OC Blog

Using Those Lanes? Get a Transponder!

A reasonable notion -- it you're going to use car pool lanes to the unfair exclusion of others who've also been taxed for them, then PAY FOR THEM.  From the Reason Foundation:

Turn Carpool Lanes Into Toll Lanes to Improve Transit
Cities can reduce traffic congestion and greatly improve mass transit service by turning existing carpool lanes into toll lanes that serve as the virtual equivalent of exclusive busways, according to a new Reason study. "It's time to rethink America's overemphasis on carpooling and revisit the advantages of buses," said Robert Poole, director of transportation studies at Reason and co-author of the report.

Complete story here.

Brewer Continues Chasing Democrat Votes As E-Day Nears

Marilyn Brewer increasingly seems to be pinning her hopes on Democratic voters making her the top Republican vote getter.

Yesterday, an alert reader e-mail me regarding a new Brewer mailer: a letter from Jerry Patterson, former Democratic Congressman and current Coast Community College District Trustee.

Echoing the CTA mailer earlier this week, Patterson asks his fellow Democrats to joining him in supporting Brewer because she shares their values. Which leads one to wonder why Republicans should vote for someone who shares Democrat values.

No doubt Patterson's endorsement of a nominal Republican will earn him grief from members of the fringe group commonly known as the Orange County Democratic Central Committee -- and no doubt it will have no impact on Patterson. It's a testament to Democratic impotence in the 48th CD that the most prominent Democrat Brewer can find to endorse her is the Democrat who was beaten by Bob Dornan (albeit before Dornan was certifiable).

TSP Overview On The 48th CD Race To Date

Here's TSP's take on where the race to succeed Chris Cox is at this stage:

Campaign Drawing To Intense Close

During this week before the election, mailboxes and cable airwaves were alive with advertising by the top three contenders to succeed Chris Cox. State Senator John Campbell clearly dominates the advertising war with practically two well-designed mailpieces a day falling out of mailboxes, including a very quickly produced but good quality negative piece highlighting the County GOP Ethics Committee rebuke of some of Brewer’s campaign statements. Campbell’s pieces feature his excellent line-up of endorsements and pictures of him with the President, Governor, and his family. But Brewer’s campaign has continued to make a showing including apparent highly targeted mailings with special messages to, for example, women and Democratic-leaning voters. While the Independent Expenditure effort of the Club for Growth helping Campbell appears played-out, a new IE in the mail has emerged from the “Main Street Individual Fund” that takes Campbell to task for being “wrong on immigration.” This theme is continued in the first evidence of an actual campaign from Jim Gilchrist, whose first piece of campaign mail rolled out late this week, which strongly attacks Campbell and features endorsements from Republican Congressman Tom Tancredo of Colorado. Gilchrist is receiving earned media from local radio talk shows and touts a strong volunteer effort. But Campbell appears to be in a very strong position.

OC Blog News Roundup -- Sept. 30, 2005

Today's top stories from behind the Orange Curtain:

'A Hint Of Optimism' In Democrats' Fight To Replace Rep. Chris -- OCR
But at what point does optimism become self-deception?

Voters Have Plenty Of Choices In The 48th CD -- OCR
The Reg opines about John Campbell, Marilyn Brewer and Jim Gilchrist.

Newport Beach Turns 100 -- OCR
The coastal city celebrates it's centennial.

3 Semifinalists Named For Great Park Design -- LAT
Didn't I see this in yesterday's OCR?

Placentia Gets $15.1 From California Transportation Commission -- OCR
Money is for traffic mitigation and eliminating rail crossings.

Firefighters Rescue Campsite -- OCR
Good job.

Frank Mickadeit: School Volunteers Form Their Own Union -- OCR
Frank writes about Fred Smoller leaving Forde Mollrich after finally gaining real political experience.

Once A Marine, Always A Marine -- DP
Leathernecks celebrate "Mess Night" at Balboa Bay Club.

Local Firefighters Battle Topanga Blaze -- DP
Costa Mesa and Newport Beach firefighters fight wildfire.

Brewer Stands By Mailer -- DP
Adios, Marilyn.

Embrace The Mexican -- OC Weekly
Gustavo Arellano writes on foru ways to make SanTana the Latino Capitol of the USA. Is Gustavo trying to give Allan Bartlett a heart attack?

'The Don King Of Cockfights' -- OC Weekly
He whipped Bob Dornan. Now Latino activist Nativo Lopez turns his attention to...[metaphor discontinued because this is a PG-13 blog] -- by Steve Lowery.

Wahsington Post Decides To "Ask The Mexican!"

Yesterday's Washington Post ran an article (pinche registration required) on Latino comedian Carlos Mencia, and consulted at length with our compadre Gustavo Arellano about whether words like "beaner" are offensive to Mexican-Americans:

Gustavo Arellano, a writer for the Orange County Weekly, an alternative newspaper, does a column called "¡Ask a Mexican!" He's heard the term all his life, but says, " 'Beaner' is now nearly an inoffensive term among many Mexicans." He says it sounds funny, outdated, retro -- "like calling an Italian a pizza-eater."

For an Anglo to use it as a pejorative, "it just means they're not up on their racial slurs." Arellano says it's not really used much among Mexican Americans, except as a joke. It has a connotation more like "hick," but it would probably be more common for Mexican Americans in California to call a recent arrival a "wab," he says, which he speculated in a recent column was the mongrelization of "wetback" and "wop," though several of his readers contend that it stood for "walk across the border," or some variation of that.

For the offended among the Latino community, Arellano says: "Get a life. Get some humor. The majority of Mexican Americans like Mencia because he uses those words."

Congratulations, Gustavo -- you are justly gaining fame and recognition as an arbiter of all things Mexican!

[H/T to Denis Bilodeau for hipping me to the article]

American Cancer Society's Relay For Life This Saturday

I received this e-mail from La Habra Council James Gomez:

Dear OC BLOG,

As you know one side effect cancer patients endure while taking chemotherapy is the loss of hair. In a display of support to all cancer patients everywhere I will have my hair shaved.

It will be done at The American Cancer Society's annual Relay for Life on Saturday, October 1st at Sonora High School located at 401 S. Palm Street.

Andrea Trujillo, a classmate of mine since the third grade will be shaving my head. Andrea is an  8-year cancer survivor (breast and brain cancer), whom I had not seen in 20 years (since high school).

Councilman Gomez reports that donations are down this year in the wake of Katrina and Rita. Our generosity toward the hurricane victims shouldn't affect our compassion toward those suffering from cancer year round.

If you'd like to contact Councilman Gomez about the Relay for Life, you can e-mail him here or

Marilyn Brewer Shines On Ethics Censure

Here is Marilyn Brewer's statement regarding her censure by the Ethics Committee of the Republican Party of Orange County for deceptive campaigning:

Marilyn Brewer reacted to the actions of the Orange County Republican Party Ethics Committee as follows:

“Our communications have been straight forward and clear. The Orange County Republican Party, having endorsed in the primary, loses any impartiality and credibility on issues like this or serving as the arbiter between candidates and this is a good example of why the party should not have endorsed. This group has done this before with Lynn Daucher and is merely an attempt to distract voters from the issues.  The party has demeaned itself and tarnished its image with rank and file Orange County Republican voters.  This is the act of a desperate candidate who knows he is on the wrong side of the issues with voters and is trying to distract voters with phony ethics complaints aided and abetted by people who are afraid I’m going to win.”

U.S. Chamber Of Commerce

This just in:

United States Chamber of Commerce Endorses John Campbell for Congress

(IRVINE, CA) The 3 million business strong United States Chamber of Commerce has endorsed John Campbell in the 48th congressional district special election.

“John Campbell understands how vital a role America’s businesses play in the country’s overall economic growth and stability,” said Bill Miller, Chamber vice president and political director.   “His commitment to fighting for California’s businesses separates him from the rest of this crowded field and we believe he will bring that commitment to Congress.”

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is the world’s largest business federation, representing more than three million businesses of every size, sector and region.

“I am grateful for the support from the U.S. Chamber and look forward to working with them to keep our economy growing and competitive,” said Campbell.

Campbell is a prominent Orange County business leader who ran for the state legislature in 2000 after building a successful career in the accounting and auto industries.

Darrell Issa: Tancredo Should Recant Gilchrist Endorsement Or Be Tossed from GOP

This story from Congress Daily this morning:

POLITICS - Issa Challenges Tancredo On Support For Third-Party Candidate

by Mark Wegner

© National Journal Group, Inc.

Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., said he would urge that Rep. Tom Tancredo, R-Colo., be thrown out of the Republican Party if he continues backing a third-party candidate in the special election for California's 48th District.

"I would ask the state of Colorado to strip him of his party membership," Issa said in an interview.

Tancredo has endorsed and appeared in a cable television ad for American Independent Party candidate Jim Gilchrist, who is running in the Oct. 4 open primary to replace former Rep. Christopher Cox, R-Calif., who is now SEC chairman.

Issa said Tancredo, a vocal immigration critic, could have chosen to endorse any one of 10 Republicans in the race.

Gilchrist, an anti-immigration activist, is the founder of the Minuteman Project, which monitors the U.S.-Mexico border for illegal immigrants.

"Gilchrist is a single-issue candidate with no chance of winning," Issa said.

Frank Mickadeit On Eileen Padberg

I forgot to include this one in the roundup: Frank Mickadeit's column about Eileen Padberg.

I admire and salute Padberg's decision to go to Iraq. It was a gutsy thing to do -- especially for a woman -- and sounds like it was the experience of a lifetime . But judging from Mickadeit's column, it seems that no matter where Eileen goes on God's green Earth, she's always peddling the same complaint that white males are the biggest problem:

The "biggest problem" getting Iraqi women involved in the contracting system is "our own white, male engineers."

Now, Padberg was there and I wasn't. But this has been her refrain for as long as I can remember, so color me skeptical.

An aside to Frank: the math in your Padberg Factor is off-kilter. It should cause you to revise your prediction on Marilyn's showing down, not up.