How to Buy a City: Chevron money rains down on Richmond election

"Corruptus in Extremis"

• Yeah, free speech, blah, blah.  But something is very, very wrong when a single multi-national corporation tries to buy every elected official in a San Francisco Bay Area small town.

RICHMOND -- With its mighty East Bay refinery under attack from environmentally minded politicians here, Chevron is pouring staggering sums of money into this blue-collar town's local election -- raising eyebrows across the nation and questions about the role global corporations should play in local politics.

Council candidates who accept matching funds in this city of 107,000 people are limited to raising $65,000 for their election campaigns. Chevron has contributed $3 million to three local political action committees, roughly $72 per registered voter. That is about seven times the amount tech billionaire Meg Whitman spent per voter on a losing 2010 governor's race that was the most expensive nonpresidential race in U.S. history.
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The investment -- more than double Chevron's then-record-breaking $1.6 million spending on the last election cycle -- reflects the company's strained relationship with a community where it was historically embraced as an economic engine before a slate of progressives rose to prominence, including a Green Party mayor reports the San Jose Mercury News.

"I can't even point to a race where something like this is happening," said Thad Kousser, a political-science professor at UC San Diego who specializes in California state politics and elections.

Kousser added that because campaign expenditure laws vary by state and city, it's impossible to compare the numbers and definitively say whether, as many have suggested, this is the most money spent by a company in a local election.

"It's not at all unusual for businesses that have a lot at stake in elections to spend money; it's the scale of the donations. You rarely see the kind of money that people spend in U.S. Senate campaigns all coming from one source, on one political side, in a city as small as Richmond."

The spending -- which can be seen in mammoth billboards, stuffed mailboxes and relentless online and television commercials -- comes as the company battles a lawsuit by the city over damages stemming from a major 2012 fire at its 3,000-acre refinery that sent thousands of nearby residents to hospitals. It also comes after eight years of city leadership by Mayor Gayle McLaughlin, who has protested outside the refinery's front gates and battled the city's largest taxpayer and employer at every turn.

For the company's part, spokesman Braden Reddall defended the enormity of Chevron's contributions.

"The amount of money we spend to inform voters must be viewed in the context of the more than $500 million in local taxes, social investment and spending on local vendors from Chevron over the past five years, and our $90 million social and environmental commitment to the city that will follow once our $1 billion refinery modernization is allowed to proceed," he wrote in an email.

The result of all that money flowing from Chevron's coffers is a sophisticated campaign that promotes its preferred candidates -- Nat Bates, Charles Ramsey, Al Martinez and Donna Powers -- while attacking a slate of candidates -- McLaughlin, Jovanka Beckles and Eduardo Martinez -- supported by a grass roots political activist organization known as the Richmond Progressive Alliance.
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The campaign mailers and advertisements, sent out by the Chevron-backed Moving Forward committees, make no mention of the refinery or the candidates' positions toward it. Instead, they largely focus on the travel habits, attendance records and leadership qualities of the people they oppose, often in sharply critical terms.

Billboards and mailers portray McLaughlin, who is running for City Council after being termed out as mayor, as a jet-setter who spent her tenure traveling the world, including lobbying for the release of Cuban spies, while ignoring the city she leads. Mailers call Eduardo Martinez a "radical anarchist" and place his face on milk cartons and missing pet signs as a criticism of his attendance on city and school district boards; and a television commercial done in the style of the once-popular reality show "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous" lambastes Beckles for expensive dinners (including a $39 lamb chop) while traveling on city-supported trips.

Read the full article . . . .

California Cops Steal Naked Photos of Women

(Contra Costa Times)  -  The California Highway Patrol officer accused of stealing nude photos from a DUI suspect's phone told investigators that he and his fellow officers have been trading such images for years, in a practice that stretches from its Los Angeles office to his own Dublin station, according to court documents obtained by this newspaper Friday.

CHP Officer Sean Harrington, 35, of Martinez, also confessed to stealing explicit photos from the cellphone of a second Contra Costa County DUI suspect in August and forwarding those images to at least two CHP colleagues. The five-year CHP veteran called it a "game" among officers, according to an Oct. 14 search warrant affidavit.

Harrington told investigators he had done the same thing to female arrestees a "half dozen times in the last several years," according to the court records, which included leering text messages between Harrington and his Dublin CHP colleague, Officer Robert Hazelwood.

