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Made it out last night for the first time in too-long-a-time to the Palm Springs Village Fest Voter Registration & Candidates Tabling with the Desert Stonewall Democratic Club, the Palm Springs Democratic Club, and the Democrats of the Desert Democratic Club.  What changes are wrought with success and volunteer enthusiasm!

First, I espied the big tent, symbolic of the Democratic Party in Palm Springs.  Afterall, we are the party of the LGBT community, the senior community, the African-American, and the Latino communities in the Coachella Valley!  Come one, welcome all!  Thanks to Cathedral City Councilmember Greg Pettis for the loan to the cause.

The tent was festooned with colorful red, white, and blue bunting and banners announcing the various Democratic Club involvements, candidates and initiatives.  Peter East, Secretary of the Palm Springs Democratic Club, was credited with creating the amazing signage for the Desert Stonewall Democratic Club and the Palm Springs Democratic Club.  Eye-popping posters and signs for Julie Bornstein, Democratic Candidate for the 45th Congressional District, Manuel Perez, Democratic Candidate for the 80th Assembly District, and No on Prop 8 signs abounded.  Manuel Perez?  Yes, Manuel Perez!  More on that to follow.

More below the flip…

see picture of Julie Bornstein, Democratic Nominee for the 45th Assembly District at

Desert Stonewall Democrats were fully represented by President George Zander, Treasurer Bob Silvermen, Membership Chair Lyn Worley, Public Relations Chair Donald W. Grimm, Ph.D., Steering Committee Member Richard Oberhaus, Steering Committee Member Bob Mahlowitz, and community activist Bill Cain-Gonzales.

Palm Springs Democrats members included Secretary Peter East and partner John Eldridge, Membership Chair Mahlowitz, and others.

Democrats of the Desert were represented by Eleanor Jackson.

The Sen. Barack Obama for President table had, it seemed, lots of enthusiastic volunteers.  Among the Obama zealots, Bob Morris.  Morris graciously gave me his personal rainbow Obama button to sport during the festivities.  Visitor after visitor, gay and straight, African-American, Latino, Asian/Pacific Islander, Native American, and White, children, adolescents, adults, and seniors, abled and disabled, took turns taking pictures with the life-sized cardboard image of Obama.  Kudos to John U. for the art!

Bornstein informed and held court with hundreds of visitors and voters.  Bornstein impresses with her knowledge of the issues and her availability.  Afterall, Bornstein has had the experience of having been the local Assemblymember, political experience in a series of progressive Democratic administrations in Sacramento, and the life experience of being a cancer survivor.  Bornstein, above her opponent, knows about the values and needs of the working class families of the Coachella Valley.  Plus, Bornstein is the only candidate to actually live in the District! (Mary Mack, R, lives in Florida with her husband, U.S. Rep. Connie Mack IV).

Zander, Oberhaus, and Cain-Gonzales all informed this writer that Perez was working the crowds of Village Fest.  As you might imagine, initially, I was ill-at-ease, given my earlier support of Pettis.  However, Perez glad-handed the crowds and was clearly comfortable with his role as Democratic nominee for the 80th Assembly District.  Shortly, I would discover that he was also comfortable with the issues that are extremely important to the voters of the West Valley and Palm Springs.  Teaser.  More to follow.

see Manuel Perez, Democratic Nominee for the 80th Assembly District picture at

Visitors from across the country and around the world flocked to the Democratic Club-sponsored tables.  Personally, I met two visitors from France and two different familes from The Netherlands.  Everyone was interested in Obama, Bornstein and Perez.  Much of the talk centered on Obama’s crowning achievements in the Middle East, especially, Afghanistan, Iraq and Israel, and, yesterday, in Germany.  Many talked about Obama’s success with the troops in Afghanistan where he met a rousing, standing-room-only, ovation when he entered the gymnasium.  In Iraq, videographers show Obama being swarmed by U.S. Embassy personnel and troops at his speech there.  U.S. troops clearly love Obama for his intent to return them home from Iraq as soon as feasibly possible, and most likely within 16 months.  Voters were amazed that Iraqi leader Nouri al-Maliki now supported Obama’s position of withdrawal of all active-duty troops within a solid time-frame.

More than Obama’s successes in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Israel, where somehow he managed to meet with, support, and, more importantly, not offend, neither the Israelis nor the Palestinians, was Obama’s heroes-welcome in Berlin.  Astonishing that 200,000 people from across Europe and the world would come to see history in the making.   Mobs of people striving to see, touch, and hear the next leader of the free world.  Imagine that, a leader of whom we no longer have to be ashamed.  A leader with credentials and ability.  An achiever, rather than an over-achiever.

see Obama yesterday in Berlin, Germany at

No wonder that sixteen more people registered to vote last night, including several party changes from Republican to Democratic!  One Latina teen shamed her friends into re-registering as Democrats.  They had initially registered as Republicans to help a friend who was paid for each voter registration.  They had only registered as Republican to help their friend.  Me, I appreciate that the Republicans spent money on registering voters who will vote for Obama, Bornstein, and Perez!  Hardy-har-har.

Kudos to DSD, PSD, and DoD for staffing and delighting the burgeoning Village Fest crowds.  Extreme thanks to the progressive volunteers and candidates who are out to change the Coachella Valley and to make it once again safe for democracy.

