Don't Forget To Vote!

UNDER THE WHIP NOW...
Well, it's almost over.  All the lies, deceit, sign theft and the blizzard of stuff coming from your mailbox is just about over.  Twenty-four hours from now we should have a pretty good idea about how the election in Costa Mesa is going to turn out, although I don't really expect to see the final numbers until the weekend if previous elections are any indication.
 

I'LL POST UPDATES TOMORROW NIGHT
I plan to post the preliminary results tomorrow evening.. I'm not sure how many times I'll post - it depends on how interesting the results are.  The results will be certified by the City Clerk sometime over the next couple weeks and the winners of the City Council races will be seated at the council meeting on December 4th.  I've already gone over my choices, but this is a final reminder for you.

COSTA MESA CITY COUNCIL
Vote for the Top 3 on the ballot - John Stephens, Harold Weitzberg and Sandra Genis
These three solid citizens each brings individual special skills to city government and have run an honest, clean campaigns unlike their 3M opponents, who have used lies and deceit to try to capture votes.  It's time to return honest, mature leadership to our city and to reject the Orange County Republican Party's attempt to turn it into some kind of a petri dish for social experimentation.

MEASURE V
Cast a NO vote for Jim Righeimer's Charter scheme - Measure V
This charter is ill-conceived by ONE man - Righeimer - to suit his own, personal political agenda and to curry favor with his OC GOP handlers.  IF Costa Mesa takes the leap as a Charter City, it shouldn't be with THIS charter and it shouldn't be now.  The attempt by Righeimer and his fellows on the council to rush this charter onto the ballot and their unwillingness to even consider improvements to it should make every voter apprehensive about their motives and VOTE NO!

MESA CONSOLIDATED WATER DISTRICT
Vote for Fred Bockmiller, Trudy Ohlig-Hall and Jim Fisler
Bockmiller and Hall have provided outstanding, mature, knowledgeable leadership to the MCWD for decades.  Their opponents - termed-out lame duck Mayor Eric Bever and Righeimer protege' Ethan Temianka - are part of a takeover plot to control and then combine both special districts.  They are marching to the tune of the OC GOP and should be soundly rejected.  Fisler should be chosen over Minuteman Dan Worthington.

COSTA MESA SANITARY DISTRICT
Vote for Art Perry and Jim Ferryman
Both Perry and Ferryman should be returned to their seats.  They've provided superior leadership to the district for decades.  Their challengers, Jeff R. Mathews and Don Harper, are part of that OC GOP plot to takeover the districts.  Mathews is an OC GOP insider who has bought his way to seats on the Parks and Recreation Commission and, most recently, onto the Planning Commission, replacing Jim Fitzpatrick.  They should be rejected.

74TH ASSEMBLY SEAT
Vote for Robert Rush
I covered my reasons for casting my vote for Bob Rush instead of Allan Mansoor and that decision was affirmed today when I saw an invitation from Mansoor to help work the neighborhoods in which he referred to Costa Mesa as "Ground Zero", echoing OC GOP Chairman Scott Baugh and Jim Righeimer for the past couple years.  Lock-step lemming Mansoor lacks the skills to do the job.  Rush, a moderate who recently became a Democrat, on the other hand, has the formal training as a numbers guy and the background as a salesman.  Those skills are necessary to do the job in Sacramento. 

PLEASE VOTE!
Please vote tomorrow.  If you don't participate you give up your right to complain...

Mansoor And Rush - Oh, My!

 A RARE VIEW
Take a little peek at that photo above.  It may be the last time you see these two men in a friendly handshake.

 LESLIE GUESSED WRONG
Yesterday the electorate apparently demonstrated that just throwing money into a campaign is not enough to sway their opinions and buy their votes.  I say that because, although Charlie Munger rained hundreds of thousands of dollars into Leslie Daigle's campaign for the past month or so, it didn't do any good.  Of course, the fact that Daigle dodged her opponents by refusing to face them in debates following her miserable performance at the Feet To The Fire Forum may have also contributed to her poor showing.  As you can see from the results of the 74th Assembly Vote below, not only was she trounced by the OC GOP anointed one, Allan Mansoor, but she trailed freshly-minted Democrat and political neophyte Bob Rush by more than 5,000 votes.

