OC Blog

Carlos Bustamante's Newest Constituent

While Janet Nguyen's and Trung Nguyen's campaigns were wrangling over voided ballots last week, Carlos Bustamante -- or more accurately, his lovely wife -- increased the population of Santa Ana by one with the birth of their son Thomas Andrew at 10:04 p.m. on February 22.

Thomas Andrew was 8 pounds, 12 ounces (!) and 22 inches long. A fine big lad. Carlos told me his wife and new son are doing fine, and while he's disappointed at losing the special election, he's overjoyed at his new son.

"Politics isn't my life," he said. A refreshing attitude -- and too rare among local elected officialdom.

While I had Carlos on the phone, I asked him about the rumor started by Santa Ana council gadfly George Collins and now being repeated by Orange Juice proprietor and Bustamante-hater Art Pedroza: namely, that Carlos is going to re-register as a Democrat.

Carlos said there's absolutely no truth to it. Which is what I thought since, for example, Carlos is an honorary co-chair for GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney's upcoming OC event.

Then again, Art repeatedly claimed last fall that Carlos had been a Democrat until a couple of years ago -- until I took the simple step of checking Carlos' voter registration history. That revealed he'd never been a Democrat, but had first been and American Independent and then a Decline-To-State until registering as a Republican about six years ago.

Fact-checking -- it's such a bother!

Woocher Thinks Trung Sued To Soon

Peggy Lowe has a great post over at Total Buzz:

Did Schroeder & Co. jump the gun?

Picked up an interesting e-mail from Fred Woocher today -- you remember him, right? He's the attorney for the mysterious Mr. Feather and he was one of the many guys who have lived at the Registrar of Voters office over the last week.

Woocher believes that Trung Nguyen jumped the gun on his lawsuit and that his attorney, Mike Schroeder, should have been arguing yesterday to get Janet Nguyen declared the winner, not the other way around.

"They have to wait until after the Board of Supervisors declares the result of the election (and seats Janet) before they can contest the election in the kind of lawsuit they filed today. The court can't even entertain their lawsuit until after the Board of Supervisors acts to "declare" Janet elected, not vice versa," Woocher wrote in his e-mail, which was sent last night. Read his arguments below.

-- Peggy Lowe

Under the Elections Code, after the votes are counted (or in this case, re-counted), the Registrar of Voters, as the "elections official" or "the official conducting the election" (in the parlance of the Elections Code) is required to "prepare a certified statement of the results of the election and submit it to the governing body within 28 days of the lection." (Election Code, section 15372.) That's what Neal did yesterday.

You can read the rest of Woocher's e-mail here.

UPDATE (5:14 p.m.): Peggy has Mike Schroeder's response here.

Green Tape Delays Completion of Foothill-South Toll Road

This came over the transom from the TCA via Faubel Public Affairs. If this regulatory morass had existed in the 19th Century, we'd still be crossing the continent in covered wagons:

FOOTHILL-SOUTH UPDATE PRESENTED

A year after route chosen, TCA updates schedule and continues to pursue permits, advance preliminary design

IRVINE, Calif. (February 28, 2007) – One year after the Foothill/Eastern Board of Directors approved the alignment for the completion of the 241 Toll Road the schedule has been revised to reflect the complicated nature of the project’s regulatory approval process. On February 23, 2006, the Board of Directors of the Foothill/Eastern Transportation Agency approved an alignment for the final segment of the Foothill (241) Toll Road and certified the project’s final Environmental Impact Report. Since then, the TCA has begun preliminary design work, developed specific mitigation plans, studied project financing options and begun the process of obtaining the necessary state and federal permits, agreements and approvals. Since the permitting process is turning out to be very complicated and will take longer than expected, TCA has updated the project schedule to reflect a financing date no sooner than 2010. “There is a huge need for the traffic relief that Foothill-South will provide,” said Jim Thor, chairman of the Foothill/Eastern Transportation Corridor Agency. “It’s a long process but we want to follow all of the requirements and make sure that the project balances traffic relief with environmental concerns.”

Freedom Of Speech Takes A Step Forward In Orange

A small victory for freedom of speech was won last night in my hometown of Orange when the City Council voted to double the maximum campaign contribution from $500 to $1,000.

Kudos to Councilman Denis Bilodeau for leading the fight to reform Orange's antiquated, freedom-unfriendly campaign finance ordinance, and to Mayor Pro Tem Jon Dumitru for being strong on this issue.

The Council vote 4-1 to increase the contribution limit from $500 to $1,000. Mayor Carolyn Cavecche voted against increasing the limit, and Bilodeau, Dumitru and Councilmembers Mark Murphy and Tita Smith voted in favor of it.

