OC Blog

Lefty Blogger Continues Re-Writing Measure D History

The post-Santiago fire "blame Measure D opponents" myth-making continues apace. The leading blogosphere propagandist for this effort is Robert Cruikshank -- "Robert from Monterey -- and he resumes his attempt (commenced in October) to pin blame for the Santiago fire on pernicious "anti-government, anti-union" elements in Orange County with this November 1 offering on Daily Kos under his dKos nom-du-blog "eugene" (and re-posted on Calitics and California Progress Report).

In Robert's world, Measure D --  -- was defeated by "anti-government ideology."

Those of us who lived in Orange County during the battle over Measure D -- the measure offered by the OCPFA to increase the OC Fire Authority's share of Prop. 172 sales tax revenues -- know is was more than anything a fight between OCPFA and the rest of the local government unions, led by the Association of Orange County Deputy Sheriffs and the Orange County Employees Association.

Other than an a brief reference to an over-the-top analogy by Steve Greenhut, Cruikshank gingerly tip-toes around that reality. The way he misrepresents the Measure D campaign is akin to saying the Crimean War was between the Russian Empire and the Kingdom of Sardinia.

More OC Political Post-Mortems

FR Blog contributors Adam Probolsky and Matthew Cunningham put forward some of their thoughts on Tuesday's special election and the fallout here in Orange County.

Mr. Probolsky also puts in his two cents on the Cassie DeYoung/TriTunnel contretemps, harking to the pitfalls of consultants driving your philosphy, rather than the other way around.

FlashReport Interview With Sen. John Lewis on Measure D

FlashReport.org publisher Jon Fleischman has an exclusive interview with former Sen. John Lewis, the No on Measure lead consultant, in today's edition:

Fleischman:  Senator Lewis, you served as senior consultant for the No on D campaign.    Congratulations on the win, were you surprised?

John Lewis: Thanks, Jon.  Those of us in the No campaign could feel the tide turning about a month ago.  We were worried that we may have peaked a little early, maybe a week or so early, but as soon as the absentees came in we knew our worries were for not.

Both conventional wisdom and political insiders predicted your campaign would have a near impossible task of overcoming the incredible popularity of firefighters in general.  How did you overcome that obstacle?

First, we had a terrific team assembled in this campaign.  Chris Jones, Matt Holder and I have collaborated together on many successful campaigns but it was my first time working with Pete Mitchell and he is a professional’s professional.  The four of us made an awesome team.

Second, the County’s political leadership came together as a united front to oppose this tax grab.  I am indebted to Sheriff Carona for convincing me to take on this effort and for his behind the scenes lobbying which resulted in putting our team in place.  Chairman of the Board of Supervisors, Bill Campbell was an integral part of this team.  He and the other four Supervisors stepped up to the plate big time in this campaign displaying a united front that impressed voters.  Supervisor Norby also deserves to be singled out for his enthusiasm and hard work.

Finally, I was bowled over by the tenacity, enthusiasm and determination by the two big dogs in this campaign, the Association of Deputy Sheriffs and the Orange County Employees Association.  In years past, AOCDS President Wayne Quint and I have crossed swords on a few campaigns.  It is a lot more fun working with him than going toe-to-toe.  The job that Wayne and Nick Berardino did for their respective memberships was nothing short of spectacular.

You can read the rest of the interview at FlashReport.org.

On Open Letter From "No On D" Consultant John Lewis

Former Senator John Lewis, the lead consultant for the No on Measure D campaign, asked if I would post this "open letter" here on the venerable OC Blog. I, of course, graciously agreed:

It took a great team effort to turn a “sure win” initiative into a landslide loss at the polls.  I want to publicly acknowledge and thank those members of the No on D team who went the extra mile in this campaign leading to our decisive win yesterday.

I first want to thank Sheriff Mike Carona.  It was the Sheriff who encouraged me to accept this campaign task and who lobbied Wayne Quint and AOCDS to bring us aboard.  Among other things, Sheriff Carona was instrumental in providing the financing that allowed the Orange County Republican Party to send out their very effective Republican slate mailing which prominently featured No on D.

Wayne Quint and Nick Berardino did their respective memberships at AOCDS and OCEA proud.  Nobody worked harder than these two and their association memberships are lucky to have these two bulldogs at the helm.

A special note of thanks goes out to all five Orange County Supervisors – Chairman Bill Campbell, Vice Chairman Tom Wilson, Jim Silva, Chris Norby and Lou Correa, whose steadfastness and unanimity on this issue was rewarded by the voters.  Particular thanks goes out to the Board Chair Bill Campbell for his leadership from day one on this issue.  Mark Denny deserves special recognition for the weekends and after hours he surrendered to this campaign.  Supervisor Chris Norby deserves to be singled out as well.  His passion and enthusiasm for sound public policy were on display throughout this campaign.  Eric Norby and Bruce Whitaker of Chris’ staff also contributed in many ways.

