I know this is last minute but I want to help my friend, Bill Hedrick, who has two son’s who are or have served in Iraq, is running against corrupt Republican congressman Ken Calvert CA-44^th.

Warning: If you intend to click on the link to Calvert’s site you might want to start the shower.

Are you afraid? You should be. But brace yourself – Dick Cheney is coming to do a high-dollar fundraiser for Calvert today in San Clemente. There will be a protest but I have no word of a citizen arrest.

Keith Olbermann even had a segment on tonight about the race.

Here are the details on the protest.

To: [email protected]

Subject: Dick Cheney in Orange County

Dear Henry,

Dick Cheney is coming out of hiding to attend a high dollar fundraiser benefiting Ken Calvert (another on that growing list of Republicans under federal investigation).

Here’s your chance — let them know just how you feel!

YOU CAN TELL DICK CHENEY THAT THE CALIFORNIA COAST IS NOT FOR SALE!

Join protestors on Wednesday, August 13th – Bring signs and raise your voice to protect our precious coastline.

2:15 pm: Meet at Trestles State Beach parking lot (5 South to Christianitos Rd.; Left at stop sign and go over the freeway. Make a left at the next stop sign and the parking lot is on your right-hand side)

3:00 pm: March to La Casa Pacifica aka Nixon’s Western White House.

For more info, please email [email protected] or call 949-234-0020.

In Unity,

Melahat Rafiei, Executive Director

Democratic Party of Orange County

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email: [email protected]

phone: 714-835-5158

web: http://www.ocdemocrats.org/

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There are a lot of reasons why Bill is a great candidate but here’s something that is not obvious. Look at Bill Foster IL-14 who took Denny Hastert’s seat and look at the first few seconds of the video here. You will think they are the same person.

Here’s a little about Bill that will help you see how great a candidate he is. He has what it takes and is a great guy.

The son of a Teamster and a teacher, both from the South

And look at this –

Their son Adam, a soldier with the 3rd ID, is currently serving a second Iraqi deployment east of Baghdad. Son Jesse served in Baquba with the 1st ID before suffering a near-fatal “heat event,” while his wife, Evelyn, was an army convoy driver in Baghdad, also serving a second tour.

Expect to hearing more from me about Bill Hedrick.

I have been looking over the candidates for District 3 Supervisor and, at this point, I am leaning toward supporting Lynn Jefferson as my first choice. Joe Alioto is no option, Wilma Pang is out to lunch, Claudine Cheng seems too closely tied to the Downtown developers and I have serious doubts about David Chiu’s readiness (nothing related to the unfortunate swiftboating). From what I have read and heard thus far, Jefferson seems like someone with the right balance. “Moderate” seems to be a nasty word in the City, but thre is a differnce between moderation and Carmen Chiu’s reactionary voting record.

But before I commit to anyone, I need a Devil’s Advocate, someone to make the case against votoing for her. Yes, I know she is a member of the North Beach Chamber of Commerce but I don’t think business is inherently bad. Here is the one message form her website that really stands out.

I strongly support preserving our neighborhood character and have spent countless hours before the Planning Commission fighting to keep our neighborhood character vibrant and unique. But the zoning policies pursued by our current leadership have gone beyond keeping chain stores out and have hurt the very businesses that make District 3 the neighborhood residents and visitors love so much.

When zoning policies are driven by narrow special interests, we end up with vacant buildings and storefronts that no one can afford to operate a business in. We can keep our neighborhood character and ensure the success of small businesses that serve the needs of residents and visitors.

It IS out of hand. Too many building are left vacant because there is always one group ready to object to a certain kind of development and we let the perfect become the enemy of the good. So there it is. Who do you think is the best choice out there?

(Good stuff! – promoted by Brian Leubitz)

This past Thursday evening, nearly 100 Democratic activists got together to kick off the Yolo County Democratic Central Committee’s 2008 Campaign – Yolo United! With the primary season over, we are now uniting to make sure that all of our energy is focused on getting Democrats elected to every seat that represents Yolo County.

We were fortunate to have three of Yolo County’s delegates to the Democratic Convention with us, all of them ready to join together to make sure that we elect Democrats to every local, state, and Federal position on the ballot.

