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Happy March, Anaheim Democrats … except … have you heard about the State of Emergency?
No, I’m not referring to President Trump’s stupid racist power-grab/prank. (We Democrats have to spend more time thinking locally.) I’m talking about us having only THIRTEEN MORE DAYS to help get Loretta Sanchez onto the Board of Supervisors.
We Democrats don’t think enough about how important the BoS is to the everyday life of all of us in this huge County. They establish policy and approve the annual budget for the OC, overseeing 18,000 employees, 24 departments, and a $6 BILLION annual budget, and they do much more.
Throughout history nearly all our Supervisors have been Republicans, with the occasional very conservative Democrat. Over the decades they’ve established a matchless record of corruption and complacency, complete indifference to their constituents except the very most rich and powerful, and mainly using their posts as a springboard to higher office. They’ve:
- allowed our homelessness crisis to metastasize to the clusterfuck it is now,
- made a basket case of CalOptima (thanks Janet Nguyen),
- regularly rejected or refused to request available state and federal money for their own goofy ideological reasons,
- not spent the money they do get on the people who need it but “chipmunking it away,”
- pushed crooked and destructive projects all over the County,
- declared war on Orange County’s immigrants,
- fought transparency and free speech at every opportunity, and
- regularly rewarded campaign contributors with fat contracts.
And if we let either racist Trump-loving rightwinger Don Wagner or local kleptocrat Kris Murray beat Loretta, it’ll just be more of the same.
Loretta Sanchez as Supervisor would be much different:
- Far from rejecting Obamacare money as a political stunt, she helped PASS Obamacare, and even tried to make it better, with a robust public option.
- She’s been spending her last two years out of office working on several innovative projects focusing on housing and the homeless.
- Two other of her immediate priorities are fixing CalOptima’s problems, and fire suppression in the Hills.
- She would be much better than these anti-government Republicans, with their mutual hostility to Sacramento, at getting our share of both state and federal funds.
- Many of us think she would also be a good influence on new Supervisor Doug Chaffee, causing him to vote like a good Democrat.
And then in Presidential Year 2020 when Supervisor Andrew Do is up for re-election we should easily be able to take the majority, in the heavily Democratic First District (Santa Ana, Garden Grove). I’m not at liberty yet to tell you who is 90% likely to run for that seat until she’s ready to announce, but lately she has been fighting police union greed in Santa Ana, and also recently told me that she is “disgusted by the negligence of CalOptima and the County over homeless deaths. These could have been avoided.”
So that’s our emergency – helping Loretta between now and March 12 is the first step to a greatly more progressive and less corrupt Orange County. Make sure you do your part, Anaheim Democrats! Sign up HERE if you haven’t already! There are THREE places you can help Loretta on the morning of Saturday March 2, BEFORE our can’t-miss 12:15 meeting – in Anaheim Hills, Yorba Linda, and Tustin – and there will surely be more opportunities to help as March 12 gets even closer.
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Did I mention…
Our Can’t-Miss March 2 Meeting
Our greatly beloved and missed State Senator-in-Exile Josh Newman will be the keynote speaker this Saturday as he announces the beginning of his campaign to take back his rightful seat from the lightweight usurper Ling-Ling Chang next year.
Now you may say, if you think like me, we Democrats already have super-majorities in both houses in Sacramento, do we really need more? Do we want to live in a one-party state? Well, the answer is: This is Josh Newman we’re talking about, not just any Democrat, but one of the best Democrats we have.
Unusually smart, honest, and humble, both a progressive Berniecrat and fiscally responsible, he got a lot of votes when he first ran in 2016 from rogue Republicans who were impressed with his straight talk, his record as a veteran who helps veterans, and how he had prevailed in the primary against the Democratic establishment.
During his two years in office he obtained $20 million over 4 years for a North OC task force on homelessness, $5 million a year to augment support for veterans on campus (working with my brother Terence), and created “district of choice” where parents could have their kids moved to better PUBLIC schools in neighboring districts – something that pulled the rug out from under private charter schools. He successfully authored and passed 18 bills.
But his most fateful vote, which turned many former Republican supporters against him, was for SB 1, the “gas tax.” This vote gave ammunition to a few Republican thugs to launch a recall against him, and they lied to voters that the recall of Josh would somehow repeal the tax. So they succeeded last year in recalling him and replacing him with the utterly useless Ling-Ling Chang. But within months popular resentment against the tax had melted away, as witness the failure of Prop 6.
Josh still stands by his vote for SB 1, which was the best of very few bad options for fixing the state’s crumbling infrastructure. And he conditioned his vote on the passage of HIS constitutional amendment affirmed by the public also last year, in Prop 69, which ensured that the gas tax money would go to what it was intended for – vital transportation infrastructure repairs – and not be diverted to other purposes as Sacramento has always tended to do. Specifically no gas tax money can go to the High Speed Rail boondoggle. (It also can’t be used for toll roads or toll lanes.)
