In a brilliant parliamentary maneuver, the Victor Manuel Perez for CA 80th Assembly District campaign to replace the termed out, thank God, Bonnie Garcia (R-CA), the Perez forces by one vote were able to keep Greg Pettis, Mayor Pro-Tem of Cathedral City, from retaining the California Democratic Party endorsement for Assembly.  (Perez is Vice-President of the failed school board in the Coachella Valley Unified School District.)  However, the short-term battle victory may possibly cost the Democrats not only the 80th in the November general election, but also cost them the majority that they need to ignore the demands of the recalictrant minority Republicans in the Assembly.

A major factor developing in the campaign and one of which I have been consistently blogging on mydesert.com, the online edition of The Desert Sun, is the fact that Gary Jeandron, presumptive Republican candidate for the 80th AD is a boardmember of the Palm Springs Unified School District (PSUSD).  Recently, the State of California Board of Education threatened actions and/or sanctions against 97 school boards across the state that failed to meet state academic goals and the requirements of the Federally unfunded ‘No Child Left Behind.’  As a result, California threatened sanctions against the PSUSD and the board for the academic failures in the District.  Jeandron, as boardmember, and running for the 80th cites his education background and experience as instrumental to his qualifications for the office.  However, the threatened sanctions are a major demerit and campaign issue.

This is relevant to Perez as he is Vice-President of the failed CVUSD board which according to the State, had more problems than any other school district in California this year.

More below the flip…

The state actions against the CVUSD and its board are much more severe as their failures were more significant.  The CVUSD District was threatened with state takeover but the state action only involved installation of a trustee to oversee and possibly veto any District and/or board action (State assigns trustee to CVUSD to improve test scores):

“Coachella Valley Unified School District will get a trustee and a state-approved team of independent experts to help improve student test scores, state board members decided this afternoon.

The state board named Riverside County Superintendent Kenneth Young as the district’s trustee, which will give him veto powers over superintendent and board decisions.

But Young said he will work collaboratively with the district.”

The CVUSD was the ONLY district to receive trustee oversight.  Perez as V-P and long-term boardmember bears major responsibility for the failures of the District, its teachers, and its students.  That the CVUSD is suffering such consequences for the academic failures not only raises the question of Perez’ qualifications for Assembly, especially in the area of education, but also blunts the criticism of Jeandron.

If Democrats in the 80th Assembly District choose Perez as the candidate, one of the major issues in the campaign against Jeandron is either removed from the table due to mutual assured destruction on this issue or becomes even more of an issue given the CVUSD is the only District in the state that was assigned a trustee.

Having a ‘well-spoken’ or ‘charismatic’ candidate will not soften the damage to the local Democratic campaign to re-take this seat in November 2008.  Style will not win where substance can win.  Greg Pettis, Mayor Pro-tem of Cathedral City, unlike Perez and Jeandron, is untainted by the failures of the CVUSD and PSUSD school boards and Districts.  In addition, Pettis has the endorsements of State Assemblyman Mike Eng (D-49), Member California State Assembly Committee on Education, El Centro School Board Trustee Diana Newton, and Palm Springs Unified School Board Trustee Meredy Schoenberger.

(re full disclosure, BlueBeaumontBoyz is a Pettis for 80th Assembly District supporter)

Just got this information alert in from the Desert Stonewall Democratic Club, George Zander, Chair, on behalf of the Pettis East Valley and Imperial County 80th Assembly District campaign.  The DSD club is devoted to advancing equal rights for all, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity.  DSD supports the Democratic Party and Democratic candidates who support this mission.  DSD draws its strength from a nationwide network of individuals and clubs comprised of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) Democrats who are working to realize the following goals:

To educate the LGBT community and its supporters about the vast differences that exist between the two major parties on the issues of concern to the LGBT community;

To lead the Democratic party to improve its record on issues of importance to the LGBT community, and to work for the nomination of Democratic candidates from the local to national level, including qualified openly LGBT candidates who will be fully supportive of the fight against bigotry and intolerance;

To encourage the LGBT community to support and vote for Democratic candidates who are committed to defeating homophobia and prejudice; and

To work with the other local LGBT Democratic clubs and individuals to encourage and foster the creation of new clubs.

More below the flip…

The following is the alert from DSD:

Mr. Pettis’ campaign has continually taken the high road and has informed everyone connected with it to not say anything against the other Democratic candidates.  However, Victor ‘Manuel’ Perez has begun to get personal, and he has done it with the gay-card. Whispering to interviewing (Democratic) clubs that he is not part of an “alternative lifestyle…”

…(Pettis’) record in Imperial County and the Eastern Coachella Valley far exceeds any of his opponents, including Perez.  Greg Pettis worked as part of Riverside County Transportation Commission (RCTC) and the Coachella Valley Association of Governments (CVAG) on improving all grade crossings in Coachella and on improving Jefferson Road in Indio and La Quinta.

He chaired the Saving Immigrant Lives project in Imperial for two years and received an award from Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) and other groups for his work.

Pettis led the effort in assisting in technical writing and lobbying the California Transportation Commission (CTC) on behalf of the Brawley bypass.  He also helped get money for Hobson Way in Brawley.

Pettis served as the East Valley’s representative on SCAG for six years and appointed East Valley councilmembers to all subcommittees.  He also served as ex-officio on the Salton Sea Authority.