Contra Costa County prosecutors are investigating and say the conduct of the officers -- none of whom has been charged so far -- could compromise any criminal cases in which they are witnesses. CHP Commissioner Joe Farrow said in a statement that his agency too has "active and open investigations" and cited a similar case several years ago in Los Angeles involving a pair of officers.

"The allegations anger and disgust me," Farrow said. "We expect the highest levels of integrity and moral strength from everyone in the California Highway Patrol, and there is no place in our organization for such behavior."

Rick Madsen, the Danville attorney for the 23-year-old San Ramon woman who was the first to report Harrington, said the implications of the case are "far-reaching and very damaging."

"The callousness and depravity with which these officers communicated about my client is dehumanizing, horribly offensive and degrading to all women," he said. "It's going to lead to another level of mistrust and skepticism to the motive of law enforcement in general."

The San Ramon woman's DUI case has already been dismissed because of the investigation into Harrington's conduct, and the CHP confirmed that one of its officers, a 5-year veteran, has been placed on "administrative duties" and is not on patrol, although they did not mention Harrington by name. Deputy district attorney Barry Grove said he expects a decision about charges against officers in the CHP probe to be made next week.

In the search warrant affidavit, senior Contra Costa district attorney inspector Darryl Holcombe wrote that he found probable cause to show both CHP officers Harrington and Hazelwood and others engaged in a "scheme to unlawfully access the cell phone of female arrestees by intentionally gaining access to their cell phone and without their knowledge, stealing and retaining nude or partially clothed photographs of them." That behavior constitutes felony computer theft, the affidavit said.

As this newspaper first reported earlier this week, the investigation began with a single incident: Harrington's conduct during the Aug. 29 arrest of the San Ramon woman. The woman discovered that photos had been stolen from her phone five days after her release, when she noticed on her iPad that the photos had been sent to an unknown number. A record of the messages had been deleted from her iPhone, but the phone had been synced to the iPad.
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Read More . . . .

The top House races in California

MOST COMPETITIVE RACES IN THE STATE:

7TH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT (SUBURBS TO THE SOUTH AND EAST OF SACRAMENTO):

Democratic Rep. Ami Bera versus Republican Doug Ose, a former congressman. Bera won this district by just 2 percentage points in 2012.

Big money from outside interest groups are flowing into this race, making it clear the district is up for grabs, just as it was two years ago.

Among the groups helping Ose with television ads are the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, $600,000; Karl-Rove backed CrossRoads GPS, $900,000; and the American Action Network, $750,000. The outside spending should reduce the substantial fundraising advantage Bera enjoyed after the June primary. On the Democratic side, the House Majority PAC has said it has reserved nearly $1 million worth of air time.

The campaign arms for House Republicans and House Democrats also have reserved big ad buys.

Bera is trying to distance himself from Washington. He’s emphasizing that he gave up his pay during the government shutdown last fall and has reimbursed the treasury for the nearly $5,000 he accrued in pension benefits last year.

Ose served three terms in Congress before declining to seek re-election in 2004. He’s calling for tax cuts and repeal of the health insurance law that Democrats pushed through in President Barack Obama’s first term.

52ND CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT (SAN DIEGO):

Democratic Rep. Scott Peters versus Republican Carl DeMaio.

Peters serves a congressional district in which Republican voters outnumber Democrats by about 6,000. He is one of the few Democrats serving in Congress to get the endorsement of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

DeMaio served on the San Diego City Council from 2008-2012. He helped lead ballot campaigns to privatize services, defeat a sales tax and reduce public pensions before narrowly losing a race for mayor. He also is openly gay and has challenged the GOP to be more inclusive on social issues. He has been the most adept fundraiser among the California Republicans who are challenging Democratic incumbents.

The campaign arms for House Republicans and Democrats have each reserved more than $1 million in air time in the San Diego market.

COMPETITIVE:

21ST CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT (FRESNO, KERN, KINGS AND TULARE COUNTIES):

Republican Rep. David Valadao versus Democrat Amanda Renteria.

Valadao represents a largely rural district that skews Democratic. The freshman lawmaker is the lead sponsor of legislation that would set aside environmental laws and allow more water to be pumped for irrigation. While the bill had no chance in Congress, it’s popular with many constituents.

Valado is one of the few Republicans in the House openly supporting comprehensive immigration reform, a nod to the composition of a district in which Hispanics make up nearly half of registered voters. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has spent $300,000 to boost Valadao before the primary, but outside interest groups have largely stayed away in the general election.