How has SB 1 helped Anaheim? It’s provided us with $9 million SO FAR to accelerate capital improvements, including:
- La Palma corridor repaving
- Sewer and gutter improvements in the northern Colony
- Long-needed work on Beach Boulevard, and
- Work on the west side off Orange between Euclid and Beach.
- And that’s just the beginning!
Josh was and is one of our best Democratic politicians, the only OC Democrat to support meaningful police reform (along with Republican Senator Moorlach.) Once Loretta is safely on the Board of Supervisors, getting Josh back into the Senate should be one of Anaheim Democrats’ highest priorities. Come Saturday and ask him whatever you want.
We’ll also have another visit from our favorite Anaheim Councilman, Dr. Jose Moreno, who has been doing his best to fight for good government and progressive values in a small council minority, usually joined by (R) Denise Barnes, and very occasionally by (D) Jordan Brandman, but always outvoted. Some things he’ll talk about Saturday, along with answering all your burning questions:
- Updates on the very secretive Angels “negotiations” as the Sidhu majority tries every trick it can think of to give away the prize jewel of our stadium. Latest news is they’re threatening to go to LONG BEACH if they don’t get what they want; there are many reasons this is not a credible threat.
- The upcoming study of rents in Anaheim, agendized by Jose – we are not yet talking about “rent control” or “rent stabilization,” but let’s see what this study looks like.
- The general dynamics of the new Sidhu council, its impacts on community engagement, and why there are less and less attendees and speakers at council meetings.
- The upcoming Maxwell Dog Park, and the upcoming budget discussions.
So make sure to help Loretta Saturday morning, and then tell her people that you gotta be at the Anaheim Democratic Club meeting at 12:15 at Haskett Branch Library – see you there!
Vern,
“This vote gave ammunition to a few Republican thugs to launch a recall against him, and they lied to voters that the recall of Josh would somehow repeal the tax.”
Please dispense with the bullshit.
This is a lie and you know it. You’re better than that.
In the meantime, please remind your Anaheim Democrats to turn up for Doug Chaffee’s debt retirement party, hosted by Curt Pringle and Associates.
Should be a good time.
Um, that happened. As I remember, Democrats pulled out all kinds of stops too to defend him.
I never said I was a Chaffee fan. In my communications as Anaheim Democratic Club Vice President I’m not supposed to criticize any elected Democrats. But here on this blog I can.
BTW thanks for these compelling images:
No, it didn’t happen.
In any case, I look forward to Mr. Newman winning next year by 7+ points.
So the success of the recall did not imply that the tax could have been repealed?
“The recall effort was initiated by talk radio host and former Republican San Diego City Councilman and Reform California Chairman Carl DeMaio in response to Newman’s support for Senate Bill 1 (SB 1), the [[California Road Repair and Accountability Act of 2017 |Road Repair and Accountability Act of 2017]]. SB 1 provided for an increase in California’s excise and sales taxes on fuel and for new user fees for vehicles. Supporters of the recall effort collected over 63,593 signatures from April to October 2017 to put the recall on the ballot.[9]”
https://ballotpedia.org/Josh_Newman_recall,_California_State_Senate_(2018)
That’s a nonsense assertion.
The recall passed by how many points again?
Wasn’t DeMaio one of the leading proponents of Prop 6?
No idea.
According to Josh, DeMaio is the kinda hotshot that likes to get in the spotlight, but the recall originated with the Howard Jarvis Taxpayer’s whatever, and the most relentless and effective publicity came from KFI’s John and Ken. (The latter is what suggested my use of the word “thug.”)
Yeah, well, it passed.
By a lot.
I think assigning that to liars and thugs is pretty insulting to the voters.
As David states below, voters can be misled.
DeMaio was the chairman of the Yes on Prop 6. LInking the recall to this proposition was not only a conclusion, but an actual argument used by some.
It is a syllogism, as the one used by this Republican:
“So we arrive at a syllogism:
(1) The GOP has become the party of Trumpism.
(2) Trumpism is a threat to democratic values and the rule of law.
(3) The Republican Party is a threat to democratic values and the rule of law.”
https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2018/03/boycott-the-gop/550907/
I’m happy to assign responsibility for the recall to “liars. thugs, and Ryan, who is neither.” Everybody happy?
Considering I did absolutely nothing to help it pass, I think that’s over assigning my role a bit.
Vern, in your indignant polemic you forgot to mention that the Prop 6 ballot description was twisted out of shape by Democrats to mislead voters.
“In the meantime, please remind your Anaheim Democrats to turn up for Doug Chaffee’s debt retirement party, hosted by Curt Pringle and Associates.”