Here is the blast email from Zander regarding last night’s VFest:

The Village Fest Democratic Table rocks!  It is colorful with tons of red white and blue and candidate yardsigns and banners. The tri-club banner is a work of art. (Thank you Peter East!) For the third week in a row we hit double digits in new voters. The national trend is sweeping into the Coachella Valley.

Hundreds of buttons and bumper stickers lept off the table. Folks lined up for three hours to take pictures with Obama….thanks again to John U. for the GREAT Obama life sized cut out picture! The DSD, DOD and PSDC sponsored table has already eclipsed the 2004 table in voter registration and excitement- and it is only July. Thanks to all, but especially Bill G, Peter E, John E and Bob Morris for the fabulous erection and design of the tent. (And to Greg Pettis for the loan of the tent).

Our candidates, Julie Bornstein and Manuel Perez spent the full three hours talking to and listening to voters and visitors.

Thank you to all of the team that set up, pulled down, designed and built our new table. Thanks to all who registered voters lead by stalwarts Bob Silverman and Eleanor Jackson.

Jasmine Waits, COO of Village Fest sat the table for a time as well. She gave us full approval for our colorful and professional new look.

The place is a great time. If you have expereinced this yet, come on down.

On to victory.  George W. Zander

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As I reported in an earlier blog, Dale Wissman, California School Employees Association, wrote a piece that disrespected Julie Bornstein, Democratic Nominee for the 45th Congressional District, Greg Pettis, former-Democratic Candidate for the 80th Assembly District, Pettis’ supporters and bloggers, The Desert Sun, and the TDS’ editorial staff and reporters.  Rather than focus on the Victor Manuel Perez victory Tuesday in the Democratic primary for the 80th AD and on solidifying support for Perez amongst the West Valley Democrats and Decline to States, Wissman chose to go beyond the pale, to gloat about his responsibility for the victory, and to slam all of his perceived opponents.  Wissman’s email was then published on his cousin’s blog, sending shockwaves through the Coachella Valley.  (BBBz note: blog has now deleted the offensive post.)

Wissman, in response to intense public pressure from local Democratic club leadership, including President of the Desert Stonewall Democratic Club George Zander, and to the increasing dismay of the Perez camp for the resulting alienation of local Democratic Club leadership, Democratic electeds in the West Valley, and the local Democratic activists and bloggers (soyinkafan’s “West Valley elite”), apologized for the publication of his offensive email.

More below the flip…

Although assuming responsibility for his inappropriate missive, Wissman, did not apologize for the tenor or the content of his writing.  The following is the email Wissman sent out to local Democrats:

I would like to apologize for putting everyone through this.  I can’t tell you how bad I feel about this.  It was never my intention for anyone other than CSEA staff to see this email.  Written with high spirits on the morning after election night, the email went out only to top CSEA staff.   No CSEA members received this email, and only about two dozen CSEA staff members actually received it, one of which is married to Randy Bayne, my cousin.  It was a kind of “insider baseball” email that wasn’t supposed to see the light of day, but of course it did.  

The email/blog certainly does not reflect well on me or CSEA, and as long it stays that way I’m fine with that.  But, please don’t let this reflect poorly on Manuel, who had absolutely nothing to do with this email, does not condone it, and will no doubt let me know just how pissed off he is about it.  Once again, my email to CSEA staff, in no way reflects the sentiment of Manuel Perez’s camp, which is very much focused on solidifying Democratic support in all areas of the AD80, especially in the much needed and hugely important Westside.  

Once again, I would like to apologize..  It was never my intention that Greg, or anyone outside of CSEA staff, see that correspondence.

Dale Wissman

Labor Relations Representative

California School Employees Association

(760) 564-1141 office

(760) 564-2241 fax

Fallout from the offensive blog continues as apparently one of the unions linked to Wissman is not at all amused by the email, by the blog posting, or by its impact on local Democratic leaders.

As the Perez and Pettis campaigns began to kiss and make up, Dale Wissman, CSEA, posted a blog that brought the detente to an abrupt, and quite possibley, permenant, halt.  Wissman disrespected Julie Bornstein, Democratic Candidate for the 45th Congressional District, Greg Pettis, Cathedral City Councilmember and former-Candidate for the 80th AD, Pettis’ supporters and bloggers, the Democratic Clubs that supported Pettis, the unions that supported Pettis, The Desert Sun which endorsed Pettis over Perez, and the Desert Sun editorial staff and reporters.

Wissman could not have alienated potential support in the West Valley any more than he just did in his mydesert.com blog.

Wissman has apparently not been heeding the role modeling enacted by the Sen. Barack Obama campaign with Sen. Hillary Clinton and her supporters.  Then again, the Obama and Clinton campaigns involve veteran staffers who do know how to ‘kiss and make up.’

The response of George Zander, President of the Desert Stonewall Democratic Club and Wissman’s original blog are all posted below.

Wissman’s blog posting that may cost Perez and Democrats the 80th AD:

First of all, Manuel Perez would like me to thank all of you for your participation in his AD80 Primary win last night. Manuel Perez recognizes the central roll that CSEA [California School Employees Association] made in this victory, and he said to a crowd of about 150 last night that CSEA “was there from the beginning, never wavered, and made all the difference when it counted.” Perez, the grassroots underdog. won by an overwhelming margin last night over Greg Pettis, the Cathedral City Councilman. Pettis, narrowly avoided a third place finish against Rick Gonzales, who ran a strong campaign in Imperial County.

Major thanks and kudos to the RCFO [Rancho Cucamonga Field Office] members and staff who came out and sweated through four weekends of precinct walking for Perez, including the 30-40 CSEA faithful on the ground in Coachella each day for the big push leading up to the Primary Election yesterday. We were the most organized, most dedicated, and most numerous union members on the ground by far engaged with the Perez campaign. This is an undeniable fact commented on by everyone in the Perez camp, not the least of which was the candidate, Manuel Perez.

Major thanks and kudos to the SDFO [San Diego Field Office] members and staff who came out to work the Perez Campaign in Imperial County. Perez’s success in Imperial County was due in large part to Ruth Duarte-Vasquez, who worked the Imperial side of the AD80 equation with a small, but very dedicated group of member release timers. Ruth’s deep knowledge of the community, and personal relationships with CSEA members and the community was part and parcel to our success in Imperial County. We had just a few short weeks to weld together a Riverside/Imperial coalition of the CSEA faithful, and although it wasn’t easy, we found a way to break down the barriers that have kept us from success for so long in the AD80. I can confidently say CSEA was most likely responsible for as many as one-quarter to one-third of the 2,200 Perez votes in Imperial County and maybe even more. Without a doubt, CSEA’s efforts in Imperial County put our guy over the top. Once again, MAJOR KUDOS to Ruth Duarte-VasQuez for her work on this campaign in Imperial County.

Major thanks and kudos to Government Relations, which in working through Opportunity Pac, helped sort out a difficult primary when the Speaker’s Office didn’t have the will or the way to do so. I’m understating it when I say we dodged a bullet down here. Had Greg Pettis won last night, we would have already lost the General Election to Gary Jeandron, the Republican in the race. In addition, all of the ground organization and momentum in the Perez Campaign that other candidates have been feeding off and plugging into (such as our DSUSD [Desert Sands Unified School District] school Board candidate, John Mendoza, and Julie Bornstein, the CD45 candidate) would have simply evaporated.

For those of you who weren’t on the ground yesterday, or who left after a hard day of GOTV activities, I want to share with you some of the events of last night. The voter turnout was abysmal, but those voting were overwhelmingly Perez votes. Still, at about 7 p.m. last night, it was gut check time. Were there enough actual Perez voters to overcome the Palm Springs voters, who traditionally vote at a much, much higher turnout rate? And what about the absentee ballots? We knew they’d to go to Greg Pettis, but when Riverside and Imperial posted their first numbers would Perez be down by 1,000 votes or 3,000? That was the mood of the campaign at 7 p.m.

When the Victory Celebration Party began in earnest at 8:30 p.m., we had little information from Imperial, and only the VBM information posted on the Riverside Co. website. We were down over a 1,000 votes and losing 45% to 30%. Keith Matheny, the outstanding reporter from the Desert Sun was in the room in Coachella reporting the events. Matheny, you may recall, was the reporter who did the “Bonnie’s Bed” story in 2006, and most recently the Mosquito District exposé. His co-worker, Marcel Honore, was camped out at the Pettis’ camp’s party, and Marcel and Kieth were communicating every 5-10 minutes by cell phone.

At 8:30 p.m. things started to get strange. Perez’s camp was subdued, but the energy was hopeful and it was building. At about 8:40 p.m, with no real data yet from either county, Greg Pettis puts out a press release and states to the Desert Sun that he is “looking forward to Lincoln-Douglas style debates with Gary Jeandron.” AT 8:40 p.m. with BASICALLY NO RETURNS OTHER THAN VBMs. PETTIS ALL BUT DECLARES VICTORY!!! What arrogance! What stupidity. Since the Dems have lost the 80th three times in a row due to Imperial County voters, making any statement about winning to the press before Imperial County votes have been counted (much less Indio and Coachella) shows an abject lack of judgment, as well as a fundamental misunderstanding about the structure of the 80th Assembly District.

As the returns started coming in from Imperial County, we began to close the gap. The Pettis camp put out another press release changing their tune saying that voter turnout was going to be the “X-factor.” By 10:30 p.m., we were running 3-1 over Pettis in Imperial County and actually winning the county narrowly over Gonzalez. A surge due to advertising blitzes by Gutierrez never materialized for the Dentist, and it became a two man race in Imperial County. Most significantly, Pettis had only some hundreds of votes in Imperial at that time. Manuel Perez was speaking to the crowd of supporters when the next Imperial County update hit. Perez had picked up nearly 600 more votes, while Pettis got about 80! For the first time, Perez took the lead, a lead he did not relinquish. A roar erupted from the area where the computers were, and everyone in that room started to feel that Perez was going to win. There is no way to explain the energy in that room. People had just poured themselves into that campaign, and for most of the time, they didn’t believe they were going to win. So. when the win started to materialize. it was pandemonium.

