I just got an email from Henry Vandermeir, the team coordinator for the Obama ’08 campaign in the 44th Congressional District.

He wanted to let everyone know about the following event this coming up Sunday:

The Orange County portion of the 44th Congressional District will be having a volunteer orientation meeting on Sunday, August 5, from 2-4pm in San Clemente.

We will also have a meeting for the Riverside portion of the 44th CD on Sunday, August 5, from 6-8pm, location TBD.

Anyone seriously interested in helping with the Obama’08 campaign should attend this meeting.

Participants should rsvp via our event page.

or they can contact Henry Vandermeir at: ROC4Obama@gmail.com or (949)218-6344

Filed under: Obama | No Comments »

This morning, The Register had a story on the Superior Court reversing its original decision to outsource the processing of misdemeanor tickets to a private facility in Nogales, Mexico. The court finally heard the outrage, and they duly responded. But again, I’m left perplexed. I still wonder why this outrage is not being directed toward solving the HUGE problem that caused this to happen in the first place.

As we have discussed here before, there is something bigger to this issue than just a contract to process speeding tickets that was outsourced to Mexico. And yes, I think we all know what that something bigger is. There are massive inequities in our trade policy that must be fixed.

Why are all the good ol’ American jobs being outsourced? Why are people from Mexico and Central America immigrating here? Why is more and more wealth being concentrated in fewer and fewer hands across the globe? The answer is simple. Our current “free trade regime” favors the interests of a few institutional investors over the needs of working people.

The OC Superior Court wanted to “cut costs”, so they outsourced to Mexico. Farmers in Mexico were screwed by the “land swaps” that occurred shortly after NAFTA was passed, so they became “economic refugees” who eventually came to places like OC to find a job and a way to survive. Now I understand that trade can be good, and that isolationism wouldn’t solve any of these problems. However, our current unfair trade policy is only hurting American workers and Latin American people while a few profit off of other peoples’ pain.

So when will John and Ken start advocating NAFTA reform? When will Chris Norby begin calling for a fairer trade policy? I’m waiting.

Filed under: Republican mistakes, Orange County Government, Progressive Values, immigration, Outsourcing | 3 Comments »

So Moorlach, why wasn’t this action by you and your colleagues not unconstitutional?

Folded into the Orange County Budget Resolution for 2008 was the following as item #5: Authorize Auditor-Controller to pay 2003 through 2006 Possessory Interest Tax for Dana Point Harbor boat slip licensees of approximately $850,000 from Fund 108.  This item is related to a matter that was covered in the Los Angeles Times on April 28, 2007 by Christian Berthelsen  regarding the County Assessor’s discovery that Dana Point Boat Slip owners had not been billed for their tax liabilities for their boat slips. Berthelsen reports that Webster Guillory, the county assessor, said the slip assessments just fell through the cracks. When the county took over the leases, the new contracts stated that boaters would now be responsible for paying their own possessory interest taxes. But county officials in charge of the marina neglected to mention that to the assessor’s office until two years later. During that time, he didn’t even know he was supposed to be assessing the slips, he said, and that he undertook the work as soon as he was made aware of it in November.

“In this case, I did not get timely information, so now that I have it I’m just responding to it,” Guillory said. He added there was no way the county treasurer’s office could have known the taxes were going unpaid in previous years, because he hadn’t issued the assessments for them.

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Filed under: Republican mistakes, Board of Supervisors, Unions, Orange County Government, Government Pensions | 7 Comments »

Check this out! The Register is reporting today that Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-San Jose) is intoducing legislation to reverse the recent fee increases for immigration services. As of now, fees for most immigration services have been increased with the hikes taking effect together. For instance, the cost of naturalization is increasing by 69 percent to $675 for each application, including the cost of fingerprinting. So who can afford the fee hikes? Probably not most of the people who want to come here, and are trying to make it here legally.

“Our immigration services need to move into the 21st century,'’ Lofgren said in a statement. “But USCIS has consistently failed to explain or justify the amounts and distributions of this new fee increase. After repeated requests over several months, USCIS has yet to provide Congress with a detailed plan for its infrastructure modernization efforts. Our immigration system should be both effective and fair. Sacrificing one to achieve the other should not be an option.”

