They come with sad eyes, sometimes looking down and shuffling their feet. “Thanks, Greg and Vern, for your voters guide, which we use every election. But… but… what about Central Committee? Who should we vote for there?” I exaggerate, for humorous effect, but only slightly. (This is Vern.) Hundreds of folks in their desperation have already clicked this week on our 2020 Central Committee post, which I’ll re-direct hither.
Greg and I have compiled this guide, with input from insiders and rebels, with an eye to progressive politics, honesty (opposition to corruption), intelligence and dedication, and with an eye to making positive change in the Parties. It’s probable we’ve missed some good people (or accidentally picked some bad ones) – we can’t know everybody! If anyone disagrees or feels they got short shrift, you are welcome to make your case in the comments, and we may change this.
As I update this Tuesday morning, literally hundreds of voters an hour are clicking on it, so we’re taking it seriously (more than we may have yesterday.) And remember, you don’t HAVE to pick six people. Just the ones you and we trust.
So first…
For DEMOCRATS!
The “Fighting 59th”
- Lourdes Cruz!
- Isabella Rubio!
- Elizabeth Galindo
- Arnel Dino
- We don’t know Izeah, and can’t support the others.
(Note: The Fighting 67th doesn’t have a vote on this because apparently only six or less people in that district were interested.)
The “Fighting 68th” – where Vern lives.
- Jessie Lopez!
- Luis Andres Perez!
- Luis Aleman (though Greg disagrees)
- Giovanni Chavez
- and Vern likes Cenorino Gomez because of his designation as “janitor.” The Party needs a janitor. Remember the janitor at your high school? Wasn’t he like the coolest guy on campus?
NOT Poseidon lover Gloria Alvarado, or troublemaker Lupe Lopez. Don’t know much about Tina but she was part of that Gerry Serrano / Fiona Ma crowd which is creepy.
The “Fighting 70th”
- Mark Anthony Paredes!
- Adam Tallabas
- Libby Frolichman
- Can’t vouch for the others, and Ada sure doesn’t need YOUR vote!
The “Fighting 71st”
- Sudi Farokhnia! (Last seen sneaking into an Alex Mojaher event.)
- Linda May!
The “Fighting 72nd”
- Bethany Webb!
- Gina Clayton Tarvin!
- Victor Valladares!
- Ted Perle
- Faye Hezar.
- Jonathan Adler, an old friend of Vern & Greg’s who helped us with this guide, although we didn’t generally agree with him. But he was always a good and smart progressive.
The “Fighting 73rd” – embarrassment of riches here…
- Lauren Johnson-Norris!
- Marleen Gillespie!
- Lee Fink!
- Manny Chavez!
- Doug Elliot!
- Branda Lin.
- (Sorry, Ryan, Dean & Tammy are cool too, but we only get six.)
The “Fighting 74th”
- Michael Sall – real nice guy!
- Alan Fenning
- Anne Cameron
- Can’t vouch for anyone else.
for Republicans
Now this presents a hornets’ nest of conundra, starting with “Do any Republicans care what Vern & Greg think?” And also, what does it mean to be a Republican any more? We can’t answer that. We used to look hard, and be excited, when we found a Republican who was NOT either an on-the-take kleptocrat or some kind of backward anti-immigrant anti-gay anti-women’s rights reactionary – and too often all of the above. NOW, in the age of Trump, we’d be happy to endorse ANY REPUBLICANS who loudly and proudly renounce the Ochre Abomination. Are there any? We don’t know, maybe there are.
But we can say that the following OC Republicans, in the following districts, are NOT SO BAD:
- 59 – Denis Bilodeau & Jon Fleischman (I know, Zenger will object, but we’re comparing them to other Republicans.) I hear that Ryan Bent is all right too.
- 67 – Bruce Whitaker, who cares about corruption and police brutality
- 68 – I guess Tardif just cuz he’s our friend, but we don’t agree with him on much
- 70 – Phat Bui because he makes funny videos (sorry, such slim pickings)
- 72 – ONLY the honest, humane, eccentric John Briscoe!
- 73 – The Moorlach.