Orange's $500 campaign contribution limit was established in 1992. Here's what the staff report says on why that amount was chosen 15 years ago:

A brief investigation was done to determine what factors led to the 1992 decision to set the contribution limits at $500. It does not appear that any particular in depth analysis was done other than to provide information concerning limits in other jurisdictions, which at the time ranged from $100 in San Juan Capistrano to $1,000 in Anaheim.

Classic!

In other words, 15 years ago a citizen's freedom to support the candidate of his or her choice was constrained by an arbitrary figure conjured out of the ether: "Hmmmm...Five hundred dollars. That sounds about right!"

Attention Government Job Seekers!

If anyone is interested in an exciting career as a senior staff analyst for government relations, then pay attention because the City of Anaheim is looking to hire a Senior Staff Analyst -- Government Relations. The application deadline is March 7 and the pay is pretty darn good (max of $79,163!)

And let's not overlook this important consideration (from the official flyer): "RETIREMENT BENEFITS -Anaheim employees become members of the California Public Employees' Retirement System (CalPERS) 2.7% at 55 plan. The employee contribution is 1.31% The employee makes a 1.45% contribution towards the Medicare Plan. The City does not particiapte in Social Security."

On to the job details:

SENIOR STAFF ANALYST - GOVERNMENT RELATIONS

Employment Type: Full-Time

Description
The City of Anaheim offers more than a workplace; our employees have built a culture based on integrity, respect, quality and excellence, responsibility, and commitment. It's a culture that will inspire you to be your best every day - and know you'll be rewarded for your outstanding contribution. From customer operations positions to actuarial and technical opportunities, Anaheim offers you an opportunity to find excellent benefits, a job you'll enjoy, and people who care about your success. We realize our greatest asset is our team of professionals working together every day to make our Agency a leading success. This is an opportunity to join an organization that is unique and visionary; and to play a part in creating a great place to work.

The successful candidate is a person who:

Nuclear = No CO2

Last week was the deadline to introduce bills for the 2007 legislative session.  I introduced 21 bills.  One of the most important bills I introduced was AB 719.  Its short title is: Energy: electrical generation: zero carbon dioxide emissions.

If this bill becomes law, we will be able to build modern, clean, and safe nuclear power plants in California.  Without this bill, we will remain dependent on fossil fuel for most of our electrical generation needs, much of it imported from abroad, including from nations that don’t much like us.  We will also find it virtually impossible to meet the greenhouse gas reduction targets of last year’s much acclaimed AB 32 bill signed into law by Gov. Schwarzenegger. 

Today 16 percent of power generated within California comes from our two nuclear power plants.  About 51 percent of our power is generated from natural gas-fired plants.  A large amount of the power we import from out of state comes from coal-fired plants – a domestic energy source that a bill passed last year banned from contract renewal last year because of the large amounts of CO2 that burning coal for power releases into the atmosphere. 

According to a Cal Berkeley report, over a 20 year period, U.S. nuclear power plants have offset the burning of coal and oil, averting, “…the cumulative emission of 1.6 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide, 65 million tons of sulphur dioxide, and 27 million tons of nitrogen oxides.”

Currently built nuclear power plants feature one-tenth the moving parts of 30-year-old designs and are 1,000 times less likely to fail (on top of an already very good safety record in the West). 

The time is now.  If we do not lift the ban on new construction here in California, other states will get in line in front of us to build new, efficient, safe and non-carbon emitting nuclear power plants.

Lastly, as to the issue of waste storage (the specific portion of the law I seek to repeal), it will take about 10 years to approve a plant, design it, license it, build it, fuel it, operate it, then perform the first change-out of the old rods.  An approved storage method ought to ready by then – if we wait until it is, however, there is no physical way that we can meet the aggressive greenhouse gas reduction targets of AB 32 and still generate enough power to meet California’s growing needs. 

To see the bill, click on the link below.

Oh, and one last thing for the critics: this bill is my own initiative (as are the vast majority of my bills).  Some in the power business actually asked me to hold off on introducing a bill allowing nuclear power as they were not ready to advance the argument.  I think we need to have the debate today.  We can’t run our power grid on good intentions while other ways to generate electricity, such as solar, cost 5 to 9 times more than nuclear.

All the best,

Chuck DeVore
State Assemblyman, 70th District
www.ChuckDeVore.com

http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/pub/07-08/bill/asm/ab_0701-0750/ab_719_bill_20070222_introduced.html

Todd Spitzer Co-Sponsoring Innovative Anti-Drunk Driving Bill

As readers can tell, I'm trying to catch up on the stack that's piled up on the transom and I found a couple of Todd Spitzer-related items in there.