Republicans are growing increasingly confident of retaining the district, pointing out that national Democrats had delayed a round of television ad buys. The chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee says the GOP’s interpretation of the delay is “nonsense.”

26TH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT (VENTURA COUNTY):

Democratic Rep. Julia Brownley versus Republican Jeff Gorell.

Democrats enjoy a 6 percentage point edge among registered voters, but Republicans have a candidate with strong name recognition who has served as a local prosecutor and as a member of the state Assembly. Gorell also is a war veteran who served in Afghanistan.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has weighed in with ad buys critical of Gorell and the House Majority PAC has spent about $46,000 on fliers, showing that Democrats are taking the race seriously. In all, the DCCC has reserved nearly $1 million worth of air time in the expensive Los Angeles-area market.

Republican groups have so far stayed out, which is not a positive sign for a candidate going up against a well-financed incumbent.

31ST CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT (SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY)

Republican Paul Chabot versus Democrat Pete Aguilar.

Republican Gary Miller retired, giving Democrats one of their best chances nationally to flip a Republican-controlled seat.

Chabot emerged from the primary as the top vote-getter, even though three other candidates in the primary spent more money. Chabot is emphasizing his military service, which included a tour in Iraq. He also once worked in the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has taken out ads criticizing Chabot, but national Republicans have so far not reciprocated with their own spending.

Meanwhile, Aguilar has amassed enough money to allow him to air positive television commercials about his life story, which includes serving as the mayor of Redlands. Democrats have a 6 percentage point edge over Republicans among registered voters in the district.

36TH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT (RIVERSIDE COUNTY, MOSTLY THE COACHELLA VALLEY):

Democratic Rep. Raul Ruiz versus Republican Brian Nestande.

Ruiz, a former emergency room doctor, defeated Republican Mary Bono in 2012. He now faces her former chief of staff, who serves in the state Assembly. Republicans outnumber Democrats by about 5,000 in the district, but Ruiz held a huge fundraising edge after the primary.

Strategists say a key factor will be whether Republican-aligned groups weigh in to counter Ruiz’s financial edge. The campaign arm for House Republicans reserved about $500,000 in air time in the Palm Springs market, but it’s unclear whether they will follow through as the election approaches.

Other interest groups appear to be staying clear.

POTENTIALLY COMPETITIVE:

3RD CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT (EIGHT COUNTIES NORTH AND WEST OF SACRAMENTO.):

Democrat Rep. John Garamendi versus Republican Dan Logue, a former county supervisor and member of the state Assembly. Garamendi won 53 percent of the vote in the primary and has a substantial fundraising edge.

10TH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT (STANISLAUS AND SAN JOAQUIN COUNTIES):

Republican Rep. Jeff Denham versus Democrat Michael Eggman, an almond and honey farmer.

This is one of the more closely divided districts in the state with Republicans enjoying just a 2 percentage point edge in over Democrats in voter registration, but Denham looked strong in the primary, winning nearly 59 percent of the vote.

Republican Chris Mitchum looks like his dad.

24TH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT (SANTA BARBARA AND SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTIES):

Democratic Rep. Lois Capps versus Republican Chris Mitchum, son of the late actor Robert Mitchum.

Chris Mitchum emerged from a jumbled primary that included nine candidates, five of them Republicans. He will be greatly outspent, and outside groups seem to be staying out of the race. That said, the district did become somewhat friendlier toward Republicans after redistricting, with Democrats maintaining a 3 percentage-point edge.

TOP SAME-PARTY RACES:

4TH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT (PRIMARILY PLACER AND EL DORADO COUNTIES, BUT STRETCHING AS FAR SOUTH AS YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK):

Rep. Tom McClintock, one of the nation’s most conservative Republican lawmakers, faces fellow Republican Art Moore, an Iraq war veteran.

McClintock easily won the primary and had a huge fundraising edge going into July. But Moore could make it a race if he can hold his own among Republicans and dominate with Democratic voters and independents.

17TH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT: (SANTA CLARA COUNTY AND PART OF ALAMEDA COUNTY):

Rep. Mike Honda, serving his seventh term representing a district in the heart of Silicon Valley, faces fellow Democrat Ro Khanna, an intellectual property lawyer who stunned observers by raising $2.8 million going into the July fundraising quarter and spending even more.