That’s about it, from Vern. Below you can read Greg’s cogitations in green and Jonathan’s in blue, if you are so disposed. I hope this was a BIT of a help.
Appendix – Greg (in green) & Jonathan Adler (in blue) discuss
GREG:
We’re republishing some endorsements on our NINE Assembly districts from people that we trust we’re not going to attribute them, or the intermediary giving them to us, absent their permission..
If you are a registered Democrat voting, you have the opportunity to vote for up to six representatives to serve on the County Democratic Party Central Committee.”
Before we go any further, it’s worth noting that there are two polar opposite approaches to how to vote.
The first is to vote for 6 candidates no matter what. The upside is that you may be able to squeeze out some really bad candidates that you oppose, but that will only work if they will likely be near the bottom of the “Top Six” (plus an alternate) in each district — something about which you can only guess. The downside is that your #1 ranked candidate that you love gets the same amount of support as your #6 ranked candidate about whom you’re lukewarm. A vote is a vote is a vote.
The other pole is to vote only for the candidate that you like best. This is called “bullet voting.” The upside is that you’re not got to let your other choices edge out the candidate you like best based on your vote. The downside is that you give up any ability to affect choices among the rest of the field.
I mention that these are only the poles of the dimension of strategies because you can also choose some sort of hybrid: supporting just 2, 3, 4, or 5 of the candidates. I’ll often do this when, say, there are four candidates that I feel strongly about and two that are just better than the rest of the field.
OK, Bluey did this more comprehensively.
1. By definition: “Bullet voting” applies only if/when: (a) More than 1 seat is open; (b) # of candidates exceeds # of open seats; (c) If voter wishes, s/he may vote for more than 1; and (d) Voter or advisor most or more strongly favors 1 or very few candidate(s).
2. Bullet voting is strategically most important when # of candidates is closest to: (a) # of open seats; and, (b) Maximum # of votes allowed for those seats; [(a) usually equals (b)]. And less important (but still helpful) when # of candidates greatly exceeds # of open seats (thus usually also maximum # of votes allowed for those seats); in general when # of candidates is at least 2x # of open seats.
Here’s why: (Assume: 6 open seats; max. 6 votes allowed.)
3. Terms: Call your #1 most favored candidate “Ms. A.” Call your next 2 more favored candidates “Mrs. B” & “Mrs. C.” And after those 3 (if you had to fill the ballot with 6 votes) call next 3 slightly favored candidates Mssrs. “D”, “E” & “F”. Call all others “X-Z, et al.”
4. Also assume “time-machines” don’t yet exist. I.e. when you vote you can’t know the final tally, whether or not your most-favored candidate(s) will or won’t be in a close race(s) for the last open seat(s), and, if so, with whom.
Situation where “bullet voting” is most important strategy: Say 7 or 8 candidates exist for the 6 open seats (with 6-vote max.):
If your top goal is to elect most favored candidate Ms. A, vote for only Ms. A — no one with the other 5 possible votes. Why? Each other vote for another candidate (say, Mrs. B and/or C) will “offset” (“negate” or “cancel”) that vote for Ms. A, since Mrs. B and/or C could, in the final tally, end up in a close race with Ms. A for the last available open seat.
If your top goal is to elect not just Ms. A, but also next 2 more favored candidates Mrs. B and Mrs. C, vote for, besides Ms. A, only Mrs. B & C — no one with the other 3 possible votes. Why? Each other vote (for Mssrs. D or E or F, say) will “offset” (“negate” or “cancel”) those votes for Ms. A and Mrs. B & C, since Mssrs. D or E and/or F could, in the final tally, end up in close races with Ms. A or Mrs. B or C for the last 3 available open seats.
To show the futility of “just filling ballot’s 6-vote max. only b/c you can” — in a race with 7 or 8 candidates for 6 open seats — those 6 votes won’t aid any of the 6 candidates voted for vis-a-vis each other. It could aid 1 or 2 at most (and when you vote, you can’t know which 1 or 2) if, and only if, in the final tally, it turns out the 1 or 2 not voted for are in a close race(s) for the last 1 or 2 open seats.