Don Gibson (Clinton delegate), Martha Beetley (Obama delegate), and Ryan Loney (Obama delegate) will be representing us in Denver in August.

Join me below the fold to learn more about the Yolo United Campaign.

Note: I am a volunteer with the Yolo United Campaign.

The Yolo County Democratic Central Committee is putting together a powerful organization for its 2008 Yolo United Campaign. Take a look at the wonderful crowd of Democratic activists who showed up to our kick-off event because they want to help make a difference in this election!

And now a few introductions.

Our campaign is being led by Campaign Chair Claire Black Slotton.

I met Claire shortly after the 2004 election when so many of us were trying to figure out what the heck had happened. Beginning then, Claire was determined to make sure that 2008 will be different. She started an activist book club where we read and discussed works by George Lakoff, CTG, Jeffrey Feldman, the Constitution and Federalist Papers, and even Frank Lunz, to name a few. Claire also worked tirelessly to network with Democrats in Yolo County, ran for and was elected as a delegate to attend the California Democratic Party Convention, and developed a vision for the Yolo United Campaign – and beyond. Claire is in it for the long haul.

So my advice to McCain and his cronies this year – when you see Claire heading your way, be afraid, be very, very afraid. For every inroad you’re planning to make for John McCain in conservative Orange and Placer Counties, we’ll be working on voter registration and GOTV efforts here in Yolo County that will knock you out of the water.  The same goes for Lois Wolk’s Republican opponent in California’s 5th Senate District – Yolo will counter your efforts in San Joaquin County (which overlaps with Jerry McNerney’s district) to make sure that Lois is elected to the CA Senate.

Steve Ybarra is a superdelegate who came to talk to us about the importance of Latino Voters in this election.

Steve came armed with a couple of tools that we’ll all need to face down the Republican machine that, even now, is gearing up to slime Barack Obama and all Democrats as we head into the general election. Those tools? A spine and a helmet. We need to be strong and ready to defend ourselves and our candidates from the onslaught we know is coming. Another tool is our deep understanding that Democratic Party principles – on health care, transparency in government, energy independence, and real security – represent the true values of the American people.

Steve also talked about Nevada’s role as a swing state this year – Latino voters who make up a large percentage of that state’s population are especially important. In 2004, a group from Yolo County raised funds to send volunteers to support Nevada’s Democrats by walking precincts and doing voter registration. Every county where we did this went blue that year. This year, we’ll again be sending volunteers to GOTV in Nevada.

In addition to being a delegate to the Convention, Ryan Loney is also the Northern California Field Director of Students for Barack Obama.

Ryan has already spent many months and countless hours working on Barack Obama’s Campaign. He’s travelled in support of the BO Campaign working on organizing and registering thousands of college students, as well as working on general voter registration efforts. He’ll stay busy until the election, continuing his efforts to mobilize young voters, who are registering as Democrats in unprecedented numbers and will be another key voting group in November.

Judy Tischer is our Neighborhood Leader Chair.

Judy is one of the friendliest, most helpful people you can imagine. She’s going to make sure that precinct captains are trained and ready to knock on doors throughout the County.

Alan Brownstein, a Constitutional Law scholar from the UC Davis School of Law, reminded us of how important this election is for the Supreme Court. The next President will name at least two justices to the Supreme Court. If democracy is to survive in this country, those justices must be named by President Barack Obama. John McCain has promised justices in the mold of Scalia and Alito.

Barbara Archer is our Communications Chair. She’ll work to frame our message throughout the campaign using all of our local media outlets.

Kevin Wolf is our Data Chair. He’ll be training volunteers to use the web-based software for tracking their progress.

Kandice Richardson-Fowler will be revamping a fundraising event formerly called “The Bean Feed.” This event will be another opportunity for all of us to contribute to our Campaign’s success!

Carl Schmid is our Davis Headquarters Chair (and a Charlie Brown supporter!).

Leslie Marcus is our Woodland Headquarters Chair.

