Monthly Archives: July 2008

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AD-80: Rapprochement Between Perez, Pettis

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If you read the reader diaries column in April and May in this space, you would have noticed a somewhat antagonistic relationship between Greg Pettis supporters and Manuel Perez supporters during the Democratic primary for AD-80 in the Palm Springs area.  It was probably more pronounced on the Interwebs, but I’m told from those in the district that there wasn’t a whole lot of love there on the ground, either.  Now, with the primary over, it appears that Democrats are coming together to take back the seat in the fall.

If Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton can make peace, we anticipate Greg Pettis and Manuel Perez can, too.

An olive branch was extended between the former Democrat rivals last week when Richard Oberhaus – campaign manager of Pettis’ failed bid in the 80th Assembly race – announced he was joining Perez’s camp.

“He endorses the ideals that we all hope and dream will be implemented in Sacramento,” Oberhaus said in an e-mail announcing his plans.

“I shall implement all the strategies that are necessary to make this seat turn from red to blue.”

While Pettis hasn’t publicly endorsed, this move by his campaign manager and, as the article notes, several of his volunteers suggest that Democrats district-wide are committed to working for victory.

By the way, with less than 100 days until the election I am going to start a “drive for 2/3” legislative roundup.  I was talking with some leading Dems in LA County over the weekend and they told me about some off-the-radar Assembly possibilities, particularly in the Inland Empire region.  Did you know that Democrats are now within 1,500 votes of making San Bernardino a Democratic county?  Last year that was a 35,000-vote majority.  We need to turn them out, of course, but with a favorable top of the ticket we’re going to see some surprises in the Assembly (the Senate is a tougher nut to crack).

Arnold Schwarzenegger, Budget

Stop the Paycuts: Delivering over 28,000 Petitions to Arnold Schwarzenegger

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(full disclosure: I work for the Courage Campaign)

Today was supposed to be the day that Schwarzenegger signed the executive order to cut over 200,000 state employees pay to the federal minimum wage of $6.55 an hour.  He has delayed that action until at least Thursday, which SEIU Local 1000, the Courage Campaign, True Majority and CREDO Mobile can take some credit for.

I just got back from a great day of actions at and around the capitol on this proposed wage cut.  After picking up over 28,000 signed petitions, a big backdrop and an easel I headed to the airport to pick up Rick Jacobs, my boss and Chair/Founder of the Courage Campaign and Jethro Rothe-Kushel, our videographer.

We headed straight for the noon rally held by SEIU Local 1000, which represents nearly half of the workers at risk of living in poverty due to the proposed callous action by the governor.  It was a great rally of about 200 Local 1000 members wearing their purple shirts, marching, chanting, blowing whistles and waving signs.  Jethro snagged a few interviews with some Local 1000 members and it should be part of the video he produces in a day or two.  The folks at Local 1000 were really happy to see all of these non-union activists being so supportive of their members and pushing back against the governor.

After the rally we grabbed a sandwich and then headed over with the sign, stand and the two boxes of petitions across the street from the Hyatt, where the governor stays when he is in town.  Assemblyman Dave Jones joined us there. Sen. Florez and Controller Chiang had conflicts, but wanted to be there.  We started off across the street from the capitol with Rick and Jones doing some one on one interviews.  KCRA (local NBC affiliate), KXJZ (local NPR) and a few other print folks were there.  The governor actually left in his motorcade as Jones was doing an interview.

Rick carried the big box (that sucker must have weighed at least 60 lbs) and Jones the smaller one across to the Hyatt, plastered with the Courage logo.  We decided to drop them off at the Hyatt to point out how out of touch Arnold is with what he has proposed.  The governor pays $293/night to stay in the suite.  It would take someone working 44.7 hours at the federal minimum wage, without any taxes being taken out to afford just one night’s stay at the governor’s special rate.  That is more than a week’s worth of work!  (flip it…)

The concierge at the Hyatt was very nice, but explained that they had a policy of not accepting things for the governor and politiely suggested we take it to his office.  Then a dude came up and asked if we had permission to be filming in the hotel.  He was rather rude about it and insisted that the cameras be shut off, which everyone ignored and Jones took some umbrage with his statements.

So, we walked across the capitol, with Rick and Assemblyman Dave Jones carrying the box together and cameras and reporters in tow.  This of course attracted other reporters once we got inside.  Univision and the Bee among others.  CHP stopped us at the door and asked what we were up to an explained we could not go inside.  There seemed to be a crowd of folks, staff and lobbyists I presume inside.  CHP had a staffer come out and talk to us.  At first she suggested we take the boxes to the mail room, when Rick piped up and said something to the effect of “do you really want Assemblyman Jones to deliver this to the mail room”.  She quickly rethought her plan and said she would be right back.  A minute or two later she popped out and told us someone would be with us shortly.

