(H/T to The Liberal OC and OC Blog for this!) : )

Take a look at this! Blognetnews.com has released its first list of “California’s Most Influential Political Blogs”, and Calitics has been rated #5! Oh my goodness, we made the Top 5! I guess people are actually paying attention to what we have to say about advancing progressive values in California. This is just terrific.

But you know what’s also terrific? Many of our fantastic friends in the California (and especially Orange County!) blogosphere also made the Top 20 list! The Liberal OC hit #14! California Progress Report hit #10! Orange Juice hit #6! Total Buzz hit #3! And yes, my favorite local right-wing blog, OC Blog, hit #1. Congratulations to my conservative friends at Red County/OC Blog for being the #1 most influential political blog in California!

So what else can I say? Well, I can start by thanking all of you who faithfully read our fine blog. And thanks to all of you who constantly share your point of view with us in the comments. And thanks to all my fantastic colleagues who contribute to the blog with all their informative and insightful stories. And most of all, thanks to our fearless leader Brian for heading up one of the best blogs on the web… Which now also happens to be one of the five most influential blogs in the state! : )

OK, so we had a busy day today chatting about some very important issues! We tackled immigration and whether children born in the US to undocumented immigrants should receive US citizenship. We talked about health care, and how private insurance really sucks. We talked about high-speed rail, and when we can actually expect a network that covers the entire state. Oh yes, and we also chatted about the big news of LA Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa endorsing Hillary Clinton for President. Overall, I’d say that we talked about a whole lot of important issues today! : )

So what do you want to talk about now? What’s on your mind tonight? I’m still thinking about what happened at the Strawberry Festival. Oh yes, and I’m noticing the wild speculation about a possibly EXPENSIVE Republican Primary in AD 73. Oh, and I also still have Orange County property values on my mind. So what’s going on in your corner of California tonight? What do YOU want to talk about?

Go ahead. Make my day. Fire away! : )

( – promoted by Brian Leubitz)

Tomorrow is Memorial Day. It’s the day when we remember all the brave troops who gave their lives for the things that we cherish the most about America. Our freedom. Our liberties. Our way of life. Thanks to all the sacrifices of the past, we are the nation that we are today.

Follow me after the flip as we talk about what Memorial Day means for us this year…

But what’s the true meaning of Memorial Day today? Here’s what Orange Juice’s Art Pedroza found out about Memorial Day:

“It was formerly known as Decoration Day. This holiday commemorates U.S. men and women who have died in military service to their country. It began first to honor Union soldiers who died during the American Civil War.”

“After World War I, it expanded to include those who died in any war or military action. One of the longest standing traditions is the running of the Indianapolis 500, which has been held in conjunction with Memorial Day since 1911.” […]

Memorial Day is especially poignant this year given the sheer number of U.S. soldiers who are actively engaged in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as other U.S. bases throughout Europe and Asia.

So what does Memorial Day mean for us today? It means that we honor the brave soldiers who are giving their all in Afghanistan and Iraq for all the American values that we cherish. George W. Bush may not have sent out troops to war for the right reasons, but I know that our troops are serving our nation for the right reasons. They believe in this country. They hold our American values near and dear. They are what’s right about this nation.

So what should we do tomorrow? Let’s remember all these brave soldiers. Let’s honor these courageous souls. If you’re in Orange County, check out Orange Juice’s list of Memorial Day services in the community tomorrow. If you’re somewhere else in the state, find out what’s happening in your town. And if you have other plans in mind for the day, just take some time out of your busy day to remember all of those who have lost their lives while in service to our country.

Sometimes, it’s so easy to forget the human costs of war. It’s so easy to forget during Memorial Day when we fire up the bratwursts on the grill and lather the sunscreen on the kids before they jump in the pool. It’s so easy to forget when we watch C-SPAN, and we watch the politicians debate which bill will get our troops out of Iraq’s chaotic civil war faster. It’s so easy to forget when we watch Bush on the teevee, blathering on about how we’re fighting the terrorists there so that they don’t find us here, or about how we’re building some democracy in the Middle East that the people there don’t even want, or about some new half-truth or outright lie about why we’re in Iraq. We must remember that tomorrow isn’t about them. Tomorrow’s about the troops who lost their lives in service to their nation.

