I’ve had some private email wondering what we were doing to get ready for the General Election. Since Steve Young, the presumptive Democratic nominee and Democratic Party of California endorsed Candidate for the CA-48th, will be facing John Campbell, the presumptive Republican nominee, a millionaire and the entire Republican machine, I thought just this one little press release might give you some of the flavor of the quality of people jumping on board our campaign. (Our Open Primary, all candidates on one ballot, is Tuesday Oct. 4. We fully expect to be the Democratic Nominee.)

I was not aware of this Blog until Mary Scott O’Conner did me the favor of informing me today. I will make sure you are kept up to speed on the very important race. The CA-48th in Newport Beach is the Republicans Crown Jewel in California. And we have a very, very good chance of taking it away from them.

Visit our very advanced and unusual website, Steve Young for Congress to literally meet the Candidate for yourself.

This press item was released to the MSM yesterday:

Steve Young Gears Up for Special Election
 Campaign Rides Momentum into Oct. 4 Primary with Additional Advisors Joining the Campaign

more on the flip

(IRVINE — Sept. 30, 2005) — The Steve Young for Congress campaign entered the final week before the October 4th special election with the announcement of Lori Kreloff and Brad Chase joining the campaign as senior staff members.  Kreloff, formerly a major donor fundraiser for the Democratic National Committee, will lead the campaign’s Washington DC based Political Action Committee fundraising efforts while Chase will serve as press secretary.  

“The competition is heating up in advance of the primary and we’re bringing aboard the big guns to add depth to our campaign,” said Steve Young, Democratic candidate for California’s 48th Congressional District.  “John Campbell may be telling the media that he has the election in hand, but the race is far from over and my campaign is adding seasoned veterans such as Lori and Brad to add depth and expertise to our staff that will take the campaign to the next level and to Washington.”

Kreloff’s primary responsibility will be to create and foster relationships with Mid-Atlantic and National Political Action Committee donors and raise funds for the campaign.  She previously worked at the DNC as California Finance Director and Mid-Atlantic Finance Director and is involved at a senior level for several major campaigns.  She graduated from the University of Illinois.

Chase will lead the campaign’s public relations efforts and serve as Young’s primary spokesperson.  Previously, he was employed by Hill & Knowlton, a global public relations consultancy, in its Los Angeles office.  He received bachelor’s degrees in government and philosophy from the University of Virginia and a master’s degree in strategic public relations from the University of Southern California.

Since we are going up against the best the Republicans have to offer we will answer with the same. Just thought you’d want to know your dollars, (and thank you for the ActBlue support of the last few days…keep up the good work), are being spent on essential tasks.

The Unions have promised substantial support to the Nominee so Wednesday we begin that process with our Washington DC person being the leader in that cause.

Since we support The Apollo Alliance that opens a very unlikely series of PAC alliances as well. We will explore every financial avenue….likely and unlikely.

Steve Young is a Dynamic speaker and we hope to capture a speech to a crowd soon and place it on site so you can see his ability to move a crowd. He isn’t a normal Candidate.

Thanks for the support and please keep it coming at Steve Young for Congress.

PS:If  The John and Ken Show on KFI audiostream on the Net, Steve is walking into the Lions Den Monday afternoon and facing down, again, the major candidates. He loves that sort of thing. It might be worth a listen. He generally thrives on that sort of combative atmosphire. John and Ken don’t play fair. And I think he’s looking forward to it.

[PPS: Just realized that if you use Firefox and have had the browser open over night or for days, like I have, you may need to open a new Browser, or new TAB to get the site. Why? Not sure and have our techs investigating…but I’m passing it along.And we have had intermittment server problems today. Please be patient.]

(cross posted everywhere)

For those fed up with the unfairly high cost of prescription drugs, Proposition 79 provides a simple solution: Proposition 79  will use the purchasing power of the state of California to negotiate deep, enforceable discounts on prescription drugs for millions of Californians.

The drug companies have raised a record-breaking $80 million dollars to run false and misleading ads around the state; They also have sponsored a sham counter-measure, Prop 78, that looks similar but lacks enforcement–it allows the drug companies to decide which drugs get discounted, which get excluded, what levels the discounts are set, whether the drug companies participate at all, and if enough don’t, the program ends.

