reduce the timeframe but taking the census is a very lengthy task.
As mentioned I was one of the 30,000 applicants of the Citizens Redistricting Commission effort and was cut when the number dropped to under 5,000.
The following exchange may better explain the background of redistricting.
“MAUREEN CAVANAUGH (Host): I’m Maureen Cavanaugh, and you’re listening to These Days on KPBS. Most of us are familiar with the fact that a census will be conducted next year. The results of that count will determine how many state and national legislative districts California has. What many of us may not remember is that after the census count, California now has a new way of drawing state legislative districts. Last year, voters approved the establishment of a Citizens’ Redistricting Commission. And while all of this may sound like the kind of a story only a policy wonk could love, the new process could produce big changes in California politics. Joining me now to discuss the new redistricing policy is KPBS political correspondent, Gloria Penner. Good morning, Gloria.
GLORIA PENNER (KPBS Political Correspondent): I thought you were going to introduce me as KPBS political wonk, Gloria Penner.
CAVANAUGH: Well, I wouldn’t do that.
PENNER: Okay. Well, you know, Maureen, the best way to think about this is to go back 10 years to 2000 where a plan was drawn up by the legislators to last for 10 years. And the deal was this, the Democrats, because they were in the majority then as they are now, agreed to maintain the current balance of state and federal representatives in exchange for the GOP’s promise not to challenge the plan in court or at the ballot box. And the irony is that the long term results were more partisanship and more gridlock on the many issues confronting the lawmakers. It was barely bipartisan. Get the numbers, of the 173 politicians we elected by district that we sent to Washington and Sacramento, just three elected representatives came from so-called competitive districts. The rest were districts where the winner of the general election was known the day after the primary.
CAVANAUGH: So historically, though, Gloria, this is how it’s been done in California. The legislature – the Assembly itself basically draws up the legislative districts for California.
PENNER: Not entirely because in 1990 the California Supreme Court appointed a special master to draw the district lines after the politicians couldn’t come to an agreement. So here are how the numbers changed. In 2000, there were two competitive seats in the Assembly. In 1990, when it was drawn up by this grand master, there were five competitive seats.”
Vern. Unless we break the cycle of each party having protected districts we will continue to have gridlock be it in SAC or in DC.
Vote YES on 20 and vote NO on 27
Well, Larry, I read all that twice, and I still don’t see why we couldn’t put off the Prop 20 idea till 2012 or 2014… sure it would use the results of the 2010 census, but nothing I’ve seen shows that 2010 is the only year we can redistrict until 2020. It seems you’re just impatient. Maybe you think your party will benefit? Heaven forfend!
Vern.
Prop 20 As of now the fed’s only take a census every decade. The shifting of residents from state to state may result in gaining or losing some of the 435 congressional seats. The Senate is not impacted in that every state, regardless of population, has two senators.
Look up the Democratic controlled 23rd congressional district that runs for 200 miles from Oxnard to Monterey that is only a few hundred yards wide. It’s a snake that needs to be redrawn.
If you are unhappy with the gridlock in CA Prop 27 should be rejected.
If not every incumbent or major party candidate will prevail in Nov. Check it out. The fight is always in the primary. Do you truly feel that Jeff Miller, my Assemblyman, in a solid GOP district will lose? The same is true for Don Wagner and Diane Harkey in GOP districts and Dem’s in districts where they have an advantage based on registration.
Evey ten years, that is the law.
2010 census will draw the lines by the count in 2011, then you wait ten years.
not 2012, not 2014, not until 2021 can the lines be redrawn. After the 2020 census. If the USA still exist then.
Is there a law or constitutional provision that would prevent us, if voters wanted to, from redistricting in 2012 or 2014 or 2016 using the data from the 2010 census? I doubt it. I just think some folks are in a rush to do this because they think it will benefit their Party. Cook, is that in the state Constitution or something?
Vern. As people are moving in and out every year you cannot look back to the 2010 census in 2012 or 2014. Let me also point out that redistricting is a national activity, not just in CA.
That is why it is so important for Republicans to win the governor races where they can control their own state’s redistricting activities. Or should I say gerrymandering.