Once the Republican Party endorsed the No on D effort, Scott Baugh became an effective communicator on behalf of the effort.  Hours before the Republican Party endorsed, the California Republican Assembly endorsed as well.  Special thanks to Scott Voigts for his efforts in securing such an important endorsement.

A number of high profile Orange County political leaders like Santa Ana Mayor Miguel Pulido stuck their necks out when this issue was in doubt.  District Attorney Tony Rackauckas was with this campaign from the beginning and he was later joined by Senator Dick Ackerman, Assembly members Todd Spitzer and Chuck DeVore and a number of local elected officials including four of my favorites, Mission Viejo Councilman Frank Ury, Westminster Councilman Kermit Marsh, Anaheim Councilman Harry Sidhu and President of the Orange County Board of Education Alexandria Coronado.  State Senator Tom McClintock’s willingness to endorse in an Orange County campaign was a huge plus for the campaign.

Needless to say Matt Holder, Chris Jones and I have collaborated on a number of campaigns in the past, but this was the first time that as a group we worked with campaign wiz Pete Mitchell.  Together we crafted and executed a solid blueprint for victory.

A big thanks to Jubal, Green Machine, and the Sarge for keeping our morale up.  Lastly, props go to all the hundreds of volunteers who walked precincts, phone banked and hung signs.

Thanks to everyone for one helluva ride.

Cordially,

John Lewis

De nada, Senator.

Final Unofficial Measure D Result

The Election Day balloting didn't budge the overwhelming anti-D absentee numbers:

Yes     140,227     26.8%

No      383,632     73.2%

Measure D -- R.I.P.

Measure D -- absentee results:

Yes      55,361    26.2%
No      156,233   73.8%

Ouch.

Stick a fork in Measure D. It's done.

Man, it looks like election night -- at least for OC -- is over as soon as it started.

Let the recriminations begin.

UPDATE: I'll can't make a final judgment until all the results are in, but it looks like Sergeant from Tin Star is going to win the OC Blog beer stein! His prediction: No 66%, Yes 34%.

Measure D Mailbox: November 7, 2005

A reader sent me this new Yes On Measure D mailer:

Yes, the mailer implies Gov. Schwarzenegger endorses Measure D, but the way that commission's conclusion is presented is fair game within the usual bounds of campaign communications.

However, this mailer -- which obviously targets Republican voters -- uses the Republican Party logo. My understanding is a campaign cannot do that without the GOP's permission -- which the Yes on D campaign could never get because the Republican Party of Orange County officially opposes Measure D.

What makes this even more interesting is the involvement of OC Blog friend Jim Lacy -- Dana Point Councilman, OCFA Director, and a leader of the Yes On D campaign. A Lacy quote, in his capacity as co-founding director of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayer's Association (HJTA), adorns the above mailer.

Readers will remember that about 7-10 days before the Oct. 4th 48th CD primary, the Marilyn Brewer campaign sent out a mailer using a copyrighted picture of Howard Jarvis. The copyright is held by the HJTA and the Save Proposition 13 Committee -- neither of which gave the Brewer campaign permission to use it.

Here's an excerpt of The Successor Project Blog's commentary on that episode:

There is still time for Campbell and HJTA to mail a response to this mailer. Candidates who use these techniques usually suffer severe repercussions – unless they are used so late in the campaign that the other side has little time to respond [emphasis mine - ed]. This could’ve been an effective piece, but Brewer’s campaign shot itself in the foot by sending it so early.

TSP is a Jim Lacy project, although my understanding is he is not the only TSP director with posting privileges on their blog, so I don't know if Jim authored that particular post.

Still, it's interesting that the Yes On D campaign followed that advice and sent out the above mailer "so late in the campaign that the other side" -- in this instance the GOP whose logo is most likely being used without permission -- "has little time to respond."

...And Over At Tin Star Blog

The Sergeant has some new posts over at his Tin Star blog. He blogs about Prop. 75 and lambastes Cosat Mesa Mayor Allan Mansoor for his support for Prop. 75. Love ya, Sarge, but in a free country no person should be compelled to fund political activities. What's the harm in asking permission before using dues for politics?

Sergeant also takes a look at the respective financial situations of the Yes and No on D campaigns and apparent yard sign shenanigans by the firefighters (I'm shocked!).

Measure D Mailbox: Yes On D Trifecta!

Boy, it was a Yes On Measure D trifecta today. First, I received a robo-call from Dan Point Councilman Jim lacy urging me, in the spirit of Governor Schwarzenegger's "Year Of Reform" to vote for Measure D. Then the mailman brought me an oversized Yes On D postcard promising that Measure D will mean "More firefighters" -- which is an excellent reason to vote against it.

I also received the California Club for Growth newsletter, which urges me to vote Yes on Measure D This slate is produced by one of our advertisers, Landslide Communications. Jim Lacy is a partner in ladnslide, so no one should be shocked it's carrying a Yes on D message.  However, I do have to complain that Yes on D blurb strongly and misleadingly implies that Schwarzenegger supports Measure D.

Measure D Mailbox -- October 29, 2005

This mailer from the No On Measure D campaign hit my mailbox yesterday: