Short diary, but I saw this story and wanted to pass it on. According to the story, Joan Buchanan and Mark DeSaulnier support all of them, while John Garamendi opposes all of them.
http://www.ibabuzz.com/politic…
Although an election day has not been set, and everything is fluid, this seems pretty relevant to me in deciding who to support.
X-Posted @ BearFlagBlue
My local Thursday newspaper, The Livermore Independent, has published a profile of Assemblymember Joan Buchanan.
I was glad to see that they covered a range of issues in their interview with the possible Congressional Candidate.
Education, as she sees it, is part of the investment that society needs to make for future health of all kinds, including economic health. She points to Ireland as a country that, despite recent downturns, has committed to education as a path to future strength. She feels this is an essential commitment in California as well, and worries that California’s per capita education support will drop to the lowest in the nation as the economy continues its decline and legislators remain seriously divided in Sacramento…
She objects to the wide gap between low-paid workers and those at the top, claiming, “We have the greatest income disparity in 20 years.” Without blaming the Bush Administration by name, she clearly hints that its policy of giving particular tax breaks to the wealthy was part of the problem: “Government works best when it works for all the people, not just those at the top.”…In California , the rule requiring two-thirds of the legislature to approve taxes and budgets is not only a procedural obstacle but anti-democratic, she believes. It has the effect of enabling a minority to block what the majority wants. She would support efforts to change the rule “Everyone’s vote should count equally,” she says…
she thinks legislators can do a better job of making the budget process transparent and reaching early agreement on the values of various programs before undertaking to pin down numbers…
On another topic, she would like to see universal health care and more emphasis on disease prevention. Recognizing the potential conflict between the reducing costs and maintaining quality, she says, “We need reimbursement levels high enough for doctors to want to practice medicine.” However, she resists the idea of setting up a government-financed program to pay for health care for fear that “we would borrow from it as we do from Social Security.”…
Education… Wage Disparity… Repeal 2/3rds… Transparency… Universal Healthcare…
I have to say, I like what I’m hearing from Buchanan so far.
On a personal level, everybody I talk to in the district, speaks very highly of both potential congressional favorites.
As the guy that has been getting all of the endorsements lately, I’d sure like to be hearing more about Mark DeSaulnier’s plans & priorities.
For the rest of the article, and more Livermore news check out the The Livermore Independent
X-Posted @ BearFlagBlue
Last Thursday, Assemblymember Joan Buchanan held an open house for her new office in San Ramon and I have to say, I was pretty impressed. For one thing, my wife was introduced to these really amazing little brownie bites they sell at Costco. So thanks to which ever staffer was in charge of those. They’re great. Personally, I love the schwag, and ended coming home with a great book all about the workings of the California State Legislature…not to mention my cool new Joan Buchanan pencil.
On a serious note though, it was pretty amazing to see the amount of people that showed up for an open house for a simple little office in the middle of a San Ramon business park on a Thursday afternoon. The place was packed; literally standing room only with many more people hanging out on the balcony outside. I had heard that there had been over 350 RSVPs for the event and while I was unable to stay for the full 3 hours, while I was there, I must have seen well over 150 of them. The level of excitement that I saw for Assm. Joan Buchanan was through the roof.
As my wife and I toured the office, one of the things that I found kind of interesting was that while some of her major aides had some very nice offices to themselves, as we looked around we couldn’t seem to find an office with Buchanan’s name on the door. When I finally got curious enough to ask somebody, I was led to a small conference room at the back of the building. There in the corner of the conference room, off to the side of the big table in the center, was a small and modest desk sitting in the corner. That was Joan’s area I was told. The staffer said that Assemblymember Buchanan would much rather spend her time away from Sacramento, out and about, talking with her constituents, so she didn’t really need a big office. From my experience, I know this to be true. Since the election, I have seen Joan Buchanan at more events, big and small, then pretty much any other local office holder. I’ve even had the opportunity to share a beer & burger when she visited with the Iron Horse Dems a few months ago. It’s nice to see a politician getting out and about and having real conversations with the people she serves. The small desk in the conference room said more to me personally though. This is not a person with huge ego.
As would be expected, the Assemblywoman was pretty much the center of attention throughout the evening. With all of the people surrounding her for questions or comments or conversation, I don’t think I saw the poor woman move more than 5 ft while I was there. Most of the comments that I was able to eavesdrop on were of a congratulatory nature, but there were plenty of legislative questions as well. I particularly appreciated Joan’s forthrightness when answering. One of the moments that really stuck out for me though, was when a shy & quiet woman finally got her chance to speak to Buchanan. The woman began to choke up and you could see the tears welling in her eyes as she thanked Joan Buchanan for being the one and only legislator in the Assembly or the Senate, to take a voluntary 10% pay cut after the budget was passed. When I had thanked Joan myself for the same thing earlier, commenting that I appreciated the sacrificial move that she made when she didn’t have to, she stopped me cold. “I did have too” she said. For me, one of the marks of a good captain is somebody who wouldn’t ask others to do what they aren’t willing to do themselves. In that regard, Joan Buchanan is an excellent leader.