Official Results

  IT'S A LONG WAY TO NOVEMBER 

I don't think Mansoor can get too comfy with his showingat this point.  In November we're going to have a much bigger turnout.  The Presidental battle, apparently between the incumbent and Mitt Romney, alone will draw a crowd to the polling places.  And in Costa Mesa, where we expect to see large numbers of voters to decide about Jim Righeimer's Charter and whether or not he will maintain power on the city council on November 7th by who they choose to place on the dais with him.

WHAT WILL THE ELECTORATE DO IN NOVEMBER?
It will be VERY interesting to see whether the voters of the 74th Assembly District will choose to return to Sacramento an ineffective, unskilled politician - a lock-step lemming who marches to the drum that OC GOP Chairman Scott Baugh is pounding and who has a track record of ZERO accomplishments during his term - or will they choose someone who has demonstrated strong negotiating skills, can articulate his views, is a successful businessman and is a CPA, to boot, to help try to sort out the monumental difficulties that exist in the state capitol.  Hmmm, such a decision.. what will I do?

74th Assembly District - My Decision

THIS DARN BALLOT!
Today is the day I'll complete my absentee ballot for the June 5th primary election.  It will be in the mail Tuesday.  As always, part of it is cause for consternation.  For example, we have twenty-five (25) candidates for the United States Senate!  Who in the world has the time, or inclination, to try to sort through all those folks to make an informed decision?  Even if you try to vote a straight party line, trying to sort out those of your party from the others can make your head hurt.

MY CHOICE
But that's not the reason for this post.  Nope, today I'm going to tell you who I'm casting my ballot for in the race for the 74th Assembly District, and why.

RECENT POSTS
We've thrashed this issue around on this blog for a couple months.  To refresh your memory, you can read what I wrote about the Feet To The Fire Forum in April, HERE, and Leslie Daigle's reaction to that particular post the next day, HERE.  You can also read what I wrote about the candidate forum in Laguna Beach last Friday night, HERE.  That's the one Daigle decided to avoid, leaving only Allan Mansoor and Bob Rush to face the public and discuss issues.

CHECKING THE RESUMES
So, off we go.  Let me preface my comments by saying that I don't ever expect to agree with every candidate for any office on every issue.  While a lovely fantasy, it's not the way the world works.  I look at each candidate based on what they potentially bring to the office they're trying to achieve.  I look at their track record.  If they've held elective office before I want to know what they accomplished.  I want to know if they have the intellectual horsepower to handle the new job.  Does their academic history form a solid foundation for the rigors of the work ahead?  What kind of preparation for this job has their employment history provided?  Politics is, in great part, the art of negotiation, so I want to know if the candidates have shown us that they are skilled in that area.  Are they willing to compromise where necessary for the greater good, or do they dig their heels in and not give an inch?

LEADERSHIP
I also want to know if they've demonstrated the ability to build consensus in difficult situations.  Have they taken a leadership role when tackling tough issues?  Does their style unify or divide people?  In the case of the Assembly, since California is a very diverse state demographically, have they demonstrated the ability to reach across ethnic boundaries to solve problems?  Have they been effective in their professional lives and in other public positions they've held?  Will their personal lives - financial and otherwise - permit them to spend enough time in this new job?  What is their personal philosophy of governance?  What, or who, do they look to for guidance, mentoring, inspiration and financial support?  These factors, among many others, are things I consider when assessing candidates for any elected position and are among those I will look at when considering candidates for the 74th Assembly District.  Let us begin...