In order to fight against the most expensive ballot campaign in the history of the nation–financed by the ultimate special interest, the drug companies, the Proposition 79 knows it needs to do something different.  Something never done in the history of ballot campaigns.

Instead of having Proposition 79 fought on behalf of consumers, Proposition 79 will be fought by consumers, those fed up by the drug companies’ unfair prices. The consumer, health, senior, and community groups behind Proposition 79 are turning the campaign over to the people. We’ll let consumers, on the Internet, design and choose the campaign TV ads for this campaign.

The drug companies are notorious for their false and misleading advertising and marketing tactics, for their products (with the disclaimers about all those side effects!), and in this campaign. Numerous newspapers, from the Sacramento Bee to the Orange County Register, have cited their ads as false and misleading.

We don’t need to do that. All we need to do is simply tell voters the differences between the measures (78 lack enforcement, 79 has it), who supports which measure (the drug companies versus consumer groups), and who benefits (Prop 79 provides deeper discounts to twice as many Californians).

As an example, the AIDS Healthcare Foundation has produced one ad that the Yes on 79 Campaign is beginning to air. But we are looking to YOU to help us design and pick an ad that we can use in the final weeks of the campaign.

The Alliance for a Better California, with the Yes on 79 campaign, will host this new contest, “No Disclaimer Needed Ad Contest: Better Ads for Cheaper Drugs.” But the best way to confront the drug companies is to participate and to enter!

Here’s how it works:

1. Make your own ad that tells Californians about the differences between the consumer groups Proposition 79, and the drug companies’ sham Proposition 78.  The ad can be video, animation, text and images, or even simple text and audio.  Be creative. The only restrictions are that the ad must be on message, be 30 seconds or less in length, and that you have the legal rights or license to use to all content you include.
2. Between now, and  11:59 P.M. October 16^th 2005, submit your ad in MPEG or Apple Quicktime format to BetterCA.com’s contest site. Include your contact information – and let us know how you would like to be identified on the site (full name, first initial last name, first name last initial, nickname, etc.).  
3. All the submitted ads, except those that are judged to be inappropriate by the administrators, will be made available for viewing on the Alliance for a Better California’s website.
4. Beginning at 12:01 A.M. on Monday, October 17^th 2005, BetterCA.com community members will judge the submitted content based on the clarity of message, the originality and creativity, and most importantly the overall quality and impact of the ad. Community judging will end at 11:59 PM, Tuesday, October 18^th 2005.
5. At the close of community judging, the site administrators will tabulate the results from the community, and select the top 5 entries. These will be posted and announced as “Community Favorites.”
6. A panel of media experts, who will again rate the entries on clarity, creativity, quality and impact, will judge the community favorites.  The entry with the highest average rating from our panel of media experts, will be declared the overall winner. The winner will be announced on or about  Wednesday, October 19^th, and will be featured on BetterCA.com. The winning ad may even be broadcast all over California.

You can help us defeat the big drug companies, and get cheaper prescription drugs more Californians can count on. submit your ad today, or contribute to help air the winning ad.

Please see the official rules.

Help us spread the word, link back to this post or the main contest page on BetterCA.

( – promoted by SFBrianCL)

It’s getting to be that time of the year I guess.  Yup, it’s fire season.

A wildfire, fanned by the first Santa Ana winds of the season, has charred 17,000 acres along the Los Angeles-Ventura county border, forcing hundreds from their homes and closing schools today.

The fire, which more than doubled in size from this morning’s estimates, remains “far from being over,” said Los Angeles County Supervisor Zev Yarovslavsky at a morning press conference. But diminishing winds made officials cautiously optimistic.

Looks like it’ll be another big season.  Hopefully the rains will come earlier this year.

(Flooding may not be as dramatic as an earthquake, but it’s a very real possibility. – promoted by SFBrianCL)

GOP Gov Fires Reclamation Board Following Policy Change To Take Tough New Action Reviewing Flood-Plain Developments

In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, California’s Reclamation Board, which overseas flood control in the Central Valley responded with concern. Its responsibilities include 1,600 miles of levees, most of which have been grandfathered into federal flood insurance programs, rather than passing rigorous inspections.  Further aggravating matters, the Central Valley is now the most rapidly urbanizing region in the state.