To close out the evening, each of our Chairs met with groups of volunteers who were interested in supporting the various functions in the campaign. We had a wonderful evening – everyone left feeling energized and excited.

If you live in Yolo County, come join us in a Campaign with the goal of creating a grassroots tidal wave in Yolo County. We’ve got the organization in place to make sure that we use your energy well! We also understand the value of having fun while we are working hard. Right now, we need someone who can help us get our website up and running.

In 2008, we have fantastic opportunities to turn this country around by participating in local campaigns!

( – promoted by Robert in Monterey)

Honestly, I can’t do this without you.

From the beginning, this campaign has been about the netroots taking the next step to becoming the mainstream. You’ve been fantastic, but we need more if we are to win the primary. If we implement the plan below we will win and set the stage to win in November. We need to make a lot of noise and talk to a lot of people. Not enough people know about us and even fewer understand why we are doing this.

Without the money, there is no campaign – so I’m not going to beat around the bush.  We need money; we need it now. We need your help.  If you believe in candidates emerging from the netroots, like I know you do, then please contribute.

Click on this button to go to ActBlue.

Jump below for a story and some details on how your money will be spent.

As a candidate from the netroots I know how much we are into meta as our method for understanding. Well, this is probably the first campaign meta. But remember this is real and this is what Obama and Hillary and all the other candidates go through at some degree. Enjoy but remember that this is not a staged reality TV show. I am running for Congress to win and we are a campaign that really needs your help. It’s not hype and it’s not hyperbole.

Next week, Q1 FEC reports come out. I’m going to give you a preview of what they say about my run for Congress. You can see what we’ve raised on ActBlue and how many supporters we have. This doesn’t count a fair number of checks mailed to us outside of ActBlue. Combining them, this isn’t bad for a candidate like me, someone who has led many teams but has never held elective office. Super stars like Darcy Burner and Charlie Brown started in this range and look at where they are now.

WHAT WE NEED	(Details Below)
Voter contact	$36,000
E-Campaign	$3,750
Overhead	$19,500
Fundraising Costs	$5,250
Signs	$2,500
GOTV	$1,000
Misc.	$2,250
Total	$70,250

Why we need to win the primary – Incumbent Gary Miller

Gary Miller is part of the old political style and culture where politicians used their office to benefit themselves and their friends. His questionable style has been to act as if he’s free do what he wants regardless of how it looks and whether it is illegal or not.

From Wikipedia:

2002

Miller sold 165 acres to the city of Monrovia in 2002, making profit of more than $10 million. Normally, he would have had to pay state and federal taxes of up to 31% on that profit.

Instead, Miller told the Internal Revenue Service and the state of California that Monrovia had forced him to sell the property under threat of eminent domain. That allowed him to shelter the profits from capital gains taxes for more than two years before he had to reinvest the money.

The trouble is that the Monrovia city officials said they never threatened him with eminent domain.

2005 and 2006

Miller took an exemption again in 2005 when he sold the 10 lots to the city of Fontana and again in 2006 when he sold a building to Fontana, claiming both were compulsory sales. The lots and building had been purchased in late 2004 with proceeds from the Monrovia sale. Such exemptions give him another two years after each sale to reinvest the funds without paying capital gains taxes.

Again this time city officials said the sale was voluntary.

2005 profits from dealings with business partner and federal transportation bill

As a member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, Miller pushed for a provision in the 2005 transportation bill that allowed the city of Rialto to close its airport, the first time an act of Congress has ever shuttered an airport. It is a power the Federal Aviation Administration traditionally has had sole authority to exercise. The closing of the airport paved the way for Lewis Operating, a business partner and campaign contributor, to win a multimillion dollar contract from the city to develop the airport land and build a planned community consisting of 2,500 homes, parks and 80 acres of retail space on the former airport and adjacent land.

That’s pretty obviously slimy if not illegal.

December 2006 allegations



In December 2006, the Los Angeles Times reported that Miller had used “congressional muscle” for “personal business matters.”[7] This included having congressional staff do Miller’s personal errands, collecting nearly $25,000 a year in rent from his campaign committee, using the offices of his real estate development firm as his campaign office, and ordering an aide to find a way to get a city business-friendly councilmember on the National Park Board who was involved in a city purchase of Miller’s property.