Tomorrow’s about the troops. Let’s remember them tomorrow. And after tomorrow, let’s truly honor the troops that are still with us today by working to end Bush’s failed war. But in the mean time, let’s just stop. Let’s stop and remember.

OK, maybe my Assembly Member is just preparing himself for a possible primary challenge. Or perhaps, he’s preparing for higher office. Or maybe, he’s just doing this because he really does care about Orange County, and about the quality of our life here. But whatever the motivation (personally, I’m just thinking he cares about us in OC), Jose Solorio is doing a good thing.

Check out what I saw from Solorio’s office on Orange Juice this morning:

At the May 1st meeting of the Orange County Board of Supervisors, Assemblyman Jose Solorio (D-Anaheim) requested that Orange County begin sharing Proposition 42 state transportation dollars with cities to help them rehabilitate local streets. The Board unanimously agreed and directed staff to come back within three months with recommendations on how the money would be allocated.

“This is an effort that I began while I was a Santa Ana City Councilmember. My goal has been to encourage county government to share some of its Prop. 42 transportation dollars with individual Orange County cities to improve the condition of their local streets. I estimate that cities, in total, would receive approximately $10 to $14 million per year. I am grateful the Board of Supervisors took leadership on this important issue,” said Assemblyman Solorio.The Board also voted to share $62 million state transportation bond funding (Proposition 1B) with Orange County Board of Supervisor districts.

But wait, it gets better! Follow me after the flip for more…

Here’s the rest of that press release from Solorio, courtesy of Orange Juice:

Assemblyman Solorio is also carrying a piece of state legislation, AB 823, which encourages revenue sharing by the County of Orange, but is putting this measure on hold since the County is now developing a revenue sharing plan. For example, the cities of Anaheim, Garden Grove and Santa Ana are experiencing a backlog of arterial and residential street projects that is estimated to cost more than $500 million. Proposition 42 dollars are required to be used for state and local transportation purposes.

Since the County is now only responsible for maintaining 358 unincorporated area street miles, given the various annexations over the past few decades, revenues will be available in 2008 that could be shared with cities within the County. If Orange County’s Proposition 42 dollars are not used for specified purposes within certain time periods, they would be given back to the state and be used in other counties. “The condition of streets in many Orange County communities is deplorable. I want to do everything I can to provide more money to all Orange County cities rather than give money back to other counties,” Solorio said.

Thank you, Assembly Member Solorio! It’s about time that someone actually does something about the deplorable state of our streets in Orange County, and especially communities in Central Orange County. Just looking outside my window, the street that I live on looks like a mess with all those cracks and potholes. However, I feel lucky when I compare the streets in my neighborhood to the streets farther north in Santa Ana. Some of those streets are so bad that it’s nearly impossible to drive them. My dad once got a flat tire just driving on Standard Street, just north of Edinger in Santa Ana.

Between this and the successful “citizen workshops” and sponsoring legislation to stop voter intimidation, Solorio really is making his mark on this community. And whether or not the primary rumors are true, Solorio probably won’t have to worry about it so long as he continues his excellent community service. I’m just glad to see that we have representatives in Sacramento who actually care about doing what’s best for Orange County. : )

(Cross-posted at Trash Dirty Gary)

There seemed to be plenty of buzz about taking down Dirty Gary Miller at the Democratic Convention in San Diego this past weekend. California Democratic Party Chairman Art Torres specifically mentioned Miller and the 42nd as one of the party’s targets for 2008. Activists from throughout Southern California seemed energized at the prospect of taking out one of the sleaziest members left in Congress. At this point, even the DCCC is noticing just how vulnerable Gary Miller has made himself. Everything seems to be falling in place for the perfect storm to rock Dirty Gary’s world…

Including a strong candidate to take him on next year? Follow me after the flip for more on what I’ve been hearing about one good candidate who may be ready to knock the socks off of Dirty Gary…

Remember when Art Pedroza dropped this juicy tidbit in his “Chismes” column in Orange Juice about two weeks ago?

Last but not least, I hear that a very successful aerospace engineer is going to run against corrupt Reep Congressman Gary Miller. Talk about ending on a positive note!

Well, apparently there were sightings of this mysterious candidate at the convention over the weekend. And many folks were excited about possibly finding a good candidate to take on the not-so-good Congressman. Oh yes, people are really starting to take notice of what’s happening in the 42nd. And I guess now that this successful aerospace engineer from Orange County might be stepping in to take on Gary Miller, this race might finally be taken seriously.

Let’s face it: Dirty Gary doesn’t serve us anymore. He’s just serving himself at our expense. He’s using and abusing his position to enrich himself, and that doesn’t help us when we need someone who will work for practical solutions to end this failed war in Iraq, balance the federal budget, fix our traffic woes on our freeways, and protect the open space that makes living in the 42nd so darn enjoyable. We’re just thirsting for real change, and perhaps this “mystery candidate” might be the right person to serve us in Congress.

I guess before I jump to conclusions about this “mystery candidate”, there are some things that I need to know. Will this person reach out and work with local community activists to fight for what’s best for our neighborhoods? Will this person have what it takes to fight back against Dirty Gary and his very loaded campaign war chest? Will this person be able to truly connect with ALL THE VOTERS in the district, from La Habra Heights to Chino Hills to Rancho Santa Margarita? And finally, will this “mystery candidate” truly work for us, and not just a few special interests?

If this “mystery candidate” can answer these questions to our satisfaction, then maybe we should pay more attention to this individual. : )

Here’s Part 1 of what happened during the Democratic Convention this past weekend, as I kept bumping into all my Orange County friends. I want to give you a sense of what it’s like for all of us progressives in OC, and I want to tell you about what we did in San Diego over the weekend. Though there were a few disappointing moments, overall we had a great time doing some great work.

Follow me after the flip for more on what happened on that magical first day of the convention…

We started off at the new delegates’ orientation meeting, and I bumped into a few familiar faces. Benny Diaz, AD 68 Delegate and Orange County LULAC leader, was there. Cecilia Aguinaga, Santa Ana School Board Candidate and AD 69 Delegate, was also there. Ray Roberts, who ran for Assembly in AD 67 last year, was there. In fact, I just kept bumping into more and more familiar faces from OC. All are committed activists, and all were in San Diego over the weekend to speak up for Orange County Democrats and our progressive values.

And oh yes, Cecilia and I bumped into some guy named Art Torres. ; )

After the meeting, I bumped into Chris Prevatt, my very wise friend who blogs at The Liberal OC. We chatted while I was waiting in line for my delegate credentials… And lo and behold, Hekebolos shows up! We all then got into it as we chatted about what we hoped to see happen at the convention (and Chris starts telling us naughty jokes). ; )

Later on in the evening, I had a chance to speak with Santa Ana City Council Member Michele Martinez. (Full interview coming soon!) Now while other local politicians here continue to make us promises that they always end up breaking, Michele truly is keeping it real. She has done more to get local folks involved in what happens in our city than anyone else here, and she is already is doing so much for the city in giving our youth alternatives to gang violence and in making our city a cleaner and healthier one.

Actually not too long after meeting Michele inside the convention center, I got to see her again. Actually, I got to see ALL my fellow AD 69 delegates (including the great Orange Juice blogger, Claudio Gallegos) at Nicky Rotten’s bar in the Gaslamp District for a little Central OC get-together. We laughed, we chatted, we gossipped… Basically, we had a great time!

And then, just when I thought that I couldn’t have any more fun, I arrived at the “Blue House at the Brew House” event! I bumped into near and dear friends, such as Susan Kopicki, Carl Weibel, and Roz Freeman, of DFA Orange County. I bumped into online friends that I hardly ever see offline, such as Dday, Brian, and the entire Calitics crew. I bumped into people that I’ve only heard of online, but never had a chance to meet before, such as Congressional Candidate Charlie Brown.

Basically, it was just terrific to see all these fantastic Democratic activists all in one place, and all for one cause. We all care about our core progressive values. We all want to end the war. We all want to prevent the coming climate catastrophe. We all want health care for all. And we all want to restore honor and integrity to the White House by electing a Democratic President in November of next year as we continue to see progress on Capitol Hill with a strengthened Democratic majority.

And yes, it was terrific for me to see all my good Orange County friends there on that first day at the convention. I didn’t feel so alone, afraid, and totally lost when I had my friends there, walking with me. I didn’t feel so alone when I got to sit next to my friends at these meetings. Oh yes, and I DID feel so privileged and proud to introduce my awesome Orange County friends to all the rest of you who never thought before that there were so many terrific Democrats “behind the Orange Curtain”.

