(While the issues within the State Capitol are important, we also need to work on rebuilding a sustainable economy for the future. – promoted by Brian Leubitz)

According to Miguel Figueroa, the Executive Director of the Calexico New River Committee (the sponsors of AB 1079), “Despite decades of resolutions, studies and promises, our city has not received the sustained leadership and support from California that we need to solve this problem. We commend Assemblyman Perez for making New River clean-up a priority in his first term in office…”

Perez is doing what he said he’d do for the region no one has served up to now- clean up the New River, the biggest environmental and public health disaster in the 80th since the 1940s.  Though Senator Ducheny made progress in 2005, it took Perez to get the full coalition together and the federal funds released.

The Desert Sun, true to form, tucks the credit for this “unprecedented attention” and the “reversal of years of neglect” into the second page:

The California-Mexico Border Relations Council in coming weeks will host a public hearing in Imperial County to get residents’ feedback. The relatively new organization, made up of key state secretaries, is tasked with identifying major border issues.

Assemblyman V. Manuel Pérez, a Coachella Democrat who secured the state funding and is organizing the coming visits, has authored a bill giving the border council authority to coordinate a restoration plan with locals and oversee the necessary environmental studies.

(btw, If this had been a Benoit or Nestande Republican success, we’d have seen their names in the first line, plus photo.  No liberal media here.)  

Next action on this bill is scheduled for August 27, 2009.  Perez’s first bill to make it into law was AB 1555 – broadband development in rural areas.  That helps in Imperial County, too, where unemployment tops 25%.

Yes, I’d like him to do all of this and be as far in front on the budget as Nancy Skinner. But reclaiming a healthful environment along the New River is transformative stuff, too. The people who live along the New River have an Assemblymember, finally.

Perez will face a well funded challenger in all likelihood.  Can a Republican challenger can peel this constituency off with attacks on Manuel’s support for the gay community and women’s healthcare rights?  Jeandron tried last year and failed.  The New River is toxic to the touch, and dooms the whole region to poverty.  If Perez can turn that around, he’ll have done more than every Republican combined since the 1940s.

(This is our top Congressional challenge in 2010.  If you have a few bucks to spare, consider making a donation. – promoted by David Dayen)

Last year, thanks to the grassroots, we came closer to beating Ken Calvert in California’s 44th District than anyone thought possible.

With that near upset, people from across the country took note of this seat – especially the Republicans!

National Republicans have already begun raising money hand over fist from their big business, special interest contributors to keep Ken Calvert in office.  

In fact, later today, Ken Calvert is set to receive $100,000 from the National Republican Congressional Committee as part of their “Patriot Program.”  They’re doing everything they can to hold on to the seat!  

According to the NRCC, these Patriots will be provided with the resources they need to build strong campaigns to help Republicans fight their way back to the Majority.  We can’t let this happen!

To donate now go to http://www.actblue.com/page/2ndq

So while Mr. Calvert is raising hundreds of thousands of dollars from big business and special interest contributors, I’m being funded solely by people like you – the grassroots.

With the Republicans’ big money machine behind Calvert, I can’t out raise him.  But with your support, I can make sure we have the resources on hand to fight back against the ugly attacks that are coming as the right-wing tries desperately to hold on to this seat.

We face a huge fundraising deadline on June 30.

With all the interest in the race, pundits, talking heads and analysts from around the country are watching to see how we do so I really need a strong showing.  I can’t buy this seat and I won’t be in anybody’s pocket so I depend on you, the grassroots, to help me fund this campaign.

I know times are tough and the election is still 16 months out (which seems like an eternity) but if you really want to help a grassroots candidate win a seat at the table in Washington to speak out on your issues, this is the time to step up and help me.

Can I count on you?

To donate now go to http://www.actblue.com/page/2ndq

Last week, the Rothenberg Political Report http://rothenbergpoliticalrepo… came out and listed our race as having moved from last year’s “Solid Republican” ranking to now “Leaning Republican”.

With that new ranking, we’ve been told we’re one of the three top races in the country to watch.

As encouraging as that is, I am also being told that I now need to immediately raise huge sums of money if I want to remain competitive.