ALLAN MANSOOR
Allan Mansoor is a man about which I know a great deal.  I've watched him in action for eight years as a Costa Mesa City Councilman, including his multiple tours as mayor.  I actually knew a little bit about him before that, too.  He was a frequent commenter on the now-dormant Concerned Costa Mesa Citizens web site - basically a chat room created by some Costa Mesa residents as a place to "discuss" issues in the community.  Without going into all the lengthy details, suffice it to say that several items caught the eye of the local media - Daily Pilot reporter Lolita Harper wrote a 3-part expose' on the site - and the Orange County Human Relations Commission became aware of it and started nosing around.  One of the issues was the posting of anti-gay articles by Allan Mansoor who, at that time, was a member of the Costa Mesa Human Relations Committee.  Following the public scrutiny the owners of the site eventually just folded it up.  As a sidebar, during Mansoor's tenure on the city council the Human Relations Committee was unceremoniously defunded then disbanded without so much as a simple "thank you" to the participants, some of whom had devoted decades to the work done by that committee.

NARROW FOCUS
Mansoor was a career Orange County Sheriff's Deputy and, despite his presentation that he spent time in patrol and other assignments, most of his tour of duty was spent as a jailer.  That's not necessarily bad - those jobs are essential - but his performance on the city council clearly demonstrated that he had little, if any, grasp of real law enforcement.

 BIAS AND DIVISIVENESS MARKED HIS COUNCIL TENURE
During his tenure on the Costa Mesa City Council Mansoor was a divisive figure.  Although the son of immigrants - a badge he proudly wears and brings tears to his eyes in public - is personal animosity for the immigrant population of our city was evident in many of his actions.  Few will forget the night he had immigrants-rights activist Benito Acosta dragged from council chambers by a half-dozen officers and arrested.  That ham-handed handling of an already volatile situation split our city and cost hundreds of thousands of dollars in legal fees and Acosta's name continues to appear on warrants for payment to our legal counsel years later.  He was embraced by the radical right because of his "bravery" and made an honorary "Minuteman" by the Grand Pooba of that organization himself, Jim Gilchrist.

AN AMIABLE EMPTY SUIT
Mansoor's platform for the Assembly seat is founded on Pension Reform, yet during his tenure on the Costa Mesa City Council - including his time as mayor - he accomplished NOTHING in that area.  In his two years in the Assembly he has accomplished NOTHING.  He has shown no leadership in either job - which is not surprising to me, having watched him in action for more than a decade.  He is academically and intellectually unprepared for this job and his philosophy is only an echo of words provided for him by the leadership of the Orange County Republican Party, who have plowed lots of money into his campaign in the form of Independent Expenditures.

SPEWING THE PARTY LINE
In a recent post on his blog, Civil Thinking, my friend, Bruce Krochman addressed this race and said the following: "What Mr. Mansoor does bring, is the ability to stay in line with party leadership. In the broader scheme of things, of this group of candidates, that is the one quality that above all else makes Assemblyman Mansoor the one to vote for. "  And, in my opinion, that single characteristic is what makes him unworthy of my vote.  What we need in Sacramento are people willing and ABLE to work across the aisle to make things better for all Californians.  Mansoor does not possess the skills to do that - never has and probably never will.  He won't get my vote.


LESLIE DAIGLE
Leslie Daigle has been a HUGE disappointment to me.  I had high hopes that she would be a very viable alternative to Mansoor in this race.  She's been a member of the Newport Beach City Council for several years but I don't have a sense that she's been a consensus-builder in that role.  She won re-election two years ago, so I'm assuming the voters in Newport Beach thought she was doing a good job.  I WANTED to like her as a candidate and tried to establish a rapport with her early in her campaign.  Then came the Feet To The Fire Forum.

FEET TO THE FIRE FAILURE
At that event, which pitted the egos of some journalists against the egos of politicians, Daigle failed miserably.  She was clearly uncomfortable trying to field questions from some members of the press who may have had an ax to grind with her.  I was not the only person who felt that way following the event and when I wrote about it Daigle took extreme exception to my characterization.  I wrote about that, too.

