These endorsements for Riverside County Judge and Menifee City Council came over the transom this week from the Riverside County Republican Party for the June 3rd election:

 

John Molloy- Judge

 
Menifee City Council:
John Denver
Darcy Kuenzi
Ken Gaunt
Scott Mann
Dorothy Wolons

 

I had posted previously about the race for Menifee City Council and my support for John Denver, Darcy Kuenzi and Dina Biedermann.  Biedermann has been an active member of the Riverside YR's, but for soem reason did not get the Central Committee endorsement.

 

Also Riverside County Republican Party Vice-President Ken Minesinger posted (here and here) about the merits of Deputy District Attorney John Molloy and the fact that Robert G. Spitzer, whose bid was turned down for review of his dismissal from the Riverside County Superior Court, has submitted a letter to county vote officials asking for his name to be removed from the June 3 ballot.

I thought our Red County Riverside readers might like to know that I saw last night on the Secretary of State website that the CA Dental Assoc. PAC dropped close to 20K on a poll for the 37th as well as close to 30K on campaign literature in support of Assemblyman John Benoit in his race against Russ Bogh. 

In my experience, PAC's don't usually invest that kind of money for a poll unless they intend to spend quite a bit more and plan to stay in it for the long haul.  If anyone has access to that poll or wants to publicize the results, you can always send it to daveleoneverett@gmail.com
 
Here is the Secretary of State link. 

This came over the transom this week from the Riverside County Young Republicans:

Mark your calendars for the RCYR ATF Day, Saturday, May 17th. 

The Riverside County Young Republicans will be hosting their annual ATF Day (Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms...not necessarily in that order.)  It starts at 4pm at Raahauge's in Norco. If you can bring your own firearm great, if not there will be plenty available.  The cost of the event is FREE to all who volunteer to walk precincts that day.  If you are not already a member of RCYR, it would be a great opportunity to join up, membership is only $25 annually. 
 
To see more details and RSVP, follow this link:

***Benoit for Senate precinct walkers can attend this event for free; to volunteer as a precinct walker for the morning of May 17, contact Darin Schemmer at darin@jbenoit.com***

It's time to go shooting!

Join the Riverside County Young Republicans at our annual ATF (Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms) Day as we...

Voters in the 64th Assembly District are getting a better picture of Kelly McCarty's shaky "Republican" credentials.

They probably all know by now that McCarty has supported some of California's most liberal politicians in the past via her special interest PAC - including Jerry Brown, Cruz Bustamante, Jose Solario and John Garemendi.

Even so, some voters may have been willing to let that slide.  After all, those donations were provided while she was an independent businesswoman in the auto-body repair industry.  It seems rational to expect a degree of self-preservation from a small business owner toiling in California's generally business-hostile legislative environment.

But, voters can reasonably expect candidates to look beyond the special interests they favor in their private life when they take a shot at elected public service.

Not so with McCarty.  In February, she trumpeted her personal allegiance to her special interest friends, saying "I think it's really important that the collision industry finally has someone looking out for their interests in California."

It should come as no surprise that most of McCarty's campaign funds are drawn from the same special interest body shop owners.

It just makes sense that her opponent,...

Some of these endorsements I have posted already, but I thought the PE's new political blog did a great job of running down the recent endorsement for both sides.

Endorsement watch: 71st and 80th Assembly districts
4:23 PM Thu, May 01, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (0) Posted by: PE News

Candidates for Inland-area legislative seats recently announced these endorsements: Neil Blais of Rancho Santa Marguerita reports that he has been endorsed by Orange County Rep. Dana Rohrabacher and Assemblyman Van Tran in the Republican primary for the 71st Assembly District.

His opponent, Jeff Miller of Corona, reports that he has been endorsed by Anaheim Mayor Curt Pringle. Pringle was the Assembly speaker in the mid-1990s. Gary Jeandron of Palm Springs reports that he has been endorsed by the Riverside Sheriffs' Association for the 80th Assembly District. Jeandron, a Republican, faces no primary opposition.

-- Jim Miller

Endorsement watch: 64th, 80th Assembly districts
8:40 AM Wed, Apr 30, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (0) Posted by: PE News

Candidates for Inland-area legislative seats recently announced these endorsements: Kelly McCarty of Riverside reports that she has been endorsed by Riverside Councilman Chris MacArthur...

The Press Enterprise has a cool new political blog where I found these interesting stories. Looks like the Californians for Jobs and Education has spent $30,000 for Jeff Miller and has another $30,000 in the bank.