I didn’t get within 2% last cycle by raising millions of dollars and sending out flashy ads.  Instead, I did it the old fashioned way.  I walked the district and I actually talked to voters one-on-one.  I was able to connect with thousands of families who have watched their jobs disappear and their homes lost to foreclosure – even though they always played by the rules.  In 2008, I did what I do best:  connect with voters one-on-one and discuss issues to explain exactly how I would be different than their current representative.  At the heart of each issue (the economy, health care, the environment), we all share the same basic beliefs that we want our children to grow up in a safe, secure, thriving community and to do better than we did.

Unfortunately, I know that this race will be different and that strategy alone won’t work in 2010 because the other side is so desperate to retain the seat.

The NRCC now realizes this seat is vulnerable and have made it clear they don’t want to lose it.  They’ve already set up a donation page for Calvert and Newt Gingrich is hosting a fundraiser tonight to help raise money for him.

It’s going to be difficult for me to raise money within the district given the fact that the Riverside portion of my district (which makes up 80% of the electorate) has the fourth largest foreclosure rate in the country and one of the highest unemployment rates.

Last year many of you missed out on the opportunity to help me capture this winnable seat because we were under just about everyone’s radar.  Now I’m asking you to support my effort to take this seat once and for all in 2010.  Go to our Act Blue page and donate:  http://www.actblue.com/page/he…

I won’t change my core belief that winning in Republican districts (where people have actually been voting  against their own interests) is only possible when candidates are out there talking to voters discussing the issues specific to the district rather than focusing solely on raising money hoping to buy votes with a media blitz.

However, without a combination of the two strategies (walking and raising money), my campaign cannot be successful.  That is why I’ve always been a proponent of public campaign finance which would allow candidates to spend more time talking to voters rather than fundraising.  But until that occurs, I hope I can count on the grassroots within our party to help a true progressive win a seat in Congress!

(Good luck! – promoted by Brian Leubitz)

Ok, so no one is exactly shocked to hear that today I’ve made it official but I wanted to come here to this blog to post it myself since the folks at Calitics have always been good to me.

I also wanted to post a little more about myself so that you understand why I’m running and why you should care about this race.

EDIT by Brian for space. See the flip.

With unemployment in Riverside County now at 13.2 percent – and growing – along with the fourth largest foreclosure rate in the nation, the families in my district clearly need a leader who is on their side and I’m committed to being that leader in 2010.

The current representative (Ken Calvert) voted against the interests of his own district when he chose to vote along strict party lines which meant he voted against the Stimulus Bill, even though it will bring more jobs to this district than any other in California.  He also voted against HR 1106 which will save countless homes right here in this district from going into foreclosure.

I have lived in this district for almost 30 years, raised my five children here, and both my wife and I have been educators in Riverside County for over two decades so I understand what families in our region are up against and every decision I make will be with their best interests in mind.

I originally threw my hat into the ring in 2008 because of a personal issue, the Iraq war.  I have two sons who, combined with their spouses, will have served a total of 10 deployments in Iraq by the end of the year.  Mr. Calvert was a champion of the ill-advised occupation of Iraq and continued to push for its continuation long after everyone else knew what a terrible mistake it had been.  I had children over there that were being directly affected by that partisan way of thinking and I wanted to be a voting voice on the side of reason in ending the occupation and bringing our troops home.

I also understand the burdens placed on military families when loved ones are serving overseas.  With lengthy and multiple deployments, soldiers and military families often face undue financial hardships. I don’t think most Americans realize that many service members and their families are actually living at the poverty level.  This is something I find unconscionable and will work on changing.

I have an uphill battle on my hands so I hope all of you will help me this next cycle.  In 2008, flying under just about everyone’s radar, I was able to win the Riverside portion of the district (totaling 80 percent of CA 44) by 4 percent and came within 2.4 percent overall of unseating a 16 year incumbent.  With expanded resources, help from the Netroots community and a strong voter registration effort, I am sure I can close the gap in 2010 and capture the seat.

For more information, visit my website at www.hedrickforcongress.com or follow me on Twitter at www.twitter.com/billhedrick

(The D-Trip is really taking an interest in CA-44. – promoted by David Dayen)

I’m excited to announce that my district is one of only six nationwide being targeted by the DCCC in a series of radio ads being rolled out next week.

The ads will target Republican members of Congress who opposed the middle class tax cut in President Obama’s economic recovery act.  These ads are the DCCC’s way of taking the message of middle class tax cuts and economic recovery directly to the public in radio ads called “Tax Man” that will run in the lead up to April 15th (tax day).