Of course, the question I was most interested in though…as I’m sure are the rest of you…is will she be running for Congress?
It was certainly an interesting day to be having an open house. Thursday just happened to be the day that that a poll was released showing Joan Buchanan as the potential favorite in California’s 10th. Then, just hours after that poll was released, Rep. Ellen Tauscher & Rep. George Miller endorsed State Senator Mark DeSaulnier for the seat. I think it was made pretty clear last week that Joan is indeed interested in the position, while the Democratic establishment is lining up to push her out.
When I asked her about this and where she stood on the race, Joan gave me a slight grin and responded “We’re still living in a Democracy aren’t we?”
I loved it.
If I had to put my money down, I’d say Joan Buchanan is running for Congress.
The biggest news out of the CA-10 race today is that, according to Lisa Vorderbrueggen, both Ellen Tauscher and friend of Calitics Rep. George Miller have endorsed Sen. Mark DeSaulnier for the future special election. That’s a fairly big deal. There are essentially four power structures in the political scene CA-10, and DeSaulnier has swallowed up three – Tauscher, Miller, and Tom Torlakson. Considering that he’s the chair of the Senate Labor Committee, the fourth power structure, the local unions, should be his as well.
Nevertheless, other prospective candidates are making news as well. Joan Buchanan’s operatives clearly dropped a poll to Politico, showing her leading DeSaulnier narrowly:
The poll shows Buchanan leading DeSaulnier 21 to 18 percent, with Republican San Ramon mayor Abram Wilson at 14 percent and former GOP Assemblyman Guy Houston at 13 percent.
Neither Republican has yet expressed interest in the race.
Despite DeSaulnier’s experience representing the area in the state legislature, both Democrats have comparable name recognition, according to the poll. Buchanan is recognized by 34 percent of voters, while 31 percent offer an opinion on DeSaulnier.
That was a survey of 400 voters with a high margin of error (4.9%), so I wouldn’t take it too seriously. Buchanan would see institutional support dry up fast, but could leverage an outside group like EMILY’s List.
The insufferable California Blue Dog is floating that former Mod Squad member Asm. Joe Canciamilla, who previously announced he was considering the race for Attorney General, might jump in, but DeSaulnier hasn’t just beaten him in the past, he’s beaten his whole family (DeSaulnier beat Canciamilla’s wife in a Senate primary in ’08).
Meanwhile, there’s “one of SF’s top political minds,” if he does say so himself, Adriel Hampton, who is intent on dropping a press release a day to get reporters to chase coverage. Yesterday he urged passage of S. 582, the Interest Rate Reduction Act, which is actually a solid policy goal to cap interest rates on credit cards and loans, sponsored by Bernie Sanders. Today he went hard negative against DeSaulnier:
California 10th Congressional District candidate Adriel Hampton (D-Dublin) is not mincing words in his criticism of State Sen. Mark DeSaulnier considering leaving the Legislature just months after being elected. If Sen. DeSaulnier were to resign his seat, it would result in a minimum of 112 day period where an additional Republican vote would be need to pass a budget or raise revenue under California’s unique 2/3 requirement.
“When DeSaulnier ran for his office, he signed up for a four year hitch, not a few-month fling,” Hampton said. “His fickle recklessness would strengthen the Republican bargaining position and could cost Californians billions in cuts to health care, education, and public safety.”
Restaurant-owner DeSaulnier was sworn in to the state senate just last December. If he runs for Congress, it would be the third different office he has run for in as many years. If legislative Republicans believe he has a chance of winning, it would incentivize them to stall a budget compromise until after the election, further extending the period of gridlock that would result in Sacramento by his candidacy.
There’s a lot about this that is arrogant and ridiculous (“restaurant-owner DeSaulnier” is kind of a lame epithet to put on a guy who’s been elected by these same constituents multiple times), but Hampton raises a point I raised as soon as Tauscher announced she was leaving. The merry go-round of special elections will put Democrats in the legislature down a body or two well into next year, and in the case of Buchanan threatens the loss of the seat. Now, this logic maybe appeals to a junkie like me, but my guess is it will have approximately no appeal to those inside the district, who will want to pick the best candidate for the job. In addition, this is a hard negative message that only argues for someone not in the legislature to be elected, and since the field has in no way assembled fully, I don’t see that as a political winner. Not to mention the pose that DeSaulnier is a fickle part-time legislator made by someone who apparently is still working a full-time job and thinking he can run for Congress at the same time.