It took about 10 minutes, while Rick and Jones did interviews, for the governor’s press secretary to show up.  He said he would make sure they were handled properly and gave his speil to the Rick/Dave Jones.   Well….really for the press’s benefit, about how the governor is hoping the legislative leaders work everything out in their negotiations.

He took them inside the office, but then emerged later and was headed in the direction of said mail room.

Hopefully, there will be some media coverage and it will place more pressure on the governor to rethink his proposal.  As soon as the video is done and  I get the pictures, I will be sure to put them up.  Thank you to everyone who signed the petition, Credo and True Majority for helping push this out to their members and all of you who forwarded it to your friends and family.  This is what activism is all about.

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Protest John McCain in SF

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A quick event announcement. The GOP nominee will be cruising into town today to pick up some cash from a few rich Republican types. (Yes, there are a few. And they are rich.)

Subject: McCain in San Francisco TODAY – 5:30 PM!

What: Rally for Democrats outside McCain Fundraiser.

When: Today-Monday July 28th, 5:30-7:30 pm

Where: Outside the Fairmont Hotel-Mason Street between Sacramento and California Ave. Parking on Grace Cathedral Garage ($11.00 before 6:00pm). Located on Taylor and California Ave.

Please bring your hand-made signs. We will have extra signs for you to use.

Marriage Equality

No on Prop 8 welcomes the Corporate Types

In most, if not all, of the states that have passed marriage bans, corporations have pretty much stayed out of the ballot fight. After all, who wants to get boycotted by the Family Research Council. I mean that’s three bottles of soap that you could have sold right down the drain.

So, the introduction of a “Equality Business Advisory Council” at a presser tomorrow is something of a big deal. No on 8 needs to pick up a few points from CalChamber types who not only see the importance of equality from a fairness perspective but also see the value of marriage equality to their bottom line.  And first up is Pacific Gas & Electric.

PG&E is a big political player. They know exactly what they are doing here.  They need some credibility with the left, especially in San Francisco. It doesn’t hurt that they are in a fight over a possible public power measure in SF either.  Of course, being something of a monopoly doesn’t hurt. Where else are people going to go to get the electricity to turn on their lights?

As for other companies, I expect we’ll see a few other businesses. Maybe a few similar monopolies, but also a group of businesses that cater to the rising creative class. As the title and summary of Prop 8 mentioned, this ban will have an effect on the bottom line of some businesses in the state.  I have confidence in the voters of California seeing the fairness and logic in voting NO on Prop 8.

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CA-26: The Mystery of “Democrats For Dreier”

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Last week, David Dreier sent a letter to residents in his district.  It was signed by nine “Democrats for Dreier” announcing their support of his re-election campaign, because he is a “different kind of leader” who is a passionate advocate for the San Gabriel Valley and the Inland Empire.

The letter was signed by the following 9 Democrats:

Paul Eaton, Mayor of Montclair

Roberto Campos, small businessman, Glendora/Upland

Karen Davis, Mayor of Glendora

Mary Ann Lutz, Monrovia Councilmember

Kurt Zimmerman, Mayor of Sierra Madre

Joe Garcia, Monrovia Councilmember

Anthony Fellow, Director, Upper San Gabriel Valley Municipal Water District, Arcadia

Dorrie Bryan, HR Manager, Rancho Cucamonga

Eugene Sun, San Marino Councilmember

The questions arose almost as soon as the letter was sent.  On the flip…

First of all, the fact that he filled out the list with two random small businesspeople instead of filling the list with electeds is kind of curious in and of itself.  But there are far more serious issues with this list.

Paul Eaton, the Mayor of Montclair, spoke for Russ Warner, the Democratic CHALLENGER to Dreier, at a fundraiser two months ago and called him “the type of change we need in the district”.

Mary Ann Lutz is a CONTRIBUTOR to Warner’s campaign.  She gave $250 on June 30 of this year.

In these cases, there are only two explanations.  Either Dreier just placed these Democratic supporters of Russ Warner  (or at least it seems so) on a “Democrats for Dreier” list without their knowledge, or he bullied them into supporting his candidacy lest they find their local communities without federal help from Congress in the future.  I have credible information that this is a case of the latter.  A fellow activist just got off the phone with Eaton, and he explained that Dreier has lobbied for his support consistently since he reached office, laying out the carrot of increased transportation funds for Montclair and the surrounding area.  This time around, Dreier basically, as I understand it, intimated that Warner wouldn’t have the seniority to steer transportation money back to the district, and as a result electeds like Eaton decided to support him this time around.

This is fairly typical politics, and it’s standard for an incumbent to argue that experience and seniority is an asset for their candidacy.  But it’s a particularly brutal way to play the game, and in this case Dreier is pretty transparently offering a quid pro quo of dollars in exchange for support.

