AD72 Special Election Watch: More IE Committee Activity

By Matthew Cunningham | 10/30/09

The big brother of the Lnda Ackerman for Assembly campaign, the "Alliance for California's Future," continues slogging away on her behalf. Yesterday, it reported spending $15,695 on pro-Ackerman mail on Wednesday, and another $8,080.58 on a pro-Ackerman mailer and $2,500 on "research" yesterday. It also took in $10,000 yesterday from Philip Morris and $2,000 from Marshal Linn of Laguna Beach. In the individal candidate... read more »

WaPo: "Sanchez Sisters Eyed by House Ethics Panel for Alleged Collusion"

By Matthew Cunningham | 10/30/09

The Washington Post is reporting the House Ethics Committee looked into whether congressional sisters Loretta and Linda Sanchez volated House rules by when Linda "loaned" her sister some of her staff, after Loretta's budget fell short followiing a little embezzlement by a Loretta staffer: The document, a July tracking report obtained by The Washington Post, says that the sisters, both California Democrats, "shared transferred... read more »

AD72 Special Election Mailbox: Once Again, Ackerman Hits Norby On Stipend Increase, Campaign Funds Misuse

By Matthew Cunningham | 10/30/09

The Linda Ackerman for Assembly campaign put out another negative piece that landed in mailboxes today, hitting Norby once again for voting for supporting a November 2007 increase in the meeting stipend for OC Sanitation District directors, and for misusing campaign funds. Here's the mailer:  This is the fifth mailer hitting Norby on the stipend increase issue, which leads me to wonder how much impact it has on voters. After... read more »

AD72 Special Election Mailbox: IE Micro-Targeting Voters With Local Elected Letter

By Matthew Cunningham | 10/30/09

My old buddy Jon Fleischman posted on FR Blog on Wednesday that the "Alliance for Calfiornia's Tomorrow" is targeting AD72 voters with letters from their local elected officials: "Just heard from Jim Nygren the consultant for the Alliance for California's Tomorrow, the Sacramento insider crowd that is ponying up big-time to try and elect Linda Ackerman in AD 72. Their latest expenditure comes in the form of individualized... read more »

OC Blog News Roundup -- October 30, 2009

By Matthew Cunningham | 10/30/09

Today's top stories from behind the Orange Curtain: Laguna Hills Buys Its City Manager A $60,000 Car...In Tustin (OCR) Scandalousl! Train Horns In Tustin Silenced Next Year (OCR) City and OCTA working to create a quiet zone at Red Hill and Edinger avenues. Landfill's Recycling Facility Nears Opening (OCR) The Orange County landfill that occupies 1,500 acres between San Clemente and San Juan Capistrano will open a new drive-through... read more »

Governor 2010: Meg Whitman Interview, Part 3: The GOP, Firing Public Employees, And Progressive Taxation

By Matthew Cunningham | 10/29/09

Here, at last, is Part 3 of my October 16 interview with former eBay CEO Meg Whitman, who is running for the GOP gubernatorial nomination against Insur5ance Commissioner Steve Poizner and former congressman Tom Campbell. In this last segment, she discusses her views on rebuilding the California Republican Party; we revisit the topic of public employee union and whether she'd fire them if they called a strike; and we touch on the philosphy... read more »

Unions Blackmail Agency Over Project Labor Agreement

By Matthew Cunningham | 10/29/09

I just saw this story on PublicCEO.com: Facing the pressure of blackmail, a California Agency is seeking to railroad through a suspicious Project Labor Agreement that will waste dollars and embarrass a number of local government agencies. The vote is set to take place next week over a Project Labor Agreement for a power plant project in Lodi. The Northern California Power Agency (NCPA) seeks to adopt an agreement that would bar fair and open... read more »

OC Blog News Roundup - October 29, 2009

By Matthew Cunningham | 10/29/09

Today's top stories from behind the Orange Curtain: UCLA Predicts OC Jobs Turnaround In 2011 (OCR) Orange County's economy is on the mend and employers will start hiring again next spring, but there won't be any significant local job growth until 2011. GOP Governor Candidates Tangle In Irvine (OCR) Poinzer emphasized tax-cuts first, Campbell puts budgets cuts first. Suit Alleges La Habra Set Sights On Nearby Business After Buying... read more »

AD72 Special Election Mailbox: Positive "Community" Norby Mailer Landing Today

By Matthew Cunningham | 10/29/09

This must be a refreshing respite for AD72 from the general radioactivity of this special election campaign: a positive mailer from the Chris Norby for Assembly campaign. This piece touts Norby's North Orange County homeboy status, in an implicit contrast with the recently-returned status of Linda Ackerman, and the conservative political philosophy that has characterized his political career:  Stay tuned... read more »

AD72 Special Election Watch: IE Committee Keeps Plugging Away For Ackerman

By Matthew Cunningham | 10/28/09

The Alliance for Calfornia's Tomorrow is still plugging away in the mailbox on behalf of AD72 candidate Linda Ackerman. Today, it reported spending about $15,000 on a pro-Ackerman mailer. However, the IE committee took in no money for the second day in a row. In fact, after rapidly building a $105,000 warchest between Oct. 10 - 23, no money has come into the committee in the last five days (with the exception of a small $2,500 contribution on... read more »