Honda is supported by a host of Democratic-aligned groups, such as unions and Planned Parenthood, as well as the vast majority of California’s Democratic hierarchy.

Khanna is backed by some of Silicon Valley’s most influential movers and shakers, including Google’s Eric Schmidt and Yahoo’s Marissa Mayer.

The race has attracted a lot of national attention, but not because the candidates differ on many issues. Instead, the interest is in watching a long-term incumbent who is steeped in the traditional ways of political power try to fend off someone from his own party who has a strong grounding in a technology sector that plays an increasingly important role in the nation’s economy and politics.

From San Gabriel Valley Tribune.

Union drives 300 jobs out of California town

A Democrat Union Strikes Again

Even light rail jobs (the darling of Democrats) have 

been driven out of the People's Republic.

The California city of Palmdale in Los Angeles County was ready to roll out the red carpet this summer when a Japanese company agreed to build a $60 million factory on a city-owned, vacant parcel on the southwest side of town -- but now the company is taking its project out of state and critics say union greed is to blame. 

As many as 300 people were slated to work at the 400,000-square-foot plant, painting and wiring light rail cars under a huge contract with the Los Angeles Metropolitan Transportation Authority. It was a coup for Palmdale Mayor Jim Ledford, and a plan that seemed to suit Kinkisharyo International, which last year moved its U.S. headquarters from Boston to El Segundo, Calif. 

"I believe this is just the beginning of a manufacturing renaissance here in the Antelope Valley,” crowed Ledford in June reports Fox News.

“We’ve been waiting for this day for a long time,” added Palmdale Economic Development Director Dave Walter. “So many people and organizations played huge roles in making this a reality."

But a newly formed environmental group -- which critics say is a front for a local union -- had other ideas.

The "Antelope Valley Residents for Responsible Development," a group backed by the International Brotherhood Workers Union Local 11, produced a 588-page appeal claiming that construction of the proposed factory would violate state environmental laws, by, among other things, kicking up spores. What the union really wanted, according to Kinkisharyo officials, was clearance to organize the plant without any interference from the company. When Kinkisharyo officials balked, the project suddenly became a potential environmental hazard.

“They are using California’s environmental laws as a pretense to put leverage on the company to get what they want,” Kinkisharyo spokesman Coby King told FoxNews.com. “It’s unfortunate when groups that don’t care about the well-being of the environment use the laws to delay, and even kill, good business development.”

Kinkisharyo, the El Segundo-based U.S. subsidiary of Kinki Sharyo Co., is currently assembling 78 light rail cars for Metro, with delivery of the first car expected this month. The company has exercised an option to build an additional 97 cars under a 10-year, $891 million contract with the MTA. For now, the company is doing the work from a hangar in Palmdale. But after delays the company has said have cost it $2 million, Kinkisharyo is looking out of state for a site to build its plant.

“The company is disappointed," King said. "They would have liked to stay in Palmdale.”

Driven from California
Japanese rail company Kinkisharyo agreed to build a $60 million factory on a city-owned, vacant parcel in Palmdale, Calif. It would have been similar to this facility operated by the company in Phoenix, Arizona. (Kinkisharyo)

Dems & GOP pour millions into Sacramento Congressional district

Harmeet Dhillon, right, speaks with fellow Sikh volunteers Guri Kang, Ravi Kahlon, and Indierjit Kallirai, left, to right, during a precinct walk to gather support in the Sikh community for GOP Congressional candidate Doug Ose in Elk Grove, Calif. 

The GOP Wave Cometh

The Republican wave is picking up steam in 

districts all over the country.

Rep. Ami Bera (D-Calif.) has suddenly emerged as one of this year’s most vulnerable incumbents. 

The freshman lawmaker, now in a fight for political survival against former Rep. Doug Ose (R), was never going to cruise to reelection in his perennial toss-up district. But an unfavorable climate for Democrats has made his climb that much harder.

“Ami Bera’s had a target on his back for two years. He’s known this was going to happen,” said Sacramento-based Democratic strategist Steven Maviglio. “It’s always been a swing district,” reports The Hill.

California’s 7th District has become the third most expensive House race in the country, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. Candidates have spent nearly $5 million, while outside groups like the Chamber of Commerce and American Action Network and the national party organizations have poured in more than $7 million. 