CHARLIE MUNGER'S MONEY
Daigle has managed to win very significant financial support from the Chairman of the Santa Clara County Republican Party, Charles Munger.  His group has plowed somewhere in the neighborhood of $500,000 into her campaign.  My mailbox has been flooded with literature supporting her and bad-mouthing Mansoor - and vice versa.  I've saved them all.  I'm not so naive to think that tons of cash wouldn't be thrown into this race - there's a lot to lose.

A NO-SHOW - WHY?
Despite my plea - which went unanswered, by the way - Daigle decided to NOT participate in what is likely the last chance for the three candidates in this race to meet face-to-face and discuss issues.  Last Friday night only Mansoor and Rush showed up at the Laguna Beach City Hall for the debate sponsored by the League of Women Voters and other community groups.  A chair on the dais with her name on it remained reserved for her the entire evening.  I suspect, considering her poor performance at the Feet To The Fire Forum earlier, she and her advisers may have decided tactically to just blow off this event for fear of doing more damage.  Well, it didn't work.  I heard not a single comment in support of her absence from that event that evening.

AFRAID OF CONFRONTATION?
Despite her otherwise attractive - to me - more moderate positions on issues, if she is unwilling to discuss important issues with her opposition during a campaign, how in the world can we expect her to handle the interests important to the voters of the 74th Assembly District in Sacramento?  If she is afraid of confrontation she has NO chance of being effective up there.  Much to my disappointment - because I feel the Republican Party is letting this state slip away, and I feel we need strong, competent elected Republicans in both houses of the Legislature to improve things - I cannot support Leslie Daigle in this race.

ROBERT RUSH
Which brings us to Robert Rush - the political neophyte and freshly-minted Democrat.  I must tell you right off the bat, I wish Rush had chosen to register as a Republican for this race - he could have, after all.  His views on most issues are moderate, although he differs with the GOP party line on abortion and same sex marriage.  So, he switched from "Decline to State" to Democrat to run in this race.  I guess I understand why.

THE RIGHT SKILL SET
Rush, while never a candidate for any office before, has become an avid community activist.  He launched and led the battle against the proliferation of rehabilitation facilities in Newport Beach, a baptism by fire in anyone's book.  That activism didn't make him popular among many of the entrenched politicians in that city, but he plowed ahead.  And, he's a CPA and a very successful businessman, both of which are extremely desirable attributes for someone charged with trying to sort out California's abysmal fiscal situation.  He knows how to negotiate deals.

SELF-ASSURED MATURITY
He was, in the view of many people, the "winner" at the Feet To The Fire Forum, demonstrating an ability to think on his feet and speak off the cuff and knowing when to just quietly sit there and let those around him implode.  At the Laguna Beach forum he also did well, handling himself with self-assured maturity and never hesitating to answer tough questions.  He just seemed confident.   At the time I felt he and Mansoor had a draw for the evening.  My opinion was based purely on how they each did that night.  Their differences were clear, as were the many areas in which they shared a common vision for change.  The question, of course, which of them can get that change accomplished.

"HIS" PARTY IS SLOW TO EMBRACE HIM
The Orange County Democratic Party apparatus has been slow to embrace him.   I suppose that's understandable, since he's an unknown to them, too.  I'm OK with that.  It actually makes him a more attractive candidate to me.  However, he's done a good job of reaching out to Democrat enclaves over the past couple months and has generally avoided the mud-slinging that Mansoor and Daigle have employed in their campaigns.

MAYBE NOT SUCH A TOUGH DECISION AFTER ALL
And so, as this new, scary Open Primary permits - and although I'm a life-long Republican who has NEVER voted for a Democrat in a partisan race before - I'm going to lean over and mark my ballot for Bob Rush for the 74th Assembly District seat.  I've decided that it is unacceptable to place an incompetent ideologue - Mansoor -  who has no chance at all of accomplishing anything in Sacramento, in that chair.  And Daigle - who might have been my choice except for her unwillingness to engage her opponents - leaves me no alternative.  Although I disagree on some issues with Rush, his centrist leanings lead me to feel he has a much better chance of influencing issues that cry out for change than either of the other candidates.  If he manages to be one of the two candidates left standing on June 6th, the November election will be even more fun.