Coming soon… What happened during those next two days. : )

I’m not sure where to even being rebutting this post, which is a rich combination of paranoia and grandiosity that would make your hero Art Pedroza proud. […]
Andrew, if you really want to see a “noise machine” all you need to do is read your own posts: loaded with straw men, unsupported assumptions, jumped-to-conclusions, screechy rhetoric and paranoia.

Hey, looky here! Jubal/Matt Cunningham responded to my post, which was a response to Jubal/Matt’s response to Art Pedroza’s original “Chismes” post on Orange Juice that caused the entire Orange County Republican Party to explode. Ain’t it amazing how these supposedly omnipotent Republican insiders are shaking at the boots at the thought that their ridiculous scheme to allow someone who ran one of the most racist campaigns in Orange County history to run their “voter registration program” in minority-majority Central County is being exposed? And that the sheer stupidity of this plan of theirs is now out in the open, for all to see?

So why is Jubal/Matt still fuming over this? Well, he completely lost control. And why is he so angry about that? Well, I’ll tell you all about it after the flip…

So what’s the problem here? Well, the Republican Party’s master cyberspace spinner has lost control of the message. He tried so hard to save the OC GOP’s latest blunder from becoming a massive train wreck…

Smart move. There’s no shortage and wannabees and armchair consultants in OC politics. What there aren’t a lot of are campaign operatives with proven track records of success — especially in central Orange County. The OC GOP would have been remiss to pass up utilizing someone who’d been toiling in the central OC vineyards for the past year running very successful voter contact program. Saulo ran the most successful aspect of the Lynn Daucher campaign (the absentee ballot program), and then managed Trung Nguyen — who nearly everyone expected to do no better than third or fourth — to within 3 votes of victory in the 1st Supervisor District special election.

… But all that hard work and fast spinning of Jubal’s couldn’t save his party from the ultimate reality on the ground.

It looks like the first installment of this new column was quite a hit. The O.C. Register’s Total Buzz blog covered our chisme regarding the guy tabbed by the OC GOP to register new voters in central Orange County. That would be Saulo Londono, the campaign manager who sent Trung Nguyen to the border to stop the Mexicans. I’m sure that will go down real swell with the people of Santa Ana!

I love what Londono had to say about the story, over at the Total Buzz, “Although the blogs are heavily dramatizing the situation, the real reason for being quiet (about the new job) is quite simple: strategy.” Sure – great strategy. Maybe they can get Lupe Moreno and Tan Nguyen to help register new Reep voters too!

Red County/OC Blog stepped up to defend Londono, predictably. Matt Cunningham/Jubal referred to Londono’s successful track record. Last time I looked he LOST the last two campaigns he headed up. Maybe second place means first place in Jubal’s book?

Jubal is angry because Jubal can no longer control the message. In the bad old days, when OC Blog was really the only big kid in Orange County’s political blogosphere, Jubal/Matt can simply get the good word out on his clients and control what was said about them online. And since OC Blog was really the only big source for what was happening in OC’s political scene, everyone would just believe what Jubal and his minions were saying…

However, this isn’t the case any longer. Orange Juice now offers different perspectives on what’s happening throughout the county. The Liberal OC now offers a progressive point of view to counter the right-wing spin at OC Blog-land. And yes, now I’ve become a thorn on Jubal’s side as well. Basically, Jubal’s not the sole star of the show any more. The new kids on the block are finally growing up, and speaking out.

I guess this is the real issue here. Now it certainly is important in and of itself that the OC Republicans are hiring someone who was part of a VERY RACIST CAMPAIGN to head a minority outreach and voter registration program in Central OC. However, another major issue has entered into the fray. The Orange County Republican elite is no longer in control of what we say and what we think online. Competition has arrived, yet the supposed “champions of the free market” don’t seem to like the free flow of ideas and opinions.

Too bad for them. ‘Cuz this new diversity of thought is really letting some fresh air rush in behind the Orange Curtain. ; )

(Oh yeah, and before I forget… Horray for Orange Juice! They’ve been so courageous during this whole time in standing fast against efforts by the Orange County Republican Party to censor them. I only wish I had the tenacity of Art Pedroza, Claudio Gallegos, and the entire O-J Team! : ) – promoted by atdleft)

A long time ago I was told that in this business you are judged by your enemies. If your enemies are mostly democrats then you must be doing something right. They’re willing to tear you down, especially people like Andrew Davey who posted on the Calitics page. He’s just a punk with a computer.