Sikh-ing a GOP Win
Republican candidate for Congress Doug Ose, left, shakes hands with Harmeet Dhillon, and fellow Sikh volunteer precinct walkers Ravi Kahlon and Guri Kang.
See Modesto Bee.com

Earlier this month, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee even pulled a $2.8 million ad reservation from the race to fill retiring Rep. Frank Wolf’s (R-Va.) open seat, which Democrats once viewed as a pickup opportunity in northern Virginia, to instead use the funds in Bera’s district.

Even with high Democratic turnout for President Obama’s reelection in 2012, Bera only defeated then-Rep. Dan Lungren (R-Calif.) by a slim margin of 51 percent to 49 percent.

“We’ve been preparing for a close race in this district for a long time,” said Bera campaign manager Danny Kazin, noting that “in 2012, it was one of the closest races in the country.”

Kazin argued that Bera would be able to turn out enough voters despite the nature of the midterm cycle, pointing to the higher-than-expected turnout in the primary where Bera won 47 percent of the vote compared to 40 percent in 2012. California’s primary system pits all candidates, regardless of party, against one another and the top two advance to the general election.

“There was a lot of talk how low turnout would be in the primary,” Kazin said. “We got more votes in the primary that he’d gotten before.”

Republicans have tried to turn that message against Bera. Earlier this month, the National Republican Congressional Committee ran an ad slamming Bera for voting against every spending proposal during consideration of the House GOP budget resolutions in 2013 and 2014.

Protect Our Water - Doug Ose for Congress   

California's 7th Congressional District
In the 2012 Obama landslide election the Democrat House candidate won
a narrow 51.7% victory over a Republican incumbent.
Voter registration is 39% Democrat, 37% GOP and 24%
independents and smaller political parties.

Charles Munger, Jr. pours cash into GOP campaigns

Charles Munger, Jr. offsets Democrat Union Money

(Sacramento Bee)  -  While attention was focused on the 36th and 65th Assembly districts – where Democratic members Steve Fox of Palmdale and Sharon Quirk-Silva of Fullerton are highly vulnerable this election – the California Republican Party was quietly expanding its efforts to pick up other legislative seats in moderate areas and break the Democrats’ legislative supermajority.

Assemblyman Al Muratsuchi, in particular, has been taking increasing heat lately. The Torrance Democrat trailed his Republican challenger,David Hadley, by 557 votes in the primary. Now Hadley, who received $150,000 from the state GOP on Monday, is on the offensive, teaming up with Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Assocation President Jon Coupal for a statewide press call today to denounce his opponent. 

Outside groups, including the California Republican Party and Charles Munger’s Spirit of Democracy committee, have spent more than $827,000 on the race since the beginning of the month, with more than $680,000 of that to support Hadley or oppose Muratsuchi.

66th Assembly District
The GOP has targeted their candidate David Hadley in the district.
Voter registration in the Los Angeles County district is 40% Democrat,
33% Republican and 27% independents and smaller political parties.

Things are also tightening in the 21st Assembly District. Though Assemblyman Adam Gray, D-Merced, holds a huge fundraising advantage over his Republican opponent Jack Mobley, who wasn’t even on the primary ballot, independent expenditure committees have reported more than $643,000 in spending since Oct. 7, most of it to support Mobley or oppose Gray.

There has even been action in the district of Assemblyman Ian Calderon, D-Whittier, where Democrats hold a 21-point registration advantage. On Oct. 10, the state GOP spent $30,000 on behalf of Republican challenger Rita Topalian, who won the primary by more than 1,000 votes, prompting the California Democratic Party to pump some money into the race for Calderon.

Over in the Senate, Republicans are trying to capitalize on the scandal surrounding termed-out Sen. Ron Calderon, D-Montebello, to make in-roads in his heavily Democratic Los Angeles-area community. More than $500,000 in outside money has poured into the race to replace him, which was not considered particularly competitive until recently.

The California Republican Party and wealthy GOP benefactor Charles Munger, Jr. have more than doubled their independent efforts in the heavily Democratic 32nd Senate District in Los Angeles County, pouring in more than $230,000 for TV ads and mailers on Wednesday.

Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article2958965.html#storylink=cpy

32nd State Senate District
Includes the Southern California communities of Pomona, Ontario, Fontana and Rialto.

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I love cartoonist Ted Rall no matter which side he takes.

Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article3214841.html#storylink=

It took 15 years to get one desalination plant online

Why Nothing Gets Done in California

Endless "studies" and truckloads of lawyers.