On September 16, the board approved what the Sacramento Bee described as “an aggressive new policy to begin reviewing all urban development proposals in designated flood zones.” The policy would bring pressure to bear on local governments to reject developments in high-risk areas where levees could not be counted on to protect against foreseeable floods.

In turn, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger responded with concern, firing all six members of the board 11 days later (there was one vacancy), and replacing them with a board of six Republicans and one Democrat.  A Schwarzenegger spokesperson claimed that the replacements had been in process for some time, but given Schwarzenegger’s secretive style of governing, there were only rumors beforehand, and no outside consultation or explanation.

“There was no communication about why the entire board was removed,” Board Chair Betsy Marchand, told the Associated Press. Marchand was a former county supervisor of Yolo County, home to UC Davis, where another fired boardmember, Jeffrey Mount, chairs the geology department.

There were, apparently, some rumors that Schwarzenegger was considering replacements, but the governor did not even extend the courtesy of contacting the outgoing members before making the announcement public. In fact, he allowed them to keep working on business that would never be completed. There was meeting on September 27 to discuss the board’s next agenda, which concluded at 1 pm. Anthony J. Cusenza, a retired Modesto dentist, found out that he had been fired when he got back to Modesto afterward.

Beneath his customary cadishness lurked his customary corruption. Construction interests are heavy contributors to Schwarzenegger’s political machine, and responsible development practices in flood-prone areas would inevitably drive up costs.  The Los Angeles Times reported:

A Times analysis of Schwarzenegger’s donors shows that at least 23% of the $75 million he has raised since 2002 has come from businesses or individuals involved in residential or industrial construction, development and real estate.

The Reclamation Board had only occasionally raised concerns about the booming urbanization of the Central Valley, until Katrina. That’s when they decided there was a need to be far more aggressive in highlighting the risks.

“I believe if you’re going to urbanize the land you’ve got to urbanize the levees. That’s the bottom line,” said board member Bill Edgar at the time. Most Central Valley levees were designed and built to protect farmland, not people.

According to The Sacramento Bee, reporting just after the policy change:

Friday’s action means the Reclamation Board will assume its full powers under the California Environmental Quality Act, which allows the agency to review and submit comments on major development projects. The board has exercised those powers only sporadically over the years.

The Bee went on to explain:

Board members said the need for the policy arises from a disconnect in California land-use policy. Cities and counties control urban development but have little obligation for flood control. That duty lies with levee maintenance districts, which have no input on land use.

The board hopes to bridge that gap by warning local governments that, before approving new homes and businesses behind levees, cities and counties should certify that those levees can withstand a 100-year storm, the federal government’s minimum standard.

If they can’t do so, the board’s comments will urge local governments to identify a flood-control plan for that development project, and to describe improvements that may be needed to withstand a flood, such as elevating homes above the flood line.

Local governments are free to ignore Reclamation’s advice about levee safety if they make certain legal findings that the benefits of a project outweigh the risk. But board members are hopeful that it will spur project changes to make homes and businesses safer, and it will help put consumers on notice that they are moving into a flood zone.

“I believe it’s not only appropriate, it’s an obligation,” said board member Tony Cusenza. “It’s our responsibility to see these people (in new developments) are protected one way or another.”

The board’s intentions—to inform residents, and bring short-term costs in line with long-term risks—were in line with the thinking of the re-insurance industry, whose companies have been concerned about the possible impacts of global warming for over a decade, at least since industry giant Swiss Re published its first relevant brochure, “Global Warming: Element of Risk.”

Gary Lemcke, a climatologist working for Swiss Re here in America, works with models that combine climate forecasts and risk assessment models, producing scenarios that point to future problems that could cost billions of dollars, just for a modestly warmer-than-usual summer, much less a catastrophic weather event.

“Don’t gamble with Mother Nature,” Lemcke warned in an interview with Random Lengths News on September 23. “That’s exactly what we are doing. We felt pretty safe in the seventies and eighties and thought it would go on forever. And stated building in areas where we shouldn’t build. There’s a lot of flood plain areas, as well that have been opened up for development, and that’s not the smartest thing to do. Whatever we do, nature in the end will bet stronger than us.  There will be loss. There will be damage. And an insurance policy is only going to bring us so far.”

