I posted this article two weeks ago and am reposting it now that folks are voting early. I have also updated some of my picks, for example I finally decided who to endorse for the third open seat on the SAUSD School Board.
Well, we are just over a week from Election Day, so here are my picks for this election, including local and legislative races in Santa Ana, as well as the State and Local Propositions and Ballot Measures:
President – If Obama needed my vote to win California, he would have it. But he doesn’t so I am voting for the Libertarian ticket of Bob Barr and Wayne Root.
U.S. Congress, 47th District – Loretta Sanchez. This one is a no-brainer. No way I can vote for the Mexican hating gay basher Rosie Avila.
State Senate, 33rd District – Gary Pritchard. Again an easy choice. Pritchard’s opponent, Mimi Walters, joined the Mexican bashing Hall of Fame during her primary campaign against Harry Sidhu. No thanks. Pritchard is a teacher, a father and a gentleman. He has my full support.
State Assembly, 69th District – Cam Mangels. No way I can vote for Jose Solorio, the incumbent. He is backing Team Pulido and Rob Richardson. That is a no-go for me. Vote no on Solorio and send him a message – stop hacking for Pulido and company!
Orange County Races
Superior Court, County of Orange, Office 12 – Debra Carillo. She showed up to the recent ECCO dinner. Kermit Marsh didn’t. End of story. She has my vote.
Trustee, Rancho Santiago Community College District, Area 1 – Lynette Verino. You can vote for up to three candidates. I am NOT voting for ANY of the incumbents. They were asleep at the wheel when the fire sprinklers were allowed to break down at Santa Ana College – and no one was fired when this was discovered by student reporters. And I don’t have a clue who this Nam Pham guy is, so my only vote will be for Verino.
Trustee, Rancho Santiago Community College District, Area 3 – Dr. Art Lomeli. He truly cares about the community and about education. The incumbent, Lisa Woolery, has been there too long. See my comments above re the fire sprinkler fiasco at Santa Ana College. All incumbents must get the boot!
Local Races in Santa Ana
SAUSD School Board – I have endorsed three candidates for the three open seats, Irene Ibarra, Valerie Amezcua and Gloria Alvarado. Some of the rest are OK. The best of the lot are Gloria Alvarado and, well that’s it. Mayor Miguel Pulido is supporting Jose Hernandez, Gregory Barraza, Rob Richardson and Mike Gonzalez, so I can’t support them. No way will I support anyone that Pulido supports, period. Some folks like Roman Reyna – but as a City Commissioner he has missed over 60% of the Santa Ana Housing and Redevelopment Commission meetings, so no, I won’t be voting for him either. I wish he had decided to take on Claudia Alvarez again for the Santa Ana City Council. I wonder why he didn’t?
Santa Ana Mayor – I am co-endorsing Michele Martinez and George Collins. Take your pick. Either one is an improvement over Miguel Pulido.
Santa Ana City Council, Ward One – Jim Walker. The incumbent, Vince Sarmiento, is a slick lawyer who is being groomed to take over for Miguel Pulido or Jose Solorio. No thanks. Walker cares about the community and he has my vote.
Santa Ana City Council, Ward Three – Me! But if you have a problem with me please do not vote for the incumbent, Carlos Bustamante, or Steve Rocco. If you cannot bring yourself to vote for me at least vote for Ana Rebecca Valencia-Verdin instead of those other two.
Santa Ana City Council, Ward Five – Lisann Martinez. NO WAY I would ever vote for the incumbent, Claudia Alvarez, who has gone out of her way to slander Michele Martinez during recent City Council candidates forum. Basta con Claudia! Vote for Lisann.
State Propositions
Prop. 1 – NO. High Speed Train Bond. I never vote for any bonds. They are a waste of taxpayer money.
Prop. 2 – NO. Treatment of Farm Animals. I feel bad for the animals but this will only increase food costs for the poor. Food costs have already risen drastically in the past two years. No thanks.
Prop. 3 – NO. Children’s Hospital Bond Act. Again, I never vote for bonds – they have to be repaid and we end up wasting millions on interest. Our state is BROKE. We just can’t afford to fund these bonds, no matter how good they might sound.
Prop. 4 – NO. This one has to do with parental notification when a teen gets pregnant and is considering an abortion. Here is the problem. What if your mom is Rosie Avila? You really think you will be able to speak to her about this? Really? I don’t think so. And studies show that 79% of teens already talk to their parents about this in advance. The rest of them can’t – so why force them too? Parents should maintain good relations with their kids – government mandates cannot do that for them.
Prop. 5 – YES. Nonviolent offenders, Sentencing, Parole and Rehabilitation – The State Prison Guard opposes this measure because they have a vested interest in keeping people in jail. But this measure actually will CUT state costs! We will save a billion a year in jail costs and up to 2.5 billion a year in new jail construction costs that we can avoid by voting for this measure. Those savings are achieved by spending money on treatment instead of incarceration. Makes sense to me!
Prop. 6 – NO . The “Safe Neighborhoods Act” — another enticing, hollow title — would stick us with at least a $600-million tab every year, like clockwork, for what are supposed to be anti-gang measures, without raising the money to pay for it (from the L.A. Times). What part of “we’re broke” do folks not understand?
Prop 7 – NO. This green measure sets a new standard for dumb propositions. It is opposed by both the Democratic Party and the Republican Party. That should tell you something. “Local publicly owned utilities already have green goals established, and they are working. The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power already has a 20 percent renewable energy target for 2010. It’s in the best interests of every one in California to have cleaner energy. But this proposition won’t get us there.” (From the L.A. Daily News).