Other situations, where “bullet voting” is less important strategy: Many more candidates than open seats:
The greater the difference by which the # of candidates exceeds the # of available open seats (again assuming # of open seats equals # of maximum votes), the less likely it is that any two (or more) candidates you vote for will, in the final tally, turn out to be in a close race(s) with each other for the last available open seat(s). And the more likely it will be that if, in the final tally, it turns out there is a close race(s) for the last open seat(s), it will involve a candidate(s) you did not vote for; so the reasons why “bullet voting” can be strategically important are somewhat less significant.
On this next section, Bluey and I disagree, but Bluey will get their full say and then I’ll comment below.
Second: Important to re-elect to DPOC Central Cmte officers and chairs:
DPOC Bylaws provide that its officers (Chair, 4 Vice-Chairs, Secretary, Treasurer), Standing and Ad Hoc Cmte Chairs, and members of its Executive Cmte, must be (re-)elected or (re-)appointed from among Central Cmte Members, including, in some instances, Alternates appointed by elected Central Cmte members. One may quarrel with the politics (really not a very significant factor) of some Members currently serving in those offices; but most work hard, and are at the very least fairly effective If any are to be not (re-)elected or (re-)appointed, and a change is to occur, it should be by vote of the Central Cmte who know them and their work best — not by losing a public election for Central Committee.
So I urge advising votes for all of the above who are running for Central Committee:
Officers: Chair Ada Briceno
Regional Vice Chairs: Libby Frolichman, Lauren Johnson-Norris, Jose Trinidad Casteneda, and Gloria Alvarado
Secretary: Luis Aleman
Treasurer: Florice Hoffman. Parliamentarian: Alan Fenning; Acting Parliamentarian: Jonathan Adler
Chairs of major Standing Committees: (all are actually Co-chairs)
Resolutions: Ken Wyant and Eugene Fields
Legislation: Naz Hamid and Jonathan Adler.
Bylaws/Rules: Alan Fenning and Deborah Cunningham-Skurnik
Regional Director (if not listed above): Cory Allen, Franbert Calderon
Executive Committee (excludes ex officios [above], i.e. elected by fellow C.C. members from same AD):[Elected E.C. Member listed 1st; elected E.C. Alternate 2nd)
AD59: Mbr: Devon Gray; Alt: Gail Cain
AD64: Mbr: Mohammad Raza; Alt: Michelle Bernier
AD67: Mbr: Jesus Silva; Alt: Marisol Ramirez
AD68: Mbr: LuisAndres Perez; Alt: Gio Chavez
AD70: Mbr: Dierdre Nguyen Alt: Misha Houser (now deceased)
AD71: Mbr: Gary Kephart; Alt: ??
AD72: Mbr: Jonathan Adler; Alt: Victor Valladares
AD73: Mbr: Dinah Frieden; Alt: Ken Wyant
AD74: Mbr: Denise Penn; Alt: Dr. Danna Lewis
Bluey is someone very involved in party politics and is a good person who believes in the power and perquisites of state and local Democratic Party leadership. I think that the CDP and DPOC contain some good and sincere people who end up serving and succumbing to people who are self-interested, very tolerant of corruption, and out to squash the left — I won’t say “to squash progressives” because they define that term to cover ONLY women’s issues, LGBT issues, unions getting everything they want that does not conflict with “woke” (a term I use as a positive) positions, often token support for ethnic and racial minority issues. These are people who wanted Poseidon, want the 405 Toll Lanes (and the I-5 ones that will follow), continued operation of San Onofre, positions supported by major donors to the Democratic Party and its leaders that fail to serve democratic socialist proposals until others have made it save to take such positions, and so much more. — and I’m sick of it. I don’t believe that it is important that these people be voted in because they will surely get alternate positions if they don’t. I would suggest supporting decent people who would NOT otherwise be appointed to DPOC positions as alternates — because they are likely to be the rare voices of dissent in a party that desperately needs it.
