.
.
.
That was … sudden.
Jordan Brandman announced today that he will be running for Loretta Sanchez’s seat in Congress. OJB does not know whether the sudden timing of this has anything to do with Bao Nguyen’s announcement that he is (at a minimum) leaning in that direction as well — a story that, within a day and a half, became OJB’s top story of the year so far and continues to rise with a bullet — but OJB does have its suspicions.
OK, let’s get this show on the road.
So far, Brandman is up against former State Senator and could-have-been Board of Equalization Member or Mayor of Santa Ana Lou Correa. Bao is expected to enter the race after a bit more preparation than Brandman evidently thinks is necessary. Among Republicans, carpetbagging Irvine City Council member Lynn Schott has been mentioned, as have various current and former officeholders from Orange, none of whom have yet made a move. Among other Democrats, various Santa Ana figures have been mentioned (and if the line-up stays as male as it is, one has to wonder whether Michele Martinez will be tempted into the race — although she’s awfully busy now with high positions in both the Latino electeds organization NALEO and the governance umbrella organization SCAG.)
Brandman — the apple of the eyes of both former DPOC Chair Frank Barbaro and his claque and former Republican Assembly speaker Curt Pringle and his co-conspirators — obviously has bipartisan support. One wonders if he will endorse Pringle’s choice Harry Sidhu — shown above sandwiching Brandman’s bestie Kris Murray — in his race for the 68th Assembly District. In fact, our first order of business will be to pose that question to him publicly.
Jordan Q1: Will you endorse Harry Sidhu in the 68th A.D.?
Brandman has been all over the board (not uncommon for him) in what he’s been telling people privately about his intentions. Reports have filtered back to OJB that he’s telling some that he’s “in it to win it” and others that he’s just doing this to raise his name recognition beyond Anaheim and to raise money that can then be used for other races (especially if Loretta does an about face about leaving Congress at some point between now and early March.) His Council seat expires in 2016, but he’s of course able to run for an open seat in any of the Anaheim districts he chooses for next year.
Here’s his announcement, with the salutation rendered generic:
Dear Sir or Madam [Ed. note: salutation changed for reasons of confidentiality (and perhaps humor)],
I wanted you to hear the news from me first. I am running to succeed Loretta Sanchez to represent California’s 46th District in the U.S. House of Representatives.
I am running for Congress to fight for working families, help businesses create jobs, defend Social Security and Medicare, protect the environment, and ensure every child has access to a 21st century education. It is critical that Congresswoman Sanchez’s successor follow her example of commonsense leadership, and I am that person.
During my time on the Anaheim City Council, residents have come to enjoy new parks and better roads, feel safer with more public safety officers, and benefit from the Anaheim Convention Center expansion and the 1,860 jobs it will generate. As a School District Trustee, I advocated for our students, teachers, and employees to get the resources they needed in order to improve student performance and graduation rates.
This is the principled, results-oriented leadership I believe our community needs and deserves. I know this campaign will not be easy. Can I count on you to stand with me?
I am ready to get to work, and I hope you are, too. Thank you for your support.
Sincerely,
Jordan Brandman
“Help businesses create jobs” clearly refers to hurling piles of public money at them with great force. That’s probably what he means by “fight for working families” as well, on the (discredited) theory that a rising tide lifts all boats. He would be a good Democratic vote on education and probably on Social Security and Medicare as well, lest he lose the support of the little old ladies that love to pinch his cheeks. “Protect the environment”?
Jordan Q2: What is your position on the Poseidon desalination proposal, given its expected environmental impacts?
As for those parks and public safety officers:
Jordan Q3: Were those hires paid for from Anaheim’s savings — or from money borrowed as part of the Convention Center expansion? In other words, did the Council achieve these ends with prudent budgeting and fiscal policy — or did it just put it on the credit card for another Council to pay off later?
So many questions! So much to be done! And so much time!
P.S. Not coincidentally, OJB is hiring. Technically, we’re not hiring hiring, as we don’t pay anyone (and forget about benefits) — but there is plenty of work to do on the Brandman beat and we’d love for people to pitch in!
Lou had as much chance of becoming Mayor of Santa Ana as I do of flying to the moon. Thats a laugh.
We’ll never know, as he ducked that fight. I think that he had the stature to beat Pulido. Many people in Santa Ana are tired of Pulido, but no one with significant stature will challenge him. Now they’re just waiting out the clock on term limits.
“Dear Sir or Madam?”
Hahaha!