My opponent Ken Calvert is one of the six Republicans being targeted for his vote against the middle class tax cut.

This is the DCCC’s fourth phase of the “Putting Families First” campaign and we’ve been fortunate enough to be included in the other phases as well.

Here’s a link to the DCCC site where you can hear the ad and read more about the campaign.  http://dccc.org/blog/archives/…

Representative Calvert is back in usual form – putting politics rather than families first.  He released a newsletter this week touting the fact the he’s once again defied the new administration.

Of particular interest was his slam against what he calls the “Mortgage Cram-Down Bill” (H.R. 1106), saying it would allow judges to “cram down” the principle amount on home mortgages.

Has Mr. Calvert somehow forgotten that the largest city in his district (Riverside) now has the fourth largest foreclosure rate in the country?

In today’s LA Times, there’s an article on just how bad the housing market is.  The Los Angeles area market, which includes Orange County (again – Rep. Calvert’s district), is down 39% from 2006.

Does he honestly believe his constituents don’t want any help from the government?

He also proudly voted against he Stimulus Bill doing everything in his power to stop the 10,000 new jobs from coming to his district – even though this district has one of the highest unemployment rates in the country.

What Mr. Calvert seems to forget is that elections are about choices and America made a clear choice last fall when they elected President Obama to lead this country.  The new administration has introduced an aggressive plan to move the country forward but needs Congress working with – not against – the president.

Calvert has voted against each and every part of the president’s recovery plan and seems to be proud of that fact – even though he barely squeaked out a win himself in November.  During the 8 years of Bush, Calvert was a YES man voting with that administration 94.4% of the time yet in two short months under an Obama presidency, he’s somehow joined the party of NO doing everything in his power to stall the country’s recovery.

With every vote Mr. Calvert casts, he’s helping my 2010 campaign.  Unfortunately, his help is coming at the expense of the working families he supposedly serves in this district.

It turns out that Rep. Ken Calvert is at it again.

First, he voted against the Stimulus Bill.  In his world of bizarre partisan purity, Calvert said that the Stimulus Bill spends too much. This argument would be more compelling if it were not coming from someone who voted to bailout banks and corporate CEOs to the tune of $700+ billion with no oversight just a few months ago, and who repeatedly voted to spend a budget-busting trillion dollars in Iraq.

After that last vote, he came back to the district for a series of town hall meetings where he spoke about the Stimulus Bill and the 9800 new jobs that would be created in the 44th and told the local paper, he’d do what he could to direct as much money as possible to the Inland Empire.

He followed that up by voting against the spending bill, complaining about the earmarks that had been added to it.  But in today’s Press Enterprise, it was reported that Mr. Calvert included 34 of his own earmarks totaling more than $42 million to it.  When the Press Enterprise asked about adding those earmarks to the bill Representative Calvert said, “That doesn’t obligate me to vote for the spending.”

I think a more accurate statement to the press would be “In spite of all my efforts to prevent it from happening, there will be 10,000 new jobs and $42 million coming to this Congressional District.”

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) posted a map today detailing the benefits for the Recovery Plan.  The DCCC has made Congressman Calvert one of 12 GOP House members they are targeting in an e-mail, text, and telephone campaign calling these members out for voting against the stimulus package.  As the DCCC states, “Congressman Ken Calvert’s vote against President Obama’s economic recovery package means that he tried to block a badly needed and shovel-ready project to repair streets in Riverside, California, creating 23 jobs alone.”

To view the map, visit www.DCCC.org/Content/Recovery

In Mr. Calvert’s world of bizarre partisan purity, the Stimulus Bill spends too much. This argument hardly seems credible coming from a gentleman who voted to bailout banks and corporate CEOs to the tune of seven hundred billion dollars with no oversight, and who repeatedly voted to spend a budget-busting trillion dollars in Iraq.

As of November 2008, the Bureau of Labor Statistics ranked Riverside the highest unemployment rate in the country (surpassing Detroit).  Failed trade agreements, deregulated financial markets, and tax policies that have encouraged the concentration of great wealth into pockets of a handful of Americans have put the middle class at risk.  All things that Mr. Calvert supported and voted for.  Today, in Riverside County hundreds of businesses have shut their doors.