I think that it makes sense to vote for Ada despite my misgivings about her because she’s going to be Chair and it’s better for her not to be an alternate, which invites mischief. I think it makes sense to vote for Lauren and Trini, I’m ambivalent about Frolichman, and I would NOT vote for Gloria not because of any personal antagonism but because the Labor Fed that she runs so often endorses AGAINST the good endorsements of the DPOC — and that fact that she gets to do that while Vern is made to resign, when SHE has more power and a higher party office, is steaming bubbling bullshit. Someone will appoint Gloria to the DPOC if necessary, and she will go on to break the rules enforced against the little people.
Also HARD NO: Luis Aleman, Florice Hoffman, Eugene Fields, Deborah Cunningham-Skurnik.
I WOULDN’T SUPPORT, BUT YOU BE YOU (IF YOU MUST): LuisAndres Perez, Dinah Frieden, Denise Penn
Names that strike me as decent (although I may be squabbling with some of them so don’t hold it against them) include Gail Cain, Dierdre Nguyen, Jonathan Adler, Gary Kephart, and Victor Valladares. (I’m leaving out some good ones who might feel tarnished by the endorsement of a Berniecrat.)
Third: Others:
In a separate email, re others not listed above, I’ll up & down lists of current C.C. elected & alternates, and candidates, and I’ll notes any I strongly recommend for or against.
Fourth: Criteria
Bylaw provisions: C.C. Members’ duties (non-ministerial or administrative): Serve on one or more Standing or Special Committees; attend chartered Democratic club meetings in their Assembly District area and should:
1. Serve as liaison with any chartered Democratic clubs and report activities to the Communications Chair.
2. Coordinate and assist with year-round voter registration through the Voter Registration Chair.
3. Encourage and help qualified Democrats to run for legislative positions and public offices and notify the Candidate Recruitment and Services Chair of vacancies in local officers and of potential candidates.
Endorsements and recommendations:
Assembly District 59:
Elizabeth Galindo
Lourdes Cruz
Isabella Rubio
(Modified bullet vote)
Assembly District 70:
Adam Tallabas
Assembly District 72:
Faye Hezar
Jonathan Adler
Gina Clayton-Tarvin
Victor Valladares
Bethany Webb
Parshan Khosravi
Assembly District 73:
Manuel Chavez
Lee Fink
Tammy Kim
Lauren Johnson-Norris
Assembly District 74:
Anne Cameron
Rocky Cifone
Alan Fenning
Courtney Fielder
Denise Penn [GAD: Note my dissent above! Bullet vote only 5!]
Michael Sall
Others among the above who I’d like to call out as demanding a yes vote are: Gina Clayton-Tarvin and Lee Fink. Many of the ones I suspect I’d like but don’t know well, like Alan Fenning, were after my time.
FULL RECOMMENDATIONS
OK, here are Bluey’s full recommendations, incorporating the “bullet voting” considerations. They will be followed by my disagreements from someone who is now outside of the tent.
AD # # runningmax. # to advise voting for
59 8 4
68 13 6
70 7 4
71 7 3
72 8 4
73 17 6
74 8 4
My advice: that you advise (& in order below) voting for only
AD59: Florice Hoffman; Eugene Fields; Molly Muro; Isabella Rubio
AD68: Luis Aleman; Gloria Alvarado; Jessie Lopez; Giovanni Chavez; Luis Andres Perez; Tina Arias Miller
AD70: Ada Briceno; Libby Frolichman; Mark Anthony Paredes; Donald Torres
AD71: Deborah Cunningham-Skurnik; Linda May; Sudi Farokhnia
AD72: Jonathan Adler; Faye Hezar; Gina Clayton-Tarvin; Bethany Webb
AD73: Lauren Johnson-Norris; Naz Hamid; Lee Fink; Tammy Kim; Marleen Gillespie; Ajay Mohan;
AD74: Michael Sall; Alan Fenning; Denise Penn; Anne Cameron
Note: In AD73 it’s very hard to pick just 6, because of the 17 running, over a dozen are highly capable, experienced, and include many office holders (I give the latter lots of “points”).
I agree with Bluey only in the following instances:
AD 59. I agree about Rubio. Hoffman, Fields, and Muro would be at the bottom of my list. I recommend voting for three: Isabella Rubio, Lourdes Cruz, and Elizabeth Galindo.