At about 10:45 p.m., the Pettis camp stated that they were confident of a Pettis win, and their numbers “based on the 2006 model” showed Pettis winning the primary by “186 votes.” Marcel Honore, the Desert reporter, is a bit of a wag. He asked, the Pettis spokesman, if he was sure Pettis would win by “186 votes” and not 182, or maybe 189. In any case, the Pettis camp left a few minutes, later. It was crickets in Palm Springs. Meanwhile, in Coachella at the Perez Victory Party, the Mariachi Band (really!) was kicking up a storm. It turned into a landslide victory for Perez.

For months, Pettis’ camp has attacked CSEA as a “rogue” union. The Riverside/San Bernardino CLC initially did not even bother to interview the other AD80 candidates before making a decision to back Greg Pettis. CSEA delegates to the Democratic Convention were attacked as “racist, homophobic bigots” multiple times in the Desert Sun for standing up to Pettis and vacating his Democratic Party endorsement at the Convention in San Jose. The Desert Sun did everything possible to slight Manuel: they left his picture out in one column, omitted his name in another, got his job and employer wrong in another, slammed him in another, printed other candidates press negative press releases verbatim, and built up Pettis as the straw man the whole way, ultimately endorsing Pettis in the very real hopes that the Republican would mow him down in the primary.

My wife and I were slammed in the Desert Sun and on the on-line blogs for daring to write an editoral that suggested that “democrats ignore Imperial County at their own peril,” while questioning Pettis’ insider clambake of the Democratic Party endorsement through Democratic Club votes. And then there was the initial difficulties of CSEA unifying Riverside/RCFO [Rancho Cucamonga Field Office] and Imperial/SDFO, [San Diego Field Office] which almost didn’t happen. It was touch and go there for a little while, especially for a Labor Relations Representative from the Coachella Valley who appreciates and respects, more than anyone will ever know, the capacity of the members and staff in Imperial County, which is perhaps the single most difficult place in California to represent CSEA members.

All of that was going against us.

We won anyhow.

We’ll win in November.

Post-script:

There was something absolutely magical happening in Coachella yesterday, and I just “got it” on an emotional level. RCFO staff may recall Manuel Perez, while doing the big “rah-rah” yesterday, got a bit emotional introducing his mother. Perez’s mother worked in the fields as a laborer for 27 years. She is a first generation immigrant from Mexico, and her son was on the precipice of becoming the Democratic candidate for the General Election. She was in tears, as were many others. It was certainly a loving moment between a mother and her son, but it was something much, much more. It was something so uniquely American, and yet something so rare, that it overwhelmed some of the Perez volunteers, not to mention the CSEA staff and members in attendance. It was the shared success of an immigrant family in America. It was hope. It was the validation that a poor kid from Coachella, who went to underfunded, hard-scrabble schools, who struggled to learn English, who had little resources, and only hope that America could provide him opportunity for his dreams: the opportunity to go to college, even to go to Harvard if he worked hard enough; and to run for an Assembly seat, and actually win – all of this came to the forefront for a few moments. It was generations of work and sacrifice, and decades of hope distilled into one moment.

The whole fact that the Perez family’s story is possible in America, and yet still not very probable, is why we must do everything possible to help him win in November.

Dale Wissman Dale Wissman is a Labor Relations Representative with the California School Employees Association. He represents classified school employees in Coachella Valley and surrounding area. He is also an appointed delegate to the DSCC from the 80th Assembly District, and is my cousin. This article was originally written as a thank you to CSEA members and others who volunteered on the Manuel Perez Assembly campaign and is reprinted with the author’s permission.

Zander’s response:

Nice. Just when I was about to offer my services to help MP win the west valley, which we could have done togeter- this.  My reaction is let the pompous arrogant Wissman – die in November.

Manny doesn’t deserve this rant. Manny is better than this. He is gracious in winning and so is Amalia. My not very sainted mother told me not to be a bad winner..this is beyond the pale.  Wissman’s mom failed him in that lesson.

Just when we were going to start the Kum bay a oh well …I have better things to do….sorry Manny.  What a jerk is Mr Wissman, and we could have won in November by joining together.  Not now.

Obama, Bornstein, and the hate initiative are priorities.  Thank you sooo much.

George Zander

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Well, well, well.  Just when I thought that the Victor Manuel Perez for 80th Assembly District campaign was intimately involved with the current sleeze campaign being waged against Greg Pettis, Democratic Candidate for 80th Assembly District, they just might have proved me wrong.  The recent mailings by Opportunity PAC to voters in Palm Springs, the Coachella Valley, and Imperial County have voters alternatively scratching their heads and guffawing in uncontrollable laughter.

For the past two days, I have been blogging about Perez’, shall we say, creative resume.

More below the flip…

Perez and his campaign sent out fact sheets to the voters of the Coachella Valley and Imperial County stating that he is ‘Director of Community Health & Advocacy’ at his place of employment.   Perez ‘sold’ this idea that he was a ‘healthcare’ worker’ to the California Nurses Association in seeking and obtaining their endorsement for the 80th AD.

When I placed calls to Perez place of employment in order to speak with Perez re his resume and credentials for Assembly, employees at the Borrego Community Health Foundation informed me that Perez was in fact ‘Facilities and Maintenance Manager.’  Seems a far step from Director of Community Health & Advocacy.

Check out the Borrego Community Health Foundation website.  Now, they have changed Perez’ job title at the Centro Medico Mobile Unit as “Director of Community Health and Advocacy/Site Manager.”   From the description of the mobile unit, it really sounds like Perez merely drives the mobile unit around town delivering services to the community.  A far cry from “Director of Community Health and Advocacy.”  Just what does Perez really do for a living?  What are his responsibilities at Borrego, really?