I should add that I am haply to see the MILFs in politics, it is a Breath of Fresh Air
MILFs? Sheesh!
Vern, I wouldn’t dream of casting Aspergers on those guys, not at least while they’re counting all those toothpicks. But really, what about the real (i.e., the really real) J&K? Are they pissed? Have they sent you a burning sack of excrement? Autistic minds wanna know.
Now I HAVE been contacted by KFI people, who are concerned that J&K’s listeners may be “misled,” LOL. I think they get misled every morning, so I don’t know why they’re worried about me.
Anyway I had to take down two copyrighted images – the heads on sticks and the two clowns with the bullhorn – and add ANOTHER clarification near the top that it’s not really from them. Because John and Ken listeners need things really spelled out plainly, large, and in crayola.
I disagreed with most of your choices on the ballot initiatives and noticed that John and Ken didn’t see it your way either.
I will vote against anything that increases taxes, gives more control to our elected officials in Sacramento, or makes it more costly do business in this state. I think California is in enough trouble with runaway spending and the state’s an anti-business environment. I want to see prosperity return to California.
Well! OK, then, we disagree! Still I feel good that I was able to get you to listen to an opposing point of view, by hook or by crook. And I do think my choices are more likely to return prosperity to our Golden State. Let’s see…
Thank’s for letting us know who are the: Marxists, degenerates, moron’s and loser’s in the race!
Your feed back is always welcomed!
Please forgive the direct meanness; but really are you friggin serious!
Marsha????
LOL!
Vote for the RINO’s it is all you will get in this state! We can wear them down later!
Vote NO on everything!
Do not vote for anything: grid lock the bastards! Don’t trust anything or anyone in office right now in california!
I mean it, do not vote for ANY of the props and vote only for the stupid RINOS!
“And, for the non-partisan office of Superintendent of Public Instruction, the supremely competent and progressive Tom Torlakson.”
MQ says”
Tom Torlakson is the union hack that writes all the props for the teachers union! This bastard is such a scumbag union dog that he wrote for the HPSG, QEIA.. Billions wasted on smaller school size to 480 school’s (ONLY) even though the scumbag knew that the HPSG had not made a bit of difference the scumbag created the QEIA monster in a back room deal with the teachers union and the governor… We all know what is killing public schools..The mafia like teacher’s union. Well, Torlakson is their whore!
You vote for this guy, and you vote to fail your kids in public school and make a lot of unions thugs very, very rich and powerful!
Vern, please tell me where the green jobs will come from to replace the jobs destroyed (some estimate up to 1 million) by AB32 when implemented. Serious question.
Rob, serious question, you’re right. It deserves a whole new post.
Keep your eyes on the Orange Juice Blog, I’ll try to have a good, complete answer within the week.
I look forward to it, because everything I read shows very few actual gains. I would sincerely be glad to see otherwise.
Rob, the onion fields!
I had to go out of my way to meet John Alpay, since he refused to meet with the teachers’ association to seek support. But I am glad I did. He’s a Republican who won’t drag our party’s name through the mud. And we’ll be voting very much alike.
this is why we should vote no on Righeimer:
http://righeimer.com/
where am i in this! lol
You’re right bro, you are a very mysterious fellow who comes and goes, and I didn’t write anything about Irvine because I don’t know enough.
Do you intend to out your identity here?
Totally pathetic! You have to try and deceive people into believing this is John and Ken’s voter guide to get anyone to listen to you.
And we have a winner! The first of all 30-something commenters who really thought radio John and Ken wrote this.
The thing is, every year we get thousands of people who come searching on this blog for how J&K want them to vote, for some bizarre reason. And they really have no voter’s guide (well, now they do, but it came out a week ago.) AND my advice is better than theirs, by a factor of MAGNITUDES.
This website is a joke, right? NO on 23? Are you mentally incapacitated?
I checked your voting answers, they are all opposite of what I would vote. I guess this web page is just joking?
KFI AM 640 John and Ken’s Voter Guide (real one) is here: http://www.kfiam640.com/pages/JohnandKen.html?feed=387620&article=7652164.