I’m proud of the work I have done since being elected to the DPOC Central Committee and during my time as a CDP E-Board member:
– Authored Resolution Supporting Reparations for Black Californians (Adopted by California Democratic Party)
– Co-Sponsored Resolution for Anaheim to designate Litte Arabia (Adopted)
– Authored Resolution Opposing the Proposal to Eliminate the Directly Elected Mayor in Irvine (Adopted)
– Sponsored Resolution Encouraging Elected Democrats to Communicate Openly and Enable Their Democratic Colleagues to Agendize and Debate Items (Adpoted)
– Authored Resolution Denouncing Orange Unified School District Targeting Transgender Students (Adpoted)
– Authored Resolution Denouncing Anti-Black Racism and Standing in Solidarity with the Black Community (Adopted)
– Authored Resolution Calling for OC Sheriff’s Department to Stop Feeding Incarcerated People Rotting Food (Adopted)
– Authored Resolution Calling for Greater Action to Protect Children from COVID-19’s Delta Variant (Adopted)
– Authored Resolution Denouncing Anti-Asian and Pacific Islander Discrimination and Attacks (Adopted)
– Authored Resolution Denouncing Lack of Transparency in Huntington Beach Library Children’s Books Review (Adopted)
– Worked with DPOC staff to lead the way to stop the effort to recall Gov. Newsom – Orange County actually voted “No” as a County
– Led the effort to have the DPOC offer early endorsement to Supervisor Katrina Foley, a key for her successful re-election
– Successfully identified, recruited and supported candidates up and down the ballot
– Pushed for DPOC to support the OUSD Recall effort, including a statement of support and offering staff support, meeting, space and resources.
– Interviewed hundreds of candidates up and down the state, seeking state and local endorsement
– In 2022, I was appointed by the Democratic Party State Chair to the CDP Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (JEDI) Committee. The committee successfully produced stronger protections for those facing harassment within the Party
– Also in 2022, I was asked to serve on the CDP Black Caucus Executive Board, marking the first time Orange County had a voice on one of the largest caucus groups in the state. When it was revealed that the then-head of LA Labor Fed and LA City Council Members were engaging in bigoted discussions, I wrote the call from our Caucus for them to resign, a call which was echoed by elected officials all the way up to the White House.
Much of the work should be the typical work of a Central Commitee members – but so few actually do it. I’m proud to say that in 2022, I spoke to EVERY candidate (or their campaign spokesperson) from the Governor all the way down to water board.
I answer every phone call, text message, email promptly and often reach out to constituents in my AD to gauge their support.
I’m grateful to have received 12,000+ votes in 2020 and to have been added as an alternate when I moved out of my elected assembly district to be able to continue my service to Democrats in Orange County.
If enough voters agree, I’ll be happy to serve again for another 4 years.
Thanks for your input. All other candidates are welcome to make their cases here.
You see all of that as a qualification. I think that the time you spent as a flack for the Transportation Corridor Agency outweighs it all. (I vaguely recall your now working for the Labor Fed, I think, but I’ll hold off that rant until you verify it.) That is the only place where you’ve likely made an actual difference. helping TCA steal money from those endlessly repaying bonds that should have been extinguished long ago.
I doubt that any of those resolutions had any real effect, and if they did it was ones where many other people could have substituted in for you. Years ago, the unions used to prevent CDP from weighing in on social and identity issues because it encroached on what they saw as CDPs core role of boosting unions. Now, it’s issues that please the Democratic base without really taking risks confronting noxious interests, as I used to do in opposing Poseidon, Toll Lane Expansion, keeping San Onofre open, etc.
In other words, I don’t see much evidence of your being more than an apparatchik, and the party already brims over with apparatchiks.
Let’s take a look at your list:
– Authored Resolution Supporting Reparations for Black Californians (Adopted by California Democratic Party) — and then failed, because no one could come up with a good plan for this. But it signaled DPOC/CDP support for the Black community for little risk within the party!
– Co-Sponsored Resolution for Anaheim to designate Little Arabia (Adopted) — Good. Co-sponsoring does not require much exertion, and this put you in no danger.
– Authored Resolution Opposing the Proposal to Eliminate the Directly Elected Mayor in Irvine (Adopted) — Oh.