It seems more and more likely that Perez has seriously embellished his resume.

Much to the chagrin, I am sure, of the Perez campaign, the shadow campaign against Pettis being conducted by Opportunity Pac and its $450,000 treasure chest, at the expense of the working families of the Coachella and Imperial Valleys, has now inadvertantly highlighted Perez’ creative resume writing.

As every Democrat with a mailing address in the 80th Assembly District now knows, Opportunity PAC is deluging voters with hit pieces and slander against Pettis and his campaign.  Mind you, Pettis has been Cathedral City Councilmember for more than 13 years, is former-Mayor Pro-Tem of Cathedral City, has been elected to Cathedral City Council three times in a city that is 58% ethnic and racial minority, has been endorsed by The Desert Sun, Lt. Gov. John Garamendi, State Controller John Chiang, Board of Equalization Member Judy Chu, the entire LGBT Caucus in Sacramento, all of the local Democratic Clubs, and sits on various boards and organizations that meet the the healthcare, environmental, and education needs of the voters and families of the Coachella and Imperial Valleys.  In contrast, Perez has been the Vice-President of the failed Coachella Valley Unified School District that is now in State Trusteeship and now holds a job that is anyone’s guess as to what the job title is or what its responsibilities might be.

Now on to the Opportunity PAC inopportune mailings.  One of the first hit pieces, approximately eight more to follow according to the Fair Political Practices Commission filing by Opportunity PAC, has a Latina woman on the cover slamming Pettis.  Today’s mailing has another hit piece with a Latina who appears to be the same woman on the cover slamming Pettis again.

Same woman, but a different job title.   Perhaps she communtes between her healthcare position at Desert Regional to her teaching position in Thermal.

It conjures up the creative resume writing of Perez, his campaign, and his employer, Borrego: same man, same name, different job titles.

In any case, last night at 7:00 p.m., Opportunity PAC filed intent with FPPC to spend another 44K on the anti-Pettis hit piece, ‘field,’ and phone banking expenses.  Thus far, Opportunity PAC has filed intent with FPPC to spend more than $500,000, extraordinary in an Assembly race, in hit pieces against Greg Pettis.  Again, one just has to wonder what Opportunity PAC, its AFL-CIO-labeled ‘rogue unions,’ and their ilk expects in return from a lowly Assemblymember if elected.

BTW, if this were a Republican campaign, expecially that of McCain, Schwarzenegger, or Bush, the blogosphere would be all over this outrageous activity.  These are Rovian tactics applied in a Democratic campaign for State Assembly.  Seems that certain bloggers have turned a blind eye to the doings of Opportunity PAC and the Perez campaign.  Makes one also wonder.

More hilarity to come on this tomorrow regarding Perez’ creative resume writing and changing job titles!!!!

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Victor Manuel Perez, his campaign for 80th Assembly District, and his employer cannot seem to agree on his job title.  Wondering here why the major discrepancies.

Perez and his campaign sent out fact sheets and fliers to the voters of the Coachella Valley and Imperial County stating that Perez was ‘Director of Community Health & Advocacy’ at his place of employment, the Borrego Community Health Foundation.  Perez also ‘sold’ the idea that he was a ‘healthcare worker’ to the California Nurses Association in seeking and obtaining their endorsement for the 80th AD.

However, when I placed calls to the Borrego Centro Medico Mobile Unit where Perez works, employees informed me that Perez was in fact ‘Facilities and Maintenance Manager.’  Seems a far step from Director of Community Health & Advocacy and healthcare worker.

More below the flip…

Check out the Borrego Community Health Foundation website to see a picture of the Centro Medico Mobile Unit where Perez is either ‘Facilities Maintenance Manager’ or Director of Community Health & Advocacy,’ depending on whether you believe the campaign literature or the employees of Borrego.

Now, Borrego recently changed Perez’ job title at the Centro Medico Mobile Unit to ‘Director of Community Health and Advocacy/Site Manager.’  What a success this candidate is, he just keeps climbing that corporate ladder.

Just what does Perez really do for a living?  What are his responsibilities at Borrego, really?

It seems more and more likely that Perez, his campaign, and his employer have colluded to seriously embellished his resume.

Centro Medico Mobile Unit

“Health Care to You” Outreach Program

Base:

55557 Campus Road

Thermal, CA  92274

Phone: (760) 399-4526

Fax: (760) 399-4421

As a major part of the Borrego Community Health Foundation’s outreach program, the mobile unit improves access to health services by transporting medical care to the homes and workplaces of Coachella Valley residents.  The Mobile Clinic “Health Care to You” program travels throughout the Coachella Valley and visits Thermal, Mecca, Oasis, east Indio, Desert Hot Springs, and other areas.  The Mobile Unit focuses on primary care, well children, youth and preventive health and education services.  Se Habla Español.

Centro Medico Mobile Unit promotes environmental and community health by extending health services to local residents through health fairs, community sites, churches, schools, farm worker sites and residences.  The Centro Medico Mobile Unit operates on weekdays, weekends, early morning hours, and evening hours.