But Schwarzenegger and his financial backers have more to worry about than the pesky Reclamation Boardmembers they just got rid of.  In part, the Boardmembers were responding to changes in federal policy—changes coming from FEMA (the Federal Emergency Management Agency) that were actually drafter a week before Katrina hit New Orleans.

According to another story in The Sacramento Bee:

A new federal flood-mapping policy could impose a mandatory flood-insurance rule on hundreds of communities nationwide and may even cause a building moratorium in some areas, according to state flood-control officials who are working to meet the requirements.

The memo, written by David Maurstad, acting director of FEMA’s mitigation division,  ordered that local officials in any floodplain that contains a levee must certify that it meets FEMA’s 100-year flood standard—the standard Central Valley levees did not have to meet previously, because they were grandfathered into the system.  If officials cannot certify meeting the standard, FEMA will assume that the levee does not exist, The Bee was told by Rod Mayer, acting chief of the division of flood management at the California Department of Water Resources. The Bee continued:

It could bring a twin shock for people to learn that their properties weren’t as safe as they believed, and that they would have to absorb flood insurance bills of hundreds of dollars a year.

In many cases, local communities could continue to build homes and businesses in those areas, Mayer said. But they may have to be elevated above expected flood levels, an expensive standard that many communities won’t be able to meet.

“Local agencies may find it very difficult to provide such certification,” Mayer said. “What I would expect to see is a moratorium on building in many areas behind levees.”

While FEMA recently certified that much of urban Sacramento met the 100-year standard, and more areas were still being upgraded, the grandfathering of the whole Central Valley system meant possibly dire consequences, according to The Bee:

But the true structural integrity of many of those levees remains suspect, and a full inspection might reveal that they don’t meet the FEMA standard.

“I cannot overstress how critical this is,” Rabbon said. “The potential outfall on this can really be horrendous, because almost all of the levees have been grandfathered into the national flood insurance program.”

…

A similar situation exists in many areas of the nation.

“It’s not just California, it’s the whole country,” Pineda said, noting that the Midwest also will feel a big hit from the requirements.

“It’s tough medicine,” Pineda said. “It’s going to be very controversial.”

Ironically, the FEMA directive is just the sort of “unfunded federal mandate” that the GOP used to rail about when it could blame Democrats.  It will be interesting indeed to see what kind of fancy footwork Schwarzenegger and his new board have in mind for the special interests they serve.

Reclamation Board Purge

Purged Board Members:

Burton Bundy, a Los Molinos rancher and former Tehama County supervisor
Dr. Anthony J. Cusenza, a retired Modesto dentist
William H. Edgar of Sacramento, former Sacramento city manager
Betsy A. Marchand of Davis, former Yolo County supervisor
Jeffrey F. Mount of Davis, a professor of geology at the University of California at Davis
Floyd H. Weaver, a retired school adminstrator and former vice mayor of Stockton

Schwarzenegger Appointees:

Rose Burroughs of Denair, owner of California Cloverleaf Farms
Benjamin Carter, a Colusa farmer and former Apple Computer executive
Maureen Doherty, a farmer from Maxwell, Colusa County
Francis “Butch” Hodgkins of Sacramento, former executive director of the Sacramento Area Flood Control Agency
Teri Rie of Walnut Creek, a civil engineer with the Contra Costa County Public Works Department.
Emma Suarez of Folsom, an attorney for the California Farm Bureau Federation
Cheryl Bly-Chester of Roseville, owner of Rosewood Environmental Engineering

Thy are fawning over cash at Join Arnold:

Thank you donors.  A story: I was with a rich guy the other day who offered to give a million dollars to Arnold’s reform campaign.  I was a little too lost in the moment… thinking about Dr. Evil and the One Milllllllion Dollars phrase and all to really reflect on it at the time but I did have a quiet minute to think afterwards, and got all sappy and well, I  just want to thank our donors.

Wow, I get sappy as well when somebody tries to buy an election.  It’s really so sweet.  It couldn’t possibly be that he has an ulterior motives; he just has nothing better to do with his million dollars.  It’s all quite sickening.

You know you are having a positive effect on the media when the other side tries to keep them from even talking to you.  The following report comes from one of our campaign staffers down south.

