Hit Piece On Foley Is Despicable

I AM REALLY TICKED-OFF!
Today in my mailbox appeared a hit piece on Costa Mesa Mayor Katrina Foley in an attempt to discredit her with casual voters - those who only pay attention to local politics during an election season.

LIE-FILLED HIT PIECE
This hit piece, paid for by a group called "Keeping Californians Working" in San Rafael, CA, is so blatantly full of lies that it boggles one's mind.  I've provided images of the front, back and inside so you can see the full extent of the lies involved..

LIES AND MISREPRESENTATIONS
On the inside you will see several newspaper headlines, an attempt to link Foley with the bad news each one portrays.  They are called "bad decisions" by Foley.  In fact, in most cases she was not even on the City Council at the time.  In other cases the situation misrepresents the facts.

NEARLY A MILLION BUCKS ON LIES
I'm told the slimeballs who paid for this piece of trash spent nearly $1 million to distribute their falsehoods to Orange County households.  Their desperation about the possibility of Katrina Foley finishing first or second in the upcoming March 3rd Primary Election is obvious.  There are three (3) candidates for State Senate - Incumbent Republican John Moorlach, newcomer Democrat Dave Min from Irvine and Mayor Katrina Foley.

PRESUMING GOP INVOLVEMENT
We presume my Republican Party is responsible for this crap.  They know that Moorlach will have a hard time holding his seat if he has to go head-to-head with Foley, but he can likely crush Min.

MY PARTY HAS LOST IT'S WAY
I don't know what's happened to my party.  The leadership certainly seems to have lost it's way somewhere since Ronald Reagan's tour as President.  Locally, they continue to shoot themselves in the foot and clearly are no longer in tune with the electorate.

CATASTROPHIC INFIGHTING
You will recall a couple years ago when Scott Baugh tried to eviscerate incumbent Congressman Dana Rohrabacher in the primary race.  The terrible stuff that appeared in our mailboxes about those candidates - particularly those criticizing Rohrabacher -  was awful... and it backfired.  Rohrabacher managed to survive the primary election and was paired up against Harley Rouda, a former Republican-turned Democrat.  Then, in the race headed to the General Election, Rohrabacher failed to debate Rouda and ended up losing the seat he had held for 30 years!

MOORLACH IS A GOOD GUY.... BUT....
I like John Moorlach.  He's a smart man and has a record of accomplishment in county government, but he is very outnumbered in the State Senate, where only 10 of 40 Senators are Republicans.  He has almost NO chance of making a difference in Sacramento.  What I DO NOT like is that he's apparently willing to let surrogates act to defame and flat out lie about Foley in order to retain his seat.

I LIKE KATRINA FOLEY
Foley is my friend.  I've watched her as a City Council member and as a Trustee on the Newport-Mesa Unified School District Board of Trustees and admired her dedication to our city for two decades.  She is smart, tireless and has a vision for Costa Mesa that is now coming to fruition.  She is a multi-tour mayor, having been elected by her peers, then - in a purely political move - was voted out of that spot.  She then ran for the seat as the first directly-elected mayor in the city's history and crushed then-incumbent and multi-term councilwoman Sandra Genis - one of the perpetrators of her earlier ouster.

I DON'T LIKE THE LIBERAL AGENDA
As a lifelong conservative I am not happy with the way the liberal majority in Sacramento is taking our state.  I disagree with almost every move they make, from the squandering of public funds to declaring California a Sanctuary State - spitting in the eye of the Federal Government, upon who we depend for funding of many projects.  Am I worried about Foley - another liberal politician - facilitating that which I find onerous?  A little.  However, I've watched her work.  She knows how to build consensus.    I will vote for her in the primary election.

WHY THE LIES?
I retired this blog nearly 3 years ago, but this nastiness has so angered me that I felt it was necessary to write about it.  Each of you will have to use your own judgment on this issue... just know that you are being lied to and ask yourselves why...

OC GOP Lie-filled Hit Piece

OC GOP INFLUENCE
During this nastiest campaign season I can remember much has been made of "outside influences" on the local campaigns in Costa Mesa.  Each side has pointed fingers at the other and whined about mailers being produced by parties not representing the residents of the city that lie, misrepresent issues and otherwise confuse the voters.  From the look of the stuff in our mailbox lately, I can tell you that BOTH sides have good reason to complain.  Here's an example of what I mean.

THE MESSAGE FROM BAUGH
Over the weekend Scott Loenhorst, Executive Director of the Republican Party of Orange County (OC GOP), sent out the following message to the party faithful:

(Click on the images to enlarge) 

A MAILER WAS INCLUDED
That little note was accompanied by the images of the front and back of a mailer that will likely appear in our mailboxes early this week.  They are full of lies, but most folks will just believe them.  For example, the front says "The highest paid City of Costa Mesa Employees DON'T call our city their home...."  "Our city.."  Really?  Baugh lives in Huntington Beach!  And, their list includes "Interim Fire Chief" and "Chief Executive Officer", both of whom DO live in Costa Mesa.  The rear of the mailer is full of similar lies.  You just can't trust these guys!

TO THE OC GOP - "BUTT OUT!"
This kind of institutionalized interference with our local issues gives you a pretty good idea of what I've been saying for years - that the OC GOP, led by Scott Baugh, is trying to make Costa Mesa an experimental petri dish for their plans to remake local government.  They've planted Baugh's pal, Jim Righeimer, in our midst and are using our city to perpetuate their onerous plans and Righeimer's political future.  And they don't mind telling lies to do it.

TRY TO SORT IT OUT IF YOU CAN...
Please keep that in mind as you try to sort the facts from lies when you fill out your ballots.

**********

A SIMPLE CHOICE...
So, while you're contemplating that, don't forget that this year the choice is simple...

Lest There Be Any Doubt...

CENTRAL COMMITTEE ENDORSEMENTS
Last night the power elite of the Orange County Republican Party (OCGOP), members of the Central Committee, met to determine which brave souls and/or issues on the ballot in November were worthy of the Central Committee's endorsement.

THE PARTY PANCREAS
Like most Republicans in Orange County, I'm not one of those well-connected folks that form the pancreas of the of the local Republican Party - those who help the body-politic process and digest the political information available to it to, eventually, pass on through the system the blessing of candidates who are deemed sufficiently "right-thinkers" and will toe the party line in important local votes.  No, I'm just one of those guys who benefit from, or suffer the consequences of, the actions of those who are an integral part of The Party alimentary canal.

 INSIDIOUS ENTERTAINMENT
As is the case with many such organizations, unanimity is a rare thing.  Reading about the hijinks at these meetings as posted on blogs and on social networking sites can actually make for some entertaining reading.  That was the case with the meeting last night.

 PARTY OPERATIVE TELLS US ALL...
Chris Nguyen, who posts on the OC Political blog - the site that has picked up the slack as the old Red County blog has gone through a slow, painful death - posted a running commentary of the event last night.  You can read his running commentary HERE.  As a true Republican, I find myself wondering how I could get the movie rights for these things - truth being stranger than fiction.

ONE SIMPLE STATEMENT SAYS IT ALL
Which brings me to the reason for this long preamble to the important issue that occurred at the meeting.  As you scroll down through the chronology you'll find an entry at 7:31 that says, innocently enough, the following:

"7:31 PM: Baugh speaks of the Costa Mesa Charter Amendment being a priority of the Republican Party."

NO DOUBT!
In case there was ANY doubts about the attempt by the OC GOP to influence our local politics and the way our city is governed, that simple little statement of fact should erase them.  The fact that Baugh feels Jim Righeimer's Charter is a "priority" for them is quite telling.

BAUGH AS EMPEROR?
I've written many times in the past about the relationship with OC GOP Chairman Scott Baugh and his pal, Costa Mesa Mayor Pro Tem Jim Righeimer.  To say they were tight would grossly understate the relationship.  And to say the OC GOP was trying to control every element of governance in our city would grossly understate that fact.

ATTEMPTING TO CONTROL OUR LIVES
If you look down the entire list of endorsements approved by the OC GOP Central Committee, HERE, you'll see many familiar names.  In every race that affects Costa Mesa - City Council, Mesa Consolidated Water District, Costa Mesa Sanitary District and Jim Righeimer's Charter, Measure V - the Central Committee has endorsed their fair-haired children.  And you can be certain that we will soon see slate mailers funded by the OC GOP in our mailboxes touting those candidates and issues.
  

GIVE THEM THE... RASPBERRY!
In my opinion, the interference by the OC GOP in our local races - theoretically non-partisan positions - is unacceptable and an egregious abuse of their power.  That being said, we know it's happening and it's important for all the voters of this city to understand that outside influences are attempting to take over our city.  We can figuratively give Baugh and his pals a big raspberry on November 6th by voting for candidates other than those endorsed by them and by rejecting Jim Righeimer's self-serving Charter. 

 AND NO "Ms" FOR ME!

They're Back! (Amended)*

ONCE AGAIN...
You will recall that, back in May, I told you about a probable infestation of our City Council meeting by outside agitators from the Orange County Young Republicans, HERE.  We'll, they're back at it again.

CALL TO ACTION
In an Action Alert sent out this week those rabid young misguided folks are being asked, once again, to flood our city council chambers at the meeting tonight - when the council WILL vote to place Jim Righeimer's Charter on the November 6th ballot.

IMPORTING YOUNG ELEPHANTS
This time the flames of this Action Alert are being fanned by a guy named Dave Everett, HERE, who apparently recently left his position as Executive Director of the OC GOP for a position with the Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC).  In correspondence provided to me he exhorts the troops to rally at City Hall at 6:30, luring them there with the promise of pizza and a chance to visit the Fair.  Well, the Fair is dark on Tuesdays, so these gullible, easily-manipulated young folks will be disappointed.  That's a lesson they'll learn more than once in their young lives if they don't begin thinking for themselves instead of following the OC GOP script.
 
LEAVE BRAINS AT HOME
Speaking of which, in his correspondence Everett asks these young people to wear RED shirts in a show of solidarity - they wore black last time - and tells them that he will provide them with SCRIPTS to read to the council.  Oh, yeah, Young Republicans... just leave your brains at home... we'll provide everything you need - pizza and a script!

"TRANSPARENCY" AT WORK HERE
In his correspondence Everett says, "For ABC, we are trying to get charter's up and down the state for cities, so that our members are not excluded from bidding on contracts for those cities...".  It looks to me like Everett has become the reincarnation of Kevin Dayton - the shill for the ABC who almost incited a riot in council chambers back in February, HERE and HERE.
 
MARCHING ORDERS ARE CLEAR
I've mentioned many times that the changes being attempted in Costa Mesa by Jim Righeimer and his pals on the council are actually being guided by marching orders from Scott Baugh and the OC GOP.  Here is yet another example of them trying to influence the APPEARANCE of broad public support for these schemes.  One could interpret this as a recognition by the current council majority that this bogus scheme does NOT have broad community support so they're trying to stack the deck purely for appearance purposes - to make it appear that folks who will actually be impacted by Jim Righeimer's Charter are supportive of it.  Personally, I find it offensive that these guys think it's necessary to import agitators with no skin in the game - especially when NOTHING that will be said tonight is going to change the fact that the four members of the council WILL vote to place the charter on the ballot.

ARRIVE EARLY
If you plan to attend the council meeting tonight - it begins at 7:00 p.m. - I suggest you plan to arrive a little early if you want to have a seat.  Everett has rallied his young troops for 6:30.

MY CHUCKLE FOR THE DAY
I had a chuckle when I read the Action Alert mentioned above because they linked to two of my previous posts and referred to my blog as a "liberal blog".  Me, a lifelong Republican, being painted by the FAR RIGHT wing of my party as a liberal makes me smile.  These guys just keep doing the same things over and over again, failing every time, and getting closer and closer to the cliff of irrelevancy.  If they don't soon change their tactics the Republican Party in California will be only a memory - and that's not a good thing for any of us.

I'll report on the meeting later tonight.  See you there.


*STILL NOT SHOWN ON WEB SITE!

By the way, despite several telephone calls,  at 1:30 Tuesday afternoon - less than 6 hours until the Charter meeting time and less than 5 hours for the Special closed session at 6, the City still has NOT shown the two council meetings on their schedule of events on the City home page.  Instead, they continue to show the following image.  So much for transparency, huh?

CM4RG Announces Candidate Endorsements

CHOICES ANNOUNCED TODAY
In a press release this afternoon the group, Costa Mesans For Responsible Government, announced the candidates they will endorse in the Costa Mesa City Council race.  Their complete press release is at the end of this post. SOLID CITIZENS...
Although they undertook a thorough vetting process to arrive at their endorsements - dozens of their membership voted on this issue - the results really did not surprise me.  The candidates selected are former mayor Sandra Genis, attorney and long-time Costa Mesa resident John Stephens and entrepreneur and activist Harold Weitzberg.  They all are members of CM4RG.  That, in my opinion, does not degrade the importance of this endorsement. 

...FROM A SOLID GROUP

Costa Mesans For Responsible Government has been portrayed by supporters of the slate of candidates that includes two incumbents and a planning commissioner as some kind of a fringe element - a bunch of loose cannons.  That, of course, is far from the truth.  This group, cobbled together more than eighteen months ago in response to their concern for what they saw happening in our city, is made up of hundreds of residents that cover a broad range of political viewpoints - including some of my fellow Republicans.  This group may be a perfect example of the old saying, "Politics makes for strange bedfellows."  I suspect the process they went through to arrive at this list of endorsed candidates may have been very much like herding cats. 

 OPPOSITION CANDIDATES NOT VETTED

It's my understanding that Steve Mensinger, Colin McCarthy and Gary Monahan - the three candidates touted by the Orange County Republican Party - as well as newcomer Al Melone were NOT vetted by the group.  In fact, the first three are a big part of the reason CM4RG exists.

AN INTERESTING SEASON AHEAD
The CM4RG candidates, in my view, are individually strong candidates with their own special skills and history of accomplishments.  I believe they will make this campaign season especially interesting. 


WHAT OF LESTER AND KRUPP?
I'm not sure what these endorsements will do, if anything, the candidacy of Sue Lester and Marshall Krupp at this time.  Krupp has given very strong indications that if he was unable to garner wide, strong community support that he would withdraw from the race.  I guess we'll soon see.  August 10th is the drop dead date.

NO "M"s FOR ME!


From my standpoint this process got a whole lot easier today.  I simply will not vote for anyone with a surname that begins with an "M".

So, let the games begin...

*****

CM4RG PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Costa Mesans for Responsible Government Endorses Three Candidates for Costa Mesa City Council

Costa Mesans for Responsible Government (CM4RG.org), a grassroots, non-partisan organization formed to encourage and promote high levels of openness, accountability, integrity, and responsiveness in our City Government, endorses Sandra (Sandy) Genis, John Stephens, and Harold Weitzberg for Costa Mesa City Council in the upcoming November 2012 election.

"We are pleased to have three strong candidates who oppose the city charter in its current form and who have the ability to communicate the change needed in Costa Mesa city government," said Robin Leffler, President of CM4RG.  "Our endorsed candidates have strong professional backgrounds and thoughtful, common-sense solutions for Costa Mesa.  

We believe Sandy Genis, John Stephens, and Harold Weitzberg will work well together because of their common values, in-depth knowledge of the city's operations, land development, local, state, and federal laws and how they affect residents, taxpayers, local businesses, and city employees.  We understand they will focus on public services to protect the residents and businesses and promote the smooth operations of our city.  They have the experience and willingness to deal with complex budget issues in a collaborative and constructive way. Finally, Sandy, John, and Harold have proven that they will do the right thing for the right reasons.  We could not be more pleased."

CM4RG established a non-partisan, three-tier process to select quality candidates, based on several criteria.  These included prior involvement in Costa Mesa issues and institutions, education and professional experience, ability to win in a highly competitive election, and a high level of agreement with CM4RG’s mission and policy positions.

An elected committee conducted personal interviews.   A panel of dedicated volunteers observed these interviews.   Then a summary of answers from each of the candidates was prepared presented to an appointed group of CM4RG members assembled to represent our broad based demographics, including every major political party and area of the city.  The group of CM4RG's non-partisan, grassroots members was presented with a choice of 5 candidates interviewed.  After group discussion a secret ballot was cast.  The vote was unanimous for Sandy Genis, John Stephens and Harold Weitzberg. 

CM4RG was formed in early 2011 to return Costa Mesa to an open, responsible, transparent government that is responsive and accountable to its people.

For more information about Costa Mesans for Responsible Government and how you can support their efforts, go to www.CM4RG.org. Join us on Facebook at facebook.com/cmforrg and on Twitter at twitter.com/CM4RG.

- 30 -

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.