And now:
During my time on the Anaheim City Council, residents have come to enjoy new parks (um, where are those? Not in this Congressional district, I’ll bet) and better roads, (um I don’t know where those are but my guess would be in the vicinity of Disneyland, and possibly repaved with borrowed money) feel safer with more public safety officers, (um yeah, unaccountable police hired as a sop to the cop union for fealty to PringleCorp) and benefit from the Anaheim Convention Center expansion and the 1,860 jobs it will generate (um, temporary construction jobs and maybe some ticket-taker and non-union janitor jobs later on).
As I say in the line above, I substituted in “Sir or Madam” because I didn’t want to indicate who received the email. It had a real name there. (But yes, it would have been perfect.)
Yeah, I got that.
Two new parks – Paul Revere and Mira Loma – so technically that’s correct.
I think my back yard is bigger than either one of them and Miraloma isn’t in the district and it was facilitated by the State, as I recall. Anyhoo…I guess there’s a little truth there.
If you can stretch “new parks” into “new facilities in old parks”, you can count things like the Bruno The Police Dog Not-A-Memorial Dog Park in La Palma Park, or the new playgrounds that the city has been installing with money/volunteers from the “KaBOOM Foundation”.
(Although then you might start asking why, what with so many economic engines around this place, the city has to depend on grant money and volunteer time to replace the usual sunbleached piles of degrading plastic that pass for modern playground equipment …)
‘Tam. I forgot about the dog park. But, technically, is that a new park? I mean, a dog could already have run around there and pee’d on things n’ stuff so I don’t think it counts.
If you ask the homeless who keep getting thrown out of there, it is MINUS one park.
You are correct, Miraloma’s park was funded mostly by a grant from the old CDBG program.
Michele Martinez in Congress? That’s even funnier than any of those other people in Congress.
I heard somebody stoled her bike.
I can’t ask him any questions. Last time I saw him I complimented him on his brown guayavera shirt and asked him where he got it. After first ignoring me, he answered repeatedly, “I do not recall that incident at this moment.” What a drone. That’s what he’s been told to say to people who are critical of him apparently.
Then that leads to another question: “Can you recall that incident at this moment”?
It’s fine if he does that, so long as there’s video of it.
Has this guy explained why he charged taxpayers $25,000 to produce a report that plagiarized from Wikipedia?
Getting paid to take credit for other people’s work. Yup, sounds like a United States Congressman to me!
Good point. LO A GOOD POINT IS THAT NOTING CAme of that. He finished the report ( I think) and still got all of 25K. He should have gotten what ever thepoay rate was foe a staffer to do that.
That’s unfair, Ryan. There’s no compelling evidence that he was the one who actually “produced” the report.
Great, then he can give all that money back, with interest, and an apology.
In any case he has no recollection of producing it.
*clap* *clap* *clap*
Nicely done.
The gate tax has been ‘solved’, his work here is done. Time to fail his way up, one stupid, vapid rung at a time.
One hopes that there would be no further rungs after Congress, if he ever gets there. But I’m telling you, the Democratic powers that be just LOVE him!
You mean those Democratic powers that be some of whom are caught up in the Pulido Pot-Shop Raid scandals?
Mr. Brandman is too modest to mention that during his time on the Council, he’s also served as that body’s unchallenged number-one source for parliamentarian pedantry. If he goes, there’s no way that Anaheim is going to win the AAA All-County Forensics Competition! Does he expect us to take State by depending on Kris Murray? Who will raise our points of order now???!??!?
Oh goodie!!! Now my award winning blog can be all Jordan all the time.
He likes his coffee with lots of creamer and sugar. I better load up my Starbucks card.
Mr. Stalker, I see you have returned after a lengthy absence. So have you been too busy stalking and whatnot to visit this humble blog.
Have you tried talking to Lorri Galloway about this Congress thing? This time she won’t have to fake THREE residences to run for her next office. I know the last drubbing must have been painful, but maybe? Hope springs eternal. Think of the funding possibilities for her and Mike for jewelry and new cars.
*OK, OK, OK……what is all the chatter about Loretta’s nude photos on John & Ken? This kind of puts a bummer on her run for US Senate against Kamala…..doesn’t it? Anyway, you can’t make up OC Politics…….and there is no wonder why, when we worked in LA in the film industry…..we were always introduced as: “This is Ron & Anna…..they are from ORANGE COUNTY!”
You do have to admit one thing: We get some wonderful Poggo characters to run right here in our town! Now, if we could only get Gary Trudeau and Jane Pauley to move to Newport Coast…..we might then be able to convince David Letterman……that even he could fit in…..and belong to the Balboa Bay Club too! (For a discount….of course!)
“Loretta’s nude photos”
And now I have to forgo breakfast. Thanks so much.