Further east in the county, the California Taxpayer Protection Committee reported this week spending almost $15,000 for Brian Nestande.

It is good to see that the insurance industry and certain GOP activists realize that if they don't speak up in these elections with money and support, they are leaving the unions as the difference maker in most of these races. And while certain aspects of unions are commendable, the border patrol union's defense of agents Ramos and Compeon, overall they are not a voice for limited and efficient government.

Insurers get active in 71st AD race
4:09 PM Thu, May 01, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (0) Posted by: PE News

An independent expenditure committee bankrolled by insurance companies has dropped about $30,000 into the Republican primary race for the 71st Assembly District. Californians for Jobs and Education this week reported spending the money on mail and related costs to support the candidacy of Corona Councilman Jeff Miller, who...

This came over the transom yesterday from the Brian Nestande for AD64 campaign:

PRESS ENTERPRISE ENDORSES BRIAN NESTANDE FOR ASSEMBLY

"Nestande is the candidate who can do the best job for the district."

On Saturday, May 3rd the Press Enterprise endorsed Brian Nestande for the 64th Assembly Seat over rival, Kelly McCarty. The newspaper's editorial board cited numerous reasons for their decision to back Nestande. Excerpts from Saturday and Sunday's newspaper include:

"....Experience tilts this race to Nestande. The Palm Desert public affairs consultant exhibits a broad range of policy knowledge. And his work for corporate clients, including alternative energy and health care companies, makes his work especially relevant to some of the challenges California faces, such as air quality and affordable health care. Nestande also has extensive political experience, having served on the campaign and legislative staffs of Reps. Mary Bono, Sonny Bono and Michael Huffington."

"In this Republican primary race, Brian Nestande has the edge in experience and policy knowledge. Nestande understands the issues facing the district, such as traffic congestion...

This came over the transom a few days ago from the John Benoit for Senate campaign:

Benoit First Candidate in 37th Senate Race to Endorse Marcy's Law *

Assemblyman John J. Benoit is the first candidate in the 37th Senate race to endorse Marsy's Law: the Crime Victims' Bill of Rights Act of 2008. Benoit announced his support at a rally with the mother of Marsy-- a 21-year old college student murdered by her ex-boyfriend in 1981-- and with various crime victims groups, Marsy's Law Campaign Chairman Assemblyman Todd Spitzer, and other Republican proponents on April 16 at the west steps of the State Capitol.

"Over a 31-year career in law enforcement, one of the saddest parts of the job was counseling and seeing the grief from families of crime victims who bore an incredible loss," said Assemblyman Benoit. "It's frustrating that, even today, victims continue to be denied basic rights of justice and due process. I hope you will join me in backing this crucial measure to reform our criminal justice system and give victims the rights and respect they deserve."

Marsy's Law is a measure that adds the Crime Victims' Bill of Rights...

In politics some endorsemnts make you try to figure out what is going on. The Log Cabin Club just endorsed Russ Bogh for State Senate. Some of the endorsements make sense. Those who are gay and want to allow homosexual marriage in the state. I get that.

What did Russ Bogh do to get the endorsement against John Benoit? I wish they would print a standard so we know the process. What bill did Russ vote for? Did he promise something?

Tell us... please.

I saw this over on Congressman Issa's website. Class warfare and show hearings seem to be the staple of this Democratic Congress. Issa is doing a great job of pointing out this sham, even if the main stream media won't.

Biased Oversight and Government Reform Committee Report Refuted by Academic Researchers

Study faults methodology of Democratic Staff Report on Conflict of Interest Among Compensation Consultants for Executives

April 24, 2008 -

Washington, DC - A study by academic researchers, "The Role and Effect of Compensation Consultants on CEO Pay," found no substantial evidence that perceived conflicts of interest between firms and compensation consultants who advise on CEO pay is leading to excessive CEO payouts. "We are unable to find widespread evidence of more lucrative CEO pay packages for clients of conflicted consultants despite anecdotal evidence to the contrary," stated the report.

This review refutes conclusions put forth in a recent Oversight and Government Reform Committee Democratic staff report "Executive Pay: Conflicts of Interest Among Compensation Consultants," which argued that such conflicts of interest were driving excessive compensation levels for corporate executives. Republican Members of the committee had been highly critical of the...