The cloudy weather hovering over Irvine yesterday morning paled in comparison to the fog that rolled in as the Schwarzenegger campaign orchestrated yet another staged and scripted “town hall” meeting.

Apparently tired of sharing the spotlight with those pesky nurses, teachers and firefighters who oppose the Governor’s damaging agenda, the campaign handlers today attempted to stop TV cameras from filming the opposition out in front of the Hyatt Regency Irvine.

With security blocking off the main driveway where protestors stood, TV crews were shuttled to the back of the hotel and were initially told they could not film protestors and return to the event.

Perhaps the Governor’s Hollywood version of a “town hall,” doesn’t include real people actually sharing their opinions. As Schwarzenegger’s true colors continue to shine through, his campaign promises ring even more hollow…

“…There is no such thing as democracy in the dark,” Schwarzenegger told the San Jose Mercury News in September of 2003.

“I will open up the windows and doors of government,” he said on the campaign trail.
But apparently those doors are only open to high-dollar campaign contributors and those who will read the Governor’s campaign cue cards on command…

Business as usual for the governor, as his approval ratings go down in a heap with his promises.

Campaign Update

Netroots

From our new Netroots page:

You can help the Alliance for a Better California defeat Arnold’s nasty little November election from the comfort of your desk, couch, coffee house, or where ever you access the net. We’re reaching out to the netroots to help build a successful campaign to quash Schwarzenegger’s plan, and bring real reform to California. Sure, the word netroots gets bandied about an awful lot these day – but here at the Alliance, we truly are dedicated to building an online grassroots community dedicated to real change in California – and to the defeat of Arnold’s special interests election.

• We’ve enlisted online advocacy whiz Joe Trippi – the dean of the Dean Internet campaign – to help us develop a community that works, and that speaks to people like you- who want to be involved on their own terms.
• We’ve brought two full time bloggers on board to maintain the site, and to bring you fresh content and insight every day.
• We’re listening to your suggestions. How can we improve BetterCA.com? How can we get you more involved? You can directly contact either of our bloggers – myself, Julia Rosen, and Drew Tappan – with your suggestions, tips, even whispered rumors you think might be of interest to the campaign, or the website.

Read more on our Netroots page, including html buttons and other ways to get more involved.

New Ads

We went live with new ads today on Proposition 75.  As always you can watch the ads on our television page.

New Microsite

In conjunction with the ad launch we went live with a new site, www.MillionairesforProp75.com, a spoof designed to inform Californians of the real force behind the governor’s special election – his multimillionaire special interest backers and their national anti-tax agenda.

As always, the door is open over at BetterCA, come join our community discussing the special election.  43 days and counting.

(crossposted at Booman, MyLeftWing and dkos)

You should add Calitics to the blogroll at leftyblogs.com

http://www.leftyblogs.com/california/blogroll.html

( – promoted by SFBrianCL)

The forces that favor corporate greed over the rights of the working man are gearing up for an all out war.  In California, on November 8, these forces, aligned with Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, will to try to sneak through a devious anti-worker proposition that will weaken the clout of the unions.

Paying reverance to his multi-national corporate masters, Arnold will do anything and say anything to make you believe passing Proposition 75 will be somehow beneficial for anyone, somehow, somewhere, at some time –but it is not.

What is really behing Proposition 75 is the ongoing wish of greedy corporate giants to further weaken the union’s ability to get the things done in the way they feel they need to, in order to fight back.

In essence, Aronld wants to take away the union’s clout and increase the clout of his corporate masters. Weakening unions hurts the worker’s ability to organize and use collective power to demand improvements to their lives, health care, and working conditions –when fighting against rich and nearly-immovable corporate powerhouses. If proposition 75 passes, unions will be further hamstrung in their efforts, which help promote policies that will help workers.

In Los Angeles a “black-brown” coalition landslided in the first latino mayor in over a century. It may take such a coalition again in California to beat back these initiatives that will make it harder for the poor to rise up and for the middle-class to have decent lives.

Yes they could do it in Los Angeles, can they do it also throughout all of California? In the face of the charismatic governator? Will this growing coalition of workers and their allies once again stand up, show up at the polls, and show who is going to be setting the agenda for California’s future?

From what I have seen, I am sure we can.

Balletshooz blogs at Alphaliberal.com