This is a little old (from Feb. 14, to be precise), worthy of mention. Todd teamed up with uber-liberal state Sen. Carol Midgen of San Francisco, the California Highway Patrol and Mothers Against Drunk Drivers to support mandatory ignition interlock devices for those receiving their first-time drunk driving conviction. The OC Register editorialized in support of it today.

The other is a silly, utopian, "I believe in people" law being proposed by a liberal legislator from -- where else? -- San Francisco:

Mike Duvall Appointed To Joint Legislative Budget Committee

This came over the transom yesterday from Assemblyman Mike Duvall:

DUVALL APPOINTED TO JOINT LEGISLATIVE BUDGET COMMITTEE FOR 2007-2008

Orange County Assemblymembers Make Up One Quarter of House’s Representation

SACRAMENTO – Freshman Assemblyman Michael D. Duvall (R-Yorba Linda) announced today that he has been appointed by Assembly Speaker Fabian Nuñez (D-Los Angeles) to the Joint Legislative Budget Committee for the 2007-2008 Regular Session.

“I am honored Speaker Nuñez appointed me, a first-term Republican, to this important post,” said Assemblyman Duvall.  “I was also pleased to see Assemblywoman Walters, another Orange County legislator, appointed to the Committee.  Together, we occupy one quarter of the seats on the Assembly side of this committee.  The county is well-represented.”

Established by the adoption of a Joint Rule of the Senate and Assembly in 1941, the California Joint Legislative Budget Committee oversees the Legislative Analyst’s Office, the state’s nonpartisan fiscal and policy advisor, with the mission to, “ascertain facts and make recommendations … concerning the state budget … with a view to reducing the cost of the state government and securing greater efficiency and economy.”  The joint committee consists of sixteen members (eight members from each house of the legislature) who review changes in the adopted budget plan proposed by the Governor’s administration after the budget has been enacted.  The current Legislative Analyst is Elizabeth Hill who was appointed by the committee in 1986.

SchubertFlint Public Affairs Wins Award For Measure M Campaign Website

This came over the transom a couple of days ago from Jeff Flint of SchubertFlint Public Affairs:

Last week at the American Association of Political Consultants (APPC) conference, the Measure M campaign website won a Pollie in the category of campaign website for a Regional/County/City Ballot Measure campaign.

The Pollies are the campaign world’s version of the Oscars, and there were almost 3,000 entries in 80 categories this year.  The Measure M website was the highest ranked campaign website of all websites below the statewide and national levels.

Schubert Flint worked with our web designer, Kim Marquardt, to produce this site, which was singled out for its use of interactive features to allow voters to identify transportation projects in their area that were funded by the Measure.

OC's Jim Bieber Scores Some Awards

This came over the transom announcing awards won by my old friend Jim Bieber's firm, Bieber Communications:

CALIFORNIA POLITICAL CONSULTANT BRINGS HOME THE GOLD

SANTA ANA- Bieber Communications, an Orange County based direct mail consulting firm won three Pollie Awards for voter persuasion mail at the American Association of Political Consultants Awards Conference last week.

Bieber Communications provides creative, graphic design, print and mail fulfillment services for campaigns nationwide.

The Pollie Awards are the political industry’s most prestigious award.  The conference is the national showcase for political and public affairs excellence hosted by the AAPC. This year there were an all-time high in the number of Pollie entries – more than 2,350 – representing the best work of America’s campaign professionals in a variety of categories.

Bieber Communications won in the following categorizes for direct mail:

* GOLD Award for “Beer Froth” Jim Gibbons for Governor of Nevada
Candidate: Governor: Republican

* GOLD Award for “Lobbyist Kill” California’s 50th Congressional District
Independence Expenditure Campaign / Issue Advocacy/ 527: U.S. House of Republican

* SILVER Award “Sali Tax Fighter” Idaho’s 2nd Congressional District
Independent Expenditure Campaign / Issue Advocacy/ 527: U.S. House of Republican

In addition, two political consultants who used Bieber Communications for creative services also won Pollie Awards for direct mail.  Brandon Powers Campaigns based in Pasadena won in the category of Initiative/Constitution Amendment: Local/Municipal.  JC Powers Consulting based in Utah won in the category of Independence Expenditure Campaign / Issue Advocacy/ 527 State Legislature: Republican.

“The term creative genius cannot be underused when describing Jim Bieber and his team,” stated Brandon Powers.  “In a world where campaign mail too often conforms to cookie cutter presentations, Bieber serves up gourmet platters of information that force voters to take notice.  He’s been instrumental in making my consulting business grow.”

“Republicans are fortunate to have the team at Bieber Communications working on their side.  In California, Democrats do not have the monopoly on fresh, modern, and edgy creativity that speaks to voters.  We have exceptional young talent that is going to transform this state in the next election cycle,” stated Ron Nehring, Chairman of the California Republican Party.