The Ventura County Star reports on another victim of austerity:

Birds from around the world have called it home since it was built in 1926 outside Santa Paula in Steckel Park.

Now Ventura County officials plan to demolish the Steckel Park aviary, saying it is dilapidated and would cost too much to make it an acceptable shelter for the feathered creatures.

“The county just doesn’t have that kind of money now,” Ventura County Supervisor Kathy Long said.

Exactly when the bird sanctuary will be torn down is unknown, said Ron Van Dyck, deputy director of the Ventura County Parks Department, which takes care of Steckel Park.

County officials plan to first find homes for the 100-plus birds now at the shelter, which is next to Highway 150, about five miles north of downtown Santa Paula. The birds include ducks and doves, parrots and parakeets, lovebirds and turkeys, and conures and cockatiels…

Once the shelter is gone, the county expects to save about $11,000 a year, money that is now spent in feeding and caring for the birds, Long said…

Back then, in the pre-Prop. 13 days, the county and other public agencies had enough funding to support not only the aviary but many other amenities, including an amphitheater at Steckel Park, Slaughter said.

“The aviary was a popular place for many years with families and children,” Slaughter.

“It was almost like a small zoo.”

But many public facilities across California have deteriorated since the passage of Proposition 13 in 1978, Slaughter said.

Grover Norquist be praised. The only question is when–or if–voters will wake up to why we can’t have nice things anymore. The sad part is that many of the families who will be upset over the closure will have voted for anti-tax Republicans like Tony Strickland because of “family values.”

(I got to know Darren while on the Kamala Harris campaign, and now he’s running against Sharon Runner for Senate. The Choice is Clear! – promoted by Brian Leubitz)

Progressives: We are working the phones to make sure this seat flips into the “D” column. Registration’s close, so turnout is the key! Come help us man the virtual phonebanks!

(Edit by Brian: Details for the phonebanks and the ad over the flip.)

For SB County Calling visit: https://www.moe-phonebank.com/…

For LA County Calling visit: http://www.darrenparker4senate…  

-click on “Phonebank Today” and follow the instructions

Democrat, Marta Jorgensen announced today that she will be running for Congress in the 24th Congressional District, the seat held by Republican Elton Gallegly for the past 22 years.  Last year, she was the Democratic nominee and with barely $20,000, Marta was able to win 42% of the vote.  

Polling shows that voters in the 24th Congressional District are tired of Elton Gallegly and they want change.   They want someone who can deliver healthcare and environmental reforms that will jump-start the economy.    

With more than 27 years as a vocational nurse, Marta Jorgensen knows first hand how the healthcare delivery system became a bureaucracy out of control.  Deeply involved in environmental issues for nearly 20 years, she knows how our dependence on fossil fuels has put our planet into climate crisis, which threatens growing cycles worldwide. As a small business owner, Marta created a computer school to help open up the world to young people.  

Healthcare reform, developing renewable alternative energy sources, and a solid commitment to improve our public educational institutions are key elements in restoring our economy.  Marta Jorgensen is a strong proponent of the CEED Program (Community Energy and Economic Development Program – www.ceedprogram.com) which was originally conceived of as part of Marta’s platform in her last campaign, but given its importance, was spun out as a free standing program that has received widespread support and interest in Congress and elsewhere. The CEED Program was designed to harness the new administration’s desire to promote renewable energy, green jobs and green companies throughout the country. In addition, it provides a direct means to harness citizen action at the community level and give it a focus, working in a partnership with government.

As a dedicated community activist, Marta can be a key player in Congress to help get the economy back on track.

With 36% registered Democrats, 43% registered Republicans, and a 21% decline-to-state voters, Marta Jorgensen is in a strong position to win in 2010.

Jorgensen For Congress Campaign Committee

Email:  [email protected]

For fundraising inquiries, contact:

Charlotte Dobbs & Co.

2730 Wilshire Blvd. Suite 550

Santa Monica, CA 90403

310/264-9200

310/264-2570 (fax)

www.charlottedobbs.com

For PR Inquiries, contact:

John Kera

The Kera Agency

10996 McLennan Street

Rancho Cucamonga, CA 91701

909-262-0835



www.jorgensenforcongress.com

One of the many flaws of California’s term limits law is that it creates needless conflict and enmity between would-be allies each vying to do their part to make the State a better place, as each candidate is forced to abandon a job they have just barely learned, to campaign for a different job.  Conflicts arise in this perpetual game of musical chairs, accountability is minimal, and activists are left in a jam deciding whom to support.