There’s also the case of Kurt Zimmerman, a former Assistant US Attorney and, according to this Smart Voter guide, a current Attorney with the Department of Commerce.  If that’s still accurate, his signature endorsing a political candidate would be a violation of the Hatch Act prohibiting government employees from partisan political activities.

This is only the beginning of the questions surrounding the “Dems for Dreier.”  I also think this shows an element of fear from Dreier’s campaign, that they need to de facto bribe public officials into gaining their support.

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Gas at $1.27 a Gallon from Nick Leibham

It’s been more than 12 years since Brian Bilbray first took money from Big Oil to fund his political career. Back then, gas was $1.27/gallon in the 50th district, and after a dozen years of Bilbray and his Big Oil Republican buddies, gas is well over $4/gallon. Bilbray and his cronies think the solution is to give more tax dollars to oil companies, which makes sense since that money comes back as campaign contributions- a convenient way to launder taxes into re-election funds and not actually address gas prices in any way.

Nick Leibham just outraised Bilbray int he second quarter and is spreading a bit of that cash around as direct relief to drivers in the district. This Wednesday (July 30), Leibham will roll back gas prices at three gas stations in the 50th to $1.27, just like it was before Big Oil laid down the money to push Bilbray into office. This was a HUGE success in 2006 when Larry Kissell did it in North Carolina. More than 500 people showed up for the cheap gas, snarling traffic and bringing in police to wrangle the crowds. It’s a great time to be punching holes in Brian Bilbray’s absurd claim of being good on environmental and energy issues. Just a quick check of his recent voting record exposes how bad it is. Responsible Federal Oil and Gas Lease Act (Use It or Lose It): No. Drill Responsibly in Leased Lands Act: No. Renewable Energy and Job Creation Act: No. Energy Independence and Security Act: No.

Bad for the environment, bad for safe energy, bad for energy security, bad for creating new jobs in energy. And this guy’s supposed to be a friend of the environment and renewable energy? No.

[Update] Over at Politicker, Wally S. Edge wonders “isn’t it a little wrong to try to buy someone’s vote? Or is that just the American way?” Apparently there’s an electoral system in this country that I’m unaware of in which politicians do not spend money in the pursuit of receiving votes. Did we pass public election financing when I wasn’t looking?

Excerpted release on the flip:

Nick Leibham will temporarily roll back the price of gas during his “pain at the pump” tour on Wednesday, July 30th.  Leibham, the Democrat nominee for the 50th Congressional District, will have three different stops in North County throughout the day:

11 a.m: Encinitas, Shell Station, 1060 N. Camino Real

2 p.m: 4S Ranch, Chevron Station, 1629 Dove Canyon Road

5 p.m: Carmel Valley, Shell Station, 3861 Valley Center Drive

Leibham will offer 50 motorists at each location the opportunity to fill up at the price of $1.27 a gallon for up to 10 gallons of gas.  $1.27 was the average price of gas in San Diego in April, 1996 when Republican Brian Bilbray took his first campaign contribution from Big Oil.

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DCCC: Ma’s Vote Was Payback to Newsom

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Following up on the saga of the DCCC takeover, Matier and Ross report’s that Fiona Ma’s coup de grace to former chair Scott Wiener was not about a quid pro quo, it was payback to Gavin Newsom.

The big flip: Looks like gubernatorial politics played a big hand in Board of Supervisors President Aaron Peskin’s narrow victory as head of the San Francisco Democratic Central Committee.

Mayor Gavin Newsom is exploring a run for governor – and would no doubt like to have the local party’s backing. The mayor worked the phones hard to try to keep his dual detractors, Peskin and Supervisor Chris Daly, from taking control.

The key vote in Wednesday night’s showdown came from Assemblywoman Fiona Ma, D-San Francisco.

Gay activist Scott Wiener, who was running for re-election as central committee chairman, says Ma promised to support him two months ago – only to flip and vote for Peskin, despite a long history of political run-ins with the board president.

Ma said she never promised Wiener her support. While she and Peskin certainly have had their “ups and downs” over the years, she said, none of it compares to the slights she’s suffered at the hands of Newsom and his chief political strategist, Eric Jaye.

Namely, Jaye running the campaign of Ma’s Assembly opponent, Janet Reilly, and fueling the story that appeared in our column about Ma’s relationship with a lobbyist pushing electric meter technology on the city.

Ma also points out that Newsom didn’t endorse her for the Board of Supervisors or the Assembly.

Upshot: When it came time to vote Wednesday, Ma handed her proxy to former Public Utilities Commission boss Susan Leal – whom Newsom recently fired – and she delivered the knife to the mayor’s pick.

As for the governor’s race? “I am urging Jerry Brown to run for governor,” Ma said.