CARLSBAD  -  Along this patch of the Pacific Ocean, welders and pipefitters nearly outnumber the surfers and sunbathers. Within sight of the crashing waves, the laborers are assembling what some hope will make water scarcity a thing of the past.

They are building the Carlsbad Desalination Project, which will convert as much as 56 million gallons of seawater each day into drinking water for San Diego County residents. The project, with a price tag of $1 billion, is emerging from the sand like an industrial miracle. In California’s highly regulated coastal zone, it took nearly 15 years to move from concept to construction, surviving 14 legal challenges along the way.

The desalination plant is being built by Poseidon Water, a private company, and will be paid for in large part by rate increases on San Diego County water customers. On the surface, the plant resembles any other major construction project: Construction cranes scrape the sky as concrete foundations are poured; the giant new blocky building could be any warehouse or parts factory.

Desalination

Inside, the truth of the project is revealed. The building will house more than 16,000 reverse-osmosis membranes – salt filters, essentially – that will convert the Pacific Ocean into drinking water suitable for making coffee and watering lawns.

Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/news/state/california/water-and-drought/article3017597.html#storylink=cpy

“This plant can’t come online fast enough,” said Bob Yamada, water resources manager at the San Diego County Water Authority, which serves 3.1 million people and is buying all of the plant’s freshwater production. “It’s droughtproof. That’s one of the most important attributes. It will be the most reliable water source we have.”

The water authority’s 30-year contract with Poseidon illustrates both the promise and peril of this water source. San Diego County agreed to pay for 48,000 acre-feet of water from the plant every year – whether it needs the water or not – to ensure a guaranteed supply. The water will cost $2,257 per acre-foot, about double the price of the authority’s most expensive current supply, which is water imported from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta more than 400 miles away.
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Under this so-called “take-or-pay” contract, the water authority can purchase an additional 8,000 acre-feet each year if necessary, which reduces the price slightly, to about $2,000 per acre-foot.
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One acre-foot is enough to serve two average homes for a year. At a total output of 56,000 acre-feet, the plant will meet 7 percent of San Diego County’s annual water demand.
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Read More . . . .

Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/news/state/california/water-and-drought/article3017597.html#storylink=cpy

Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/news/state/california/water-and-drought/article3017597.html#storylink=cpy

Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/news/state/california/water-and-drought/article3017597.html#storylink=cpyUnder this so-called “take-or-pay” contract, the water authority can purchase an additional 8,000 acre-feet each year if necessary, which reduces the price slightly, to about $2,000 per acre-foot.

Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/news/state/california/water-and-drought/article3017597.html#storylink=cpy

Two Democrats face off for Senate

Another Phony Election

• It's Democrat vs. Democrat in Sacramento's 6th State Senate district.  Voter choices have deliberately been reduced by the Elites.
• 48% of the district's voters are Democrats.  The 52% who are not are told to go screw themselves.
• From 1850 until 2010 voters in general elections had the choice of multiple political parties and independent candidates.  Today the election system is rigged.  In 2014 there are 25 one-party contests on the ballot.  Election freedom is an illusion to keep the Sheeple voters happy.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (KCRA News) —A fiercely contested race is underway to fill a Sacramento-area Senate seat – and it’s the latest example of California’s new election system, in which the top two vote-getters from the Primary advance to November's election, regardless of party.

Dr. Richard Pan was on the campaign trail this week at Sacramento State University, shaking hands and greeting voters in his bid for a state Senate seat – the very one that Senate leader Darryl Steinberg is leaving because of term limits.
Pan’s medical background is an important part of his campaign.

“I’m working hard to bring my real-life experience as a doctor, as an educator, as a small-business owner and a parent to try and keep our families safe and healthy,” Pan told KCRA 3. “I’m a parent. I have children. I need to be sure they get educated. So, I see both personally as well as a legislator -- what families are struggling with."

Welcome to Authoritarianism
It's Democrat vs. Democrat.
In the 6th State Senate District the corrupt "top two" phony
election system gives the voters a choice of only one political party. 
There is no Republican on the ballot and all small opposition
parties and independent candidates are banned.  The corrupt Elites
have even made your write-in vote illegal.