Nowhere is this more apparent than in AD-35, where Assemblymember Pedro Nava has been termed out, forcing a run at the Attorney General job.  The power vacuum left by Nava’s absence has opened the field for two impressive candidates, both of whom are well-liked in the district: Susan Jordan, Mr. Nava’s wife and co-founder of the California Coastal Protection Network (CCPN) and Vote The Coast, and Das Williams, Santa Barbara City Councilman and longtime community activist through CAUSE as their legislative analyst.  Williams also serves as a national board member of the National Organization for Women, and is on the Peabody Charter School Board.

The Republican banner will be carried by former Santa Barbara County Supervisor Mike Stoker.  However, given the 20-point voter registration advantage favoring Democrats in the district, the winner of the Democratic primary is almost certain to hold this safe Democratic seat.

Most activists here in the Ventura and Santa Barbara areas know each of these individuals well, and have worked with them on multiple issues.  As the race intensifies, it is painful for many to make a choice between them, and many have avoided doing so to date.  I personally have endorsed Mr. Williams, having worked with him on a number of different issues here already in less than a year of local activism, while my contact with Ms. Jordan has been more limited.  Each candidate has amassed a long list of endorsers (in-fighting remains about who exactly has endorsed whom at this point, adding to the confusion), and a large number remain on the fence.  Ms. Jordan’s biggest ally, obviously, is Assemblymember Nava; Mr. Williams, however, counters with the almost equally hard-hitting support of Hannah-Beth Jackson, whom he served as Chief of Staff in the SD-19 2008 election.

On a personal level, there is already significant rancor between the two sides: while both have promised a positive campaign, and neither candidate has made overt attacks on the other, various operatives have been busy attempting to earn support with some negative charges.  Williams is extremely active in the community and had expected to be next in line for the spot; his backers have hinted at nepotism between Nava and Jordan; Jordan backers paint Das as overly ambitious and opportunistic because Williams previously ran unsuccessfully for Supervisor, because of his comparative youth at 34 years of age, and because many say that Williams had told them earlier in the year that he would not run for the seat.  Williams is in his second term on the Santa Barbara City Council, and will be termed out–needlessly adding increased stakes under the guise of “reform” through term limits.

Also an issue in the race is the vaunted PXP drilling at Tranquillon Ridge: during the early days of the proposed deal, Williams backed a variety of local environmental organizations in supporting the deal.  Jordan and Nava were opposed, due to precedent and the belief, later reinforced by various agencies, that the deal’s sunset provision would be unenforceable.  The deal eventually became the famous statewide issue it is today, and it is sure to be a major attack avenue against Mr. Williams by Ms. Jordan.

To date, the race is playing out similar to the Clinton-Obama primary war in a battle between youth/change and experience/responsibility–but with an added wrinkle.  While Mr. Williams is young, he also boasts greater experience in elected office, particularly in the field of balancing budgets, an issue particularly crucial to Assembly candidates.  Mr. Williams has repeatedly referenced Santa Barbara’s continued balanced budgets as proof of his ability to make difficult budget choices in a progressive fashion in a tough economic environment, and contrasted his record in Santa Barbara with that of the legislature in Sacramento (somewhat unfairly, as the SB city council is not hamstrung by a 2/3 rule).  Ms. Jordan, meanwhile, will be running ostensibly (and probably unfairly) to the left of Mr. Williams on environmental issues, will be leveraging her longstanding statewide activism, and will portray herself as something of an outsider to the political process despite her connection with Mr. Nava, while attempting to frame Mr. Williams as a career politician.

It is in this somewhat unpleasant context that the Williams campaign released their surprisingly strong fundraising numbers yesterday evening (the Jordan campaign released its own press release this afternoon.)  While it was expected that Ms. Jordan would outraise Mr. Williams due to greater large-scale institutional support and an earlier head start (including a high-profile fundraiser at the home of Pierce Brosnan), the campaigns are essentially even in terms of fundraising, with each campaign spinning the numbers as coming out in their favor: the Williams campaign is emphasizing Jordan’s $12,000 loan to her own campaign to even up the numbers, while the Jordan campaign is emphasizing its $10,000 advantage in cash on hand.