I found this over on Congressman Calvert's website. As Republicans start to respond to the public outcry for environmentally friendly policies, I think it is important to point out, as Calvert did, that their must be a balance between environmental protection and economic development.

*> Rep. Calvert's Earth Day 2008 Message:

The condition of the Earth and our environment play a significant role in the high quality of life Americans have come to expect and enjoy. The congressional district I represent encompasses a diverse environmental cross-section of California's extraordinary landscape, stretching from the coastline of Orange County to the deserts of Riverside County. The district also includes natural resources that are part of the Cleveland National Forest and the Santa Ana River watershed.
Our region is at the forefront of a national effort to work towards a balance between environmental protection and economic development. Achieving this balance is a daunting task, but I believe Congress can take a number of steps that will help us meet the challenge. One of...

It could be that the Democrats just have an enemy to rally against (GWB) or maybe it is because the state and local Republican parties are not doing any registration efforts outside the 80th AD, but here is another update on our loss of GOP registration in Riverside and San Bernadu.

Part me wants to think this is a cyclical process that we are just at the trough of, but I'm afraid this is a result of the Governor and other GOP electeds acting like Democrat-lite. If voters fail to see out principles in our policy and fail to see why we are different from the socialist Democrats, why would they want to be part of our party?

This is just another of many wake up calls for the party. We need to lay out our political beliefs in bright bold colors, not the pale pastels that Arnold and others paint with.

*> Voter registration stats show GOP drop

2:06 PM Mon, Apr 21, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (0) Posted by: PE News
Republican registration...

A number of committee hearings that the Democrats in Congress have conducted remind me of a bad Montel Williams show. From their "virtual" committee hearing to the NFL spy-gate hearing to the MLB steroid hearing, the Democrats have no shame when it comes to using taxpayer dollars to put on a show for the cameras.

Also, if you go back a few years to when the Republicans were in control, the Democrats would scream bloody murder if they felt that they were being given the short end of the stick on procedural matters or Rules Committee changes.

Now that they are in the majority, they completely ignore those procedural complaints and actually go much further in destroying any legislative procedures, resulting in less real debate and more media show trials.

So I was pleased to see SW Riverside Congressman (and Godfather of the Recall) Darrell Issa call out wacko Congressman Henry Waxman on his one-sided dog and pony show on the California Greenhouse Waiver.

Basically, Waxman put on one of these hyped up show trials to illustrate that a Department of Transportation...

If local cops walked into an obvious tax evasion scheme, they wouldn't ignore it and say, "Oh, this is a federal responsibility. We don't want to be IRS investigators." Yet that is exactly how many local departments treat illegal immigration. Screening for immigration status of people who have already committed a crime, seems to be too much for many of these local chiefs. Shocking because in the first year of the City of Costa Mesa's program, they cooperated in the deportation of 360 criminal aliens, with 114 entering proceedings that could lead to their removal.

I'm sure that this bill will go down in flames today in committee, but I think it is important to keep reminding voters that the Democrats are committed to ignoring immigration laws and keeping our borders wide open. Assemblyman John Benoit's bill, AB 2601, has some carrots and some sticks to get cities to stop ignoring immigration status.

The bill would "... reward local governments who cooperate with federal immigration enforcement and train their cops to report felony offenders to the proper...

I have written a few posts about BOE Member Michelle Steel and her fight against the Democrat's illegal I-Tax (here and here) and my fellow blogger, Jubal, at OCBlog recently wrote one as well.

Well, you can see and hear from Steel herself this Thursday at the Mission Inn in Downtown Riverside.

Riverside County GOP General Membership Meeting on Thursday, April 17, 2008 - 7:00pm at the Historic Mission Inn in Downtown Riverside. Complimentary Hors d'oeuvers - No Host Bar - ALL INTERESTED REPUBLICANS ARE INVITED

One important function of political parties on either side of the aisle is to establish a bench of lower-level elected officials to groom for the Congressional, Senate, Governor or Presidential positions. I think the California Republican Party has to consider Michelle at the top or near the top of our "bench."

This came over last week from fellow Red County poster and longtime GOP consultant/pollster Adam Probolsky.  As part of an event called the I-215 South Corridor Economic Summit, Adam did an interesting poll about health care in Riverside County.

The poll illustrates the need for more medical facilities in the county and exposes a relatively high dissatisfaction with the healthcare system, but the most interesting question in my opinion was the question, "Please Tell Me In Your Own Words Why You Believe There Is A Health Care Crisis In California?"  Even though the Governor doesn't want to "blame" illegal immigrants for the budget deficit, it is clear that Riverside residents think that it is a significant contributor to the problems facing health care.