And there’s more out there. We’ve been contacted by people on other issues not listed in Wikipedia which we are looking into now. That will be revealed soon.

THE VISION

We started with a vision to help change the national conversation. We started this campaign because we wanted to help change our national character to one dedicated to doing what’s best for Americans and America.

Paraphrasing Plato, in a democratic society

“the penalty that good people pay for not being interested in politics is to be governed by lesser people”.

Lesser people do nothing as millions of Americans go without health care.

Lesser people do nothing as our economy degrades under the weight of corruption and special interests.

Lesser people do nothing as our sons and daughters, our fathers and mothers, lose their lives in the cross fire of a civil war or on the rubble-strewn streets of a decimated Iraq.

Lesser people serve their own interests, and those of their contributors, at the expense of the general public.

We are all tired of being governed by lesser people. It doesn’t matter if you’re a Democrat or Republican, I’m sure that you are too.

THE BEGINNING

Many but not all of you know our story so bear with me while I take us all back to Jan 2007. A group of us who’d met at YK2006 in Las Vegas got together for dinner at Cantor’s for a few beers when Adam “clammyc” Lambert came to LA on a business trip.

This campaign grew out of that gathering, after Dave “dday” Dayen said “Hey Ron — don’t you live in Gary Miler’s district”?

Previous diaries in the CA-42 campaign rollout series:

7/15: thereisnospoon’s CA-42: A Kossack is running for Congress

7/16: atdnext’s CA-42: The Case Against Dirty Gary Miller

7/17: Major Danby’s CA-42:  I’m managing a netroots U.S. House campaign

7/18: CanYouBeAngryAndStillDream’s CA-42: Hi, I’m Ron Shepston and I’m running for Congress

7/19: hekebolos’s CA-42: A Netroots campaign– politics the way it should be.

7/20: dday’s CA-42: The Lay of the Land

7/21: OrangeClouds115 CA-42: “I Know His Heart”

7/22: Shockwave’s CA-42: Ron Shepston rides into a Republican stronghold

7/24: Major Danby’s CA-42: On YearlyKos, anger, and dreams

7/25: thereisnospoon’s Get Off the Internet!

7/26:  buhdydharma’s Help Save This Baby! **

7/28: clammyc’s CA-42, 2008 and the netroots: a jumping off point

THE CAMPAIGN

The creation of this site and the many other left-leaning blogs marked the beginning of a movement to make the changes we all know need to be made and in which we are actively participating. My campaign is a logical extension to actively govern while beating Democrat and Republican leaders about the head and shoulders with facts and the reality- based honest assessment of them.

We don’t get everything right and making mistakes is all part of every movement. We’ve made a few and we’re still here making some waves and giving people in the very red 42^nd a local race to feel good about. We are on the threshold of big things for the country and the world but we need more help and involvement because we are at risk here. I’m sure that we and the country will survive a lose in an +9 Republican district but we don’t want to lose. This is a case where winning and losing are definable and we know how to win.

A SHORT STORY

Let me tell you a short story about myself and something significant in understanding how I approach working with people and how I look at the netroots and grassroots support for my race.

Back in 1992 after training nearly two years and a failure after just 10 months I raced in a 508 mile bicycle race,

The Furnace Creek 508.
After a decent start under control I approached a 10-mile hill up Townes Pass leading into Death Valley. The bottom of the hill is at around 190 miles at approximately 9pm. That’s early enough so that I was still feeling strong. Halfway up the relentless 9-10% grade I was toasted as we say when we have so little left that even standing is difficult.

On a race like this riders have crews. I had a support vehicle which stayed with me and a car to scout the course ahead. They were manned by family and friends. When I stopped halfway up the hill I leaned over my handle bars for support and said to my friend and crew chief Larry – “what makes me think I can complete another 300 miles when I feel like this now”. He didn’t respond directly. I asked for a pair of Teva sandals so that I could walk a while. Larry gave them to me with the words – “Just get to the top, eat a little then you can take a rest”.