Well there’s a news source….John and Ken. These two are about as reputable as the Voice Of OC(ea).
BTW- What does Lou Correa think oh Brandmans announcement?
Better yet, what are Lou and Jordan – kleptos who feed in the same pond – gonna think about Bao’s announcement, in a high-Dem turnout year, in a heavy-Asian voting district?
Poor Lou. He tricked himself out for PringleCorp and when the chips were down they rat-effed him. He’s getting more sad sackish every day.
Actually they did the same thing to Kring when she ran against him!!! The irony is mouth-wateringly delicious.
But he’s still out there making the rounds for Poseidon! Saw him Tuesday in Garden Grove, sitting in the Klepto corner with Maloni, Cavecche, Medrano, Cathy Green, and some dewy-eyed Young Dem.
Spelling correction: Klepto Korner.
Certainly no anonymous attacks going on here…..
Ron and Anna are real.
I think the poor boy is experiencing “angst” over Dan D. Stalker parodying his friend … and maybe Biff.
Had I acknowledged that, I would have had to go into a substantive defense of Biff and Dandy S. This was funnier.
*Meanwhile, Choi is now going for Don Wagner’s spot in the Assembly. Maybe Wagner
can run for Mayor of Irvine.
Get Choi into the top 2, then Irvine can be rid of him, like HB was rid of Harper! Or did Greg already write that somewhere? (Or maybe it was Dan C God forbid)
Choi would love to end up how Harper ended up….
Still auditioning for someone worth supporting in AD-68.
Well ideally Choi does not end up where Harper ended up… but if he did, no big deal, what damage could that drone do in the superminority?
I know huh. Just when I’m starting to think Pauly’s not so bad, she has to post about how much she loves Ann Coulter and I feel sick all over again.
What about the endorsements? Are some people like Mitchel Caldwell republicans?
http://www.jordanbrandman.com/#!endorsements/c1m1k
Sharon Quirk-Silva. One of these days I’m gonna just have to give up on her.
What are people who aren’t signed on to the kleptocracy, or Republicans, doing endorsing anyone so early anyway, before we even know who’s all running?
Today’s the day, Vern.
She supported Poseidon. She supports this guy. Absolutely no action on POBAR during her term in office.
Need we go on?
My understanding is that she’s endorsing both Correa and Brandman. I suspect that she’ll probably endorse Bao as well. It’s a trick she’s picked up from watching the other Democratic pols in the county.
Why, Vern? Retribution. I’m telling you, the heavy hitters in this county only care about Brandman and, to a lesser extent, a few others. Any Democratic aspirant who doesn’t endorse him — and I’m not even sure that “among others” counts — will never be forgiven by the big donors. And everybody knows it. Don’t confuse self-preservation with enthusiasm.
That’s why my county party needs some improvement.
Then sack up, make the hard choice, and endorse your conscience.
(Pardon the misogyny.)
If you can’t do that, then you’re a coward, and you don’t deserve to lead.
I saw this trick locally performed first by my good friend Dick Ackerman, in the first open primary back in 2000.
He endorsed Matthias, Blankhead and Bulldozer Dauscher to replace him. He had his picture taken with all three and appeared in all their campaign literature. It was really quite brilliant – in a sublimely chickenshit way. He got oceans of free publicity for himself without spending a nickle.
And Solorio in 2012 – Daly and Martinez (anyone but Julio.)
Not the way to earn respect or votes.
*Funny that Lou is going for the Assembly…..eh? He beats Choi and
if so……..that could be end of Souchi Choi…. Lou, is keeping very low key on this race….which is the smart thing to do. Lou figures if he just lays low…….Brown beats Yellow….every time! Haven’t looked at the demographics….undoubtedly Dr. D has this info at hand. If Lou gets it together on this one…..he will end up with some cush Committee seats.
No. *sigh* You’ve got it ALL bollixed up.
“Not the way to earn respect or votes.”
No, but it didn’t seem to lose Ackerman any, either.
Of course his minions continued to adore him, even as he became more and more poisonous, and I don’t believe he ever had an opponent after he ran against Norby in 1995.
Solorio is just a pud.
The people who know and care about stuff like are few and far between. Wouldn’t it be nice if the political parties actually came out against this sort of thing, spineless or Machiavellian?
Sure would.
But hey, we have two classes of politicians in this county.
1) Those who do this to get paid
2) Those who don’t
Endorsing multiple candidates or those who clearly are willing to sell out their constituents belong in group one.
With wider range publications (Around the capitol) begining to suggest Bao will announce soon, does anyone know if he will actually move into the district (recognizing it’s not a requirement).