– Sponsored Resolution Encouraging Elected Democrats to Communicate Openly and Enable Their Democratic Colleagues to Agendize and Debate Items (Adpoted) — Did you get in trouble for this? Any risk taken?
– Authored Resolution Denouncing Orange Unified School District Targeting Transgender Students (Adpoted) — Good. Most anyone on the list could have substituted in.
– Authored Resolution Denouncing Anti-Black Racism and Standing in Solidarity with the Black Community (Adopted) — A bold statement! Most anyone on the list could have substituted in.
– Authored Resolution Calling for OC Sheriff’s Department to Stop Feeding Incarcerated People Rotting Food (Adopted) — Good. Most anyone on the list could have substituted in.
– Authored Resolution Calling for Greater Action to Protect Children from COVID-19’s Delta Variant (Adopted) — Slightly bold to go up against the anti-vaxxers, but not the least bit controversial within the party.
– Authored Resolution Denouncing Anti-Asian and Pacific Islander Discrimination and Attacks (Adopted) — So bold. Anyone could have substituted in.
– Authored Resolution Denouncing Lack of Transparency in Huntington Beach Library Children’s Books Review (Adopted) — Good, popular, and easily substituted in.
– Worked with DPOC staff to lead the way to stop the effort to recall Gov. Newsom – Orange County actually voted “No” as a County — you led the way, did you?
Without you, Eleni would be Governor now?
– Led the effort to have the DPOC offer early endorsement to Supervisor Katrina Foley, a key for her successful re-election — OK, you get points for fending off Joe Kerr. But what efforts have you taken to condemn Doug Chaffee, the asshole who deliberately drew Katrina out of her old district in the first place? Quite wan, really.
– Successfully identified, recruited and supported candidates up and down the ballot
– Pushed for DPOC to support the OUSD Recall effort, including a statement of support and offering staff support, meeting, space and resources. — Wait, you may be making news here! How hard did you have to “push” people to do something squarely within DPOC’s wheelhouse? Who in DPOC was pushing back?
– Interviewed hundreds of candidates up and down the state, seeking state and local endorsement — And therein lies the powerful role that brings your ambitions, character, and political views into scrutiny. This is what it’s all about — so tell us what role you play in factional disagreements within the party?
– In 2022, I was appointed by the Democratic Party State Chair to the CDP Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (JEDI) Committee. The committee successfully produced stronger protections for those facing harassment within the Party — Being appointed to something by Rusty Hicks usually means that you’re willing to be Rusty Hicks’s poodle. But I’d sincerely like to know more details on this, and on who was pushing back against you and on what basis. Do you have the courage to name names?
– Also in 2022, I was asked to serve on the CDP Black Caucus Executive Board, marking the first time Orange County had a voice on one of the largest caucus groups in the state. When it was revealed that the then-head of LA Labor Fed and LA City Council Members were engaging in bigoted discussions, I wrote the call from our Caucus for them to resign, a call which was echoed by elected officials all the way up to the White House. — So you shivved Kevin DeLeon and Nury Martinez. Golf clap. Not especially risky, eh? But on what basis Was it making fun of a white Councilmember’s son that was your thrust, or was it their desire to wangle a higher representation of Latinos on the LA City Council? (Answering that might be at least a little bit risky, so go ahead!)
Much of the work should be the typical work of a Central Commitee members – but so few actually do it. I’m proud to say that in 2022, I spoke to EVERY candidate (or their campaign spokesperson) from the Governor all the way down to water board. — I will allow that you take the leisure that your TCA/??? salary provides you to do lots of volunteer work (although it’s sorta related to what you’re paid for) on DPOC and in this sort of political interaction. But to me the question is what you said to them. Did you critique and challenge them — and on what basis if so? Charm them and curry favor?