I walked about ½ mile, got back on the bike and rode to the top. When I got there at nearly midnight Larry said “sleep for a little and then you can get back on the bike”.

When I did I had new energy and new power. I passed more than a few riders to finish 6th in a field of 28. 19 did not finish.

1992 Furnace Creek 508 Results:

1) Muffy Ritz, 35, Ketchum, ID – 30:54:36

1) Eric House, 30, Palo Alto, CA – 29:54:37

2) Gerald Tessmer, 26, Bramsche, Germany – 34:55:55

3) Rick Adolph, 33, Sunnyvale, CA – 35:23:33

4) Frank Goulard, 40, Beaverton, OR – 35:40:45

5) Ron Shepston, 45, Fountain Valley, CA – 38:49:27

6) Brian Stark, 44, Paso Robles, CA – 40:17:30

7) James Byrnes, 24, Laramie, WY – 41:25:53

8) Barry Martin, 40, San Diego, CA – 43:48:36

THE HARD PART

Our campaign is now heading up the hill and I’m looking for my crew to help me get to the top and then to finish. Just as with my race on a bicycle, this is a race that is not about me but about a team who all have a common goal.

Many of you have already been extremely generous financially and emotionally. For that I’m grateful. We need to take this to the next level.

For my part I’m working from 7:15 am ’til 11-11:30 pm every day. Included in this is about 20 hours a week of call time calling people and directly asking for money.

I’m going to events like the one put on by my friends Dante “hekebolos” Adkins and Netroots Coordinator Dave “dday” Dayen for The Responsible Plan with Darcy Burner and Mary Palent. This event was held at the house of the amazing Rick Jacobs, founder of The Courage Campaign, and Shaun Kadlec.

In May we will be having two fundraisers with Ambassador Joe Wilson. We’re hoping to get his wife Valerie Plame, but we don’t know if we can pull that off. The venues and exact dates and times will be published once arrangements have been completed.

So, we’re busting butt to win the primary. Here’s how you can help.

THE ASK

We have done a cash flow projection for the final two months of the campaign. There are 7 weeks ’til the primary on Jun 3rd. The following is a monthly end-of-week cash projection.

This is an opportunity to encourage others who share our vision to join in definable goals right along with the direct campaign staff and candidate. The campaign can’t do it alone. We need your help.

Voter contact	$36,000
Email	$3,000
Robo Calls	$8,500
Mail	$10,000
Radio	$4,500
Predictive Dialer	$10,000
E-Campaign	$3,750
Google Ads	$1,750
Website Update	$2,000
Overhead	$19,500
Erik	$7,000
Theo	$9,000
Office	$1,500
Printing	$2,000
Fundraising Costs	$5,250
Joe Wilson	$2,000
Direct Mail	$1,500
Misc	$2,250
Signs	$2,500
GOTV	$1,000
Misc.	$2,250
Total	$70,250

From these elements and cash flow projections we get a weekly cash income needs:

Week 1	$13,250
Week 2	$7,750
Week 3	$7,750
Week 4	$24,250
Week 5	$6,750
Week 6	$4,750
Week 7	$5,750

Okay, that’s it. Are we going to be the source of the change we want to make or are we going to let others decide for us? We stand here with an opportunity that rarely presents itself to those in our position. We can ignore that or we can seize it as a community.

I started as a frustrated citizen, now I’m running for Congress but this campaign is not about me. It’s about all of us coming together to make the changes we know need to be made. This is about changing the character of our government to one which cares about America and Americans.

The choice is ours.

There is a RUMOR floating around the conservative site called The Wall that Carole Migden is about to drop out of the State Senate race.

Word on the street is that Migden is going to announce her withdrawal from the reelection campaign, citing “health concerns”. Has she finally seen the writing on the wall?

This would be huge if true. What I wonder is who this would help or hurt. Any ideas? Has anyone else heard the rumor?  

(Don’t forget Gary’s ActBlue page. – promoted by Brian Leubitz)

That’s right, I’m a candidate’s wife, it happened rather quickly too.  Well, I’ve been married to the guy for almost ten years, but the candidate part has unfolded in just a few days.