Prop. 8 – NO. What a shame that the proponents of this anti-gay measure have forced us to spend so much money fighting it. Really folks, hate is wrong. The real threat to marriage isn’t gays – it is cheap and easy divorce. You want to save the sanctity of marriage? Then ban divorces – but leave our friends in the gay community alone. They don’t deserve to be stripped of their rights.
Prop. 9 – NO. “Proposition 9, “Marsy’s Law,” takes some of the rules from the 1982 Victims’ Bill of Rights and enshrines them as constitutional amendments. Marsy was murdered 25 years ago. She was the sister of Orange County high-tech billionaire Henry T. Nicholas III (now under indictment on conspiracy, fraud and drug charges). He’s bankrolling 9 and Proposition 6, which I’ll get to presently.” (From the L.A. Times). Nicholas supports this measure? No thanks. He is an indicted creep and I will not back anything he is connected too.
Prop. 10 – NO. Another dumb green proposition. This one is designed to make gazillionaire T. Boone Pickens even richer. “The proposition would offer $3.4 billion in rebates to fund the development of renewable energy and help consumers purchase alternative-fuel vehicles, such as those powered by the natural gas Pickens sells.” (From the L.A. Daily News). Naturally Pickens is bankrolling this selfish measure. No thanks.
Prop. 11 – YES. Finally a proposition that will solve our political mess in Sacramento by undoing the gerrymandering of our legislative districts. They will be redistricted by a non-partisan commission. “Advocates say they have more than 1,800 organizations and elected politicians endorsing the measure, including Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, the California and Los Angeles chambers of commerce, and the California Taxpayers Association.” (From the L.A. Daily News). This one is a no-brainer! Vote Yes and let’s undo the gridlock in Sacramento – and get rid of some awful incumbents in the process.
Prop. 12 – NO. Veteran’s Bond Act. It is a bond act. The State of California is BROKE. Do not add to the fire folks. Vote no on all bond measures. YES. A friend of mine asked me to look at this one again – and I found this nugget in the L.A. Times, “a key selling point is that the bonds are repaid by the veterans through mortgage payments.” So there you go – this might be the ONLY bond ever that we the taxpayers don’t get hosed on. So by all means please do vote for this measure and let’s help our veteran’s buy homes when they complete their service to our country.
Local Ballot Measures
Measure J – YES. Hard to go against this measure, which would allow voters to approve future pension spikes for County employees. I think that this is what we elect Supervisors to do, but we tend to elect idiotic Supervisors from time to time. A gaggle of them voted for pension spikes a few years ago that may yet bankrupt our County in the future. How’s this – don’t vote for machine Republican Supervisors unless they PROMISE to oppose such actions?
The OCSD union needs to be dissolved as a threat to public safety. With just a high school education and few weeks training, a new officer is guaranteed $74k plus benefits. Most OCSD deputies make over $100k the first year and every year there after. Two, 19 year olds, made approximately $300k in just one year in overtime out at “the farm” as prison guards. I just worth $40k a year at the maximum. This Sheriff’s UNION is raping the public, no other word for it!
Most of the OCSD currently make well over $140k a year. The former undersheriff, with just GED, retired at about $200k a year, with full benefits, at the age of 53!
A GED! What other profession, beside a fireman (Can’t call them firefighters) can you retire at 100% of your salary with full benefits at around 50 years old (3% at 50 is outrageous)?
Really, think about that, just a GED and is able to retire at $200K, and full benefits, for the rest of her life. Now, consider – ALL OCSD sheriffs have that “lottery money” sized retirement – and WE are paying for it – get ready again to pay for it – our homeowner taxes are coming due again, in about 2 months.
Are middle class working homeowners stupid to pay these unrealistic taxes in Orange County? A homeowner revolution occurred about 30 years ago – Howard Jarvis understood the problem of being middle class and being overtaxed. Maybe it is time again, for another Howard Jarvis, to save the working class of Orange County.
Yes, I am jealous that I can’t ratite at $200k a year for life with just a GED, but I am also outraged by how ridiculous the situation has become. I am jealous of lottery winners too, but they will not be costing me thousands of my hard earned dollars every year. Also, when I do play the lottery at least I have a chance at the prize.
No wonder all retired OCSD can carry concealed weapons when they retire at barely 50 – they are richer than 95% of the honest hard working people in OC paying for their lottery size retirements.
DON”T use the argument they deserve it because their jobs are dangerous- that is an out and out LIE – look up the statistics on Google. Besides, if that is the rationale, then the men and women, serving our country in this war deserves that money more these “public servants” that are damaging our futures.
Moorlach said in January that the plan could save the county’s cash-strapped retirement fund $187 million. He says the increased pension — a formula that allows for 3 percent of final pay times years of service after the age of 50 — has contributed to the retirement system’s unfunded liability. Moorlach was right – only he did not see the pension funded losing Billions in the stock market collapse. We heave to raise taxes – we promised – so this our version of government bail-out except we will be paying ours in directly to Chriss Street twice a year for the rest of our lives.
The county’s retirement system was more than 100 percent funded in 2001. But based on erroneous assumptions about retirement patterns, the unfunded liability grew by some $200 million by January – well with the stock market in the tank – that figure is grown by Hundreds of Millions, possibly Billions more – we will be saddled with even more taxes that none of us can afford.
If I only knew that a $200,000 education (that I paid for) was worth less than a GED in the OCSD. We have been betrayed and cheated – what do they want – does they want us to lose our homes because we can’s pay these stupidly high taxes. If you say yes – then you either don’t have a home or a family to feed.
Please don’t waste my time telling valuable the police and fire department are – that is just wrong – volunteers can do both jobs easily and actually do in many parts of this country. So skip the special skills and training garbage – those classes are lightweight and most of them are practically worthless.
Well – have fun and keep worrying about how you are going to keep “making ends meet”.