I wouldn’t surprised by that at all. In fact, that weird, unsolicited proposal for a “boutique” hotel next to the Santa Fe Depot gave off all the aroma of a Pringle deal.
Personally I don’t think Loretta needs to worry much about the upcoming election. Her name recognition the ongoing thrust of democrats in OC and the 6 republicans splitting the vote pretty much ensures a victory for Loretta. At least thats my two cents.
But Democrat voters tend to be so lazy regarding special elections. Let’s see if that’s changed. I doubt it.
*You guys are funny. There are a couple of really important issues left off the table and the Dem’s need to get on board. SB319 is Moorlach’s bill to adopt Autobahn Speeds on the 5 fwy above the Grapevine and the 99. Some guy in a new McClaren 720S can go over 212 MPH. Road Conditions and Weather permitting……the best road for a pilot program would be the 15 from Baker to Stateline Nevada. However, every road has various problems due to high winds, things dropped out on the highway causing potholes, accidents and other hazardous drivers – (Drunk drivers going slowly in the fast lane!). What we need as a solution are Prima Facia Digitally Posted Maximum Speed limits. Enforcement cameras which ticket people for braking a variety of laws, like following too close, erratic driving – weaving in and out – are examples. These cameras would be only adopted on these so-called Autobahn Speed areas – as is done in Germany today. Going over 120 MPH on any California Highway should require a Exotic Car Driving School License.according to those who have vehicles that can reach speeds of 212 MPH or more. 700 and 800 HP Mustangs, Camaros and Ferrari’s, Lambo’s and Porsche’s have limited ground clearance….as little as 2 inches in some cases…. Hit a pot hole at 200 MPH and that will be the end of the trail. Meanwhile, people do not realize that Ford F-150’s GMC Danalis’, Toyota Tundras, Cadillac Escallades all have terrible “Drag Coefficients” which make those vehicles very unstable over 120 MPH. With High Winds, Rain, Ice, Snow, Sleet or Hail…..those limitations are even more dramatic.
2ndly, the Housing and rent crisis in California is a total mess. Focus please Dem’s!
The Republicants have been dodging these things forever.
Which part of CalOptima is broken and needs fixing? Fairly massive entity, fairly massive importance, but I’m guessing it’s role is fairly unknown by anyone without a social worker or psych background…and what do you take as Janet Nguyen’s role in messing it up? This is a new story to me, though I’ve heard other pieces…
Granted, last set of stats I heard said we had 2x the death rate for our homeless as San Diego’s homeless (even though they had a hepatitus outbreak). That was murky stats though, not necessarily proof of systemic failure…but something that requires a closer bit of scrutiny.
Then you wren’t paying attention.
Nguyen hijacked both CalOptima and the County Health Care Agency in order get campaign contributions. The constitution of the CalOptima board was changed to allow for more hospital representation and less public representation.
She engaged in a lengthy and pointless war with CalOptima executives whom she drove out over alleged mismanagement that she herself conjured up.
At HCA she installed her own puppet (Mark Refowitz) as the new head in 2012 with the acquiescence of Tom Mauk over the objections of other Supervisors.
Voice of OC busted her letting HASC write policy for the County and CalOptima.
If it was 2017, then I wasn’t here to pay attention. Reviewing what Voice of OC had to say, I can see a fair number of apparent missteps by the OC Supervisors at a glance: strikes me as a local front in the war against ObamaCare (if you oust all the executives, nobody gets the benefits – fairly scorched earth since that means the sick and disabled get delays instead of treatment).
But I thought CalOptima had already set about cleaning up its act, with the Supervisor takeover thwarted.
Had nothing to do with the ACA.
Right. It was all about getting the hospitals to dictate County public health policy – and to kick down money to Nguyen; which of course they did.
It’s funny how people here try to make everything partisan. I guess it’s easier than finding out what really happened.
2017 was Do following in his crooked mentor’s footsteps to hijack CalOptima.
Nguyen did it in 2011 with the help of the casually corrupt Bill Campbell and Pat Bates. The problems dragged on for years.
(1) Repeat my question: what exactly needs fixing in CalOptima NOW? I recognize the problems the Supes may have created in 2011 and 2017. It’s 2019, and I’d love clarification on this.
(2) Re CalOptima/ACA connections: standard marching orders for Rep donor lists in late 2009 and on were looking for track records for candidates to back who had attacked ACA-implementation at any level – in court, local govt, and anywhere else – doing so could net your cash (and would prevent rival candidates from getting as much). Of course, J Nugyen might have had purely local designs, but it’s not unreasonable she wanted to broaden her pool of prospective benefactors (and it’s not like a reinsurer in Connecticut has difficulty finding surrogates in the OC). That said, what exactly is still broken now?
This is the better side of Zenger.