NEXT...
Now, back to the rest of the ballot.  Heck, since Diane Feinstein will probably have this thing wrapped up again, I might just vote for Orly Taitz for Senate, just for fun.

Mansoor/Rush Debate Roundup

MANSOOR AND RUSH - AND NO DAIGLE
Republican Assemblyman Allan Mansoor and freshly-minted Democrat challenger Rob Rush debated important issues before an attentive crowd at Laguna Beach City Hall Friday night.  Newport Beach councilwoman Leslie Daigle - also a candidate for the new 74th Assembly seat, was a no-show.  She notified the hosts earlier in the week that she would not attend.

MOSTLY SENIORS

More than 80 people, predominantly senior individuals, paid close attention as Mansoor and Rush responded to questions provided by the crowd.  Once again, it was strange to be one of the young people in the room, but I digress.  The event, produced by the League of Women Voters and others, was well-run and turned out to be very informative, if the tone of the crowd following the program is any indication.  Moderator Joan Hake and her team of question screeners and timers did a fine job of keeping the event moving along briskly, but with flexibility where it was required.  There was no cheering or jeering at this debate - a very pleasant change.

  BOTH WERE CORDIAL
Through the nearly 90 minutes of the program both Mansoor and Rush responded comfortably to more than 30 questions.  If there was ANY personal animosity between them it certainly did not show.  When they disagreed with each other they did so with maturity and professionalism.  Several of us wondered if that same cordiality would have existed if Daigle had shown up for the event.  Our guess was no, it wouldn't.

NOT SO DIFFERENT IN MANY AREAS
Mansoor, a far right Republican and Rush, a centrist Democrat, agreed on many more issues than I expected.  Two areas where they had very different views were on abortion and same sex marriage.  Mansoor is pro-life and does not support gay marriage.  Rush is pro-choice and does support gay marriage.  Although those subjects were mentioned more than once, they did not dominate the discussions.   

A SMOOTH, RANCOR-FREE PROGRAM
I won't try to provide a detailed analysis of every response, but will give you impressions of the evening.  My first impression was that both men came prepared and didn't fumble or stumble on answers.  The questions posed to them were done with courtesy and each answered with clarity and no hint of sniping at each other.

 MANSOOR - "PENSION REFORM"
A main theme ran through many of Mansoor's answers - Pension reform - including buying "Air Time" and pension spiking -  is key to solving many of the problems in Sacramento and throughout the state.  It was a constant drumbeat through the evening.

BROWN'S BUDGET
Both men disagreed with Governor Brown's fiscal program and didn't like the idea of raising taxes on folks making $250,000 per year.  Curiously, both dodged a question about what, specifically, would they do to help the 74th Assembly district, instead addressing issues that were statewide concerns.  Rush mentioned schools and Mansoor spoke of Pension Reform - again.

 DRIVERS LICENSES FOR ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS
They disagreed on whether illegal immigrants should be permitted to be tested for and receive California Drivers Licenses.  Mansoor said no and cited his legal immigrant parents.  Rush said yes, and cited the safety elements of having properly licensed individuals on the roads.

GUN LAWS
They disagreed on the need for more gun laws.  Mansoor says we have plenty of gun laws and Rush felt they were too lax, citing the ability for a person to acquire 9-10 guns a year.

SACRAMENTO GRIDLOCK
When asked what causes gridlock in Sacramento they had different answers.  Mansoor said "special interests".  Rush blamed it on the extreme right and lefts inability to compromise to get things accomplished. 

