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.

XPosted 4/7/2008 11:46 PM PDT on MyDesert.com by BluePalmSpringsBoyz

Overheard Saturday night at the Democrats of the Desert Awards Banquet at the Las Rancho Palmas Resort, the decision to seek to close the Cathedral City medical marijuana clinic was made by Mayor Kathy DeRosa (R), Mayor Pro Tem Charles England (R), and Councilmember Chuck Vasquez (R-Closet Case) who voted to close the clinic.

Councilmember Greg Pettis (D), Candidate for the CA 80th Assembly District, and Councilmember Paul Marchand (D), Candidate for Mayor of Cathedral City, voted to support the clinic but were overruled by the Republican majority on council.  In fact, Pettis was slated to appear at an event to support medical marijuana patients at Copy Kats last night, but the event was postponed.

More below the flip…

According to a Cathedral City source for background, Cathedral City council, under the auspices of DeRosa, has a policy to apparently vote on issues in private and to not announce the individual votes of the councilmembers.  This is really “Small Town in Mass Society” (Vidich) mentality.  Anyway, the Desert Sun never printed who voted what way as the specific vote was never announced as per usual.

Seems that DeRosa, England, and Vasquez are out of step with Californians overall and Cathedral City residents who favor keeping the clinic open to service patients diagnosed with cancer, chronic pain, glaucoma, HIV/AIDS, etc.  Isn’t this the same party that opposes stem cell research?  What kind of family values does the Republican party really have?

Seems that the electronic filing deadline for Election 2008 CA 80th Assembly District came and went without me making any comment on the results.  Well, whether you like it or not here comes my late bloomer blogging about the March 24, 2008, filing.

Greg Pettis, Mayor Pro-Tem of Cathedral City and Democratic candidate for the 80th AD lead all Democratic and Republican opponents in this filing.  Pettis raised $54,980.43 during this filing period, spent $52,371.86, and has $31,062.71 cash on hand.

Gary Jeandron, boardmember of the Palm Springs Unified School District and presumptive Republican candidate for the 80th AD raised $38,093, spent $39,754.34, and has $148,039.3 on hand campaign monies.

More below the flip…

Manuel Perez, Vice-President of the Coachella Valley Unified School District and Democratic candidate for the 80th AD raised $18,334, spent $22,788.90, and has $31,541.74 cash on hand.

Rick Gonzalez, Wells Fargo Community Development Corp. employee, raised $17,047.93, spent $16,317.41, and has $32,403.63 in available cash.

Richard Guttierrez, dentist, did not file.  Only candidates raising or spending $50,000 or more or who received a $5,000 donation are required to file electronically.  This means that Guttierrez raised less than $50,000, spent less than $50,000, and did not receive any donation in the amount of $5,000 or greater.

Overall, Pettis far-and-away outraised his Democratic and presumptive Republican opposition.  In fact, Pettis seems to have raised more money than his three Democratic challengers combined.  Pettis also outspent his three Democratic rivals combined according to the electronic filing.  Regarding cash on hand, though, each of the three Democratic campaigns have approximately the same funds in current accounts, though Perez at this rate is spending more each month than he is collecting in donations.

Even more interesting is the fact the Pettis outraised Jeandron in this reporting cycle.  In fact, Pettis raised fifty percent more campaign funds than did Jeandron.  Jeandron still has a much better campaign war chest as we head towards November.  In fact, observers have noted that Jeandron has begun to spend advertising monies on AirAmerica, a progressive talk radio station, that airs in the Coachella Valley on a local station.

At least in this reporting period, the donations in the Coachella Valley are mimicking those on the National level where Democrats are outraising and outspending the Republicans.  The difference is that on the National level, Democrats also have a huge campaign war chest.

In a brilliant parliamentary maneuver, the Victor Manuel Perez for CA 80th Assembly District campaign to replace the termed out, thank God, Bonnie Garcia (R-CA), the Perez forces by one vote were able to keep Greg Pettis, Mayor Pro-Tem of Cathedral City, from retaining the California Democratic Party endorsement for Assembly.  (Perez is Vice-President of the failed school board in the Coachella Valley Unified School District.)  However, the short-term battle victory may possibly cost the Democrats not only the 80th in the November general election, but also cost them the majority that they need to ignore the demands of the recalictrant minority Republicans in the Assembly.

A major factor developing in the campaign and one of which I have been consistently blogging on mydesert.com, the online edition of The Desert Sun, is the fact that Gary Jeandron, presumptive Republican candidate for the 80th AD is a boardmember of the Palm Springs Unified School District (PSUSD).  Recently, the State of California Board of Education threatened actions and/or sanctions against 97 school boards across the state that failed to meet state academic goals and the requirements of the Federally unfunded ‘No Child Left Behind.’  As a result, California threatened sanctions against the PSUSD and the board for the academic failures in the District.  Jeandron, as boardmember, and running for the 80th cites his education background and experience as instrumental to his qualifications for the office.  However, the threatened sanctions are a major demerit and campaign issue.

This is relevant to Perez as he is Vice-President of the failed CVUSD board which according to the State, had more problems than any other school district in California this year.