Now, why am I not the candidate?  Oh, it’s a long story and I’ve not been as good of a Democrat as my husband has been, really.  I am still registered as Decline to State.  Yes, how is that for a confession?  But Gary, my husband, has been registered as a Democrat for many years and he unabashedly calls himself a party loyalist.

So how did this come about?  Let me tell you…

We live in Orange County, Ca.  It is a red County to many but emerging to be more purple than anything else.  I started my political blogging last year when I decided to get involved in the Presidential Primaries.  I chose my candidate and I was off and running.  I found my voice during this time and was and still am a proud contributor to EENR.  It made me sane.

I also decided to get involved in local politics because in order to make real change we need to be aware of the political atmosphere closest to home.  It’s the sort of change we can have more influence over and it also can lead to a more involved community and electorate.  And, it was time to let Orange County know that there were many more proud Democrats than ever thought of before.  

Gary and I live in the California State Senate district number 33.  When a call to run was sent out last week I thought, well why not? Oh, that’s right I was ineligible.  But to think that no one was going to run as a Democrat seemed unimaginable to me. If a Democrat doesn’t run then how can a Democrat win?

That’s when I asked my husband if he had any interest in running.  Yes, that was it.  He said he’d think about it and I got him to talk to my contact in the Orange County Democratic Party Friday morning.  The next thing I know, he’s putting on a suit jacket and filing paperwork at the County’s registrar office! (How is this for a moment, Gary wanted to purchase some information from the Registrar but he didn’t have fifty cents in change on him.  He went to his car and a Republican running for another position in the County said he would have given him the money!  Gary got the change from his car and purchased the information on his own though.)

Okay, some of you know me, but who is this Gary guy?  What makes him think he can run for office?  Why not I say?  Gary has a Ph.d (UCI in Ethnomusicology) a Masters (Claremont College in Conducting) and a Bachelors (Chapman College in Conducting also) and is a tenured Professor at Cerritos College.  He’s great with people and one of the smartest people I know.  It’s a little annoying at times but he’s also smart enough to know not to make others feel dumb.  I’m hoping I can get him to come by and tell you more about himself, but for now, that’s just a little bit.

Most importantly, I’m really proud of him for taking this leap.  It’s a leap in my in my mind because it’s intimidating, especially when the last Republican took this district by almost 22%!  It also doesn’t help that there are 20% more registered Republicans than Democrats, but who lets things like pesky numbers stop them?  If a Democrat doesn’t run then how can a Democrat win?

My understanding is that there are two Republicans running in the Primary and both have raised half a million dollars each.  It seems like I’ve heard this one before but instead of 100 million dollar candidates, we have 500 thousand dollar candidates.  It’s still a half million more than what we have. (Mimi Walters is the Republican that is expected to win the nomination).

So what is next?  I have a stack of paperwork, forms and handouts and I set up our ActBlue page and it went active today!  I just had to fax over the applications Gary submitted to the Registrar to show that we are, indeed running for office. Wow, just typing that out is rather bizarre.

Both Gary and I have decided that we will run the best campaign possible even though getting that “D” on the ballot is an important first step.  The next thing to do?  Yes, raise money.  Grassroots is an understatement here but I also hope we can hire a Campaign Manager and a Treasurer so we can do it right.  If a Democrat doesn’t run then how can a Democrat win?

So, Gary’s politics?  I can’t speak for him directly, but I can tell you he’s a progressive and I’ve actually witnessed his “progress” over the last ten years.  Being a teacher has made education a priority for him, not only higher education my primary as well.  When we have more details on an actual platform (I can promise you this, it will be more detailed than Ms. Walters and it won’t simplify the issues either, there are complex and varied issues facing not just Southern California, but the entire State), you will be the first to know.  Well, maybe the second or third.  We don’t even have a website yet!  I couldn’t wait to share the news and I really wanted to talk about this, if a Democrat doesn’t run then how can a Democrat win?

Gary was impressed with Edwards and as far as I know, he was going to vote for him, but when John suspended his campaign he voted Obama.  

Gary’s ActBlue Page.

And, the candidate and his daughter Charlotte…

Cross posted from The Daily Kos