The Community We Serve

Although we provide medical care to people from all walks of life, our programs are specifically tailored to low-income, underserved, and hard-to-reach communities as well as migrant farm-worker sites.  The “Healthcare to You” program also serves local school districts and indigent populations with quality medical services at low or no cost.

Clinic Hours of Operation

Clinic hours and schedule vary depending on season (BluePalmSpringsBoyz note: and depending on Perez’ campaign schedule)…

…Director of Community Health and Advocacy/Site Manager

Manuel Perez, ED. M. has over 15 years experience in farm worker health issues and 5 years in community health and advocacy in a community clinic setting.  He was born and raised in the Coachella area and is currently a Coachella Valley Unified School Board Trustee.

Interesting that Perez is 35 years old according to his biography and yet he has over 15 years of experience in farm worker health issues as well as 5 years in community health and advocacy in a community clinic setting.   Seems that he has been working in the healthcare field since he was 15 years old.  (Seems that Perez went to the Hillary Clinton resume building school for success.)  Wondering how he was able to fit in his Bachelor’s degree as well as the Ed.M., another 5 years to account for.

Add to this the fact that Perez touts his background as including being raised in Imperial County.  This is news to the Rick Gonzales and Richard Gutierrez campaigns. Gonzales and Gutierrez were born and raised, for real, in Imperial County.  Locals, in a small town society, know that Perez was not raised in Imperial County.

Will check out his website and do some more fact checking.  More to follow.

Democratic Candidates’ Stands on Marriage Equality

Aspectes Xposted at 5/18/2008 10:50 AM PDT on MyDesert.com in BluePalmSpringsBoyz Blog

Greg Pettis, Cathedral City Councilmember and former Mayor Pro-Tem of Cathedral City has consistently supported Marriage Equality and has stated publically and unequivocally at Democratic Candidates’ forums that he would vote for Marriage Equality if elected to the California State Assembly

Rick Gonzales, Community Development organizer with Wells Fargo, has stated publically and unequivocally at Democratic Club Candidates’ forums that if elected to the California State Assembly he would vote against Marriage Equality

Richard Gutierrez, dentist, has stated publically and unequivocally at Democratic Club Candidates’ forums that if elected to the California State Assembly, he would vote against Marriage Equality

Victor Manuel Perez, now former-Vice-President of the Coachella Valley Unified School District, has equivocated in public on Marriage Equality.  At Democratic Club Candidates’ forums, Perez avoided taking a position for or against Marriage Equality and has not indicated in public how he might vote as a member of the California State Assembly.

Perez states publically that he favors equal treatment for the LGBT community, but at each Democratic Candidates’ forum, when questioned, Perez equivocated, failing to answer how he would vote on Marriage Equality if elected to the State Assembly.  Favoring equal treatment and non-discrimination is not the same as stating a voting position.

The people of Coachella and Imperial Valleys need to know where Perez stands prior to the June primary, not after the November election.  It would behoove the Perez campaign and benefit the people of the 80th AD for his positions on LGBT issues and related position papers to be posted on his website.  One can only imagine why his spokepersons hold that Perez supports Marriage Equality when the candidate has not spoken to a possible vote.

The LGBT community cannot afford another Bonnie Garcia-type politician in the State Assembly who opposes equal rights for the LGBT community and who votes against the best interests of a major constituency.

News from the Palm Springs Village Fest Voter Registration and Democratic Candidate Tabling last night: Victor Manuel Perez fired his Campaign Director, Amalia Deaztlan, then rehired her this week.

Interesting that since the electronic filing deadline is approaching and the primary is less than 30 days away.

Deaztlan was similarly fired and rehired by the campaign of David Roth, Candidate for the 45th Congressional District during Election 2006.

This week, three members of the Coachella Valley Unified School District (CVUSD) endorsed the candidacy of Rick Gonzales for the 80th Assembly District to replace the termed-out, thank God, Bonnie Garcia (R).  Gonzales works for Wells Fargo as a comunity housing investor.

The news behind the endorsements is that this is a repudiation of the leadership of Victor Manuel Perez on the board and of his Candidacy for the 80th AD.  Seems that Perez’ major claim to the nomination is his ‘credentials’ on education.  Backers claim that Perez has the unified backing of the education community in the Coachella Valley.  Not.

More below the flip…

Perez serves on the CVUSD and the executive committee as its Vice-President.  As such, Perez was intimately responsible for the ill-advised decision on the part of the board to seek Federal funds that, according to The Desert Sun, lead to the CVUSD being the only board in the state threatened with state sanctions to actually be placed under state-sponsored trusteeship this year (see my previous posts).  The state made it clear that acceptance of the funds by CVUSD board was the primary determining factor in its decision to place the board and the Superintendant under state trusteeship.

Now, three of the members of the CVUSD board, Gloria Maldonado, Anna Rodriguez, and Maria Elvia Rios, according to the Rick Gonzales for State Assembly website, have rejected the candidacy of Perez and have endorsed Gonzales.  Whether they repudiate Perez for his part in the ill-conceived decisions of the board or for other reasons remains to be seen.