That was former campaign manager for Republican Alan Uke in the 50th Congressional District, campaign manager for Republican Lynn Daucher in SD 34, and all-around insider in the Orange County Republican Party, Bryan Lanza… Speaking about little ol’ me. So why is the OC GOP political elite suddenly wailing over me at Red County/OC Blog? Follow me after the flip to find out…

Remember when I called out the Orange County Republicans for blaming Orange Juice blogger Art Pedroza for their own problems with Latino voters? Well, Jubal/Matt Cunningham found out about it… And he’s not very happy with me right now for shining some light on the OC GOP’s ridiculous decision to hire someone who was part of Trung Nguyen’s virulently anti-immigrant and anti-Latino campaign to head a voter outreach and registration effort in Latino-heavy Central County. So what is he doing about it? Oh, he’s just resorting to bashing ALL OF US who have the nerve to call out the OC GOP on their great mistake.

Of course, there are the inevitable detractors. ex-Republican Art Pedroza thinks it is bad idea because Trung Nguyen posed in front of the border fence for one of his mailers. Yeah, that makes a lot of sense. Let’s not hire the guy with the proven track record of success because of a mail piece (which Art terms “anti-Latino,” which I suppose it is if you look at it through MeCHista-colored glasses). And Saulo committed the cardinal sin of being a staffer for Assemblyman Van Tran, a stain not even Saulo’s previous stint with Lynn Daucher, the previous object of Art’s political affections, could wipe away. Too bad anti-Van Tran prejudices obscure the ability to render a fair estimation of Saulo’s talent and experience. And here’s some fan mail for Art’s post and Claudio Gallegos hyperventilation-disguised-as-a post/All-Republicans-Look-Alike-To-Me rant from local lefty Andrew Davey. It should speak volumes when the attaboys for attacking Saulo are coming from the Left Wing.

Oh, joy! So now I REALLY KNOW what these GOP insiders think of not just me, but of bloggers in general. We are supposed to be their tools, their mouthpieces, their vehicles to spread their propaganda… Kinda like what Jubal/Matt Cunningham and his buddies do all the time at OC Blog. And when we’re not doing a good little job of spreading the Orange County Republican Party’s propaganda, we’re just worthless “punks with computers”. Never mind that most of us bloggers consider ourselves to be independently minded individuals who are not beholden to ANYONE. In fact, I thought that the real goal of political bloggers is to take on the establishment. I didn’t know that we were supposed to be PAID SPINNERS FOR IT.

I guess this just reveals the true dilemma with Republicans and blogging. The blogosphere is meant to be a force of nature, something that no one can control or should control. Bloggers have minds of their owns, and they shouldn’t be forced or bribed into promoting someone else’s agenda. However, Republicans don’t seem to understand that. They think they can control what we say and do in the blogosphere. And when they fail in trying to dominate us, they whine and scream about our petulant, “punkish” behavior. My goodness, no wonder why Art Pedroza left the Republican Party. I complain when Jubal/Matt tries to rough me up every so often, but what if I had to deal with this all the time, and from someone who’s supposed to be my comrade in arms? No wonder why Art could not take any more of their disgusting consultant-driven, insider-incestuous, corruption-fueled extreme right-wing noise machine.

To them, we’re just “punks with computers”… Who are threatening their entire power structure.

OK, so this isn’t the national evening news. It’s our local public affairs program, “Real Orange“, on our local PBS station, KOCE. But still, how amazing is it to see how one blog’s focus on the many problems with the Santa Ana Unified School District finally caught the attention of the mainstream media?

H/T to Orange Juice for all their great coverage of Santa Ana issues. We probably wouldn’t even know about how these administrators are hurting our kids and their educational opportunities if it weren’t for Thomas Gordon, Art Pedroza, Claudio Gallegos, and the entire O-J Team. Thanks to all of you for getting the MSM’s attention.