PROPS 28 AND 29
When asked whether they support two items on the ballot - Props 28 (term limits) and 29 (cigarette tax increase) - they had different answers.  Rush supported the term limits issue and had not made up his mind on 29, citing relatives who had died from cancer.  Mansoor opposed both.  He felt 29 would just funnel money to Sacramento that might be spent out of state and, regarding term limits, he felt they should be eliminated altogether.

SAN ONOFRE
Both men opposed re-opening the San Onofre Nuclear Plant, citing the age and shabby safety record.

 TUITION COSTS
When asked what should be done to lower tuition in state colleges Mansoor cited Pension Reform and Rush mentioned, among other things, Prop. 13.  Unfortunately, that's a subject that is near and dear to most in the room.  He was referring to Prop. 13 as it applies to business properties, not private residences.  That part of his message was not clear until much later.

REVENUES?
When asked about increasing revenues Mansoor said we need to change the things that are driving jobs from the state and again mentioned Pension Reform. Rush suggested further examination of expense cuts and, again, cited Prop. 13 - and again the crowd squirmed.  When asked whether they would sign a "no new taxes" pledge, Mansoor said yes and Rush said no.

PRISONER RELEASES
Both men opposed the new early-release program that is dumping convicted criminals into the counties and cities because the state prisons are full.  Mansoor expressed that there should be "no unfunded mandates" - programs foisted off on local jurisdictions without a funding mechanism in place.  And on and on it went. 

  OPEN DOORS VS. COMPROMISE
In closing Mansoor reminded everyone that his door is always open - a phrase that permeated much of his dialogue Friday night.  Rush plans to meet with as many groups as he can to continue to get the pulse of the district.  He reminded the crowd that his strength is negotiation and a willingness to compromise to solve problems. 

A DRAW
How would I score the participants?  Well, after much contemplation, I would have to say it was a draw.  As almost everyone knows, I'm not an Allan Mansoor fan, but he did well in this venue.  Bob Rush continues to show me that he has skills and more to be tapped.  If he landed in Sacramento I have no doubt that he could be an agent of change.  I can't say that about Mansoor.  He's had two years to show us something and has failed to do so.

 DAIGLE A ZERO
 I believe this is the final opportunity for the three candidates to discuss issues face-to-face before the election on June 5th.  Leslie Daigle missed a huge opportunity Friday night.  Instead, she gets a big ZERO for not showing up.  I'll be mailing my absentee ballot on Tuesday and there will not be a check mark beside her name.

NO POWER PLAYERS PRESENT
Interestingly, neither man had visible support from their Orange County party hierarchy.  Rush has not received the endorsement of the Democratic Party of Orange County, but Mansoor is the fair-haired boy of the OC GOP which is pumping a lot of money into his campaign.  Although each had an entourage of supporters and, in Mansoor's case, staff - none of the power players showed up.  I'm not sure how to interpret that.

 HOW WILL THE MONEY AFFECT THE RESULTS?
Now we'll see how the money being thrown around in this campaign will affect the results.  Daigle, as most know, has received a huge influx of cash from Charlie Munger from northern California - around $500,000 so far.  She and Mansoor are trading hit pieces almost every day.  Rush is spending MUCH less and it's very difficult to measure the impact he's having.  Since this is the first time we will have an open primary, cross-ticket voting may play a big part in determining which two of the three will be left standing on June 6th.  We'll see...

 OTHER VIEWS
In case you might be wondering what other folks are thinking about this race.  You can read my friend, Bruce Krochman's views from his blog, Civil Thinking, HERE.  And, you can read Jean Hastings Ardell's thoughts in her column in the Newport Beach Independent, HERE.

Daigle Dodges Debate, Again

LAGUNA BEACH ASSEMBLY DEBATE FRIDAY
On Friday, May 25, 2012 several civic-minded groups including the League of Women Voters are hosting what was supposed to be a forum for the three candidates for the new 74th Assembly District.  It was anticipated that all three, Leslie Daigle, Allan Mansoor and Bob Rush, would be on hand for an evening of lively debate beginning at 7:00 p.m. and running until 9:30 p.m. at the Laguna Beach City Hall, 515 Forest Avenue.