Pan’s opponent is fellow Assemblyman Roger Dickinson.
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"People in this community know me," Dickinson said. "I’ve been here. I’ve served this community a long time. I’ve been here for nearly 40 years. I’ve lived in the same neighborhood for 36 years, the same house for 27. (I) have represented parts of Sacramento for more than 20 years."
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The election features two members of the Assembly from the same party facing off against each other.
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So, why should voters really care who wins? After all, they’re going to get a Democrat no matter what.
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“I think we both have differences,” Dickinson said.
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He points to his legislative track record, authoring a bill requiring greater truth in advertising for farmers markets.
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Campaign records from Maplight show that so far, Pan has raised close to $1 million, with the biggest chunk, about $55,000, coming from the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees.
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By contrast, Dickinson has raised nearly $600,000. The biggest contributor is the Laborers’ International Union of North America, with a donation of $20,400.

"Corruptus in Extremis"
Elections in the People's Republic of California are a joke, and the Elites are laughing at the Sheeple voters.
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Many "elections" have become phony one-party only contests where the people have no voice at all.  Also, because of massive district size a simple contest for a state Assembly seat can run into millions of dollars.  Only millionaires or those candidates willing to be bribed with special interest money win California elections.  The people have no voice.
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The people of California must demand true election reform with either small districts where average people can win or proportional representation.

 

Free Elections in Scotland
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Most nations around the world use a proportional representation system for elections so all factions of society can be represented.  If a party gets 20% of the vote they get 20% of the legislative seats.
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In the Scottish Parliament above they have five different political parties and four independent members.  Meanwhile in California the voters are force fed a special interest group funded two-party only system.  (Scottish Parliament)

Battle of the Races: Asians vs. Latinos in Orange County



Republican Young Kim

Battle of the Races
Orange County's 65th Assembly District is 20% Latino and 20% Asian. The race sees a contest between a Latino Assemblywoman and an Asian-American Republican.



(Los Angeles Times)  -  Assemblywoman Sharon Quirk-Silva, a first-term Democrat facing a tough reelection bid, stood in a Sizzler dining room one recent evening with a rallying cry for her supporters.

"Do not let others define our district for us," she urged members of a local Democratic club. "It's too simplistic to do the data and say, 'It's just a Republican stronghold.' "

Until recently, it was. And in one of the most closely watched legislative contests this year, Republicans hope to flip it back.

Changing demographics recently transformed solidly Republican terrain into swing territory. But although Democrats may have expanded their playing field, they could be hobbled by lackluster turnout at the polls next month.

As Democratic registration climbs in these districts, "the blessing is they're getting more voters that are going to be supporting Democratic candidates," said Paul Mitchell, vice president of the bipartisan firm Political Data Inc.

"The curse," he said, "is that more of those voters are younger and tend to have a lower turnout."

There are currently 55 Democrats in the Assembly, one more than needed for the two-thirds supermajority. That voting bloc is handy for passing tax increases or placing measures on the ballot without Republican votes.

The Orange County race is a tossup, according to the California Target Book, an almanac of state politics.

In 2012, Quirk-Silva notched an upset victory over a sitting Republican, buoyed by strong Democratic turnout for the presidential election.

Now she's up against Republican Young Kim, who served in the area for two decades as an aide to Rep. Ed Royce (R-Fullerton).

Orange County's 65th Assembly District is 37% Democrat, 36% Republican
and 27% independents and small political parties.

Kim is running on familiar GOP themes — decrying burdensome regulations on business and pledging to fend off any Democratic attempts to alter Proposition 13, the state's landmark property tax law. Quirk-Silva says she opposes any attempt to change the law.

A former teacher who also served on the Fullerton City Council, Quirk-Silva has emphasized local issues, namely her legislation for a new veterans cemetery in Orange County. She appeared this week with Gov. Jerry Brown at the cemetery's future site in Irvine.

Fundraising advantages typically go to the incumbent. But Kim has gone toe-to-toe with Quirk-Silva in the money race, collecting nearly $1.5 million to Quirk-Silva's $1.8 million.

New demographics are a potent undercurrent in this race to represent the 65th Assembly District. Kim, like 5% of the district, is Korean American. Asian Americans as a whole make up nearly 20%, according to Political Data.

Kim, noting that Asian Americans are the fastest growing ethnic group in North Orange County, says she has an advantage as "a candidate that looks like and talks like the district."

The same could be said of Quirk-Silva, who is Latino, as is about 20% of the district.

"There's no doubt — your grandfather's Orange County has changed," said Fred Smoller, professor of political science at Chapman University.

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