I’m not sure which is worse, a quid pro quo or this. The deal I can sort of understand, but to knock someone off because you have a beef with another person, and to use a respected person like Susan Leal to do the dirty work is sad. This town’s political scene needs an enema.

Jerry Brown

Horse Race 2010: Yup, it started months ago

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You know how we just finished the Democratic primary for 2008? Well, apparently it’s time for 2010. Just a few weeks after Gavin Newsom launched his exploratory bid, we have a poll.  Terrific, can we at least get a lollipop or something between merry go round rides?  

Matier and Ross have the details:

State Attorney General Jerry Brown leads San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and other Democrats making noises about running for governor in 2010 – but if Sen. Dianne Feinstein were to jump into the pool, she would swamp them all, a new poll shows.

On the Republican side, former Rep. Tom Campbell has a 2-1 edge over other possible candidates – ex-Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina, state Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner and ex-eBay chief Meg Whitman.

DiFi is, through sheer omnipresence, a powerful force in California politics.  While she would be a heavy favorite in the race, such an election could provide a powerful opportunity for progressive Democrats to seek out and elect our own candidate. Is DiFi better than Arnold? Probably. But setting the bar at Arnold undersells our capacity to elect a progressive governor. We have an incredibly strong bench, why must we mull through candidates of the past?

On the Republican side, Tom Campbell would be a decent opponent, as formidable as any GOP candidate could be in California. He has a well cultivated moderate image, and his absence from politics to have a turn at Berkeley’s Haas Business School, leaves only the memory of a moderate without the recollection of the bad votes.  His campaign against DiFi allowed Californians to see through his rhetoric of bipartisanship, primarily through his vote for the articles of impeachment against Bill Clinton.

By the way, I’d love to see Carly Fiorina run for public office. The oppo is just too easy. Not only did she preside over one of the largest corporate spying scandals, she also nearly ran Hewlett-Packard into the ground.  Failing CEO for Governor! Fantastic.

Of course, both of these candidates face monumental uphill climbs to take the Republican nomination.  The primary electorate is pretty wing-nutty, and won’t take kindly to all these “moderates” jockeying for position. A strong conservative could break the logjam of supposed moderates.  Maybe Dick Mountjoy will run, I mean he carried 35% in the 2006 Senate race. That’s pretty good, right?

UPDATE: Down in the comments, Dave points out that 50%, what the poll gives her, isn’t a particularly inspiring number for a politician of such name recognition. If her re-elect number were 50%, one would consider her vulnerable. As I pointed out, I think we have other viable options.

UPDATE II (Brigham): Her trial balloon actually made two SF Chronicle columns today:

…and Dick Blum, without his wife the Senator, said to be a-hankering for that Sacramento job the groom has set his exploratory committee sites on.

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CA-Gov 2010: DiFi

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Edit by Brian: For more discussion of this poll, see this Calitics thread.

Three words: Not. Gonna. Happen.

Today, we have DiFi supporters dropping poll numbers to Matier and Ross as part of a surfacing campaign for her to run for Governor, again.

I hope she does run as it will be a ton of fun to unleash an effort against her that will make kicking Lieberman out of the party look low-key. To be perfectly honest, I have been disappointed that it didn’t appear like she would be on the ballot again during the era of a mature netroots and resurgent progressive movement. So I say, bring it on. And know that if she runs my boot will be so far up her ass that Dick Blum will be tasting leather when he kisses her goodnight.

Budget

Hostage Crisis Day 28: Now they want to scrap labor laws

This is a bit of a hail mary:

Now, business groups and like-minded Republicans have added relief from the meal and rest period rules to the list of things they want approved with the state budget.

California businesses, led by the California Chamber of Commerce (CalChamber), the California Taxpayers’ Association and the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association, have spent millions and successfully enlisted the GOP to advocate for their interests over the years.

In California, it takes a two-thirds vote of each house in the Legislature to pass a budget or a tax increase. That gives the minority-party Republicans – and the business community lining up at their doors – far more ability to influence the budget than most other legislation. GOP lawmakers have successfully blocked major legislative tax increases since 1991 because of that power.

This year, with the budget already 28 days late and the state $15.2 billion short of a balanced budget, business groups are pushing to ensure their interests are taken care of as the budget is shaped. With that push comes money.

CalChamber is indeed the most powerful advocacy group with respect to Republicans and the governor.  All of their “job killer” bills are routinely vetoed, the reward for $11.5 million dollars’ worth of lobbying since 2003.  

But I would seriously doubt that they have the juice to overturn labor rules in the budget.  When it comes to influence, labor isn’t exactly a piker. The business community should worry more about their members coping with a failing economy than any of this, but of course CalChamber reflects the opinion of their top-earning members, just as the Republican Party reflects the opinion of their richest contributors.

It’s all posturing, and so is tomorrow’s budget vote in the Senate.  What that vote could be about is beyond me.