DAIGLE DECLINES
Unfortunately, Daigle informed the hosts that she WILL NOT be in attendance at the event Friday night.  She apparently provided no reason for her absence, leaving some of us to speculate.  After all, it's that time of the year, isn't it?

 FEET TO THE FIRE FAILURE
Some will recall that Daigle didn't perform well at the Feet To The Fire Forum a couple months ago.  You can refresh your memories by reading what I wrote at the time HERE and HERE.  That second one includes the exchange I had with her following the forum in which she seemed to blame everyone but herself for her poor showing.

MUNGER FOOTING THE BILL
I'm not going to try to figure out her strategy.  She's paying big bucks for that advice, or someone is.  Martin Wisckol, in the Orange County Register recently, HERE and HERE, tells us that Charles Munger, Jr. - a physicist and chairman of the Santa Clara County Republican Party - through his independent expenditure group, Spirit of Democracy California, has provided nearly $500,000 for Daigle's campaign.  I've seen many of her campaign pieces hitting my mailbox over the past week or so and also saw at least one television ad.

DUCKING CONFRONTATION
Maybe Daigle thinks that's all she needs to do - spend other people's money and duck the physical contact part of campaigning.  This isn't the first such forum she's avoided.  If she's so put off by confrontation, how in the world is she going to be an effective member of the California Assembly as a member of the minority Republican Party?  We all know what a miserable job Mansoor has done in Sacramento - how do we expect Daigle to do a better job when she won't even debate her fellow candidates?

I'LL ATTEND AND REPORT
So, I'll drag my old body down to Laguna Beach Friday night to hear what the other two candidates have to say and report back to you sometime over the weekend.  In the meantime, it's getting easier all the time for me to decide where I'm going to place my "X" on the ballot for the 74th Assembly District seat.  The top two vote-getters in the primary on June 5th will compete for the seat in November.  If Daigle doesn't change her tactics I doubt she'll be on the ballot then.  We'll see...

What Was He Thinking?!

TOM JOHNSON KEEPS ON RATTLING CAGES
Well, if my friend - maybe former friend - Tom Johnson wanted to shake things up in our neck of the woods when he took over running the Orange County Register's The Current recently, it looks like he's off to precisely that kind of a start.

MORE TO COME
You've read about his shredding of me for my characterization of his pal, Frank Mickadeit, on these pages.  Well, the edition of The Current that will be in news racks all over town on Friday will rattle a few more cages.

VENEZIA EVOKES VIOLENCE
In his commentary, HERE - in addition to suggesting he might support new Democrat Bob Rush for Assembly instead of Leslie Daigle or Allan Mansoor - Johnsom alludes to a comment from Barbara Venezia's piece on an adjoining page titled, "Newport Business Task Force On Shaky Ground", HERE.  In that piece Venezia quotes Newport Beach Chamber of Commerce head Richard Luehrs - responding to her question about an interest-free loan allegededly offered to the Chamber to help it out of a huge financial hole -  as saying, "This is highly confidential information and whoever leaked this should be shot in the head. I stressed to our board and executive committee how confidential this was."  Yikes and Double Yikes!


IS THIS LUEHRS' "DICK NICOLS" MOMENT?
I'm trying to imagine a circumstance where a respected member of the community - and a very highly visible one, at that - could possibly make that kind of a statement to anyone, much less to a columnist for a local news outlet.  This is fresh news, so it's unclear if this is going to be Luehrs' "Dick Nicols 'Mexican on the Grass'" moment or not.  Some will recall that then-councilmember Nicols made that unfortunate comment to then-Daily Pilot reporter June Casagrande several years ago and that gaffe stuck with him forever.
 

NEVER BORING IN THESE PARTS
Silly me - I thought the only controversial stuff happened on the Costa Mesa side of our common border.  There's never a dull moment in the land of Newport-Mesa.