The full text of the competing press releases follows below the fold:

Local Santa Barbara City Councilman Das Williams Outraises Main Opponent In Campaign for Assembly District 35

Santa Barbara, CA – Showing that local residents are looking for a new kind of elected leader in Sacramento, local Santa Barbara City Councilman Das Williams today reports having raised over $120,000 in his campaign for Assembly District 35 as of the June 30th reporting deadline.  In significantly less time, Das Williams outraised his main opponent Susan Jordan – wife of the District’s current Assemblymember Pedro Nava – who raised $110,000.

Das’ strong financial showing complements his already strong grassroots network and growing list of local endorsers and supporters.  

“Das Williams raised more money than Susan Jordan in just half the time,” said campaign spokesperson Josh Pulliam.  “Loaded with a $12,500 personal loan and strapped with unpaid debt, Susan Jordan’s financial report comes straight out of the same Sacramento playbook that brought us a historic budget crisis.  These financial reports illustrate that voters in the district are ready for change.   As a local councilmember, Das already represents nearly a quarter of the Assembly District, and today’s numbers prove that he’s going to have the necessary resources to mount a successful campaign.”

Das Williams is campaigning to succeed termed-out Assemblymember Pedro Nava.  

Das Williams grew up on the Central Coast and is a product of local public schools. In 2003, Das Williams became the youngest person ever to be elected to the Santa Barbara City Council, and was re-elected in 2007. Das has worked as a teacher, a policy aide for former Assemblywoman Hannah-Beth Jackson, and a community organizer working to stop the development of a Wal-Mart in Ventura and enact local living wage laws in Santa Barbara and Ventura. Das serves on the Peabody Charter School Board and is a national board member of the National Organization for Women (NOW). Das received his undergraduate degree from the University of California at Berkeley and holds a graduate degree in Environmental Science & Management from the University of California at Santa Barbara.

Jordan Shows Strong Support for Assembly District 35 Race

“Never before has it been so important that we make fundamental changes to the way of doing business in Sacramento. The voters know that fixing the problems won’t be easy, and it will take someone with experience, integrity and determination to stand up to the special interests,” said Assembly candidate Susan Jordan.  “The people in Santa Barbara and Ventura counties who encouraged me to run have backed up their encouragement with campaign contributions. In my first run for elective office, I am inspired by their early show of support.”

Jordan leads fundraising for the primary election, which will be held June 8, 2010, with an impressive $124,129 raised between January 1 and June 30.  Jordan notes that she is very fiscally conservative, spent little during that period, and has $119,228.07 cash on hand.

Jordan added, “I am deeply honored to have the help of so many local and statewide leaders who have placed their trust in my abilities to get the job done, including Santa Barbara County Supervisor Janet Wolf, Oxnard Mayor Tom Holden, Oxnard City Council members Bryan MacDonald and Dr. Irene Pinkard, Former State Senator Sheila Kuehl, Former Santa Barbara County Supervisor Susan Rose, Former Santa Barbara Mayor Harriet Miller, and many more.”

Jordan is an award-winning environmental leader, a successful business woman, health advocate and mother with 15 years of experience working to protect the coastline of Santa Barbara and Ventura counties – and for all of California.  As a former Chair of the Santa Barbara County Planning Commission, Jordan tackled regional planning concerns with an analytical and balanced approach.  After leaving her business career, Jordan founded the California Coastal Protection Network (CCPN) in 1999 and serves as its executive director.  CCPN is considered one of the most effective environmental advocacy organizations in the state and Jordan has received numerous awards for her precedent-setting work.

Jordan is being challenged by Das Williams.  Williams initially supported Jordan, and stated in the Santa Barbara Independent that he would not run and that his own personal ambitions would have to take a back seat for the “greater good of the community,” while praising Jordan’s environmental credentials and statewide connections.  Williams and Jordan split largely over the issue of offshore oil drilling, with Williams supporting a proposal to open the coast to new drilling, while Jordan opposed it.  Jordan is leading a statewide coalition of more than 60 groups who oppose the governor’s efforts to approve the first new offshore oil lease in state waters in 40 years.

“As I walk this district, people tell me that they want someone in Sacramento who has life experience and can be trusted to stand up to special interests and address the serious challenges facing our state, our economy and our livelihoods.  This is a responsibility I take to heart. I will not let them down,” said Jordan.