Care In General Too Expensive / Can't Afford-   21.1%
The Number Of Uninsured   -   18.8%
Insurance Too Expensive   -   14.6%
Illegal Immigrants   -   13.4%

Here is how one resident put it, "...too many illegal or uninsured people use emergency rooms for primary care."  The executive summary is below:

I-215 South Corridor Health Care Survey 2008
Executive Summary

ABOUT THE SUMMIT
The Fourth Annual I-215 South Economic Development Summit is a regional...

I wrote last week about the one AD80 Democrat dropping out and the other two Democrats splitting local lefty endorsements.  I think that the division in the local party is having the same effect, on a much smaller scale of course, as the Barry vs. Hillary battle is having nationally.

This week, I wanted to share the California GOP Chairman's upbeat view on the race and Republican nominee Gary Jeandron:

Thursday, April 03, 2008 10:21 AM
Subject: Chairman's Report
Assembly Campaign Watch: Gary Jeandron in AD 80
In this targeted district, the former Palm Springs Police Chief is proving to be a great candidate to succeed Assemblymember Bonnie Garcia.
    
Assembly Campaign Watch: Gary Jeandron in Riverside/Imperial

The 80th Assembly District is a plurality Democrat district that our team has held with Republicans Bonnie Garcia, and Dave Kelley before her. This year, former Palm Springs Police Chief Gary Jeandron will carry the party's banner in this key district that encompasses eastern Riverside County and all of Imperial County.

Gary is one sharp candidate...

One thing that I think is important to have a successful political club, especially for younger voters, is to have a stable meeting location.

The Riverside County Young Republicans have followed this theory very closely only moving the club twice in the 5-6 years it has been in existence.  But the club has grown and the time to move is here again.  The new meeting location is Killarney's Restaurant & Irish Pub.  RCYR members seemed to like the new location last month when Martin Paine from the Inland Empire New Majority gave us a presentation on Presidential advance work.

RCYR General Meeting:
Thursday, 6:30pm April 10, 2008 at Killarney's Restaurant & Irish Pub
3639 Riverside Plaza Dr. Ste 532
Riverside, CA 92506
951-682-2933

Another RCYR related item is the annual Relay For Life, the American Cancer Society's signature event.  The RCYR's will be participating for the 3rd or 4th year as members of "Ortensia's Hot Tamales" in the Corona Relay for Life.
        
The Relay for Life this year is on June 14-15 at Santiago High School in Corona.

Relay For Life is a fun-filled overnight experience designed to bring together...

Ray Haynes has been a steady conservative voice for California for almost 2 decades, so I always like to hear his take on our state budget deficit.

Getting the History Straight
by Ray Haynes - State Capitol
3-28-2008 4:09 pm

I usually don't comment on commentators.  Most of the commentators in Sacramento are lefties or Democrat leaning, and so, are wrong, and not worth the time of commenting.  One that hits things right some of the time, however, is Dan Walters.  He has inside information, years of insight, and a fun writing style.  Sometimes he pontificates too much, but he is worth the read.

If he has any faults, however, it is his idea that the system is Sacramento is broke because "both sides" are at fault.  He said today that the current budget crisis is the responsiblity of both parties because the Democrats spent too much, and  "Meanwhile, Republicans have been blasting away at the Democrats for squandering years of revenue increases and ignoring their own role of demanding unaffordable tax cuts."  What? ...

Cross-posted from Barry Nestande's post on the Flash Report

At the start of the school year, my boss, Assemblyman Benoit, announced a new contest for high-schoolers in Riverside County, called "There Ought To Be A Law." This was a simple idea to promote civic involvement among our students, and it turned out to surpass all of my expectations! First, we were greatly impressed by the more than 200 submissions we received, a commendable effort by young people to be engaged in our State government.

(Caption: Assemblyman John J. Benoit, with RJ's Law co-author Assemblyman Bill Emmerson, walking out of the Assembly Chambers with RJ Feild)

But one essay clearly rose to the top, and that was the submission from RJ Feild, a Riverside high school sophomore who articulated a bold new law and explained his very inspirational story.

Feild has persisted in school and even serves as a student delegate to his school district despite being afflicted by spastic triplegic cerebral palsy, a condition of being born at two pounds, two ounces with traces of heroin,...