I answer every phone call, text message, email promptly and often reach out to constituents in my AD to gauge their support. — Obviously, this is nice, but it’s also something that the most conservative, regressive, and diffident leaders do to keep their offices. George H.W. Bush was well-known for this sort of well-bred manners. But he also engineered the slaughter of millions both in the CIA and beyond it. “Ain’t what you do, it’s the way that you do it, that’s what gets results” may be what Jimmie Lunsford sang (Bananarama only covered it), but those results are personal advancement, not social justice. This blog led (seriously, led) attacks on Poseidon against a Governor and a Senator; took on Melahat and Disneyland with DPOC mostly looking on in horror (Ada being an honorable exception there); took on the toll lanes and San Onofre against Labor; and more and more like that. We made enemies not only with the usual assholes in the other party, but also with the self-servers and squeams within our own party. And we often did “get results” — none of it involving personal advancement. That’s what I want to see more of on the Central Committee. You’re far from the worst actor around, but you’re not a strong enough advocate of risky, costly, and principled confrontation with powers that be within the Democratic political structure and its often rent-seeking allies (who look out for each others big donors because it’s polite) for you to get my vote. You will win, and if you don’t you would surely be appointed as an alternate, and I do wish you luck in that — but you’re not really part of the solution to Democratic sclerosis.
That said, hope you enjoyed reading this and have a nice day!
Greg –
We’ve never actually met in person and I think that “possibly” we spoke on the phone for 10 minutes. My point is that you have a lot of vitriol for someone you’ve never met and have never even taken the time to reach out to to get their side of whatever narrative you have in your mind about me.
1. I have never worked for a labor union. My first job was a union job – for which I was grateful for. In fact, the OC Labor Fed endorsed and campaigned against me in this election.
2. Yes, I was Media Relations Manager for the Toll Roads. I was also Communications Manager for CAIR-CA. I was also Communications Director for the 3rd District Supervisor’s office. I was also a reporter for the OC Register. I was collecting tolls and in fact, I spent my 2 years at TCA doing a lot of work to mitigate penalties.
As an attorney, I’m sure you have had people deride you for your profession – but hey, it’s a living.
3. Yes, people COULD HAVE written any of those resolutions. But they didn’t. In fact, weren’t you on the Central Committee and a member of the CDP at one point? It’s actually kind of sad that the California Democratic Party didn’t adopt a resolution supporting Reparations until 2023, when I wrote it.
4. Sure, someone COULD HAVE written a call for Nury, KDL, etc. to resign after the news broke. But they didn’t. The Black Caucus call happened 48 hours after the LA Times story broke and we were the FIRST group calling for their resignation.
5. There wasn’t a plan to mobilize folks in OC re: Newsom’s recall. I called the best organizer I knew and asked her what we needed to do. And she got on it and started the phone banks and the walk lists. Credit to that former staffer.
6. My daughter is a 2nd-grader in OUSD. I’ve donated, walked and did GOTV for Erickson, Yamasaki, Page and Moffat. I live in Miner’s Trustee Area – so I knew what was going on.
And only 1 other DPOC member gave a damn. And we worked together to write a memo of support from the DPOC that included (initially) free use of PDI. And sure, someone COULD HAVE written a resolution re: their horrible Trans-outing policy – just like someone COULD HAVE written a resolution about HB banning books. But they didn’t.
7. Again, you don’t know me, so I’m trying to take offense at being left-handedly labeled as a conservative, simply because I believe in responding to inquiries. It’s something I’ve done with every person on my ballot that I can reach and it’s the way I was raised – but decent, hard-working parents/grandparents, who engrained what it means to be a Democrat.
You and I actually agree that there’s more that the DPOC could/should be doing to affect change in Orange County. However, You have no idea what I’ve done in my life or how strong I am/am not politically to make blithe inaccurate statements about my character.
This is your blog – and I’m sure you will have a retort. I’ll let it go with this:
It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong
man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better.
The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is
marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who
comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and
shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows
great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy
cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement,
and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that
his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know
victory nor defeat.
Enjoy the view and don’t forget the popcorn. Save me some in four years when I step down from the Central Committee.
We’ve had a few constructive conversations. And then at other times you’ve accused me of some bizarre-ass things that I couldn’t even understand.
Like, “tokenizing” black people just because I supported Kenneth Batiste for Council. Just for example.
I hear you are in charge of producing a “toned-down” version of Mirvette’s Gaza ceasefire resolution which the DPOC rejected at Ada’s urging. My Club is taking up that resolution tomorrow, which was originally passed by the Santa Clara Democratic Party.