As you all know by now, I love Orange Juice. Claudio can alway be counted upon for piercing insight into the pure insanity of the anti-immigrant wingnuts. Art is always great at pointing out the sheer insanity his old comrades in the Orange County Republican Party. Ryan Gene may have issues with unions, but I still appreciate what he has to say…

But what the heck is going on with Ron and Anna Winship? They are supposed to be the “Newport Beach Republicans” on the blog, but I am wondering if they are really representing more than just your typical Newport Beach Republicans… Especially when they say stuff like this:

The inquiry goes something like this: “Are you a witch?”, NO! “Ok, is any member of your family a witch?” NO!, “OK, so you are saying that you have never known any witch in your entire life?” NO!…. I am saying I am not a witch and no member of my family is a witch! “Hmmm, then you are saying basically that you have never known a witch, never met a witch, never dated a witch, never attended a coven meeting, never watched a television program with witches and in fact are a non-denominational church going person of good repute…who denies any connections to the ‘Wicked Witches of the West’ or any affiliate organizations?” What do you mean by Affiliate Organizations Senator?

At first, I thought this was ridiculous… But now, I must admit that this is some of the most brilliant and hilarious CAMP that I have ever seen. OK, I know this sounds crazy, but I’ll explain it to you after the flip…

Well, first off, we should define what camp exactly is. From Wikipedia:

Camp (colloquially “cheesy”) is an aesthetic in which something has appeal because of its bad taste or ironic value.

So what could possibly have more appeal because of its bad taste than this?

*When people want to know…
they should as of course…
but as we saw in the Monica
Lewinsky episode…just
knowing what “what” is…
can be a problem without
a shot spot on a dress.

Why did Clinton bomb the
Serbs? The true answer
was that Yugoslavia made
the best and cheapest washers and dryers in all
of the world. Sort of
the Mexico of Europe. It
had nothing to do with
ethnic anything. The Serbs
are the intelligent, caring
people in the world. More
like Americans than most
Americans are….who did
you want us to come clean
on again…Saddam who and
what many groupg of Arab
terrorists again? The
Serbs never bombed any
US Target ever…so should
Hillary now answer for the
bombing of Serbia?
“Sophmoric”, “Naive” or “Moronic”? – you pick!

Now they were asked why Bush Administration officials shouldn’t be subpoenaed to tell the truth about all the disaster that they have heaped upon this nation…
Yet instead of receiving a coherent response from the Winships, they get this crazy rambling about Yugoslavia, cheap washers and dryers, and Serbs possibly being “more like Americans than Americans are”. At first, I wondered more ridiculous this could get…
Then it dawned on me: This may be the most amazing piece of camp since The Eurythmics did their classic AND classy music videos in the 1980s:

This makes so little sense, yet it makes such high art.

Ok…there are reasons to have subpoenas….valid, true
and honest reasons. But to what end and what purpose?
Public Inquiry should always be demanded by the Citizens
…no matter what community. What we disdain….is the
political forays into the realm of watching Fox News…
with its yelling and screaming or MSNBC with its Hardball
yelling and screaming or CNN with its cynical low key…
whisper campaigns “psst..is the president is a jerk…
ya think?” “He seems in big trouble now….!”

All in all when bureaucrats steal money, misappropriate
funds for others, use their power for personal gain,
molest children, perform a capital or felonious crime
….then….and only then we probably need the subpoena
….but till that day?

Wait a minute… Didn’t the Republicans do ALL OF THIS during their unchecked years of hegemonic power from 2001 to 2006? I mean, after all, isn’t this why Congressional Democrats are asking for subpoenas in the first place?

But whatever, I guess facts shouldn’t get in the way of such perfectly absurd yet brilliantly humorous camp.

The reality is – that there was a “Watergate”…thank
you Richard Nixon for being the “putz” that you were
in this regard! People like Hillary Clinton and Fred
Thompson were the legal eagles that did the research.
We still remember the Democrats piling on the likes of
Halderman, Erlichman and the rest. It was sad. John
Dean the saddest…as the turncoat with the sexy wife
…..who did what? How about those McCarthy hearings?
Those were popular television fare. What happened to
the Warren Commission? They never got much play on the
TV did they? Why do you suppose? The Waco hearings
were the best we have ever gotten to see. There never
were open hearings on Whitewater….wonder why?

Ah, can’t you just see Susan Sontag rolling in her grave as she cannot resist to laugh at what the genre she so loved has become.