So what do YOU think about this? Do you think these fee hikes for immigration services are justified? Or should these fee hikes be revoked? Is this a good way to raise money? Or will this discourage immigrants from coming here legally?

I know there’s been a “surge” of applications for US citizenship of late, as people sought to apply before the fee increases came into place. Even local elected officials like Assembly Member Jose Solorio (D-Santa Ana) have been offering citizenship workshops to help immigrants apply for citizenship ASAP, before the fee hikes came into place. So what happens now? Will immigrants now be discouraged from going through the legal process due to the excessively high costs?

Come on, now. You know what to do. Make my day- Fire away!

Filed under: National, immigration | 8 Comments »

Psst… I think Matt Cunningham’s off his meds.

Black helicopters are part of a conspiracy theory, especially prevalent among the United States militia movement, that claims that special unmarked black helicopters are used by secret agents of the New World Order, United Nations troops, and/or the Men in Black preparing to take control of the United States, or for other nefarious purposes.

 

A fun little riff popped up on RedCounty/OCBlog today about how John and Ken found the story about the Outsourcing of traffic ticket processing by the Orange County Courts.

Where’d The Outsourcing Story Come From?

I’m a the only one who finds the timing of the traffic ticket outsourcing story suspicious?

Does anyone believe John & Ken found it one their own?

The OC Board of Supervisors is going to vote tomorrow on whether to rescind the retroactive portion of AOCDS’ 2001 pension spike.

A few days before hand, John & Ken magically discover the outsourcing contract, post it on their website and hold the Board of Supervisors responsible and urge their listeners to call the supes.

It seems clear to me that whoever leaked the story to John & Ken led them to believe the Board of Supes was responsible for the contract. That may be why J & K didn’t independently verify it.

And who works at the courthouse? Lots of AOCDS members who are angry at Moorlach and the Board.

This isn’t just speculation on my part. I have heard from several different very good sources that J & K got the tip from a deputy working at the courthouse. That doesn’t constitute solid confirmation, but it rings true to me.

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Filed under: Red County, Board of Supervisors, Unions, Orange County Government, Government Pensions, Outsourcing, Humor | 1 Comment »

Democratic donors opened their wallets WIDE in Orange County, where the top four contenders for the Presidential nomination raised a combined total of over $840,000 in the first half of 2007.

A brief analysis of publicly available data from the Federal Elections Commission – www.fec.gov - shows Hillary Clinton, John Edwards, Barack Obama, and Bill Richardson raising $840,960 from donors reporting residences in OC zip codes. The campaign finance reports, covering the first two quarters of the year, report report only individuals who gave more than $200 to a single candidate. The maximum contribution to any candidate at the federal level is $2,300 for an individual donor.

Candidate    Jan 1 – Mar 30    Apr 1 – Jun 30    Jan - June

…       $$ (Contribs.)    $$ (Contribs.)     $$ (Contribs.)

Hillary Clinton…..11,750 (6) 278,064 (238) 289,814 (244)

John Edwards…..86,525 (76) 88,435 (172) 174,960 (248)

Barack Obama…..94,904 (165) 167,577 (265) 262,481 (430)

Bill Richardson…..74,100 (55) 39,605 (62) 113,705 (117)

TOTAL…………..267,279 (302) 573,681 (737) 840,960 (1039)

Filed under: Election 2008, Presidential Election, Obama, Winning Elections | 6 Comments »

“I believe that every senator on the trip came away believing that human activity causes warming.”

 

And Senator Barbara Boxer (D-Absolutely Fabulous) is telling The Register that the trip to Greenland helped her in convincing at least two Republicans that action must be taken NOW to stop the coming climate catastrophe. Although neither Senator Johnny Isakson (R-GA) nor Senator Bob Corker (R-TN) have signed up as cosponsors of the Boxer-Sanders Bill to combat climate change, they are at least admitting now that we humans are causing this crisis, and that we need to do something about it. Unfortunately, they’re not yet ready to commit to real action. But hey, at least they’re willing to say now that they’d like to do something.