“I know, Zenger will object,”
Why would I object? I’m not a Republican.
He probably thinks that because you have objected to our doing so in the past. But you may have been a Republican back then.
No I think that because he has criticized Bilodeau & Fleischman many times and recently. And with justification.
I thought he MIGHT still be registered a Republican because he once recently described himself as “not red, but burnt umber.”
Huh. Hadn’t taken him for a Brown supporter….
When has anybody ever criticized Bilodeau without justification?
Burnt umber?!
That doesn’t sound at all like me because burnt umber is sort of very dark brown. When did I say that?
Right now I am devoutly anti-Republican and all it has come to stand for – ignorance, anger, grievance, stupidity, irrationality, hypocrisy, greed, racism, Zionism; Rotting Yamism, in fact. As far as I’m concerned a decent human can’t be a Republican.
Not to say there aren’t plenty of indecent people who aren’t Republicans, as we all know.
Dunno it was something like that. Burnt something. Sienna?
Burnt sienna is a reddish brown; so, no.
“I’m burnt umber,” “Brown supporter” — it was a joke. And now it’s dead.
It was something David wrote about a year ago, but it’s lost in the mist of comments.
It seemed to suggest he was a burnt-out Republican. But apparently not.
Who I didn’t vote for in AD 73
Naz Hamid – once a Farrah khan sympathizer
Mariam Tariq – khan’s executive assistant
Lauren Johnson-Norris – she loves Farrah Khan
Mari Fujii – hell no
Lee Fink – his last name says it all
Doug Elliott – cracker
Yousef Kaddechd – Treseder’s executive assistant
Tammy Kim – she has multiple identities and doesn’t know Darfur is In Sudan
Ajay Mohan – just say no to soy boy
Fine, fine — people who vote in AD 73 should definitely consider Lee, Doug, and Yousef. The problem with Ajay is not his being feminized, if I correctly remember what that term means.
If others want to chime in with recommendations and dilute the concentration of Neshanian in the mix, please do!
“Ajay Mohan – just say no to soy boy”
I believe this is the individual who arranged the Tony Castro candidacy for that Ada Briceno woman and Ahmad Zahra to keep the latter in office, and a genuine Latino – Oscar Valladez – out.
That would be him. I’ll always remember him. When I was the attorney for that Brea School Board recall, he came into help/monitor things. I figured that given his position, I could trust him, as I did myself, to be the only one watching one of the monitors, while other volunteers were doubled up. At one point I tapped out to someone in our bullpen to take over for me, went around the corner — and saw Ajay with his nose buried in his cell phone, leaving who knows how many ballots unreviewed by our side. As I recall, I calmly took over for him and told him to play in traffic. Well, maybe not that, but I didn’t trust him with serious responsibility that day again.
Apparently, Tony Castro blabbed to Bushala that he had been encouraged to run by Mohan to run as the anti-corporatist candidate. No one in Fullerton heard of him before (or since). He filed his papers the next day after Oscar Valadez.
I figure this could not have happened without a deal between Zahra (who’s utterly transactional) and Briceno (who is probably utterly transaction).
Really wish you justified WHY you selected these candidates, rather than just saying “our buddy said to vote for him and five of his friends”. This is the least discussed race and the only one with so many votes (six versus one) and after a lot fo googling and reading, I’m as lost as I started.
I just didn’t want it to be so long. What District are you inquiring about, and I’ll try to give more details.
Btw if you go to the bottom of the post, Greg and Jonathan both go into GREAT detail.
Thanks for the insights! I always check your recommendations out.
Thanks! I’m sorry that you got stuck with the same avatar as Rudiger, below, and your IP addresses are not the same.
So many commenters, so few “avatars!”
Rudiger was right anyway, I wish I could have given more details in this Central Committee post. 3000 voters have consulted it thus far!
Credit to Jonathan for goosing us into publishing it after all!
Goosed? A strange choice of verbs. But I was pushed into it by our commenters, and even more by all the folks who clicked mistakenly on our 2020 version.
Well, then for facilitating it.