By voting against this Bill, Mr. Calvert once again proves how out-of-touch he is with his own constituents and why he lost 80% of his district.

To help oust Calvert once and for all, visit HedrickforCongress.com and donate to the campaign.

On Wednesday, February 18th the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) posted this press release…

Shady Representative Calvert Land Deal Still in Court

Did Calvert and Co. get special treatment to ‘further curry political favor’?  With questions still swirling about Representative Ken Calvert’s role in the purchase of public land, a $1.5 million lawsuit alleging the land sale may have been improper – or worse – continues to make its way through Riverside County Superior Court.

“Representative Calvert’s shady land deal refuses to go away.  After all, Calvert and his partners got a sweetheart deal on a prime piece of property that avoided a competitive bidding process and was done to ‘further curry political favor, relations and influence,'” said Andy Stone, Western Regional Press Secretary for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.  “Congressman Calvert should spend less time focusing on his real estate holdings and more time addressing the needs of his constituents like he could have done by supporting the economic stimulus package which is projected to create 9,000-plus jobs in California’s 44th District.  The fact that Calvert’s ‘rare’ economic chat today is a ‘private’ fundraiser shows how out of touch he is.”

Calvert says he was a silent partner in the $1.2 million deal to acquire a plot of land near new residential construction to build self-storage units.  

But it appears the Jurupa Community Services District sold the property to Calvert and his partners without first offering it to other public agencies, as required by law.  That means Calvert and his partners were able to buy a plot of land, close to the freeway, in a booming real estate market – with no competitive bidding.  In fact, a Riverside County grand jury found that the community services district violated the law when it sold the land to Calvert and his partners.

And the lawsuit goes even a step further calling the land sale “actual fraud, corruption and actual malice” and alleges that the land was sold to Calvert – who had previously supported federal legislation benefiting the Jurupa Community Services District – and his partners as a way to “further curry political favor, relations and influence.”  Of course, Ken Calvert has a long history of engaging in questionable land deals, even reportedly coming under investigation by the FBI because of allegations about Calvert-sought earmarks benefiting his property holdings.  

(Well, let’s say hi to Mr. Hedrick once again. – promoted by Brian Leubitz)

Today, the DCCC added Ken Calvert’s name to its list of “House Republicans Hypocrisy Hall of Fame” for “celebrating the benefits of President Obama’s economic recovery bill in their districts” even though Mr. Calvert voted against it.  

“It’s no surprise that House Republicans are betting on failure, while President Obama and Democrats are investing in success.  But for House Republicans to unanimously vote against the economic recovery bill in Washington and then take credit for it at home is the height of hypocrisy,” said Jennifer Crider, Communications Director for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.

Calvert made the Hypocrisy Hall of Fame when in early February, in response to a series of radio ads launched by the DCCC Working Families First criticizing his vote against the Stimulus bill, Calvert told the Press Enterprise, “It’s a boondoggle…The more people that know I voted against that bill, the better.”

Mr. Calvert is in the 44th Congressional District this week for the Congressional District Work Period, and he is now taking credit for critical stimulus spending that will be allocated to the 44th CD as a result of the passage of Economic Recovery Bill, saying “All of us in the Inland Empire will do what we can to direct as much money as we can.” [The Press Enterprise; 2/13/09]

In addition, Mr. Calvert added an amendment to the bill to renew a pet program when he had no intention of voting for the Stimulus.  When his e-verify amendment was stripped out of the bill, he told the Press Enterprise:

“The one candle in the darkness of this disastrous bill was the reauthorization and requirements to use E-Verify,” Calvert said. “Now all we are left is a bill that places illegal immigrant interests above those of hard working American families and leaves the bill at the foot of future generations.”

In parts of the 44th CD unemployment has already risen into the double-digits.  The Stimulus Bill is estimated to bring 9000+ jobs to the 44th CD, and in Riverside – the district’s largest city – the City Council estimates it could decrease the unemployment rate 5-6%.  Mr. Calvert is once again demonstrating he is out-of-touch with the needs of his constituents.

As you know, we came within 2% of defeating Mr. Calvert last November.  We are gearing up early and stepping up our fundraising efforts so we can wage an aggressive campaign against Mr. Calvert for 2010 and bring common sense back to the 44th Congressional District. Visit my website at www.HedrickforCongress.com to learn how you can help.  An early donation to the campaign would be much appreciated!