As they have done to others during the campaign in the Coachella Valley and here on Calitics, including with this blogger, the Perez campaign is attempting to smear the actions of these three boardmembers and to label them as the problem with the CVUSD board.  (This approach seems so familiar.  Remember the Bush tactics used against its detractors?)  Rather than innuendo, mudslinging, and slander, it is up to the Perez campaign and its blogger to address the voting patterns of Perez and the CVUSD boardmembers for the benefit of the reader to see if in fact these were recalicitrant board members or if they were in fact the ones who were shall we say ‘transformational.’

Oh, and just to be fact-based, here is the evidence for the fact that the education community in the Coachella and Imperial Valleys are not supportive of Perez for the 80th AD:

Rick Gonzales for Assembly Endorsements in Education:

Gloria Maldonado, Coachella Valley Unified School Boardmember

Anna Rodriguez, Coachella Valley Unified School Boardmember

Maria Elvia Rios, Coachella Valley Unified School Boardmember

Irene Padilla Salazar, Vice-President Brawley Elementary School District

Marion Long-Former Imperial Valley Community College Board Member

Norma Sierra Galindo– Imperial Valley Community College Board

Louie Wong– Imperial Valley Community College Board

Carlos Acuña– Imperial Valley Community College Board

Tim Asamen – Former Westmorland Elementary School Board Member

John Moreno — School Administrator, Calexico Unified School District

Enrique “Pinky” Alvarado–Calexico Unified School Board

Eduardo Rivera –Calexico Unified School Board President

Enrique “Pinky” Alvarado–Calexico Unified School Board

Eduardo Rivera –Calexico Unified School Board President

Gloria Santillan — Former Brawley Union High School Board Member

Helen Noriega — Brawley Union High School Board Member

Rusty Garcia — Brawley Union High School Board Member

Joe Padilla — Brawley Elementary School Board Member

Cesar Guzman — Brawley Elementary School Board Member

Michael Romero — Brawley Educator

Kathy Prior — Brawley Elementary School Board Member

More on the various candidate stances on education later this week.

XPosted 4/25/2008 10:36 AM PDT on MyDesert.com in blog by BluePalmSpringsBoyz

Been away on vacation and come back to major doin’s on the 80th Assembly District campaign trail.  Nicole Brambila (staff writer for The Desert Sun) penned an interesting article today (on mydesert.com) that explains that the Fair Political Practices Commission needs more time to investigate the claim by Greg Rodriguez, candidate for the Palm Springs Unified School District, Hillary Clinton delegate to the Democratic National Convention this summer in Denver, and a supporter of the Greg Pettis for 80th AD that the Victor Manuel ‘Slick Manny’ Perez campaign violated campaign ethics.

Here are portions of Brambila’s article:

The Fair Political Practices Commission requested more time to look into whether it will investigate a formal complaint against an 80th Assembly District candidate (Perez).

Greg Rodriguez, who supports Democratic candidate and Cathedral City Councilman Greg Pettis, filed the complaint against Democratic candidate and Coachella school board trustee Manuel Perez on April 4, accusing him of failing to disclose who paid for his campaign advertising…

More below the flip…

Now, it seems that Dale Wissman, a supporter of Perez and a labor relations representative with the California School Employees Association, filed a FPPC complaint against Richard Gutierrez, another Democratic candidate for the 80th AD.  This after the Perez campaign went off the deep edge about the Rodriguez complaint.  Interesting, what apparently is good for the goose has become good for the gander.  The Perez campaign complaint against Gutierrez claims that Gutierrez had not submitted semiannual and pre-election campaign statements nor disclosed contributor information.

The FPPC was created in a ballot initiative in 1974, investigates violations of the Political Reform Act and can assess a $5,000 administrative penalty. A violation of the political reform act is a misdemeanor.

The only other Democrat in the June primary race is Rick Gonzales, a community development manager for Wells Fargo.  Apparently, the Perez campaign also has plans for Gonzales, according to my source at Palm Springs Village Fest last evening.  In my estimation, the Perez campaign has suffered greatly in the past weeks under the examination of the media regarding Perez’ failures as Vice-President of the Coachella Valley Unified School District.  Recently, the State of California placed only the CVUSD out of 97 Districts threatened under trusteeship for the CVUSD board and Superintendant’s failures to achieve academic goals under the Federal program “No Child Left Behind.”  And, recently, in a significant blow to the Perez campaign, two of his colleagues on the CVUSD endorsed Gonzales for the 80th AD race.  Seems that even his acquaintances and friends are questioning Perez’ capabilities and accomplishments!

The presumptive Republican candidate, former Palm Springs Police Chief Gary Jeandron, is running unopposed and has his own problems.  This blogger has reported extensively regarding Jeandron’s failures on the Palm Springs Unified School District as it was also threatened with trusteeship for academic failures and for his failures as Palm Springs Police Chief in his failure to develop and institute an significant department program to address the problem of crime in the neighborhoods or to deal with the methamphetamine crisis in Palm Springs.  Jeandron has consistently been an absense on the PSUSD and in the PSPD in the development of any program that would help to achieve community goals.

The campaign intensifies and fur flies.

Posted 4/17/2008 10:26 PM PDT on MyDesert.com

Earlier this week, The Desert Sun and its online edition, mydesert.com, detailed the California Fair Political Practices Commission complaint against the Perez campaign for the 80th Assembly District for unfair practices during the California Democratic Party convention in San Jose.  For the entire article, refer to FPPC Complaint Alleges Candidate Skirting Campaign Advertising Disclosure.