Oh, and Sully Sullenberger won’t run, either. In case you were wondering. But there are more candidates who may enter, FYI.
Conveniently answering two questions in one press release, Assemblymember Tom Torlakson is announcing that he will continue to run for State Superintendent of Public Education, and will endorse State Senator Mark DeSaulnier for Tauscher’s seat – which is the first clear indication that DeSaulnier will actually be running for that seat:
Assemblymember Tom Torlakson, D-Antioch, said today he will continue his campaign for state schools chief and not run for a congressional seat currently held by Rep. Ellen Tauscher….
In making the announcement, Torlakson, who has held elective office in Contra Costa County for 30 years, said he would endorse Senator Mark DeSaulnier, D-Concord, to succeed Tauscher….
“The East Bay has been fortunate to have been served by Congresswoman Ellen Tauscher the past 12 years, and I wish her well as she prepares for this important new position with the Obama Administration,” said Torlakson. “Mark DeSaulnier is the best person to continue her tradition of strong and effective leadership in Congress. He has the experience, intelligence, and character necessary to represent the residents of the district. I am pleased to endorse him and offer my full support for his upcoming campaign.”
There’s been some speculation that Asm. Joan Buchanan will run for the seat as well, which is possible, but it looks like the establishment is moving to unite behind DeSaulnier. Will that create an opening for a progressive candidate in the race? We shall see.
One of the big stories that Calitics wasn’t able to cover thanks to the server outage yesterday was the news that, as Atrios put it, Ellen Tauscher may will be “raptured” to a post at the State Department:
A California congresswoman with experience in military matters is the Obama administration’s choice to be under secretary of state for arms control and international security.
Congressional and administration sources told The Associated Press on Tuesday that Rep. Ellen O. Tauscher is the administration’s pick. The sources requested anonymity because the announcement is not official.
Could this joyous news be true? Could one of the bankers’ best friends and leader of the DLC-like New Democrats in the House be taken off our hands by the Obama Administration? We will see – and we will hope.
UPDATE: The Hill reports that yes, it IS true – Ellen Tauscher will go to the State Department.
This would open up yet another special election here in California to fill the seat. Who would be some of the most likely Democratic candidates to run for the seat?
I’m sure there are other possible candidates out there who could fill this seat but those are the folks who have been generating the most discussion in the last 24 hours. We’ll see what happens next. I for one will be glad to be rid of Ellen Tauscher and hopefully we can get someone more progressive to represent the 10th District.
Just wanted to use the term “President Obama” at the beginning of this. Has a ring to it.
• A few days old, but this is an important story. We talk a lot about the Capitol news bureaus being thinned out, but if you think that’s bad, look at the almost non-existent pool of reporters covering county governments, in particular the country’s largest, LA County. The budget is bigger than most states, and yet the Board of Supervisors has five members and only FOUR reporters. There’s a direct line that can be drawn between media invisibility and the current crisis in California government.
• Gil Cedillo, running for Hilda Solis’ Congressional seat once it’s vacated, has a website. Calitics hopes to talk with all the CA-32 candidates in the coming weeks.
• Here’s a story about the political tightrope being walked by newly-elected candidates Alyson Huber and Joan Buchanan. Legislators like this are always given the bad advice to act like the more conservative elements of their districts even though they won election promising something wholly separate from that. The bias is that the campaign consultants of their OPPONENTS set their governing strategy. That’s bogus. Make your case and the voters will respond.
• If you’re into the deathly important business of which gubernatorial candidate talked to which inaugural ball participant, this is the article for you. I have to say that I cannot work up even a little bit of enthusiasm for the 2010 race, especially considering that “leader of a failed state” is about as praiseworthy an honor as “perpetrator of the smallest genocide.” So you may be able to find 18-month-in-advance horse-race stories elsewhere. Go get them. Because the next Governor of this state is not likely to be a movement candidate and as such is probably destined for failure, and so any investment of my time seems foolhardy.
•
I did some precinct walking for Joan Buchanan in the 15th Assembly District before the election, and had several conversations with the current Assembly member. She’s not really the most progressive, but what she does carry is an ability to actually look at the problems and review the situation on a policy basis.
Take the recent budget vote. She voted no, along with the entirety of the Republican caucus. However, her explanation actually reflected the reality of the situation and had a solid policy basis:
Buchanan insisted that Assembly Speaker Karen Bass, D-Los Angeles, “did not tell me how to vote. There was no saying, ‘This is how you should vote to protect yourself.”
She said her main reason for not voting on the revenues was that she opposed the sales-tax increase, preferring instead “to focus on the highest income bracket, though that doesn’t mean in the future I won’t vote” for a sales-tax increase.