I don’t see how any one can continue denying the scientific reality of climate change. I don’t know how any one can continue denying the reality that rest of the world has come to accept. But for some reason, there are still quite a few Republicans on Capitol Hill that want to continue denying reality. I guess that’s Senator Boxer’s real challenge. She must continue convincing more Republicans that there is a real problem before she will have enough votes for some real legislation to take on climate change.

So can she do it? I think so. After all, the deniers can only hide from reality for so long. Eventually, everyone had to accept that the world is round. Eventually, everyone is coming to accept that all life on earth evolved over an intricate multi-billion year process (OK, so we’re still working on that…). And eventually, everyone will need to accept the reality that we must do something to stop the coming climate catastrophe. Oh yes, and everyone will need to recognize this:

“I know I have a responsibility to move now to lessen the impacts of severe global warming.”

Yes, Senator Boxer. And so do your colleagues in Washington. And so do all the rest of us in this great nation.

Filed under: National, Progressive Values, Nature | 1 Comment »

posting this and passing it on

CALIFORNIA DEMOCRATIC PARTY LAUNCHES “GOP TRIANGLE OF CORRUPTION” ON ITS WEBSITE

www.cadem.org/TriangleOfCorruption takes aim at embattled trio of Reps. Lewis, Miller, CalvertSacramento – The California Democratic Party today unveiled its new website feature “Triangle of Corruption” to remind voters that unfortunately, in the three Southern California congressional districts of Jerry Lewis, Gary Miller, and Ken Calvert, the GOP “Culture of Corruption” is alive and well.

The site features news coverage, commentary, blog items and additional information related to the three Southland Republicans, each of whom is under Federal investigation – Lewis, for his role in the Duke Cunningham bribery scandal; Miller, for several questionable land deals among other issues; and Calvert, also for his role in dubious land sales.

“Last November, voters across the United States resoundingly rejected the Republican Culture of Corruption,” said Senator Art Torres (Ret.), Chairman of the California Democratic Party. “Sadly, that message of reform seems to have gone in one ear and out the other of Representatives Lewis, Miller and Calvert. We’re here to make sure that the voice of the voters is heard loud and clear.”

The website will be continuously updated with new information and developments leading up to the 2008 congressional elections.

For more information, please visit www.cadem.org/TriangleOfCorruption.

Filed under: Uncategorized | 1 Comment »

OK, here it is! As I promised a while back, I have the pictures from the OC Fair up now! Enjoy these scenes of the fair. Enjoy the pics of our fantastic OC Democratic Party booth. Enjoy these little snippets of the fair.

And if you haven’t been to the fair, GO THIS WEEK! Go see the pretty animals! See LeAnn Rimes and Fergie and Ozomatli LIVE in concert! See the sand animation master perform his magic right in front of you! And most importantly, see your local Democrats in action in the Orange County Building!

So won’t YOU be going to the fair this week? Don’t you want to have fun? Don’t you want to see your local Democrats at work? OK, then. Go ahead and see some more pics. Once you see them, you’ll want to go.

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Filed under: Democratic Party of Orange County | No Comments »

I’m having trouble posting the story, but here’s the link to the SF Chronicle story on how hackable our state voting machines are.

 

 

Filed under: Uncategorized | No Comments »

Filed under: National, Orange County Government, Bush | 5 Comments »

OK, I just can’t help it! Since I do live in Santa Ana, I just had to check out Thomas Gordon’s latest story on Orange Juice, which follows up on Matt Cunningham’s latest story on OC Blog. Now usually, I disagree with these conservative bloggers and their complaints against any and all “big government”. However, today I must agree with them on something. The state of our “government” in Santa Ana has devolved into little more than a laughingstock.

So why am I agreeing with these conservtive bloggers that Santa Ana needs to refocus on its real priorities? Follow me after the flip to find out…

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Filed under: Santa Ana City Council, Progressive Values | 13 Comments »