More below the flip…

The state actions against the CVUSD and its board are much more severe as their failures were more significant.  The CVUSD District was threatened with state takeover but the state action only involved installation of a trustee to oversee and possibly veto any District and/or board action (State assigns trustee to CVUSD to improve test scores):

“Coachella Valley Unified School District will get a trustee and a state-approved team of independent experts to help improve student test scores, state board members decided this afternoon.

The state board named Riverside County Superintendent Kenneth Young as the district’s trustee, which will give him veto powers over superintendent and board decisions.

But Young said he will work collaboratively with the district.”

The CVUSD was the ONLY district to receive trustee oversight.  Perez as V-P and long-term boardmember bears major responsibility for the failures of the District, its teachers, and its students.  That the CVUSD is suffering such consequences for the academic failures not only raises the question of Perez’ qualifications for Assembly, especially in the area of education, but also blunts the criticism of Jeandron.

If Democrats in the 80th Assembly District choose Perez as the candidate, one of the major issues in the campaign against Jeandron is either removed from the table due to mutual assured destruction on this issue or becomes even more of an issue given the CVUSD is the only District in the state that was assigned a trustee.

Having a ‘well-spoken’ or ‘charismatic’ candidate will not soften the damage to the local Democratic campaign to re-take this seat in November 2008.  Style will not win where substance can win.  Greg Pettis, Mayor Pro-tem of Cathedral City, unlike Perez and Jeandron, is untainted by the failures of the CVUSD and PSUSD school boards and Districts.  In addition, Pettis has the endorsements of State Assemblyman Mike Eng (D-49), Member California State Assembly Committee on Education, El Centro School Board Trustee Diana Newton, and Palm Springs Unified School Board Trustee Meredy Schoenberger.

(re full disclosure, BlueBeaumontBoyz is a Pettis for 80th Assembly District supporter)

Just got this information alert in from the Desert Stonewall Democratic Club, George Zander, Chair, on behalf of the Pettis East Valley and Imperial County 80th Assembly District campaign.  The DSD club is devoted to advancing equal rights for all, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity.  DSD supports the Democratic Party and Democratic candidates who support this mission.  DSD draws its strength from a nationwide network of individuals and clubs comprised of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) Democrats who are working to realize the following goals:

To educate the LGBT community and its supporters about the vast differences that exist between the two major parties on the issues of concern to the LGBT community;

To lead the Democratic party to improve its record on issues of importance to the LGBT community, and to work for the nomination of Democratic candidates from the local to national level, including qualified openly LGBT candidates who will be fully supportive of the fight against bigotry and intolerance;

To encourage the LGBT community to support and vote for Democratic candidates who are committed to defeating homophobia and prejudice; and

To work with the other local LGBT Democratic clubs and individuals to encourage and foster the creation of new clubs.

More below the flip…

The following is the alert from DSD:

Mr. Pettis’ campaign has continually taken the high road and has informed everyone connected with it to not say anything against the other Democratic candidates.  However, Victor ‘Manuel’ Perez has begun to get personal, and he has done it with the gay-card. Whispering to interviewing (Democratic) clubs that he is not part of an “alternative lifestyle…”

…(Pettis’) record in Imperial County and the Eastern Coachella Valley far exceeds any of his opponents, including Perez.  Greg Pettis worked as part of Riverside County Transportation Commission (RCTC) and the Coachella Valley Association of Governments (CVAG) on improving all grade crossings in Coachella and on improving Jefferson Road in Indio and La Quinta.

He chaired the Saving Immigrant Lives project in Imperial for two years and received an award from Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) and other groups for his work.

Pettis led the effort in assisting in technical writing and lobbying the California Transportation Commission (CTC) on behalf of the Brawley bypass.  He also helped get money for Hobson Way in Brawley.

Pettis served as the East Valley’s representative on SCAG for six years and appointed East Valley councilmembers to all subcommittees.  He also served as ex-officio on the Salton Sea Authority.

XPosted 4/4/2008 7:45 AM PDT on MyDesert.com on BluePalmSpringsBoyz blog (re full disclosure, BluePalmSpringsBoyz and BlueBeaumontBoyz are Greg Pettis for 80th Assembly District supporters)

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

First, someone who has endorsed Perez for Assembly, apparently has been 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 use her office computer to produce mass emailings for the Perez campaign, but she works for the County of Riverside!  Not only is her job in jeapardy, but she violated State of California campaign law in her endeavors.

More below the flip…

My source contacted Roy Wilson, Supervisor in the County of Riverside and a newsreporter at The Desert Sun.  According to my source, Wilson has conducted an investigation and found that two, count them, two Perez campaign workers have been using County of Riverside computers to do campaign work for Perez.

Wilson has instructed their supervisor(s) to conduct an investigation and to act accordingly.  In addition, thousands of County employees will receive or have now 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 has produced and distributed campaign materials that omit the required by law disclaimers that are required on each piece of material.  Soyinkafan, blogger on Calitics.com and local activist with the Perez campaign was observed handing out hundreds of these particular fliers at last weeks California Democratic Party convention in San Jose.  Complaints about the illegal campaign materials were filed on Monday, March 31, 2008, with the FPPC.

Seems that the Perez campaign is in disarray without adequate leadership and direction.  An organized and well-directed campaign would not make these kinds of mistakes, first not instructing its 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.

What is going on over at the Perez campaign?