Susan Jordan for Assembly 2010

Ending cash    $119,228.07

Das Williams for Assembly 2010

Ending cash    $108,767.62

Susan Jordan for Assembly 2010

Reporting period    01/01/2009 – 06/30/2009

Contributions from this period    $124,129.00

Expenditures from this period    $11,006.82

Ending cash    $119,228.07

Das Williams for Assembly 2010

Reporting period    01/01/2009 – 06/30/2009

Contributions from this period    $122,656.08

Expenditures from this period    $13,988.46

Ending cash    $108,767.62

Republican challenger Mike Stoker has not filed any reports.

Given the heated nature of the releases even at this early stage, this will an interesting race to watch going forward.

Following up on my earlier point about the success of local tax measures as a counterweight to the “tax revolt” framing, there’s more evidence to add to the list.

To begin with, voters in Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified School District (a wealthy enclave in Los Angeles County’s South Bay that is part of Dana Rohrabacher’s district) approved a parcel tax of $165 a year for four years to fund their local public schools.  The semi-final results were 68.61% for, and 31.39% against, with 42.34% turnout–not bad for a vote-by-mail only special parcel tax election.

These aren’t the final numbers–there will be a small number of ballots that have yet to be counted that were dropped off at a local drop-off station, as well as any late-arriving stragglers, and these will be counted Friday (if you want to be the first to know, follow @lacountyrrcc on Twitter–I’m such an elections junkie that I choose to receive their updates via SMS).  But assuming that these numbers hold up, PVP will be the second school district to approve such a parcel tax, with La Canada and Rowland coming up next week.  Normally, of course, this type of 2.18:1 electoral ratio would represent a landslide among the electorate, but here in California, it means that the measure only squeaked it out by a couple of points.

In other news, the Ventura City Council approved yesterday putting a 1/2 cent sales tax increase before the voters to fund necessary improvements.  The vote of the Council was nearly unanimous:

Ending weeks of deliberations, the council voted 6-1 to move forward with a general half-cent tax increase, which would expire after four years. A general tax needs only a simple majority to pass. [emphasis mine]

There was little surprise the council elected to move forward; a majority had voiced support for the measure last week and a city-commissioned advisory panel urged them to go to voters in March.

Now, interestingly, the comments are about 90% wingnutty tax-revolt propaganda.  That might lead you to believe that the Council is out of touch with the residents of the City.  But not so, as Calitics poster and Ventura County Star blogger Marie Lakin makes clear:

A RECENT POLL conducted by True North, Inc. confirmed what I already knew: Ventura voters are content here and are willing to invest in their city.

Despite a round of new temporary taxes from the state, nearly 60 percent of those surveyed said they would likely vote for a temporary 1/2-cent hike in the city sales tax to support public safety, libraries, local infrastructure, economic-generating activities and building financial reserves.

This figure has held steady through surveys conducted in May of 2007 and December of 2008. True North talked to 400 likely voters between May 27-31 of this year. (The survey had a 4.86 point margin of error.) The sample was “a perfect representation of your voting electorate,” True North President Timothy McLarney explained.

What else did they find? Seventy-five percent are somewhat or very satisfied with the job the City of Ventura is doing to provide services. Sixty-one percent feel things are going in the right direction in our city, compared with 22 percent who weren’t sure and 21 percent who thought they were going in the wrong direction.

The state didn’t fare as well in the poll, however, with only 11 percent responding that California in general was going in the right direction.

Bottom line: barring a huge change in the mentality of the electorate, the sales tax measure will pass in the City of Ventura in November because people are willing to pay for services just like most people in the country support a public option for health care.  But there’s one thing the voters don’t like: Sacramento.  And local governments agree–one of the main reasons the Ventura City Council is pushing this sales tax is precisely to have a dedicated revenue stream that the State can’t raid.  And if our Democratic leadership doesn’t realize soon that voters don’t mind taxes, but do mind the legislature, then we’re going to be in even more turmoil down the road.

The Santa Barbara based Alliance for Sustainable and Equitable Regional Transportation (ASERT) convened a panel discussion at the Santa Barbara Central Public Library on Saturday January 24th, 2009.  The event celebrated the Nov 2008 passage of Measure A, which funds county transportation projects through a dedicated sales tax, while anticipating future challenges and opportunities in light of both economic conditions and the funding priorities of the Obama administration.

As a resident of Ventura County, I found the discussion particularly relevant for two reasons:

1) Transportation issues are regional by nature and are not constrained by county lines.  