Buchanan said she would likely vote for a revenue bill once Schwarzenegger comes to agreement with Democrats to help start up delayed infrastructure projects, though she’s “reluctantly OK” with sidestepping the constitutional requirement of a two-thirds majority on tax increases. (CoCo Times 12/30/08)
The thing about her district is that it is pretty darn wealthy. It contains wealthy enclaves in Alamo, Walnut Creek, and others. Of course, there is the flip side there, especially with the foreclosure disaster. And many of her constituents have seen the value of their houses fall in that mess. But yet, she still sees the value of a progressive taxing structure over a blanket sales tax.
Look, I certainly won’t agree with Asm. Buchanan on everything, but you have to respect somebody that seemingly has a grasp of the policy issues. It would be nice if there were a few of those folks on the other side of the aisle.
• Stay For Change! We’ve got information posted for the AD-15 (Buchanan) and AD-30 (F. Florez) GOTV 4-day plan. There’s a lot of GOTV-ing work to do. We’ll work to get additional information ASAP. If you would like to go to a different district, check out the Stay for Change Action post.
• I’ll remind you about this on Monday, but if you’re looking for some election day activities in LA, how about this phonebank at USC?
• The Palo Alto Police Chief is in hot water after ‘she instructed officers to stop African-Americans and “find out who they are.”‘ Classy, but she meant something else entirely, I’m sure.
• On the national front, our “post-partisan” governor called Barack Obama “scrawny.” Apparently he loved the whole girly-man blowback so much, he thought he’d give it another shot. For reals:
“We’re going to make him do some squats, and then we’re going to give him some bicep curls to beef up those scrawny little arms, but if you only could do something about putting some meat on his ideas,” he said. “Sen. McCain on the other hand is built like a rock,” Schwarzenegger joked.
Schwarzenegger questioned Obama’s readiness to be president, noting that McCain “served this country longer in a POW camp than his opponent has served in the United States Senate,” he said, as the crowd roared with approval. “Ladies and gentlemen, I only play an action hero in my movies, but John McCain is a real action hero.” (LA Times10/31)
Yes, apparently the same cliches he’s been using in California haven’t gone out of style in Ohio yet.
I have nothing but respect for the Obama campaign, its staffers, and the many, many volunteers that have given their blood, sweat, and tears to this campaign. It is because of their hard work that we are in a position to win the White House. We should never let off the gas pedal in following through on this election. While the nominee must attend to his personal affairs, we must pick up the slack.
That all being said, I can’t say that I agree with this email that I just got (and video):
With only 15 days left and early voting already beginning, you can make a big difference by Driving for Change. Watch this video and sign up now to let us know you’re coming to Colorado:
I understand this perspective from the Obama campaign. After all, their job isn’t to fight for Democratic principles or anything high-minded like that. It’s to win the presidential election for their guy, Barack Obama. And that’s great. But this election is more than just one race. It’s about more than just Barack Obama. A couple of weeks ago, Robert said something similar over at Big Orange. He spoke of an election that’s slipping away from us, right here at home. A historic chance that we are squandering.
So these next two weeks, why don’t you consider just Staying for Change. Now that doesn’t mean staying for change and spending two hours into a phone bank and that’s it.
Really stay for change. Stay for change by traveling to a new county for Change. You’re in LA? WHy don’t you help Debbie Cook, who is running in a district that starts in Southern LA County and extends into coastal Orange County. She’s got a debate, well, very soon. It’s her only shot at Dana in person, because he’s been skittish to be seen in person with her. Or if you’d like to go further, how about helping Marty Block in AD-78 or Manuel Perez in AD-80.
Want to really Stay for Change in the Bay Area? Why don’t you head up to the Sacramento area. They have several races that you can spend your weekend working on. You can walk and doors for Alyson Huber (AD-10) and Bill Durston (CA-03) and help out two great candidates at the same time. You can drive a few miles east and help out Charlie Brown (CA-04) as he seeks to defeat the carpet-bagging Tom McClintock. Or if you want to stay closer to home, Joan Buchanan (AD-15could use some help in the Contra Costa County area.
And then there are our propositions. We are in very tight races on some of the most important issues of our day: Propositions 4 & 8. Both are slightly ahead in the polls. While turnout is likely to be high this year, we need to ensure that people follow the ballot down the many, many pages and make those important votes against Prop 4 & 8. And on the Yes side? Well, in Prop 1A, we have a tremendous opportunity to steer development in our strength in the right direction.
So, while I don’t frequently suggest ignoring emails from Barack Obama, I’m going to do it this time. Don’t leave the state, but dedicate your time to ensuring that California makes the right decisions this November. And if you want to help Barack Obama, you can make calls right here from the Golden State without pumping all those carbon emissions into the atmosphere. It’s easy and simple to start, just click here and you’ll be making calls for Obama in no time. Your local county committee can also help you get set up to both make phone calls for Obama as well as Staying for Change.
So, let’s do this: Stay for Change.