The California Fair Political Practices Commission confirmed that someone had filed a complaint against 80th Assembly District Democratic candidate Manuel Perez accusing him of failing to disclose who paid for his campaign advertising.

The complaint was filed by Greg Rodriguez, Democratic activist and candidate for the Palm Springs Unified School District, against the failed Coachella School Board trustee April 4, 2008.  Seems that Rodriguez has had enough of local failed school board officials and soiled campaigns.

“It’s obvious some people want to manipulate rules and don’t want to follow them,” said Greg Rodriguez, who filed the complaint. “I think everybody needs to be scrutinized by the rules they follow.”

More below the flip…

Rodriguez is a candidate for the Palm Springs Unified School District board and a Sen. Hillary Clinton delegate to the Democratic National Convention in Denver later this summer.  Pettis, a Cathedral City Councilman and former-Mayor Pro-tem, is the leading candidate and leading fundraiser of the four Democratic contenders for the 80th AD.

According to The Desert Sun,

Perez says he’s complied with the law.

“It’s one thing or another,” he said. “We’ve got more important things to do like walk the streets and talk to voters.”

Apparently one of the more important things that the Perez campaign has to do is voter intimidation in the Coachella Valley.  Perez’ Campaign Director, Amalia Deaztlan, was reported to intimidate one of Pettis’ Latino supporters and endorsers at the Democrats of the Desert Annual Banquet on Saturday, April 5, 2008, harshly pinching him in a manner usually applied by Latino adults to recalcitrant children, telling him after he refused to switch his allegiance from Pettis to Perez, “You are no longer one of us!”  In addition, Perez supporters have attempted to intimidate Pettis bloggers and diarists with threats and accusations.

Created with a ballot initiative in 1974, The Fair Political Practices Commission was created in a 1974 ballot initiative to investigate campaign violations of the Political Reform Act and imposes administrative penalties.

The FPPC will notify Rodriguez in writing by Friday whether the department will investigate or not, said Roman Porter, a department spokesman. Porter would not speculate on the merits of the complaint.

“One advantage of having a formal complaint signed under penalty of perjury is to reduce frivolous complaints,” he said.

State law requires disclosure on campaign advertising when advocating for or against a candidate or ballot measure.

Perez supporters created and distributed fliers advertising the Perez candidacy at the CDP convention in order to attempt to revoke the party endorsement of Pettis for the 80th AD which he obtained with over 70% of the Democratic Club votes at the Moreno Valley confab.  Perez supporters created the advertisements without any FPPC-required denotations as required for the mass production of campaign materials.  Perez supporters to date have not reported exactly how many fliers were created for distribution.  Under FPPC regulations, mass-produced advertisements are often regulated when created in numbers of 200 or greater.

Manuel Perez, Vice-President of the failed Coachella Valley Unified School District and Candidate for the 80th Assembly District, and his campaign, have allegedly fun afoul of campaign ethics with campaign violations in two campaign scandals, according to my mydesert.com blogger source at Palm Springs Village Fest.

First, someone who volunteers for the Perez for Assembly campaign, was allegedly using her office computer to mail out campaign materials for the Perez campaign.  My source is in possession of an original piece of email from the campaign worker.

Now, as anyone who has worked in an office environment in the past 15 years knows: “Do not use your office computer for personal use, otherwise your job is in jeapardy!”  Well, not only did this employee apparently use her office computer to produce mass emailings for the Perez campaign, but she worked for the County of Riverside!  Not only is her job in jeapardy, but she violated State of California campaign law in her endeavors.  The Perez campaign has not addressed to what extent it was involve in the production and distribution of the fliers.

My source eventuall contacted Roy Wilson, Supervisor in the County of Riverside and a newsreporter at The Desert Sun, Nicole Brambila.  According to my source, Wilson has conducted an investigation and found that two, count them, two Perez campaign workers and/or volunteers have been using County of Riverside computers to do campaign work for Perez.  When the Perez campaign found out that its skullduggery had been found out, it cried ‘Mudslinging!’ and ‘Republican talking points!’  Seems that the Perez mouthpieces went apoplectic.

Wilson instructed County supervisor(s) to conduct an investigation and to act accordingly.  In addition, thousands of County employees received emails from the County reminding them that it is against the law to use County computers, offices, etc. to conduct campaign work.

Second, the Perez campaign mass-produced and distributed campaign materials that omitted the required by law disclaimers that are required one each piece of campaign materials.  Bethcaskie, blogger shill for the Perez campaign was observed handing out hundreds of the illegal fliers at the California Democratic Party convention in San Jose.  Greg Rodriguez, local Democratic activist, filed a complaint with the FPPC on Monday, March 31, 2008.

Seems that the Perez campaign has in disarray without adequate leadership and direction, unable to direct and/or manage its volunteers and/or staff.  An organized and well-directed campaign would not make these kind of mistakes, first not instructing their workers to not use office computers, let alone County resources, to further the campaign, and second, not vetting the campaign materials for irregularities and illegalities.

The Perez campaign response to the allegations is to label Rodriguez and other Pettis supporters as ‘mudslingers’ and adherents to ‘Republican talking points.’  Seems that the Perez campaign loves to see itself as the victim.  Not a pretty sight that.

What is going on over at the Perez campaign?