2) Measure A passed by 80%, one of the largest margins since the implementation of the 2/3rds rule in the early 1990s, presenting a case study for similar campaigns.

Since Ventura County is currently the largest county in the State of California without a dedicated portion of its sales tax to fund transportation, the campaign to get measure A passed provides particularly relevant lessons.  At a time when the state budget crisis is impacting the state monies many counties and cities rely on to fund local needs, a lack of dedicated funding for transportation issues can translate to a serious crisis.  Not only are cities and counties that lack self-funding at the back of the line for state assistance, but they often lack the ability to fund even basic maintenance, let alone the types of infrastructure projects we need to move forward on issues of congestion, environmental health and economic development.

The wide-ranging discussion offered a wealth of information on current and future developments in transportation policy and practice in both Santa Barbara and Ventura Counties.  The panel included special guest former Massachusetts Governor and Presidential Candidate Michael Dukakis, who in addition to being a Professor of Political Science and Public Policy at Northeastern University and UCLA is also the past Vice-Chair of Amtrak.  The Honorable Supervisor Salud Carbajal moderated the event and additional panelists included Michael Chiacos, Energy Program Senior Associate of the Community Environmental Council; Gregg Hart, Public Information and Government Affairs Coordinator of Santa Barbara County Association of Governments; and Peter De Hann Programming Director of the Ventura County Transportation Commission.  While Congresswoman Lois Capps was unable to attend, her district representative Jonathan Saur was on hand to read a statement reaffirming her commitment to issues of sustainable transportation.

As much as the public supports alternative transportation and currently favors large scale infrastructure development, the reality is these projects are often but a sliver of the transportation funding pie.  Add in the current economic crisis, and funding for these critical projects is essentially nonexistent.   Two major funding issues stood out against the backdrop of the state budget crisis and the economic downturn: first, that money is generally only available for capital improvements (such as the purchase of buses or trains), but not their operating costs; and two, that the current economic stimulus plan funds only those projects that can be shovel ready within 120 days, which will primarily translate to basic road repair.  When it comes to transportation funding, we really need the time and the money to both cover operating expenses and pursue the alternative transportation and energy solutions the public intended these monies to fund.  

Further highlighting the extent to which alternative transportation is losing out in funding, Dukakis pointed out that in an average year the federal government spends $33 billion on highways, $16 billion on airlines, and a paltry $1.5 billion on rail.  As he put it, there is no form of transportation that is currently unsubsidized.  So despite the public demand for alternative transportation, votes don’t always translate to funding priorities.  And the time delays inherent to these large scale projects mean we often turn to quicker but less substantial solutions.

Santa Barbara County alone consumes 250 million gallons of liquid fuels per year, despite its boasting the 3rd highest per capita ownership of hybrid vehicles in the nation.  With the passage of Measure A, however, funds will be available for more programs and projects to address these issues.  Even before the passage of the measure, Santa Barbara County saw the addition of a new Lompoc-Vandenberg Air Force Base-Santa Maria bus service, “The Breeze,” which reached its projected 3-year ridership levels after only 6 months.

There is some good news on Ventura County efforts to get transportation alternatives up and running as well.  The Coastal Express has been the star of the bus system with a ridership increase of 17% per year, and a proposal to accommodate morning commuters with more convenient train schedules is currently being pursued.  But Ventura County is currently facing a potential $4 million shortfall in transportation funds: the funding gap is threatening Metrolink service to LA as officials scramble to come up with the missing money.  And who wants to be driving down the 101 with all that train traffic back on the highway?  Or worse still, riding the rails with train control upgrades pushed off because the money just isn’t there?  Clearly, the gap between transportation needs and available funds must be addressed.

Sorry you missed the panel?  You’re in luck because ASERT will be hosting its first Ventura County event on Saturday, January 31st from 8:30am-12noon at the Ventura College Cafeteria (4667 Telegraph Rd, Ventura, CA).  While it will focus more on taking action to improve public transportation, the public will have an opportunity to meet advocates and leaders in transportation, share their transportation needs and create a strategy to improve public transportation.  For more information about ASERT or to RSVP for  “Moving the Central Coast Forward”, contact Carmen Ramirez at [email protected] / (805) 658-0810 X. 213

See local news coverage of the ASERT event Seizing the Moment: Sustainable Transportation in the Obama Era